Chapter Four

Third Person

Kate Nederlof

 

The grounds of the Earth Academy were teaming with students on their lunch break. A constant chattering of many voices surrounded the large building that stood at the center of the masses. It was old and the burgundy paint was peeling. The doors creaked and the windows were either stuck shut or didn’t close properly. A tarnished brass bell hung at the top of a leaning tower with a rickety wooden staircase winding up inside of it. It was in dire need of replacement but no one could find it in their hearts to mention that to the king. It was one of the last remaining structures, and a reminder of what had happened to the humans.

    A man, old and gray, with a limp and a permanent squint flung the door to the bell tower open and raced up the stairs. His nimble feet brought him up the familiar staircase in no time, skipping over the stairs that were weak and in danger of breaking. Reaching the top he pulled heavily on the fraying rope that hung down. A loud ‘dong’ rang out across the ground and into the forests that surrounded it. The leaning wooden tower shook and the old man was pulled off his feet, clinging to the rope for dear life.. The large double doors of the Academy creaked open, their ancient hinges protesting against the stress. Three people walked out of the Academy, the doors slamming shut behind the. The lady in front was tall and willowy with graying hair pulled into a bun. She wore the black slacks and white blouse that was the school uniform. Behind her stood a tall man in military uniform pinching himself and a short rotund man in the blue and silver of a royal currier.

    “Students,” the women called, her voice carrying across the the grounds. “I have just recieved a message from the castle of Jorhdyn.” Whispers broke out and the murmurings grew louder. “Quiet!” The women yelled. “This is very important!” The murmuring was silenced. “We have heard, from the Gates of Lunadachu, that our Aleki brethren are being targeted and slaughtered by the authorities in Penu. The King has fallen ill and the Queen has decided to send the Crown Prince as a delegate to stop these murderings. He will be accompanied by a contingent of royal guards. However to ensure his safety we will be sending two of you, disguised as royal servants. Jace Concherber and Heidi Eckter, please come forward.”

    A tall young man with tanned skin and and chocolate brown hair stepped forward, toward the steps leading up to the Academy doors. He was followed closely by a short girl with curly blonde hair. “Jace and Heidi will leave tomorrow morning and meet up with the Crown Prince in Concherber.” Jace smiled at Heidi but she ignored him, focusing on the woman, with a cool face masking her excitement. “However each of you will have your own part to play. We will be speeding up your training and, as soon as you are finished, we will be sending you out on assignments such as reinforcing our kingdom’s protective barrier. Now, lunch will be cut short. Return to your classes.”

With that she turned and entered the Academy again, followed by the two men and two students. Turning quickly she entered a small office with one window, opposite the door, curtained by dark green drapes. A long, mahogany desk separated the room in half. In front were two straight-backed wooden chairs. The surface of the desk was clear, except for a lamp, a clock and a plaque that read ‘Mrs. Helen’. Behind was another straight-backed chair and the wall was lined with closed cabinets.

Mrs. Helen sat down and pulled two papers from one of the drawers. She set them in front of the chairs and gestured for Jace and Heidi to sit. “Read through these, then sign at the bottom”’ Silence descended on the group, save for the nervous shuffle of the royal servant. Heidi was done first, finishing her signature with a flourish and a sideways glance at Jace. “Now, go pack. You’ll be leaving in two hours.”

 

2: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Aspen’s PoV

Kate Nederlof

 

I scurried my way up the bark of the massive oak tree. The midday sunlight getting brighter as less leaves blocked it's rays. My nose broke through and I sniffed the warm, fresh air, breathing it in. I scurried along the top branch then dropped, landing on the branch below. Steadying myself with my large bushy tail I dropping again, and again until I reached the forest floor.

