The Four Kingdoms

by Maryam Durrani

  “You’re making us go down?” I asked.

  “Well, that’s why we brought you along,” Scar smirked.

  “Cap’n’s orders.”

  I started climbing with one arm, holding on to the rope. Xavier offered to help, but I could do it on my own. We stood at the mouth of the volcano, long ropes hanging down over the edge.

  “Whatever you do,” I said to Xavier and the twins, “don’t let go.”

  And so, with one arm, I began to lower myself down one knot at a time. The deeper we went, the darker it became. My feet slipped twice—a shock running through my legs.

  I gulped, looking down.

  “It’s the height, isn’t it?” Xavier called. He was lower, going at the same pace as the twins. “You’re still afraid of falling?”

  “I’m over it,” I said with a harsh laugh, slipping lower. I held back a gasp.

  “I wonder how far down we are. What if we run out of rope?” Isabel called, her voice reverberating off the cold walls.

  “We jump,” Jax said. “Then we either survive or die.”

  “Very helpful, Jax,” Isabel shot. “I’m not in the mood for—” I heard a sharp intake of breath.

  “Isabel, are you okay?” I said, stopping, listening for signs of movement.

  “Isabel!” Jax called. “What’s wrong?”

  “My shoes touched something,” she said. “I need light.”

  “Don’t let go of the rope,” Xavier said. I saw his movement quicken as he slid down. I heard a thud.

  Jax was next. “Have you reached the bottom?” he asked, as he too climbed down faster. I heard his shoes scrape against the ground.

  “Adalia, if you’d like to jump, I’d catch you,” Xavier called, cupping his hands over his mouth. I blushed.

  “I can make it down. Light a fire.”

  I didn’t move any faster, keeping my pace slow and steady. Creeping down, I reached the bottom, the balls of my shoes touching the ground. I let go of the rope.

  “I don’t think this is the bottom,” I said, turning to them. I tried to make out who was who through the dark. “This is just a resting point.” Xavier lit the torch he’d brought down, tied to his back, and raised it higher.

  “Be careful,” he said, holding out a hand to stop us. “One wrong move and the ground may crumble.”

  “How’s it goin’ down there?” Scar called over the edge, his voice echoing multiple times.

  “We’re still climbing! We’ll need extra rope,” Xavier shouted. I heard ‘extra rope’ reverberate about six times, and then silence. Moments later, three coils landed beside our feet, the last on Jax’s head.

  “Ow!” he exclaimed angrily. Xavier examined the floor, testing the ground in front of him as he walked.

  “It seems pretty soli—” suddenly, I heard a sound of crumbling rocks, Xavier giving a shout of surprise. He stepped back. “Never mind.”

  We tied the ropes around our waists connecting them to the old ones to make them longer. The ‘floor’ we’d landed on was only eight feet wide, so we stepped off, continuing our way down. Xavier held the torch in one hand, climbing down with the other.

  “I have an idea,” he said after a while, “let’s throw something down.”

  “Do you have another torch?” I asked him, and he shook his head.

  “I brought many,” Jax said. “They’re in the bag.” Xavier held out the torch.

  He let go.

  We watched the flames fall until they disappeared, a small thud ringing out as it reached the end.

  Jax groaned.

  “We’ve still got a long way down.”

  Twenty minutes later, we reached the end of the rope.

  “Now what?” Isabel asked.

  “Jump,” I said.

  They stared at me, shocked.

  “I’m going to jump, and if I die, ask for more rope. My arm is tired,” I said. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

  “I told you I’d carry you,” Xavier said angrily. “Stop talking nonsense.”

  “No. I don’t want to be carried,” I said stubbornly. “Make your way down, give them the weapon, and run for your lives. Go back home, warn Lorelle, and even if I die, don’t let my name die out,” I said to them. “There is no possible way I will die in a volcano and no one will know about it. Make sure you add that I swam through the lava and retrieved the weapon, giving it to you, before I burned to my death.”

  “Adalia!” Isabel gasped in disbelief.

  “Oh, and that I took down two hundred pirates as I burned, pulling them all in.”

  “You’re not going to jump,” Xavier said, annoyed.

  “Watch me.” I let go.

  TWENTY EIGHT

  I don’t know why I did it. The action was impulsive, but for the first time in a while, I wanted to feel like nothing was holding me back.

  Adrenaline pulsed through me. I was flying, air whipping through my hair. And then, I crashed to the ground.

  Pain jerked my shoulder, making it hurt worse than it ever had. Shock ran through my body, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I gasped for air.

  “Adalia!” Jax shouted.

  “I . . . I’m fine,” I wheezed, rolling over on all fours—well, threes.

  “Did you break something?”

  “I don’t think so,” I croaked, getting to my feet, legs shaking. I heard sighs of relief.

  “Adalia, move out of the way,” Xavier ordered. “We’re coming on down.”

  “Wait!” Isabel stopped him. “How will we get back up?”

  “I have rope in my bag. Tie it with yours,” Jax said, tossing the coil to her. She connected the ends, and then slid down.

  “We’ll climb up this way,” she said, sliding down and landing beside me.

  Xavier and Jax jumped as I crawled to one end. It took them a moment to catch their breaths. Then, Jax lit his torch,

  holding it out.

  We were at the bottom to one end of the wall. I could hear the sound of water dripping.

  A large lump of rock sat in the middle of the cave, almost fifteen feet wide. Xavier, Jax, and Isabel lit their torches, handing one to me.

  “This is the weapon? A giant rock?” Jax asked, disappointed. “We can’t even carry that up.”

  “Well, the king did hide it in a volcano. He wasn’t trying to make things easier for us,” Isabel replied, examining it. She raised her torch, walking around it.

  I neared the rock slowly, perplexed. Why would the king hide a rock in a volcano?

  Were we in the wrong mountain? Had I gotten it all wrong?

  Something crunched under my feet, snapping me out of my never-ending train of thought. Furrowing my eyebrows, I bent down slightly and lifted my boot.

  Underneath was shattered pieces of amber. I reached down and grabbed a shard, staring closely at it. It looked just like—

  “What if the weapon is inside?” he wondered aloud, eyebrows knitted together. Jax walked near it, pressing his hand against the smooth stone. He brought his torch closer, examining the cracks. “Can we blow it apart?”

  “If we do that, we’ll destroy whatever’s inside,” Xavier shook his head, standing on the opposite end. Isabel stood on the other side, and I took the last side, the shard still in my hand.

  The fire reflected on the glass-like stone. I knocked my knuckles against it, holding the torch in my right hand.

  Suddenly, I heard the sound of rock grinding against itself. I stepped back.

  “What was that?” I asked, eyes wide. “Did you hear that

  sound?”

  They nodded. “Fire is affecting whatever’s inside. Hold your torches close,” Xavier said. He held it to the sleek rock. The grating became louder, like a gargoyle being dragged against the stone ground.

  “The rocks are moving,” I said, puzzled. “What the hell is this?” I glanced at Xavier, who had his eyes narrowed in supicion.

  I heard a sound of rattling—a long, serpent-like shape separating from the s
ide of the stone lump where Jax stood.

  He jumped away, standing beside Xavier.

  “It’s a snake,” he said. I could see his face blanch as the back of the rock unfurled. I dropped my torch. It rolled, hitting the base of the rock.

  “Oh my God,” Isabel gasped as she stumbled back. The grating became louder. Jax pressed himself against the back of the cave on the opposite side of Isabel.

  “Adalia, move away,” Xavier said, joining Jax. “We don’t know what it is.”

  “Wait,” I said softly, running my hands over it. “Look. It’s as if the stone is . . . breathing.” I glanced down at the amber shard in my hand, peering at it intently.

  “Stay away from it,” Xavier warned, but I bent down where I noticed a fissure, eight inches wide. I ran a finger across it.

  “I think I found an opening,” I said, leaning closer.

  And then, abruptly, the crack flew open, revealing a large, golden orb with a thin, horizontal black slit in the center. I fell back on my tailbone, a shock running up my spine.

  “What the . . .” I whispered, staring at, perplexed. Two layers rose off the stone like leathery bat wings, beating against the air. The force of the wind kept me down. My hair whipped around my face as I scrambled back in utter horror,

  watching the rock completely unfurl. I felt something sharp crunching under me, slitting open my palm. Sucking in a hiss of air between my teeth, I glanced at what I’d landed on.

  And then it dawned upon me. I swallowed, blood coloring the honey shards.

  I knew now what it was.

  Another serpent-like creature rose, the long neck raising into the air. It shook its head, and looked down at me.

  I’d landed on pieces of an egg.

  The rumbling started from its ridged belly. Its jaws opened, revealing rows of pearly, razor-like teeth. Two horns sat on its head.

  Its forearms were part of its wings. The claws slammed to the ground on either side of me, making me flinch.

  “No. One. Move,” I said softly, without moving my lips. I could feel my body trembling. My hands shivered, goosebumps rising on my skin.

  I swallowed, trying not to make a sound.

  And then, its stomach started to glow a bright orange.

  This was the last thing I’d expected. I raised my arm to protect myself as I finally realized what it was.

  With a mighty roar, the drakon raised its head at the sky.

  The sound was deafening. I curled into a ball, pressing my hands to my ears in terror.

  Impossible.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’d like to thank my friends, my mom and dad, my brother and sister, and my aunts and uncles. I’d also like to thank my readers and everyone who took the time to open this book.

  Thank you for giving me the motivation for book two. This isn’t the end of Adalia, so stick around. She’ll definitely be back soon, with more adventures on the way.