Benotripia- The Complete Trilogy

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  Contents

  THE RESCUE

  STONES OF HORSH

  KEYS TO THE DREAM WORLD

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Contents

  PROLOGUE

  1: ROSEABELLE

  2: FOLLOWED!

  3: THE DREAM WORLD

  4: FIGHT FOR THE POUCH

  5: MIDNIGHT RAFT

  6: SEA VOYAGE

  7: SCYTHTERRIAN

  8: DARVONIA

  9: DISTRACTION

  10: MOFORMI

  11: CART RIDE

  12: DUST DRAINING

  13: MAZE OF DANGER

  14: DANETTE

  15: SHEKLYTH

  16: CELEBRATION

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  Prologue

  IT WAS A CHILLY NIGHT—CHILLY FOR THE TROPICAL ISLAND of Benotripia. There were no clouds, however, and no cold winds swept the air.

  Under the starry night sky, a woman made her way cautiously across a white, starlit beach. The waves lapped gently against smooth, gray rocks, and the moonlight glinted in the woman’s silky honey-colored hair.

  As soon as she reached the water’s edge, she stopped. There was complete silence—save for the waves continuing their tireless routine of rolling in across the beach. A few tiny waves of water reached the woman’s ankles, but she took no notice.

  The woman sighed. It was a beautiful night. She wished her husband could be here to see it. But then, he could be looking at the stars right now also. She only wished she knew where he was.

  Heavy footsteps sounded through the darkness, shattering her thoughts, and she looked around apprehensively. A tall red-headed man appeared almost instantly by her side, and she sighed with relief.

  “I’m glad you could come,” she whispered. “Especially after the tragedy that happened this morning.” Even in the darkness, the woman could see the look of utter confusion on his face. She was surprised he didn’t know.

  “What are you speaking of?” the man whispered back with concern.

  “Magford. He’s gone.”

  “What?”

  “Gone. Without a trace.”

  “Do you have any ideas how it . . . ?” He trailed off as a noiseless crystal tear trickled down the woman’s cheek. “Leader Danette, we will find him. I promise. You will not be the only leader of Benotripia for long,” the man vowed.

  The woman nodded with a weak smile and hastily wiped the tear off her cheek.

  “How is Roseabelle?” the man whispered, referring to her two-year-old daughter.

  “She doesn’t know yet—she’s too young to understand,” the woman answered. “Losing a parent is a terrible fate.”

  The man nodded again. “It is probably better that she doesn’t know. I will aid your daughter in any way I can. She will need help as she grows.”

  “Thank you. For everything.”

  Without another word, the man slipped away into the shadows of the slightly swaying palm trees.

  CHAPTER 1

  Roseabelle

  ROSEABELLE, IT’S TIME FOR TRAINING,” DANETTE called up the stairs. “If you don’t hurry, you’ll be late.”

  Roseabelle quickly sat up in bed.

  When Benotripians reached eight years old, they started school at one of Benotripia’s many power training academies. Every student had his or her own personal trainer, and since Roseabelle had been at the Central Power Training Academy for two years, she had developed a personal bond with Shelby, her trainer.

  She hastily dressed into her crimson sports dress and slid her feet into black slip-on shoes. After brushing her long, auburn hair and pulling it back with a red ribbon, she zipped downstairs and grabbed her water bottle.

  “Train hard,” Danette encouraged.

  “I will,” Roseabelle answered.

  As Danette exited the room, Roseabelle strode to the shadow falling behind the wooden steps. When she was nine years old, she had learned to shadow tumble. Shadow tumbling was one of the uncommon powers that Roseabelle had since she had Meta-Mord. Meta-Mord was extremely rare, and it bestowed Roseabelle with many unique powers.

  The required actions of shadow tumbling were to fully immerse yourself in a shadow and picture a place where you wanted to go. You could travel through the shadow and arrive at the place you had pictured—or at least in a shadow nearby.

  Roseabelle stepped into the shadow. She pictured Central Power Training Academy and thumped her foot. She felt herself being whisked away, and before she knew it, she had landed smoothly on the soft soil.

