The Forgotten Kingdom of Draconyn [TEASER] [3 | The Other Realms Series]

Prologue

At the corner of a busy street, a raven-haired woman dressed in tailored clothes scrutinized the skyscraper towering over her. Her map told her that that building was the Gatekeeper base in Nitea, Nitea. She never fathomed that she would one day visit it, for previously she saw no need, but now she had an important mission to carry out. Briefcase in hand, she strode through its entrance.

The lobby was bright and airy, but she was not impressed. Her home had a lobby of equal elegance, if not more. There was a front desk. A few peasants—pardon, receptionists—staffed it. She strode towards one of them, her chin slightly up.

"Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," the receptionist smiled. "How may I help you?"

"I have an appointment with Elder Giorgino Alunnori, scheduled for ten minutes from now."

The receptionist typed on her holographic keyboard. "What's your name?"

"Tatiana, Baroness of Lamilla. 'Lamilla' has two Ls at the end."

The receptionist typed, tapped, and scrolled. "I need your photo ID please."

The baroness reached into her inner jacket pocket and retrieved a fabric wallet. She slid out a card and presented it to the receptionist, who scanned it before returning it to her. She stood up from her seat. "Please follow me."

Tatiana waited a while before she followed the receptionist, not only to give her time to go from behind the counter to the aisle but also to keep a distance from her. She should never be too close to commoners. They navigated the indoor maze and rode a compact—compact for her tastes—elevator to the eighty-ninth floor. They wove through another maze to get to the meeting point, and as they did so, the baroness frowned. The walls were plain, and so was the cold floor, and the lighting was harsh and glaring. What a depressing place! The only good thing she could say of it was that it appeared clean.

They halted in front of a wooden door. The receptionist gestured to it. "He's waiting inside."

"Thank you."

The receptionist smiled before she left. The baroness pursed her lips; how dare she not open the door for her! She fetched a handkerchief from her inner blazer pocket, wrapped it around the handle, and opened the door.

Inside the room was one of the unsightliest men she had come across. He had an obscenely big nose, small eyes reminiscent of marbles, and an unkempt nest of short hair. The baroness refrained herself from recoiling in revulsion. Focus on the mission.

"Are you Tatiana?" he asked.

"Yes. Baroness Tatiana," she said, feigning a smile. "You are Giorgino Alunnori, I suppose?"

"Yes. A pleasure to meet you. Please, take a seat."

She closed the door behind her and sat across the man. She kept the briefcase on her lap instead of the table between them—who knows what dirty things had touched its surface.

Giorgino clasped his hands and rested his forearms on the table. "In your email, you stated that Princess Selenia of Serpania needs the Realm Seekers to escort her on an important mission. However, you didn't exactly say what the mission is."

"That's because it's classified," she said. "I can't risk sending sensitive information that way, which is why I've asked to meet in private."

"Now that we're here, what is this secret mission?"

"To revive the Kingdom of Draconyn and break the curse that's placed on it."

Giorgino furrowed his brows. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that please?"

"Revive Draconyn. It's a kingdom in Zoasme."

"Uh, wait, let me look it up." Giorgino retrieved his laptop and opened it. "How do you spell it?"

"D-R-A-C-O-N-Y-N."

He keyed in each letter. After three minutes, he said, "I'm sorry, but Draconyn doesn't exist."

"It does."

"It's not in the database." He squinted at his screen. "Hold on, let me look under 'ancient civilizations.' It might be there." He did another search. "It doesn't exist."

"That's because it was wiped from history. I have proof."

The baroness set her briefcase on the table and opened it. Inside was a tome clothed in green leather. Its jacket was a dark, dull green, and it bore many scratches and other scars. Its timeworn appearance made it look like it was unearthed from a deep, ancient ground.

"Where did you get this?"

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Selenia found it in Zoasme. Please, do not tell anyone of this. It is very confidential."

"So, has she been to Draconyn before?"

"She has not; we've only managed to decipher its exact location recently. We do not trust anyone else with knowledge of this kingdom. That is why the Princess has requested that the Realm Seekers accompany her—with them being humans, they are less likely to tell others of this mission."

Giorgino scrutinized the tome. "This seems authentic, but I'll have to authenticate it further. I'll—"

She interrupted him with a word in her native tongue.

The book responded to her hiss at once. A wave of ancient magic burst from it, rippling through the air, and the book opened itself. Voices hissed from the pages, but they were not people—dragons. A moment later, it sealed itself, quiet as an ordinary book.

"Th-that was ancient magic," Giorgino said, his mouth open in stupefaction. "That can't be faked."

The baroness curled her lips into a smirk. "Now do you believe?"

⭐️

If you're wondering why I put [TEASER] in the title, that's because this is a sneak peek! I plan to release the next chapters either late in 2022 or early in 2023. Until then, enjoy a treat of what's to come ;)

Plotting: 60%
Writing: 1%