However much I loved the tops of the trees I had supper to find. I bound across the pine needle littered ground, zig-zagging around tree trunks. I stopped when I caught the scent of... berries? The twitter of bird song guided me to a large bush full of ripe red raspberries. I grinned and hid behind a large tree before shifting. I felt the familiar stretching of skin and snap of bones and then I stood there, panting slightly, and blinking away the disorienting fact that my eyes were now more than twice as far off the ground. I growled experimentally, then stepped out from behind the tree. Immediately the bird's work chatter turned into shrieked warnings and they left the bush in a cloud of fluttering multi-colored feathers. I chuckled and waited, till I was sure they were gone, before shifting again. This time my fur disappeared and I could feel myself growing even larger. When I finally opened my eyes I was not a fox or the squirrel I had been earlier. My dark brown hair was tangled and fell in front of my face, I pushed it back and shivered. I no longer had fur, or even clothes to keep me warm in the cool forest air. I pulled some bark from the tree I had previously been hiding behind, and began to pull the berries from the bush. When I had at least three handfuls I turned, glanced around once, then took off running through the woods. It wasn't long before I came to a familiar tree with five stones arranged in a V at the base. I set down the berry filled bark bowl, and pulled aside a moss covered log. Underneath was an old brown tunic that I quickly pulled over my head and tied at the waist with a length of rope that lay underneath it. I picked up the bark bowl and continued on my way back home.

***

"Mama," I called as I approached the small, low roofed cottage. I passed the last tree that surrounded the clearing the cottage had been built in. No one was outside so I pushed the door open. The inside was dark, save for the dim light that had managed to break through the thin, but still present, foliage that covered the clearing and trickle through the open window. The house was deserted and I frowned, placing the bark on the table and looking around. Then I noticed, pinned to the back of the wooden door with a knife was a note. The paper was jagged and stained at the edges and written on in a halting scratch was:

Dear Aspen, I assure you your family is safe, however we need your assistance. Meet us tomorrow at the Starburst ruins, sunrise. Your family encourages you not to be late. - TRONA

 

I sank to my knees on the loose dirt floor. Someone had kidnapped my family? My family. Why? It wasn’t like I had anything for ransom. And they had been to my house? I looked around  the room. Nothing was out of place. Even the sparse pantry shelf had gone untouched. They hadn’t stolen anything, except my family.

***

When I woke up I found myself curled on the dirt floor. I hadn’t bothered to pull myself onto one of the pallets in the corner. The room was dark, and I stumbled to the window, finding it easy to navigate the familiar room even in the pitch black. I stuck my head out the window and looked up. I could see the light from six pin point stars above and I noticed the gray sky was a little lighter in the east. I stumbled to the table pulling the leather satchel around my neck and headed to the door. I have to get to the Starburst ruins before sunrise.

I ran most of the way, tripping over roots and running into the occasional tree in my haste. It didn’t help that I could barely see two feet in front of me. Why wasn’t I there to protect them? It wasn’t like I could have helped much.. If they had managed to subdue my older brother, Storm,  they could take down anyone. But Mama, she wasn’t as young as she had been once, and Sand and Leaf were still children? I could have at least tried to protect them if I had been there.

I tripped over a particularly far protruding root and fell, tumbling down a steep hill until I crashed into a solid rock wall. I lay there, the breath pushed from my lungs and lights dancing before my eyes. I must have blacked out then because the next thing I knew I was laying on a bed of soft moss, early morning light filtering through the forest canopy, and I wasn’t alone. There was a man sitting on one of the crumbling stone walls that surrounded the Starburst ruins. He was dressed in black with a hood covering his face. He jumped down from the wall and strode towards me, he was tall and thin with a long stride. I struggled to sit up and noticed that my legs had been tied to the stump of a broken rock pillar.

“Hello Aspen,” the man said, his voice low and soft.

“My f-family?” I stuttered out the question.

“Safe, but I need you to do something for me before I release them.”

“What?”

“I need you to spy on the Crown Prince of Jorhdyn.”

3: Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Third Person

Ashley Oracheski

    The morning was peaceful. Lieutenant Hiloh stood guard at the Lunadachu runway. Lunaduchu is the eighth planet, or family. Traditionally, each of the nine families has a city. It’s like this except Earth, Jorhdyn, Lunadachu, and Starburst. Instead, there’s the Earth Academy, which is the academy for the Aleki. Then there’s the ruins of Starburst, which used to be a city. Then there’s the Castle of Jorhdyn, instead of the city. And finally the gates of Lunadachu, the main defence against the kingdom of Penu.

