Mysteries Atop the Mountain

Chapter 1

Mysteries Atop the Mountain

By: Alora Avery

For: JH.

Through it all.

You were there.

You made it to the other side.

Prologue

Atop the mountain of  Venalaya, on the planet Qienal, a kingdom was built.

Trailing from peak all the way down to the mermaid filled ocean below.

Flags embroidered with flowers unknown to our world and sunsets completed with two suns.

Constellations differ from our own with bright stars in the light of the four, shimmering moons.

Note:

All dialogue is spoken in the language of the Venalayan, the mountain dialect.

Chapter 1

         I awoke with a start at the sound of thunder and the bright flashes of lightning. A cold breeze floated through my open window. I starred at the window. I didn't remember leaving it open when I went to bed, or maybe it could have been my imagination that I had closed it. I walked over to the window; the stone floors stung my bare toes while the lacy ends of my nightgown trailed behind me.

I peered through the window, down the side of the mountain. The castle was perched upon the peak of the mountain, and from here, I could see the entire kingdom snaking toward the Sarena ocean below. The ocean was raging as the wind picked up, and all four moons were obscured by the black clouds.

The worry started to creep up into my arms and chest. But, my fears were irrational. Nobody could scale the castle walls and sneak past the guards posted up all 36 hours of the day. It was impossible, plus who would want to? My kingdom and the neighboring kingdom of Rehlang has been at peace ever since my mother, princess of Rehlang, married my father, king of Venalaya. The strife between the kingdoms had ended. No more wars, assassinations, or separations.

I sighed as I closed the window before engaging all three locks. I turned and saw something move in the darkness. My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't move. It was like a shadow had leapt from the wall and begun moving independently. I creeped over to my bedside lantern and slowly lit it. The light illuminated the room, and... There was nothing there. I could feel the beating of my heart in my head as I laid back down to rest. My mind must have been tired because it was the middle of the night anyway.

          Although I hadn't left my lantern on throughout the night since I was a child, I left it on that night and tried desperately to fall back to sleep. After laying there for what felt like hours, tossing and turning repeatedly, I opened the drawer of my bedside table and shuffled through the contents. There were two books inside and several sheets of paper which my homework that was due in a couple of days.