  She opened her eyes and saw herself standing next to the magnificent structure of Central Power Training Academy. She saw kids piling in through the front doors. Memories flooded back to Roseabelle. Here at the academy she and her friends had learned how to use and fight with weapons and had studied more about their powers.

  Among the crowd of students, Roseabelle spotted Jessicana and Astro, her best friends.

  Jessicana had long blonde hair and aqua-blue eyes and was wearing a bright red and orange shirt, lemon-yellow tights, and a short green and blue skirt. Her shoes matched her eyes.

  In contrast, Astro had spiky jet-black hair and alert green eyes. He was wearing a black T-shirt with waves of blue on it and a pair of jeans. Matching blue and black flip-flops completed his outfit.

  Jessicana and Astro each had one power. Jessicana could shape-shift into a parrot, and Astro could shoot lightning bolts from his fingertips.

  “Hey, Roseabelle! Over here!” Astro called. Roseabelle streaked past the throng of people.

  “How’s it going?” Roseabelle asked earnestly.

  “Fine, I guess,” Jessicana said.

  “Come on. We had better get checked in,” Astro said.

  They entered the academy. It really was a stunning sight. The entire building was built out of polished white marble. With its 244 rooms and its majestic balconies, the Central Power Training Academy was one of the grandest Academies in Benotripia.

  Roseabelle, Astro, and Jessicana signed in on the register and turned to find Shelby, Polly (Astro’s trainer), and Asteran (Jessicana’s trainer) waiting for them.

  “Better get going,” the three friends muttered simultaneously. Shelby led Roseabelle to a large room on the fourth floor, labeled “Creature Care.” Shelby opened the door and beckoned for Roseabelle to come inside.

  The room was filled with all sorts of animals—ordinary and magical. Cages lined the walls, containing toucans, red-eyed tree frogs, and boa constrictors. Tanks full of water housed various kinds of colorful fish and crabs. A small fence surrounded a creature with meaty legs, a tall oval body, sharp five-fingered claws, and a round pudgy face with a snout and three beady eyes.

  Shelby turned to Roseabelle. “You might know that Meta-Mords have the ability to sense animals’ emotions and feelings. Today we will work on this,” Shelby explained.

  “First, we will start with the mottel on the window over there.” She nodded to a window with a flat wooden board attached. On it rested a bird with a soft middle and round, bumpy toes. It had a sharp beak, two round eyes, brightly colored feathers, and large rounded wings.

  Roseabelle knew a little about mottels. They were native birds that spoke messages. A person would tell the mottel the message, and then the small bir
d would fly off to the person who was to receive the message. The mottel would repeat what it had heard and then fly away. Roseabelle knew that Jessicana’s mother kept some for pets.

  Roseabelle ran over to the window and was shortly joined by Shelby.

  “Put your hand on the mottel,” Shelby instructed. Roseabelle did. “Now block out every little bit of sound you hear. Pretend you are alone with the mottel. No one there. No one,” Shelby said hypnotically.

  Roseabelle tried her best and put all her focus on the mottel, which was watching her curiously.

  “All right, are you getting anything?” Shelby asked. Roseabelle closed her eyes. Nothing so far. She didn’t feel anything different.

  Roseabelle started to get a little jumpy and eager. She wanted to get up and move around. She had to! Something was holding her down. She didn’t want that. But what was it?

  Suddenly Shelby’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Are you feeling any peculiar emotions?”

  Roseabelle opened her eyes. “Yes,” she said. “I’m feeling like I need to move around. I want to but something is holding me down.”

  Shelby nodded. “That is probably what the mottel is feeling. The something that is holding it down is your hand. You did good, Roseabelle. Which animal do you want to try next?” Shelby questioned.

  For the next hour or so, Roseabelle practiced feeling the emotions of other animals. She gradually and naturally excelled at it. When she asked Shelby if she could practice on the ugly animal locked in the fence, Shelby turned white and hissed, “No!”