    There are only three airplanes in the kingdom of Jorhdyn, used only for messages that were very important. Lieutenant Hiloh had a nice nap planned for today since the airfield is usually very quiet.

***

    The runway of Lunadachu was very quiet. It wasn’t too big, considering there was only four buildings. Three hangers and a small shed that looked like a MLB baseball bench.

    In the shed, there were a couple of chairs, a few wall decorations, and a gun rack. Unlike Earth, planes are not public, for they are strictly private. So there is no need for a terminal. The shed is more like a guard tower, except with no tower. Speaking of guards...

    In one of the chairs, Lieutenant Hiloh lay in his military suit, kinda like chinese military suit, asleep. Then suddenly, as if seemingly from thin air, the general himself appears right in front of the shed with a boy between the age of 10 and 12, with chocolate brown hair and and tanned skin.

    “Hmm, Hmm” say’s the general in a very rude way. Lieutenant Hiloh, grunt’s in his sleep and say’s “go awa...”. The general looks mad. “I said, hmm, HMM!”. Lieutenant Hiloh opens one of his eye’s, just barely though. But then they almost immediately both flash open and he’s on his feet with his in the salut form.

“Yes sir, ready for duty” he say’s in a very rushed way. The general takes out a white envelope. On one side it say’s The Earth Academy, and on the other is say’s The Castle Of Jorhdyn.

“Take this to the castle of Jorhdyn immediately” said General Jiks (jick-s) . “Yes Sir!” Lieutenant Hiloh took the envelop and ran to the shed. He grabbed a olive green backpack. He looked back where the general and the boy just were and found them not to be there anymore. The boy must be a teleporter, he thought. He then ran to one of the planes.

Lieutenant Hiloh climbed into plane number three with the envelope. The plane was an old fashioned navy-blue biplane, fit with two seats but no roof. He put the envelope in his backpack with is other supplies; jelly sandwich, apple, and some cold milk. He buckled in his backpack in the back seat and then buckled himself in. He taxied the plane to the runway.

When he was lined up with the runway, he began to pick up speed. He pulled back on the controls and his small plane lifts-off.

***

On the planet of Jorhdyn there is only sixteen hours in a day and four - hundred - and - two day’s in a year. The sun usually sets at 13:15 (5:15) and rises at 4:00. Now back to the story…

***

At 12:00/16:00, Lieutenant Hiloh landed at the castle of Jorhdyn. Runways in Jorhdyn are a lot different than runways on Earth. On Earth (as you know) runways are all nice and paved. But since airplanes on Jorhdyn are not commercial, the runways are simply a long stretch of flat grass.

He turned off the solar-powered engine, grabbed his bag and walked off to the castle. The runway was behind the south tower, the prince’s tower.

Lieutenant Hiloh was met at the gates by two ‘not so small’ guards.

“Name?” said one of the big guards in a deep voice.

“Lieutenant Hiloh of The Gates of Lunadachu, got a letter for the Queen from General Jiks.”

The Lieutenant hands out his letter, the other guard takes the letter and inspects it. “Pass” said the first  guard, in another deep voice. The gates open and the lieutenant walks through and heads straight at the big wooden doors. Two more guards stand on either side of the wooden doors. When they see Lieutenant Hiloh, they turn and walk towards each other, then they turn again, face-to-face with the doors, they open up the massive wooden doors. Lieutenant Hiloh nods to each of them when he walks in.

Lieutenant Hiloh is standing in the middle of a huge entrance hall. Its has a huge roof like a church that in rounded outward. Theres small yellow solar powered LEDs on the roof that gives the room that effect that theres a fireplace in the room, although its only LEDs. Lieutenant Hiloh has never been in the castle before. So naturally, he’s never been in a bigger building

A man is a blue and silver suit, the royal currier uniform walks up to the lieutenant. “Can I help sir?” asks the man. The lieutenant, still in shock of how big it is, nods his head. “Do you want to go somewhere where you can concentrate on me?” the man asks again. Lieutenant nods again and follows the man through a door on the left side of the room.

