Mariana Nichols and the Cerelian Ring

Cerelia

I pushed the gargoyle door knocker hard against the front door of Aunt Wendy's surprisingly small house. After seeing her brother's house, this was not at all what I was expecting when I asked Myles for the address. Don't get me wrong, it's not small in the slightest, at least not for just one person living in it.

Riley hovered behind me on the front step. "Am I wrong, or does this house look like something straight out of a horror movie?" I had to agree. The almost full moon was rising high in the sky, and the nocturnal life was coming about. If Wendy doesn't answer soon, I am definitely going to bolt.

The front door finally creaked open, and thankfully Wendy was behind it. "Well, hello, Mari! Who's your friend?"

"I need you to tell me everything you know about this ring." I held out the garnet encrusted ring in front of me.

"Hi, I'm Riley." Riley leaned around me with her hand outstretched to introduce herself.

For just a moment, there was silence. Complete silence. So silent, I could hear the creak of the shutters against the light wind. Until Aunt Wendy finally broke it. "Why don't you girls come inside." She held the door open for us as we both slipped inside, glad to be out of the cool, autumn night. We entered into a cluttered living room, full of tacky furniture and artwork. Now this is exactly where I pictured Wendy living. "I, um, wasn't expecting company. Would you like some tea?" Aunt Wendy passed into the next room, which I assume is the kitchen.

"No. Thanks. What I really want right now is answers." I tried to tell her again.

Aunt Wendy sighed. "I knew I'd have to tell you eventually, I just didn't think it would be so soon." She said as she came back into the living room. "Follow me." Riley and I did as she said, and followed Wendy to the back of the room, and down a long, narrow hallway. We didn't stop until we reached the final door.

"What's in there?" I asked, mentally preparing myself.

"This" Aunt Wendy told me, as she pushed the door open. "Is Cerelia." The room looks almost like a museum. One side of the wide, open room was lined with tall, overflowing bookcases. Another is covered in artwork, and antique instruments were placed on the wall and the floor. Covering the wall across from us, hung a tapestry, which was covered in names I did not recognize. Lastly, there was a long case full of jewelry down the center of the room, all of which resembled mine and Riley's. "Or, at least what is left of it."

"Okay, I have even more questions now." I tell her. "What is all this stuff?"

"Everything in this room has been passed down, from generation to generation, along with that ring I gave you. It is our job to protect the Cerelian legacy, and to make sure the prophecy comes to pass." Wendy told us. "This bookcase holds information on nearly every one of the Cerelian jewels. Of course, we don't have all the jewels, or all of the books. But we've done a pretty good job of finding lost artifacts, and keeping what we do have safe. Riley, I recognized your brooch from one of the books the moment I saw it." I turn to face Riley, and she is in just as much shock as I am. I'm not sure how long she's had her brooch, but I'm pretty sure Aunt Wendy is the first person to figure it out. "That is why I am allowing you to come in here. Nothing else." Wendy leads us past the hundreds of books to the art wall. "There isn't much for me to tell you about this. Except that our ancestors were very ahead of their time. They managed to build instruments close to what we have today. They created artwork that survived all these years. And these," Aunt Wendy finally turned around to face the case of jewels. "Are the legend of Cerelia. Cerelia is a kingdom that no one remembers, but these jewels make it stand out amongst all the rest. Each jewel grants a different power. Of course, just like the books, we don't have all of them. There are other families, similar to our own, which have passed down a jewel or two. And others which have simply been lost over time. But we do have the majority of them right here."

"This is incredible." I wander around the room again, taking it all in.

"It is." Wendy agreed. "But it is getting late. You girls should be getting home." I began to protest, wanting to know more, but Aunt Wendy wouldn't have it. "You are both welcome to come back tomorrow, when we can all think a little more clearly."