Under the Moon - Book 1 in the Bewitching Moon Series

Chapter 11

The guards at the door to the throne room inspect the letter the messenger has before letting me in. The messenger leaves me there and returns to his duties I suppose.

"Aiden Williams?" the Queen says as I timidly swim up to her.

"Yes my queen," I say as I bow down in her presence.

"You must be very confused as to why I am asking you here," she says, I look up at her. The Queen's beauty is able to entrance anybody who looks at her, and right now its effect was starting to get to me. I tried to focus on what she was saying.

"I believe that you are most likely wanting to become part of the royal guard, seeing as your family seems to have a legacy in their hands for being accepted into the royal guard."

"Yes my queen, I do very much wish to be a part of the royal guard someday."

"Well then, I have a proposition for you. If you complete this task then you will be accepted into my royal guard without needing the entry test."

I just barely managed to keep myself from gaping at her. This couldn't be real. If I could complete the task then I could be on the royal guard. There would be no chance that I would fail due to my lack of skills in sword fighting on land.

"I would like you to find Diana Ciro's daughter and bring her to me relatively unharmed."

Diana Ciro? I knew this name, she was a witch that was exiled, my dad was tasked with watching her, to make sure she never came back here. I never knew the reason for her being exiled or that she had a daughter.

"My queen, this is such an honor, I will climb the highest mountain and dive the deepest depths to find Diana Ciro's daughter. And with my healing abilities, I will make sure that she is never harmed."

"If you come back without her, I will make sure that you will never have a chance to be on the royal guard, and if you die on land, then you die on land, so be it."

The Queen seemed to want Diana Ciro's daughter very much if she was willing to sacrifice a citizen to get her.

"Yes my queen, I understand."

Queen Anastasia clapped twice and within seconds a servant was rushing in holding a satchel and a tray. The servant gave me the satchel, I opened it to find stacks and stacks of what seemed to be human money, but I knew better, it was likely rocks or some other non-valuable item, enchanted to look like human money.

"That money should cover your expenses on land." She then motioned the servant to come to her. She picked up whatever was on the tray, I could see now that it was a piece of seaweed. The Queen murmured some sort of spell, enchanting the piece of seaweed. Glowing blue lines now scribbled their way around the piece of seaweed.

"I've enchanted this piece of seaweed to let you teleport from one place to another, but you can only use it once, so only use it in an emergency."

"Yes my queen," I said. The queen put the seaweed back on the tray and motioned for the servant to bring it to me. I took it and placed it carefully in my pocket.

"Now you are to go and not return until you have Diana Ciro's daughter."

"Yes my queen," I said as I bowed one last time. The servant brought me to the doors which opened. I swam out of the room, hearing the doors close behind me. Now time to figure out how to tell my parents about this new mission.