The room is a basic room with white walls and a white desk and a white chair on either side of the desk. The man pulled back the seat closer to the door and gestured for the lieutenant to sit. Once the lieutenant sat down, the other man sat across from him.

“May I be of your service?” the man asked.

“Got a letter from General Jiks for the Queen”, Lieutenant Hiloh handed the man the letter. The man opened the letter and read aloud.

    Dear Queen

We are sorry for your loss of the king and have received your letter from Concherber (why?) for help from a healer. We also received a message from the Aleki in the Kingdom of Penu that same day, saying that they were found by the government and are being tracked down and killed. This message was first sent by the Aleki in Penu to us,The Earth Academy. We have decided that if you do not do something we will not help the king and go against the kingdom of Jorhdyn.

    Sorry, but we can't afford to lose any more Aleki on this planet.

The door is suddenly opened and another royal currier rushed in. “Guam, just got a letter from Concherber from Karht.”

Guam’s eyes lit up “They made it?”. The lieutenant was confused by the letter and this new information. He had no idea that the king was sick, no idea who Karht is, and he’s starting to think that he fell asleep in his chair back at the airport and he was going to wake up any second. He started to pinch himself.

“Here’s the letter” said the second currier handing it to Guam. “Thanks”.

Guam opened the letter and began to read.

    Dear Castle

I would like to announce that the prince is safe and sound in the hospital. We were ambushed ten minutes into our journey. The Prince got an arrow in the shoulder because the body guard next to him died. Only the Prince, myself, and 5 other bodyguards survived, two of them are critical. We did not kill one of them or see them, we simply outran them. They were in the bushes on the right. Some of them had bows and some of them had nothing. The most interesting thing was that there was a note attached to the arrow in the Prince's shoulder. It said;

Dear Kingdom Of Jorhdyn

The Republic Of New Aleki

Prepare For War

I really hope you can solve the riddle. We will be staying here until further instructions.

P.S. We sent a message to The Earth Academy.

Any second now, i will wake up thought Lieutenant Hiloh furiously. “We should probably tell the Queen, heh?” asked Guam. Lieutenant Hiloh decides he can try to wake up later.

“Yeah”, he responded.

Guam lead Hiloh out of the white room into the massive entrance hall. They walked right through the room to a door on the left. Through the door was a long corridor with a single door at the end. It took the two about two minutes to get down the hallway while walking. Once they got to the door, Guam punched in a 8 number code.

Through that door, was the Queens office. It was using the whole base of a tower. Since the room was at ground level, the walls were made out of stone and the room was a circle. On the far side of the room was the start of the spiral staircase, one floor up was the king’s office. Under the staircase was lots of cabinets. There was a U shaped desk in the middle of the room, one end connecting to the bottom of the stairs, and the other end was connected to the wall with a liftable part of the desk so you could get out from the U.

A beautiful lady sat in an office chair in the middle of the U. She looked up with tears in her eyes. The two men bowed simultaneously. “C-Can I h-help you?” said the queen in an unsteady voice.

“We have important letter that have arrived.

Guam handed out the letters and she read them. Once she got to the part in Karht’s letter where the Prince gets shot she bursts into tears.

Once she’s finished, Guam asks “So what will you do?”, he looks expectantly at the Queen.

“We will write back”.

4: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Simon

Ashley Oracheski

    I awoke, just like any other morning, like a bear.

    I awoke in my bedroom, duh, and found myself on the floor. I must of fell out of my bed last night. My room was near the top of the south tower. It had three windows and the curved wall from the tower. If you looked out the windows, in the distance you could see the city of Concherber, named after the third planet. It was the most residencial city in the kingdom of Jorhdyn, along with the name of the planet. Since the outside wall was stone, my inside wall was, too.My bed was in the corner of the room. I had two dressers. One fancy. One casual. I had a basic wooden door that on the outside of the door had my title. Prince Simon Robert Jorhdyn III.

    Somebody was knocking on my door. Probably Karht. “Prince Simon, you are requested in the master’s chamber’s.”

    Uh-oh. Usually when i go to the master’s chamber’s, my dad gives me heck for doing something wrong. My dad is the king of the Kingdom of Jorhdyn. He’s 73 in Jorhdyn years, 72 in Earth years.

    I got off the floor and got dressed. I then went into my bathroom and did my business, then took a shower. Then of course, I combed my hair & brushed my teeth. I opened up the door, and looked at Karht. “Good morning, Karht. Go get my breakfast, snap, snap.” I said, I added the snap, snap part just to keep up my reputation.

    “Sorry, master’s chamber’s, now” said Karht in a demanding way.

“How dare you speak to Prince Simon Robert Jorhdyn III like that!” I shouted at him annoyed.

    Karht rolled his eyes. “King’s order’s first, queen’s order’s second, prince’s order’s third, princess’s order’s fourth. This is the Queen’s order. Now, come on. Let’s go.”

    I humphed very loudly but followed Karht down the long spiral of stairs. As i said before, I’m in the south tower. The master chambers are in the west tower. It was about a ten minute walk to the west tower, or the master chambers.

    When we arrived outside of the master chambers, there was a doctor and three nurses outside the door. “Karht, what’s going on?”

Karht gave me a sad look. “You’ll see”.

    Karht lead me into the room. It was about two times as big as my room. There was a king sized bed for the king and queen, King Arthur Pendragon Jorhdyn, named after the human in the middle ages on Earth, and Queen Elizabeth Mary Jorhdyn, named after the twentieth century queen of the United Kingdom on Earth.

    Mother was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room crying. “What’s wrong, Mother?” I asked. She did not answer, but brought on another round of sobbing. “Mother, you need to tell me”, I said. This time she simply pointed at the bed. I noticed something under the covers. “Is that. . . ?”. My question was answered by another round of sobbing.

    I ran outside the room and shouted at the doctor. “What’s wrong with him?!? What’s wrong?!?”

    “Sorry, this is out of our hands, only Aleki can save him now”.

    I turned and ran down the stairs. No, No! It’s not possible! Why!?!?! I was sobbing now. I ran to my room and slammed the door, hard. I jumped onto my bed crying until I eventually fell asleep.

***

I stood in the king’s court. It was the day after the king got sick. We we’re just finishing up.

“All in favor say I”. The word I rang within the room. I slumped. This meant that I was going to Concherber to seek help from the Aleki. Oh!. There are three kinds of people on Jorhdyn. The most part is the Abahdahlations, they’re like humans, except they live about a hundred and twenty Jorhdyn years. Then there’s the Aleki, Humans except they develop powers between the age of ten to eighteen. They develop three power’s each. One of these powers can be healing. Then there’s shape-shifters. They’re the most rare. If they look into your eye’s, legend has that they can see your soul, and if they see your soul, then they can shift into you. The kingdom of Jorhdyn is in peace with the Aleki and the Shape-Shifters.

I was lead to the stables by Karht. I rode on my horse called George Washington. “We are leaving in a couple of minutes”, Karht said.

***

    A few minutes later, the castle was behind us. We, as in my bodyguards and me, we’re riding to Concherber. Our mission is to find help from a member of the Aleki. One with the power of healing, to be precise.

    We want a graduate of The Earth Academy, there the best. The Earth Academy is the academy for Aleki, like a place for them to develop their powers. Aleki can very unpredictable when they’re developing their powers.

    They don’t just develop their powers there. It’s still an actual academy, just for Aleki.

    “Shh, what’s that?” asked Karht, to no one in particular. We were in a flat area. With forest lines about forty meters away on each side of the road. There was a rustle in the bushes on the right side of the trail.

    Suddenly, an arrow hit Jahdohn in the neck. He fell off his horse dead before me. I did the only reasonable thing possible. Scream my head off. “Ride!” said Karht. I did do that, but was driven by fear that I might be next. I pushed George Washington as hard as he could go. Their was now instead of fourteen bodyguards around me, there were nine, all riding hard.

    Then I felt the worst pain that i have ever felt in my life. The pain was in my right shoulder blade. I look over to see an arrow.

    I’m not sure what happened. Either I passed out from shock, or passed out from pain. But either way, I passed out and fell off George Washington.