The Legend of Elora: Book 1 A Queen's Quest

by K. M. Bonde

  Laura looks out from the kitchen. “Have fun and say hi to Elora.”

  “I will,” calls Ryan as he grabs his jacket and runs out the door.

  * * *

  Meanwhile, Elora is just about ready to leave the house. Remembering the rose on her desk, she places it between two pages in one of her favorite fantasy-adventure books that has just the right amount of romance in it.

  She stops by her mother's room and gives her a hug. “I won't be long, I'll see you soon.”

  Catherine returns the hug. “Be careful, sweetheart, and stay warm. Make sure Ryan walks you home after the movie. I don't want you on the streets by yourself in the evening. “

  “I will, Mom.” Elora heads down the stairs and out the front door, her heart bursting with happiness.

  Chapter 2: The Finding

  As soon as Catherine hears the door close, she picks up the phone and her note. The steadiness in her hands has decreased with her illness, and she pushes the dial buttons carefully. It rings a few times before a man with a gentle but deep voice answers.

  “Hello?”

  Catherine, a little hesitant at first, quickly gains confidence. “Hi Bruce, it’s Catherine. We might have a problem.”

  My dear husband, she thinks as she waits for his response. How wonderful it is to hear your voice again. Given the circumstances, they rarely speak on the phone nowadays, and Catherine has missed him greatly.

  “What happened, Catherine?” Even as Bruce tries to keep his voice calm, Catherine can hear the edge in it. “Is Elora okay?”

  “Yes, our daughter is fine,” she says, managing to steady herself despite the worry coursing through her. “Unfortunately, she’s been to the park.”

  Catherine holds her breath as she waits for a response; the other end of the line is silent. When Bruce finally responds, he sounds angry.

  “Well, why didn’t you stop her?”

  “There was nothing I could do,” she explains. “Elora went with her boyfriend. I didn't even know they were going there. But I told her it was a dangerous part of town and suggested a better park.”

  “Good,” says Bruce. “I hope she doesn’t go back. I don't want her to find it, the burden will be too great and too dangerous for her. It will risk exposing her to the evil we escaped so long ago, and we cannot let it be aware of her. We must stay under the radar unless we want it to come and finish what it started.”

  Catherine shivers at the memory of the evil that nearly killed her, Bruce, and the toddler Elora. She frowns. “I know. I miss you Bruce.”

  ”I miss you too. One day, this all will be over, and we can go back again. You need to get back to our home before your illness becomes worse.”

  Catherine speaks slowly, worried it’s been too long since she was in her homeland. “Do you think it will be the same?”

  “I really hope so,” Bruce replies, his voice heavy. “I know that you are looking forward being back home again soon and so do I.” His voice calms a little. “Perhaps we need to get you back sooner. Elora is getting older. She can take care of herself. I'll start preparing for your return.”

  “But I’m not sure she can!” Catherine cries. “She’s still so young!”

  “Don't worry, Catherine,” Bruce says. “Our friends will help protect her, and I'll stay behind to watch over her. It’s crucial that she stays here and never returns to our world—you know what will happen if she does. But you? You need to get home, to get well.”

  Thinking of leaving her daughter behind makes Catherine blink back tears. But there is no other choice, and she steels herself against this. “I know. Be well, Bruce.”

  They hang up, and Catherine breathes a sigh of relief.

  Talking to Bruce always makes things better, she says, wiping the tears from her face.

  * * *

  Ryan arrives at the coffee shop and smiles, stepping up to the counter to order. “Could I please get two coffees, one with extra cream?”

  The barista nods, punching the order into the register and taking Ryan’s cash.

  Ryan moves to the far end of the counter where the barista is preparing the coffee when he hears a bell chime. He turns to see Elora entering the shop. He catches her eye and waves her over.

  “Hi Ryan.” She’s all smiles as she greets him.

  “Hi Elora,” he says, bending down to give her a peck on the cheek. “I ordered a coffee for you, with extra cream, just how you like it.”

  She beams at him. “Thanks!”

  The barista places their coffees on the counter, and Ryan hands Elora her cup. “Do you want to take it to go? There’s a movie theater nearby.”

  “Sounds good!”

  * * *

  A few blocks down from the coffee shop, Craig and the other boys are sitting in their car, waiting.

  “John said they’d be at the coffee shop close to the park,” Craig says. “Let’s teach him a lesson.”

  Brian and Stu, sharing the back seat, share a laugh at the thought. Ryan getting involved in their business tonight was the latest in his many attempts to steer his brother clear of the gang, and they were not happy about it.

  Craig starts the car and drives toward the light, but it turns red just as he approaches. “Come on, what the hell!” he snaps, pointing at the light.

  “Just drive, no one is here. We own this road,” says Stu.

  “Shut up, idiot,” Craig orders. “I don't want a ticket, and we have more important things to do than get stuck answering some stupid cop’s questions.”

  Mooch, sitting in the front seat next to Craig, agrees. “Yeah, shut up, guys.”

  Eventually, the light turns green, and they are soon outside the coffee shop.

  “They aren't here,” says Brian, peering into the shop window as Craig drives by.

  “I knew we should’ve come earlier,” mutters Mooch.

  “Wait, what’s that?” Craig points to two people walking toward the park. “It might just be our lucky day, boys.”

  “Let’s go get ‘em!” Stu cries as Craig punches the gas.

  * * *

  Ryan and Elora are walking down the street, passing the park they were in earlier. Ryan squeezes Elora’s hand.

  “We should be at the movie theater soon, it’s just a few blocks from the park.”

  The air is silent, more silent than usual, and Elora glances around. The old man playing the accordion isn’t out any more and the traffic is quiet.

  “My mom says this park isn’t very safe,” Elora says, looking up at its sign.

  “Really? I didn't know that,” replies Ryan. “It seems okay to me… it doesn’t seem dangerous.”

  They continue walking, and Elora peeks at the park again. Ryan is right—there’s nothing sinister about it. It’s just quiet, a nice break from the city. “I guess you’re right. My mom’s probably just being overcautious.”

  “How is your mom, by the way? Is she feeling any better?”

  Elora shakes her head. “She’s hanging in there, but she’s so tired. It makes me sad to see her like that.” She pauses, thinking back to everything her family has been through and how Ryan has supported her through so much. “And since my father disappeared five years ago, she’s only gotten worse.”

  “I'm sorry to hear,” Ryan says. “I hope she gets better soon, I’ve always admired your mom.” He pulls Elora closer to him, hugging her tightly.

  Suddenly, tires screech behind them. At the sound, Elora turns around, only to see a car barreling toward them.

  “Is that… is that car coming toward us?” she asks, not sure she believes what she sees.

  “Yeah, it is, watch it!” Ryan throws himself toward Elora, knocking them both to the side. The car flies past them, missing them by a few inches. Their coffee spills all over the street, the empty to go cups squashed by the car.

  Ryan scrambles to his feet, then grabs Elora. “They’re coming back… Run, Elora! Run!”

  Elora is running, almost panicking as they sprint toward the sm
all park. Ryan is following closely, constantly looking over his shoulder. The car is closing in on them.

  “Here, this way!” Elora calls, and Ryan follows her through the park’s gate and off to one side. They crouch behind a large line of bushes that are so thick they can barely see out to check on the car.

  The car’s engine roars by and doesn’t stop. They wait, listening for it to come back, but it never does.

  “Who was that, Ryan?” Elora asks between heavy breaths. “Why were they trying to hurt us?”

  Ryan pushes some of the branches out of the way and looks around. “I think… I think I recognized the car. It was on the street near my house earlier. Let's walk through the park and out on the other side. They can't drive in here.”

  They stumble out from behind the bushes, then walk across the park. Ryan stops between two trees and points. “Let’s take a shortcut through those bushes and out onto that street over there.”

  Elora nods and takes the lead, accidentally tripping on a root in front of the bushes. She shakes her head and arms as she stands up. When she looks around, she’s nearly at a loss for words. “What…”

  She’s no longer in the park, but in a green field covered with grass and flowers. The sun is peaking over the horizon, spreading its morning warmth over the field. Overhead, the branches of a huge oak tree shade her spot on the ground.

  “Ryan?” she calls. “Where am I? Ryan!”

  She spins around in time to see Ryan falling through the bush, and she runs over to him.

  “What was that? Elora? What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” she says, hugging him. “I don’t know where we are.”

  They both stand up next to the big tree and look around at the beautiful field with so many flowers. It’s so different from the gray and dirty city where they live. The oak tree takes up most of the hill they’re on, and it’s easily one of the biggest trees Elora has ever seen. Beautiful mountains, topped with glittering, white snow, rise in the distance behind them. A river near the hill stretches from the mountains to beyond, farther than they can see. Birds soar toward the sky, and insects are making their distinctive sound nearby.

  Ryan looks around and asks, “The sun is rising?”

  “But it was just evening?” stutters Elora.

  Elora and Ryan look at each other, perplexed. Even Ryan’s face is pale, unusual for her stoic boyfriend. “I think I might faint,” Elora says finally.

  Ryan holds her arm, helping her sit down near the base of the tree.

  They sit down next to the tree to try and catch their breath and bearing. Elora holds Ryan's hand, squeezing it for reassurance. “Moments ago we were almost killed by a car, and now this. What is this place?”

  They stand up on uneasy legs, hearts still thumping in their chests. They take a few faltering steps, heading for a nearby hill. The sun is really starting to warm them, and Elora breathes a sigh of relief. To the right, a forest spans far beyond the fields and hills. They slowly make it up further on the little hill and there it is...

  “Look Elora. It's a little village or something.” Ryan points down toward the small forest area on the other side of the field below the hill. The forest they just saw circles the village.

  Elora gazes upon the village and sits down in the grass, moaning as if in pain. “It looks... nice. Historical, old, and dim. Did we travel back in time? What happened to us?” She fights the urge to cry, not sure why she’s becoming so overwhelmed at this moment.

  Ryan sits down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. “I don't know what happened or how this is possible, but I'm worried that we could get stuck here. We should go back and try to find our way home.”

  Turning to Ryan, she looks up at him with her big brown eyes. “I feel strange, not sick... but weird. Like something inside of me is restless. Are we doing the right thing here? I'm scared, but at the same time I feel an urge to know more about... this.” Elora motions to the world in front of them. “Should we go and see if someone lives there before going back home?” She looks down at the village again and back at Ryan with begging eyes.

  “I'm fighting hard to keep my stomach contents in one place,” Ryan admits. “This whole thing is crazy… we don’t know anything about this place. Should we really go knocking on people’s doors? Can we please find our way home now? I don't feel so good. I want to go home. Maybe we can come back after we’ve thought about this, and maybe then we can talk to someone.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Elora replies, frowning. “As much as I would like to see the village, my body can’t handle much more. But, we can't tell anyone.” Elora turns up to look at Ryan, her eyes pleading with him. “If we tell our story, then people might try to come here. Before you know it, it would become an extension city, just another dirty and exploited part of our world. You know what has happened in our world. What if the people living here want to be left alone? Maybe they just want to live in peace without intruders.”

  Ryan nods his head in agreement, then stands up and brushes his hands off on his pants. “Alright, lets’ go back.”

  They slowly walk back toward the bushes in the field near the tree, holding hands and staring at the bushes where they fell into this new world. Ryan reaches out with his hand and touches the bush carefully. “It sure feels like a normal bush. I wonder how it works.”

  They look at each other and slowly take a careful step through the bush and disappear.

  Ryan and Elora are in the park again, and it looks like they never left.

  Ryan scoffs at the bush. “Whatever weird thing that was, it didn’t affect us... or I don’t think it did, anyway.”

  Elora touches her temple and closes her eyes. “It’s almost like walking through a door trapped between two different places.”

  “Yeah, I still can't believe it,” says Ryan. “It's crazy. Kinda reminds me of that movie with the monsters that goes through doors to scare children.”

  Elora smiles and giggles. “Yeah, well, I’m glad we didn’t run into any monsters.”

  “We need to go home and think about this. What should we do next? Should we go back?”

  “I think we should… I still have that strange feeling I had over there. It lingers inside me, like a fly bumping on the glass trying to get to the warm light. But I don't know if it’s my curiosity taking the upper hand or if it’s my dream about adventure talking,” admits Elora.

  Ryan smiles. “Ah, your thirst for adventure. When was it again, seventh grade? I know we talked about going for that long hiking trip to the mountains.”

  Beaming, Elora smiles up at Ryan again. She never thought he would actually remember her dreams, especially the silly ones from years ago. “Yes, that's it. It feels so long ago, and sadly, we never went for that hike.” She looks over her shoulder at the bush behind her. “It was, at least, very peaceful. Maybe we can go back, hike, and see if anyone lives there. Maybe this is the first time anyone has ever been to that place. It could be our adventure. What do you think?”

  Ryan scratches his head, “I don't know. As much as I would love to go on adventures with you, we might need to be careful. We don't know anything about that place or this phenomenon. What about our families? I can't help thinking about what our families would have to go through if something happened to us.”

  He grabs Elora’s hand in his, leading her out of the park. When they get out on the street, they’re greeted by fire trucks, police, and ambulances. Ryan walks up to an older man with a dog standing right outside the park. “Sir, what’s going on here?”

  “Some stupid kids got themselves into a pole,” he says, looking at Ryan and frowning. His voice is raspy, like he smoked too much during his youth. “Driving too fast and probably been drinking a little too.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Ryan nods at the man and turns back to Elora.

  “Do you think that's the same car that was after us?” she asks.

  ”Maybe. I’ll take a closer look.” Ryan walks up to the p
olice tape, trying to see the accident. But when he finally gets a peek at the car and the pole it’s wrapped around, he hurries back to Elora. “Let’s go home. Now.”

  “Ryan? What happened?”

  “It was the same car that chased us and that I saw earlier outside my home. I need to talk to my brother,” he says, his voice cracking. “I just saw one of his friends being questioned by the police as he got a bandage plastered around his head by a medic. He’s in too deep with those friends.”

  Ryan and Elora head toward the metro, the streets emptier than usual. They board the metro and during the ride, they both stay silent. Elora looks out the window, and Ryan is upset about his brother. But at the same time, he can’t let go of the thoughts of that place, that world. Soon, they arrive at their station, and they get off, walking toward Elora's home.

  When they arrive outside the house, everything is calm, the silence only disturbed by a distant siren from a police car. In that silence, they both say, “We need to go back!”

  Elora smiles. “I’m glad you think so, too.”

  “I do,” says Ryan. “I’ve been thinking about it, and we need to figure out what’s going on. Can I meet you tomorrow morning outside the park?”

  “Yes, that sounds good,” says Elora. “I'll pack some snacks and drinks, and maybe you can pack some tools or gear. It’ll be an adventure.”

  Ryan takes Elora's hand, gazing into her beautiful brown eyes. “I'll see you tomorrow. Please say hi to your mother for me.”

  “I will.”

  Ryan kisses Elora and holds her for a while. Finally, Ryan leaves, and Elora slowly climbs the steps to her front door.

  * * *

  “Hi Mom!”

  Catherine turns around. “Hi dear, how was the movie?”

  Elora hates lying to her mom, and she rarely ever does, but some of her adventures tonight just couldn’t be mentioned. “Eh, it was fine.”

  “Was everything well with Ryan?”

  “Yes, he says hi. I'm a little tired, I'm going to bed now. Tomorrow, Ryan and I are having a picnic.”

  Catherine perks up. “Sounds like you two are getting along great. Is there anything I need to know? You really like him, right?”