Young Guardian Trilogy by Lady Adellandra Dratianos (the lemonade war series .TXT) 📖

the water. When we stopped, we reached an underwater cavern, where she led me to her little ones and a small treasure chest.
Open it and take the blue jewel. She told me. It will help you on your journeys through our worlds.
I obeyed and saw a blue jewel, about the same size as the other two I already had. I did the same thing with this one as I had with both the green and crystal jewels. I closed my eyes to see an image of a pair of Mer-people.
What you see are the people of our world and the helpers of our Magic. The dolphin told me, nudging my arm. Now, it is time to go back. Your spell will not last much longer.
I nodded, waving good bye.
I didn’t even ask how she knew me.
I resurfaced just in time. I had to gasp to get air back into my lungs. Katherine was waiting by the tide, running to me once I met the sandy shore.
“Are you alright? What happened?” She asked, handing me a towel to dry myself.
“I’m fine, and so is the dolphin I rescued.” I told her about the short adventure, showing her the jewel I acquired.
I waved my arms to return to the breeches and blouse outfit I’d had on before. I strapped the belt to the breeches and placed the blue jewel with the other two in its pouch.
“This is turning to be quite a day, is it not?” Katherine inquired, laughing lightly as we began to walk again. This time, away from the water. “First, a SheWolf and her pack almost attacks us. Then, we are almost knocked unconscious by a wounded griffin, and now the dolphin trapped by fishermen.”
“Each giving me a jewel for helping them.” I said. “I wonder what’s next.”
“Those jewels are awfully familiar.” Katherine muttered. “Green, crystal, then blue. If I am not mistaken, those jewels could stand for the Jewels of the Province.”
I thought for a moment, and then said. “You may be right, but aren’t there five main jewels?”
“Nay, six.” Katherine told me, shaking her head. “They are shaped in a pentagram, a star in your world, with a black jewel in the middle.”
“What are the other three?” I asked her.
“Let’s see...” She thought aloud. “A violet Amethyst for Companion Magic and black Onyx for the Dark Magic. I do not seem to remember the other one.”
I shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know, either.”
Suddenly, the mood changed. What was once bright and cheerful turned black and dreadful. The sky turned dark, the forest trees turned black, and the air surrounding us blew cold and fierce.
“What’s happening?” I asked her, holding on to my friend’s arm.
Before she could answer, we saw a large dragon flying above us. We watched as it blew a breath of fire at a tree by us. We ran to safety behind a rock, and crouched there.
Something was going on. I could sense it, and I didn’t like it.
The giant red dragon swooped down, closing its wings as it landed on the ground.
“Come out, Ariana Moon!” It screamed. “I know you are here!”
I stood, with Katherine purring her assurance.
Time to show this dragon who is boss.
“How dare you speak to the Young Guardian of the Dream Realm like that?” I cried in its face, angry.
“I can speak to you however I wish, Earthbound scum!” The dragon crooned. “Now, fight like a warrior or get out of my realm!”
“Me? Fight you?” I asked. “How? With what? I’m no warrior!”
“You are one of O’Dell’s Crusaders.” The dragon pointed out. “You have fought your worst enemy, Maiden Sabrina, Exiling her and her family to the Unknown. Surely, you can fight a mere dragon!”
“Mere dragon?” I asked. I was stalling while I thought of a plan to get out of here. I tried to disappear, but that Magic didn’t work. “I don’t want to fight you. I want to go home and see my children.”
“Not yet, Ariana Moon.” The dragon cried. “First, you must fight me.”
“I won’t fight you.” I told it. “I want to keep peace in the Dream Realm, not make war.”
The dragon sighed, smoke coming from her nostrils. “Very well, but you have to fight something in order to leave.” With a claw, the dragon scratched her cheek. “The flesh of your darkest fears. I know you have them. You will fight the fear you have yet to overcome.”
I gulped, hands making fists at my sides. “What is it?”
The dragon held out a claw, letting a reddish-colored smoke make a figure in front of me. When it was finished, I saw something amazing about it and gasped. It was a shadow of me! The eyes were glowing yellow, and I immediately got the impression of the past again.
The forbidding feeling of evil and hatred rumbled in my soul. That figure in front of me laughed heartily, a sword and shield appearing in its hands.
I was afraid. It was my worst nightmare, come true. Throughout the years of orphanage hell, these visions always gave me nightmares. Even after I met Lord Guardian and Katherine, starting to tour the Dream Realm, I was afraid. One of those nightmares scared me awake one morning, giving Derrick the chance to hear my hateful past. He listened and understood, giving me a kiss on the lips. From that point on, he would love me and take care of me.
Trouble was, my Earthly Protector was nowhere in sight, and I was alone with the nightmare-figure of myself.
The figure attacked with her sword. I envisioned a shield to stop it just in time.
“Fight me, freak!” The figure cried. “Just try it.”