  Roseabelle was surprised. “Uh, okay,” she said, slightly taken back.

  Instead, she walked to a spotted juddle—a mammal with leathery skin, almond-shaped eyes, and sticklike legs.

  At lunchtime, Shelby dismissed her, and Roseabelle fled down the stairs. She sped into the bright cafeteria and quickly spotted Astro in the back of the lunch line. She grabbed a lunch tray and joined him.

  “Have you seen Jessicana?” Roseabelle asked.

  “No,” Astro said simply.

  But it wasn’t hard to find Jessicana in her bright clothing. The parrot-girl soon walked into line.

  “There you are,” Roseabelle said with relief. But Jessicana didn’t respond. She was staring at Asteran, her trainer, with concentration. Although puzzled, Roseabelle decided not to disturb Jessicana.

  When she reached the food bar, Roseabelle piled butter onto her potatoes, took a fruit cup, and dished herself some yogurt. She then sat down at one of the large lunch tables. All Jessicana took was some fruit and nuts. Astro heaped plates of salad, bowls of soup, and glasses of water on his now heavy tray. He sat next to Roseabelle and began to eat ravenously.

  When Astro had finished the last of his soup, Jessicana whispered, “Look at Asteran. Doesn’t he seem a little secretive?” Roseabelle looked to where Jessicana was pointing. She was right. The tall trainer was looking around cautiously and clutching his arm. “I’m going to see what he’s up to,” Jessicana whispered. She started to rise from the table, but Astro took hold of her sleeve.

  “What are you thinking? People don’t like you prying into their business,” Astro urged quietly.

  Jessicana shrugged. “I don’t think it will hurt. After all, I am his trainee,” she reasoned. Astro and Roseabelle shared a look and there was a long pause.

  Jessicana tapped her foot on the marble floor, sending an echo across the large cafeteria. “Oh come on, Astro,” she said impatiently.

  She tried to rise again, but Astro grabbed her sleeve for the second time. “Jessicana, no! What are you thinking?” Astro said, shaking his head.

  “Astro,” Roseabelle half whispered. “The Darvonians haven’t taken any action since m-my father disappeared.” Roseabelle took a deep breath at the thought of her father and paused for a minute. “You know what they’re like. Their reputation is silence for a few years and then suddenly revealing a well-planned, brilliant scheme. Nothing has happened for eight years. They’ve had plenty of time to plot something against Benotripia,” Roseabelle said. “I just think we should be on our guard about anything suspicious. That’s all I’m trying to say.”

  Astro looked at Roseabelle and sighed. Then he groaned. “All right, all right,” Astro said, “but I’m coming with you.”

  “Me too,” added Roseabelle. The three friends rose from the table, placed their dirty lunch trays on the counter, and walked with quick, short steps toward Asteran.

  The dark-haired trainer was leaning against the wall, his eyes darting around the cafeteria. Astro, Jessicana, and Roseabelle stood casually next to a slight break in the wall, which hid them from Asteran’s view. When Asteran made sure no eyes were looking his way, he slipped out the lunchroom door.

  Roseabelle led her friends out of the cafeteria. She saw Asteran turn into another hallway and then disappear. The trio walked to the end of the hall and turned down the same hall. They followed Asteran is this manner, making sure that they weren’t seen.

  They had traveled through several hallways when Asteran reached a small side door that led outside. He opened it and walked silently through. Asteran closed the door behind him and disappeared from the kids’ view.

  Jessicana transformed into a parrot and rose into the air. “Awk, awk, he’s up to something,” she squawked firmly.

  “Why don’t you see what he is up to?” Roseabelle asked.

  “Awk, I will,” Jessicana replied. Astro opened the door for her and Jessicana flew in pursuit of Asteran. Astro closed the door.

  “Well, we had better get to our trainers. I hope we haven’t been gone long,” Roseabelle remarked. At that moment, the two heard footsteps.

  CHAPTER 2

  Followed!

