Orona (Book 1)

Chapter 6 - The City of Elden

Chapter 6 - The City of Elden

The sound of horns shook me back into consciousness. These weren't like the horns I had heard before, but much deeper. I heard the cheers of thousands. I turned and saw hundreds of eagles flying over in the direction of the joyous noise. It was then that I got my first glimpse of

Trees, much larger than any trees I have ever seen, with trunks the size of buildings, shot up hundreds, if not thousands of feet into the air. Each tree was connected by a solid wooden wall rising up at least a couple hundred feet high. On the top of the thick walls, I saw multitudes of cheering Eldens waving black and bright blue flags and banners. Confetti filled the air and slowly floated down to us as we crossed a large moat and entered the city gates.

High above the walls, I could see ornate staircases spiraling around each giant tree to form a beautiful city in the sky. Curved walkways and bridges of all kinds stretched between the branches of each tree, and the thousands of shingled houses and buildings that clung to them. It was breathtaking. The gate slowly cranked closed behind us, forming the emblem of the eagle.

Our cart continued on a grand wooden avenue, and we passed pastures filled with blades of long, blowing grass dotted with feeding elk. All the homes had some type of balcony or perch, and I watched in wonder as Eldens came out, jumped on their waiting eagles, and dove down to get a better look at us before flying back up. Some of them laughed as they flew over us, others yelled out and pointed. It was a magnificent sight to see. I never dreamed such a beautiful city could exist. Our cart came to an abrupt stop.

"This is crazy," I said as the sound of horns and cheers continued.

"Troy, you're alive!" I turned to see Drew in the cart next to me. His curly sandy blonde hair was soaked in blood. Just then, I felt the wooden road underneath us shake. To my surprise, we were now being slowly raised into the city above.

"Drew! Man it's good to see you! Larry is here too. Have you seen the others?"

"Yeah, I've seen them all. I was just looking for you. Geoff is next to Jack and said he is unconscious but breathing. Aly is OK too."

Again, I felt a huge surge of relief. The last time I had seen Jack, he was being carried off in the air by one of the Elden eagles. It was great to finally get some good news.

The sounds of the thick chains and gears continued, cranking up as our large wooden platform raised us towards the treetops. Seeing the little houses up close, I could see they were all decorated with flora growing straight out of the tree. Inside, families peered out of the little round windows as we went by.

The city was alive with excitement as curious Eldens of all shapes came out to view us. These little people didn't look like dwarfs or elves. They looked just like you and me, albeit a bit more rugged and weathered, about half our size and dressed straight out of a medieval storybook. Most of them wore leather from head-to-toe and hats of all shapes and sizes. Some of the hats were tall and pointed, others looked more like hoods, and still others looked like military berets. The leather they were dressed in was usually decorated in different types of patterns and had bright blue stitching.

through the cracks of the cart and could see a web of narrow streams that crisscrossed through the tall grass below. The feeding elk became even smaller as we continued rising; we had to be at least five-hundred feet high by now. I felt a rush of anxiety and nauseousness come over me because of the height. Men, woman, and children on their eagles continued to follow us upwards to get a peek. Finally, after taking us through a perfectly matching hole in a large wooden avenue, we stopped.

"There must be millions of them!" marveled Larry. I looked up and saw that the twisting maze of tiny homes continued up in a never-ending network of branches.

Groups of Elden men came over and disassembled our carts. They then carried us, now tied to long poles, into a great hall with high ceilings and decorative woodwork. It was then that I finally saw Jack. He hung from his pole looking dead, with large blood-soaked cuts across his legs and many other parts of his body.

"Jack! Jack!" I yelled out as I was carried by him. He didn't move. I wasn't even sure he'd heard me.

Large doors opened as we approached, and we were placed in the center of the great hall's floor. One side of the expansive room was open, and eagles continued to fly up and land. Finely-dressed elderly Eldens dismounted and took their places on a long bench that ran against the opposite wall, glaring at us as they walked by. They all wore large slouchy blue hats with a white feather in each.

Just then a loud announcement filled the room. "Ooocha gamba lute....Koonga Elden!"

Two Eldens blew their small silver trumpets in front of us and a thick bright blue curtain opened. The room went completely silent. Behind the curtain was a great throne of twisted branches where an old white bearded Elden with a regal air dressed in a white and blue robe sat. The trim of his robes glowed a faint blue. A beautiful majestic white eagle stood to the right of him that wore a glowing blue leather saddle.

"I am Elden, king of the Eldens. What brings you into my lands?" he asked as he leaned slightly forward in his throne.

No one said anything for a moment, as we were all still in shock.

"Do you not speak English?"

"Yes, we speak English," said Drew, the first of us to recover enough to speak. "We crashed while flying to South Africa."

"You fly?" asked the king, tilting his head in bewilderment. "On what?"

"In an airplane," Drew squirmed around on the ground, twisting his body to face the king. "Where are we, good king? Please, we mean no harm. Many of us died in the crash and we don't know where we are and need help."

"Untie the prisoners and take the wounded away to be cared for," commanded the king, looking over at the fox-riding Elden I had seen before.

Our bonds were cut, and those of us who could stand, stood up in the center of the room, rubbing our limbs, which were now stiff from being tied for so long. I rushed over to Jack, who to my relief, was still breathing. Needles of pain shot up and down my body, but I ignored them.

"You must be thirsty," said the king. "Bring water for our guests."

"Yes, King Elden. Thank you," said Drew. "But why did you attack us? Where are we?"

The king ignored the question. He stood up and walked over to get a closer look at me, feeling my tattered clothing like he had never seen anything like it before. He touched my watch and bent down. "What is this?" he asked.

"It's a watch. It doesn't work anymore."

He said nothing, but just stared at me, bringing his tan wrinkled face uncomfortably close to mine. His huge bushy white eyebrows almost touched me as he drew even closer and took a sniff.

"What a funny accent you have. Now, tell me. What kingdom are you from?"

"We're not from a kingdom...we're from the country of America and several other countries like South Africa, and Sweden. Where on Earth are we? Are we in Afri—"

"Earth?" exclaimed the king. "Did you say Earth? You're from Earth?" He stared expectantly at me, his deep gray eyes wide with bewilderment.

The king started to laugh with a deep chuckle. "Why didn't you say so? Welcome! Welcome to Orona!" he proclaimed as he returned to his throne.

"So we're not on Earth?" Cubby asked. Many of the passengers started to mumble.

"No. Earth is very far from here. We haven't had a visitor from your planet for hundreds of years."

"But how...? What...?" Cubby fumbled over his words and looked over at me in total confusion.

"There is much to explain! But first, let my people tend to your wounded." "Prepare a feast in celebration of our new friends from Earth!"