Freak. The name all the orphanage kids gave me as I grew up. I wasn’t about to let a name from my past get me excited.
“Yeah, right.” I said sarcastically. With my free hand, I reached into the pouch with the wand in it. I stared at it until it turned into a sword. After pushing her away, I swung into action.
I didn’t have any clue of what I was doing, but I was doing it. I was fighting like a knight of olden times. The figure yelled profanities to me, but I counted that as a waste of breath. I kept my cool, and eyes open for a chance to get her weak point.
When she raised her sword and lowered her shield, I struck her in the side. That made the figure disappear.
I was tired, letting the shield disappear and the sword turn back into the wand.
“Very good, Ariana Moon.” The dragon said. “For that, I must reward you.”
Another reward? What was it, a jewel?
From the corner of my eye, I saw a red jewel like the other three. I took it in my hands, examining it with my mind’s eye. I saw and image of the dragon, and realized the fourth jewel I held. “Dragon Magic.” I looked up to the dragon. “Who are you, and why are we here?”
Katherine came out of her hiding spot. “What is going on, lady dragon?”
“Do you not see, Lady Katherine?” The dragon replied with a grin. “Your assumption about the jewels was indeed correct.” She called into the air. “Come out, sisters, and show yourselves. She has passed the tests.”
I looked to Katherine, who shrugged when I said. “Tests?”
From the sky came the griffon, out of the trees came the wolf, and a tall maiden with blue hair walked beside them. The dragon changed its form to a woman as well. The dragon-woman had brightly-colored hair, wearing a red and black gown. The wolf changed form to another woman, with tree leaves braided in her brown-black hair. She was wearing a forest-green gown, nodding with a smile once seeing me. The griffon also changed form to a woman, with silver hair and a silver dress on. All four women were beautiful, in a Goddess-like way.
“Who are you?” I asked, holding Katherine’s hand.
The woman who’d been a wolf came first. “I am Dana, Goddess of the Earth.” Dana introduced.
“I am Aura, Goddess of the Winds.” Aura supplied after her. She’d been the griffon.
“I am Brianna, Goddess of the Waters.” Brianna told me. I recognized the dolphin-woman’s ocean-blue eyes.
“Last, but not least, I am Curia, Goddess of Fire.” Curia announced, changing her form again for me. She was the dragon. “Now is the time to tell you why you are here.”
“Quite right, sister.” Dana stated. She stepped up to me. “Have you figured the jewels secrets, yet?”
I told her what Katherine and I knew. “With the red jewel, that would be the four elements.”
“Ah, but there is one missing!” Aura cried. “Do you know of the fifth element?”
“Spirit?” I guessed.
Brianna clapped her hands. “Brilliant! I told you she was the one!” She cried to her sister Curia.
“So she is.” Curia rolled her eyes.
“The one for what?” I asked.
“The element of Spirit, silly girl!” Brianna remarked. “We represent the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The fifth and just as important element will be you – Spirit!”
I was confused. “Why? What did I do?”
“You showed us you were worthy.” Dana supplied. “You put your fears aside to make a new friend in me. You also helped my sisters, and fought your worst demon in a way you never experienced before.”
“That shows us you can become the fifth element.” Aura said. “The power in that wand is now commanded by you and you alone. Not even your twin may use it.”
“If she does, she will be hurt.” Curia said. “The initiation is quite simple, really. All you have to do is hold the wand toward us while we give you insight. Are you ready, Ariana Moon?”
I gulped, nodding as I took the wand out once more. I let go of Katherine’s hand and pointed the wand to the four Elemental Goddesses. I closed my eyes and braced myself for some heavy magic-usage. I could hear them each chanting in their own languages. I could feel the surge of energy flowing from my wand to my soul. It was invigorating.
When they were finished, I opened my eyes.
Just as I suspected. They’d left without saying goodbye.
“I know where we are now.” Katherine told me as I put the now Spirit-wand away. “We are in the Realm of the Ancients.”
I nudged her, smiling. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”
She giggled.
“Know how to get home?” I asked her.
She nodded, grasping my hand. “Think of home and you will be there.”
“If I’d known that before, I would’ve done it.” I told her.
Katherine shrugged, smiling.
That told me something. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”
She bit her lip. “Aye. I was told by Mistress Enchantra what to expect.”
“What about your being scared?” I asked. “Was that fake?”
“Oh, nay, that was real.” Katherine told me. “I did not expect to be pulled away from my gardening. For now, I must be getting home. See you later!”
With that, she disappeared.
I sighed, wanting badly to get out of this strange realm. I closed my eyes and wished myself to Lord Guardian’s Castle. Would I make it there this time? I wondered.

I felt a cool breeze around my body. Opening my eyes, I found myself back in my sweatshirt and jeans, holding my Spell-book. I shook my head and muttered under my breath. “Whoa. What a rush.”
I looked down to find the belt around my waist. As I searched through it, I realized the four jewels and my wand was still with me. I