  ROSEABELLE GULPED. POLLY APPEARED IN THE HALL. “Astro, there you are! And Roseabelle. I’m sorry, dear, but Shelby unexpectedly left. Haven’t got a clue of where she went. Your mother will be informed of this. You may go. Now, Astro, back to the weather room,” Polly said apologetically.

  She beckoned for Astro to follow her. When Polly turned away, Roseabelle mouthed, “Meet me at my house.” Astro nodded and walked away with Polly.

  Roseabelle opened the door and walked out. She looked around for any sign of Jessicana before marching home. She didn’t feel like shadow tumbling right now because thoughts were swarming in her head like a hive of angry bees. She knew it would be a long walk home, so she decided to jog.

  Halfway home, she spotted a dark figure hiding behind a tree. A second later it vanished. Chills ran down Roseabelle’s spine. She was being followed!

  Maybe shadow tumbling was a good idea. She ran into the shadow of a large boulder and closed her eyes. She pictured her house and stomped her foot. She felt her body glide through air and land on the soft dirt. She opened her eyes.

  Her amazing home was looming in front of her. Astro liked to call it “the tree palace,” and Jessicana’s name for it was “the fairy hideout.” It was built on six oak trees and was made entirely of wood and thick vegetation. The windows were made out of sea glass, and the door was solid brass. A thick ladder made of vines hung from the door.

  Roseabelle leapt onto the ladder and climbed up. She pulled open her door and hurried upstairs. Roseabelle raced along the corridor and flung open the first door on the left, which opened up to her bedroom.

  Her walls were light blue and the carpet was leafen grass—a type of Benotripian plant that never withered. Her bed had a silken bedspread and an elegantly carved wooden headboard.

  On her twig dresser rested a leafy pouch her mother had given her for her seventh birthday. She still remembered the words Danette had spoken when she had presented the pouch to her. “Never forget that in time of need, this case contains something that will give you great aid. Only open it if I am not here to help.”

  Roseabelle looked out her window. Danette was probably out in Benotripia somewhere, fulfilling one of her many duties as an honorable ruler. Her mother was not always home, but she promised t
hat her trips would never take longer than two days.

  Roseabelle looked at the mango tree leaning against her window. She opened the window and edged herself onto the sill, then jumped onto the tree and sat on a strong limb. She picked a mango, peeled it, and bit into it. Roseabelle wiped the juice that was dribbling off her chin with her hand and gazed out on Benotripia.

  From her window she could see Bright Shore Beach. If you took a boat and rode for a long time, you would eventually get to Darvonia. Roseabelle took another bite of mango.

  Where was Astro? Training would be about over by now. Was Jessicana okay? Had she found something about Asteran? Her thoughts were interrupted by a scream that came from the beach. “Roseabelle, help! Help—”

  The shout was cut off. Roseabelle couldn’t see who had made the noise, but that didn’t stop her from jumping off the tree and sprinting to Bright Shore Beach. There was no one in sight. Who had screamed, then? She squinted out to the ocean. Not even the smallest boat was out there. Her heart was beating three times faster than usual. The voice had been familiar. Who was it?

  The undergrowth that signaled the entrance of Frogipani Jungle rustled a bit. Curious, Roseabelle bent to it and pushed back some foliage to see inside. No one. Well, she thought, it could have been a gold-striped frog.

  Gold-striped frogs were fairly common in Benotripia. They liked to rest in dense places and were quick as an arrow.

  “That’s probably what it was,” Roseabelle tried to convince herself. But then if that had been the situation, who screamed?

  Confusion filled her mind. She wished that Astro would come soon.

  Roseabelle looked at her home. She walked back to the mango tree, climbed it, and hoisted herself up into her room. Roseabelle skittered downstairs and looked out the kitchen window. Outside sat a parrot looking around wildly.

  “Jessicana, is that you?” Roseabelle called out.

  The parrot squawked excitedly and Roseabelle opened the window so her friend could fly through.

  In a split second a blonde-haired girl stood in the parrot’s place, clutching a rather creased raven feather. “Oh, Roseabelle,” she said, sounding relieved. “There you are. I have a bundle of news for you.”