Moon Of Gold

Chapter 9: Maidens of the Moon

      I stand there in complete and utter shock. Who were these people? Better yet did they have my dad? Clearly, the old woman knew we would be here but how? Is she the witch doctor Silvaus had mentioned.
     Three women appear and silently walk down the stairs. One seemed to be of Asian descent. Possibly Japanese. The second one has a slightly darker complexion similar to the older woman. The third has a complexion, close to mine.
     All three women stopped near the end of the stairs. The older woman slowly made her way down the right side of the stairs. She makes it to the end of the stairs and the three bow.
     I couldn't move. My muscles tense up and my mind was running wild. What is happening? I turn to Julian who stands there, grabbing the end of his coat.

      "Welcome. The stars have aligned to bring you two here I presume?" The old woman implies, making me wonder if this is the right place to be.

    "I suppose so...who are you all? We came here looking for my dad, Silvaus. Is he here?" I quickly ask trying to get an expected answer. He better be here! I swear he's dead when I see him.
      The old woman looks up and smiles. She turns around and points her cane down a hallway. "He is here but he is resting. Don't worry young pup you will see him soon. I know you are beyond worried and rather annoyed by his actions" she assures me.
      My mind was at ease. Thank god he was here. Still going to scold him though. The man of the hour drunk and nearly getting himself killed. Typical. I still needed to know these people's names. Were we heading home after this? Part of me doesn't want to because the whole riot would probably get worse.
      The darker woman with braids in her hair coughs and the older woman gasps. "Ah yes, Lyla. I almost forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm the witch doctor who you might have heard of, Thando" she pauses and turns to the three younger women "This one here is my granddaughter, Lyla, the one next to her is Cia, and the last one is Mika."
     Mika walks up first. Her long black hair and snow-white skin put me off guard for a second. I notice her blue kimono tightly wrapped on her body. The print is white petals with black-trimmed around it.
    She sits down on her knees and bows once again.
    "Welcome, I am the leader of this group called Maidens of the Moon. We have been expecting you. As well as your...friend" she states, eyeing Julian behind me.
      I raise an eyebrow and scoff. "What about him? I know he's weird but still. You don't have to remind me twice" I answer.
      Mika grins and gets up. She nudges, Lyla and walks back to Cia.
      Lyla steps forward next.

      "I'm of course Lyla. My grandmother has already stated that as you heard earlier. Your caretaker had come to us in a hurry. He claims you are in a rather difficult time currently. We are here to help you and your friend. Do not hesitate to ask questions. However, Mika is rather all talk and only that" she chuckles.  
      Mika glances at her and sneers in disgust. "They're supposed to find out about the exciting stuff on their own. Don't force-feed them!" She protests. Her quiet and graceful demeanor had quickly fallen short from Lyla's teasing.
     The third woman butts in, "Sorry about these idiots. I'm Cia. Welcome to this mysterious mansion you found in the middle of nowhere." I can tell she has a little bit of a Spanish accent.
     I'm beginning to feel a little more comfortable. I really want to go home but maybe this wasn't bad. I knew for a fact that this might clear a few things up.

***

     We all seat ourselves down at the long dinner table in the dining hall.
     The dining hall has similar colors to the walkway of the castle itself. The chairs were lined with gold and the seat cushions where blue. A smaller chandelier hangs above us.
     Mika places a worn-out book in front of us. I pull it towards me and slowly open it. Scanning through the book caused more confusion than talking to these women.
     "What is this supposed to be? Not trying to be rude or anything. Is it records of history or something? I'm so lost..." I ask, staring at the book in mild confusion.
     Mika sighs and glares at Lyla. "I told you someone had to explain this mess! The book's too much for them. For us! Like who wrote this?!" Lyla huffs and leans towards her grandmother. "It's so old that we aren't even sure of it. Did you pull this out of nowhere?"
      Thando clears her throat and closes her eyes. "Listen, my young pups. I'm going to tell you a summary of this raggedy old book. Listen closely." She demands.
     We all close our mouths and look at the elder. She begins: