Box Set #3: The Serenity Deception: [The 4 book 3rd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood]

by Robert Iannone

  “What’s the problem? Nothing too serious, I hope.”

  “My daughter and son-in-law are paying me – us – a surprise visit. They’re due to arrive . . .” she stopped and looked at her watch. “Oh, dear. They’re due any minute.”

  “Why’s that a problem?”

  “Because my granddaughter and her friend are not back yet.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The two young ladies are staying with me. But, they’re off on a little adventure. My daughter isn’t going to be happy if she finds them gone.”

  “How old are they?”

  “Almost fourteen.”

  “What? You let two fourteen-year-old girls go off on their own. Why?” Ezra was obviously very disturbed by the thought.

  “Ezra, it’s complicated.”

  “Let me guess. It’s another secret and you can’t tell me.”

  The way he said it made Grammy’s heart skip a beat. She took a deep breath, looked him in the eye and replied, “It’s not another secret. It’s the same one.”

  “Eloise, I’m not sure how I’m feeling at the moment.”

  “I guess I’ve used up all your trust. I’m so sorry.”

  His face softened a bit. “What are you going to do?”

  “The girls should be home tonight. I just have to . . . have to stall for a few hours.”

  “Just a few hours? And you know for a certainty that they are all right?”

  That made Grammy smile. “Oh, yes. They’re fine. I promise you.”

  The doorbell chose that moment to ring followed by “Hi, Mom. Surprise.”

  Ezra looked at Grammy and said, “Follow my lead. But if the girls don’t show up in a few hours or if they are injured in any way, I . . .”

  Grammy put a finger to his lips. “No need to say it. I completely understand.” She turned toward the door and said, “I’m coming, daughter of mine.” She opened it and gave the couple a hug. “My, oh my, what a pleasant surprise.”

  *****

  They were seated around the dining room table drinking coffee. The aroma of Ezra’s fabulous dinner was wafting in from the kitchen. The Graystone’s were surprised, but happy, that Grammy had company. Mrs. Graystone was particularly pleased that he was so handsome, well-mannered and a wonderful storyteller.

  It had been an hour since they had arrived, and it would be another hour till dinner. Ezra had changed the quantity of food he was preparing to six. He kept looking at his watch, getting nervous. If the two kids didn’t show up soon, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go back to my cabin for a moment. I have a superb bottle of wine that will complement the roast.” As he got up, on an impulse he didn’t fully understand himself, he leaned over and gave Grammy a quick kiss on the cheek.

  After he left, Mrs. Graystone turned to Grammy and said, “Mother, he’s so dreamy. Tell me everything.”

  *****

  Back on Aerianna, the girls had said their goodbyes to everyone except Meggy. She had walked with them to the balcony where, by tradition, they would leave for earth.

  The Princess looked so forlorn. She said, “Egg, if there ever was a time for the Hameggattic Sisterhood, it would be now. I cannot believe we were so naïve as to trust this woman.”

  “What’s she like?”

  “The Empress is . . . very impressive, very persuasive. She never raises her voice or shows any extreme emotions. But, she is incredibly suspicious of everyone and everything. Most importantly, she always gets what she wants.”

  “You know, I think I’ll bring Grammy back tomorrow. Once we leave the mountains, it could be weeks before we have an excuse to be away for a day. I don’t want to be here when she is. So, no goodbyes now. Just a hug and a ‘I’ll see ya’.” and she gave the Princess one.

  Sylvia gave Meggy one also.

  “Bye,” said Egg, and she and Sylvia vanished.

  And appeared outside Grammy’s cabin . . . and right in front of Ezra.

  “Oh my gosh.”

  “Fiddlesticks.”

  “What in the world?”

  *****

  The three of them stood there . . . staring at one another. Egg finally asked, “Who are you?”

  Once the shock of seeing two girls pop out of thin air had passed, Ezra regained his wits. “You must be Egg. And you are Sylvia.”

  Now it was Egg’s turn to be shocked . . . well, at least surprised that this stranger knew their names.

  But not her Feminion. “If you know who we are, you must be a friend of Grammy’s.”

  “I am. She told me her granddaughter and friend were due back anytime. She failed to mention they could materialize out of thin air. I’m guessing if I ask how you did that, you would tell me it’s a secret.”

  Egg broke out into a smile. She would have expected a grown-up to be freaking out over what just happened. Instead, this man just took it in stride. No wonder he was a friend of Grammy’s. “Big secret. Very, very big secret. . .Mr. ?”

  “Just Ezra.”

  Egg giggled. “Kind of a silly name . . . Mr. Just Ezra.”

  “You are such a goof,” and Sylvia whacked her friend on the arm.

  Ezra immediately liked these two. They seemed so much more mature than he would have expected from girls (or boys) at that age. “Ladies, just a heads-up, your mom and dad are here.”

  “No. Why?”

  “They wanted to surprise you.”

  “Poor Grammy. She must be going crazy.”

  “She said it would be hard to explain to your parents that she had let you go gallivanting off on your own.”

  “I bet. Ezra, could you do me a favor and look away for a second.”

  He scrunched his face at the request. “Okay,” and he turned his back.

  “Ring, tend to my suit.” To Ezra she said, “Okay, you can turn around.”

  He did and his jaw dropped. “Wow, you are full of surprises.”

  She smiled. “You don’t know the half of it.”

  Ezra stood there trying to make sense of all of this . . . but failed completely. However, he had a dinner cooking and houseguests, so now wasn’t the time. “Why don’t you guys go in? Tell your parents that you were watching the sunset from Lookout Point. Small white lie but it’ll save your Grandmother a lot of difficult explanations.”

  “Okay, thanks.” The girls turned to go but Egg stopped. “Ezra?”

  “Yes?”

  She walked up to him and gave him a hug. “Thank you.”

  He understood why he was being thanked. “You’re most welcome.” He turned to go then he stopped. “By the way, my dog’s name is Max. You’ll love him.”

  *****

  Four hours later, dinner and talking were over. Egg’s parents were tired from the long drive and Ezra invited them to stay in his spare bedroom. He had just returned from ‘tucking in’ his guests.

  The three women were sitting in the living room waiting . . . to Ezra they seemed like cats anticipating the arrival of a poor, unsuspecting mouse.

  He surveyed the room then said to Grammy, “Lucy, you got some esplaining to do.” (It was a reference to a famous TV show from back in the 50’s.).

  “Indeed. First, thank you for how well you handled the situation. I’m not sure I could have done the same if it were me.”

  “Honestly, it was so . . . so bizarre, that I simply had no time to digest what I had witnessed.” He stopped and looked at the two young girls. “What did I witness?”

  Grammy had talked it over with Egg and Sylvia and they agreed that Ezra should be told everything. It wasn’t to satisfy his curiosity but to help Grammy with her growing relationship with the man.

  Egg also told her grandmother about Spirit’s vision of the future and about the Empress. Grammy was as stunned by the news as everyone else. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the time to discuss it. She told her granddaughter that, on the way home, they would have five or six hours to do that.

 
“Ezra, dear. We have a little story to tell you. I suggest you sit down . . . before you fall down.”

  *****

  A half hour later, the story was over. Ezra had not said a word as he took in the unbelievable tale. Had he not seen the girls materialize out of thin air for himself, he would have left and never looked back.

  Egg stood up. “Ring, tend to my suit” and the grey fog envelope her. When it cleared, there stood Flying Girl.

  “Wow. Those were the words you spoke when you made me look away.”

  “Yup.”

  “May I see the ring?”

  “Sorry, no. I never take it off.”

  “I understand.”

  “So, Ezra dear. In an hour, you will forget having seen Egg as flying girl as I explained. However, tomorrow . . .,” but he cut her off.

  “Eloise, I saw her in this . . . flying suit almost four hours ago when she first popped out of thin air. I didn’t forget that.”

  “How weird is that?” asked Egg to no one in particular.

  “Oh my.”

  “What Grammy?”

  Sylvia, of course, understood immediately. “He’s got Dazzle’s DNA. He’s one of her descendants.”

  “Epic.”

  “Epic?” asked Ezra.

  “It’s a perfectly good word.”

  “Well, this certainly changes everything. Egg . . . ”

  “Yes, Grammy.”

  “Tomorrow after your parents leave, I think we should take Ezra to meet his great, great, etc. grandmother.” It would work out perfectly – maybe her last visit to Aerianna, with the man she loved and before the Empress arrived. Nice.

  “You’re going to take me a trillion miles to Aerianna?”

  “Yes, we are. Would you like that?”

  “Epic,” he replied with a rather large grin.

  *****

  The Graystones left around noon. “When are you guys heading back?” asked Egg’s mom.

  “Probably this time tomorrow, possibly the day after,” answered Grammy. “Do me a favor and drop this in a mail box. Before you ask, it’s a letter to Ashley.” She wanted to thank her other granddaughter for warning her about the surprise visit and to let her know they were going back to Aerianna for a quick visit.

  Mrs. Graystone took the letter. “Okay, but don’t leave any later than that.. Egg and Sylvia start school this week.” She turned to Ezra. “Wonderful to meet you. Dinner was delicious, the stories were fascinating and . . . and, well it was nice to meet you.”

  Ezra walked up and gave Mrs. Graystone a kiss on the cheek then shook Mr. Graystone’s hand. “Drive safely.”

  The car pulled out of the driveway with a honk. When it was out of sight, Grammy suggested to Egg, “Why don’t you change, dear.”

  “Ring, tend to my suit,” and presto change-o she was Flying Girl.

  “Love that trick,” said Ezra.

  “Then you might like this one,” and Egg grabbed his hand and leapt skyward. In a blink of an eye, they were higher than the clouds. “Grammy said you once had a flying suit.”

  Ezra was brave and daring . . . but being up a few thousand feet with just the hand of a teenage girl to keep him from falling to his death took all his courage. After a moment, he realized two things. He was probably squeezing Egg’s hand too hard and she had asked him a question. “Sorry,” he said as he loosened his grip – but just a little.

  “I said I heard you had a flying suit.”

  “I thought I did. But compared to yours, it was just a Halloween costume.”

  Egg headed back down and they landed where they had started.

  “Did you have fun?” asked Grammy.

  “Once I stopped being scared. So this was your suit? This is how you used to fly?”

  “Yes.”

  “Eloise, you are the most amazing woman I have ever known.” Then he added “Thank you for sharing all this with me.”

  “I hope you can now understand the secrecy?”

  “Of course. But times a wasting. I really, really want to meet a dragon . . . just to complete this fairy tale.”

  “What about a Queen, a sea serpent and a floating city?”

  “Yeah, that too.”

  “How about Max?” asked Egg.

  “He’s all set with water and food. He can manage for a few days without any problems.”

  “Then take my hand,” and a moment later they were on the balcony of Q’umulus.

  Like all Earth visitors before him, Ezra just stared in total disbelief.

  “Ezra.”

  No answer.

  “Ezra, dear.”

  No answer.

  “Do you think he’s dead?” teased Egg.

  “I certainly hope not. Ezra?”

  “I’m . . . I’m . . . good grief. This is spectacular.”

  “It does have a certain charm,” responded Grammy with pretend indifference.

  “Syl, why don’t you let Dazzle and Meggy know we’re here. In the meantime, Grammy wants me to take them to the Hameggattic museum place.”

  “Okay. See you in a bit.”

  But before they could move, a dozen Sentinels came marching out . . . encircling them. That had never happened before.

  “What’s going on?” asked Ezra alarmed by the lances they were carrying.

  “I’m not sure. Egg, dear, perhaps you should find . . .”

  The head Sentinel cut Grammy off with a very stern “Silence.” And the goose bumps on Egg’s arms popped up.

  “Hey, I’m Egg of Earth. Take us to see Daz . . . I mean Queen Rose’Alynnia.”

  The Sentinel knew very well who the girl and the others were (well, not Ezra) but he had his orders. “I am sorry, Egg. We have been instructed to take any unannounced arrivals to a holding cell.” He was mortified that he was forced to do this to the leader of the Hameggattic Sisterhood – the beloved heroine of Aerianna.

  “What?”

  “Follow me,” then he added softly, “please.”

  They were marched to a room that was unfamiliar to them. It had only one window but it was high on the wall and they could not look out. There were no chairs . . . in fact no furniture of any kind. “I am truly sorry,” said the Sentinel as he led his men out of the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

  “What in the world is going on?” asked a very frightened Grammy.

  Before Egg or Sylvia could answer, there was a commotion just outside the room. They heard the lock turn then the door opened.

  And in stepped the Empress Violetta Veeva Velveeta.

  “Oh my gosh”.

  Be sure to look for

  Sisterhood’s End

  The Fourth Series

  of

  Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood.