The final mystery E-Book

Elias J. Connor

• Herausgeber: FINN Books Edition FireFly
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

It all looks like it was a mistake when Kitty and Jojo receive another cry for help from the legendary world of Naytnal, the star of the empires. When they set out on their third journey there, they did not encounter the slightest hint of possible danger. Nevertheless, during their search, mysterious incidents pile up, and soon Kitty and Jojo discover that a dark force has entered Naytnal, more dangerous and darker than anything they have encountered before. The two girls and their friends embark on a long, exhausting search for the only person who can tell them who or what is behind this power. But as if that wasn't all, Kitty learns of a very big secret that is to be confided to her. But the fact that she knows it can mean the end for Naytnal ... The last, final novel from Elias J. Connor's fantasy series THE NAYTNAL CHRONICLES. Join Kitty and Jojo on their most difficult, darkest journey to the star of empires.

Leseprobe

Elias J. Connor

The final mystery

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Dedication

Chapter 1 - The awakening of a strange kind

Chapter 2 - A mysterious book

Chapter 3 - The pyramid mountains

Chapter 4 - The lunar eclipse

Chapter 5 - The first sign

Chapter 6 - The forgotten waters of Troxyro

Chapter 7 - Nadja, who are you?

Chapter 8 - Sarah's confession

Chapter 9 - The battle in Anshalyn

Chapter 10 - The Kayalin

Chapter 11 - The vampires of the night

Chapter 12 - The second mysterious book

Chapter 13 - Lisa's dream

Chapter 14 - The Temple of Tayalon

Chapter 15 - The seventh sign

Chapter 16 - Farewell

Impressum

Dedication

For Nadja.

The evil spirits are often within us.

But you're driving mine out of my head

Thank you for being there.

For Jana.

Your fantasy lives in my truth.

I thank you that you exist.

For Liam Elias.

One day you will become an Emperor of Naytnal.

Chapter 1 - The awakening of a strange kind

   The little lantern rocked gently back and forth. Sometimes it made a noise, whenever the gentle wind bumped it against the stick on which it was hanging. Then you always heard a gentle "pling". The lantern wouldn't be noticed at this time of day if it didn't make itself felt every now and then. Because during the day it was of course always off. It was only sometimes lit at night. Most of the time, however, it was simply forgotten. And then, when she made her gentle sound again, you knew she was there.

   The sun was hot this afternoon.

   The five to seven houses in the small, cozy-looking village were painted white. It was the best remedy for this constant heat. They also had no real roofs at all, but instead tarpaulin made of white linen. They let in enough air during the day and at night they cut off the cold. They also provided good protection from the sand that the night storms carried away from the nearby dune.

   There wasn't much going on here. It was never really busy here. Very rarely did something exciting happen. And most of the time, when it was as hot as it is today, the residents just stayed in their homes and went about their business.

   One young boy, however, was not impressed by the heat. He was determined to stand in the middle of the small village square, if you want to call it that, and looked around with interest. He was wearing a white robe, and on his head he wore a white cloth, which was held by a black ribbon. The boy must have been about fourteen or fifteen years old. In his hand he held a crooked stick, which he carefully waved around the area.

   Suddenly he thought he heard a noise. He turned around hectically - but nothing. There was nothing and nobody behind him. Very carefully he took a step forward, then another and another.

   Then the little lantern sounded, swaying gently in the wind, tied to a stick. The boy winced again, and then ran a few more steps forward. Then he stopped and held his breath. He strained to listen around the area. It was quiet. Only the gentle, quiet wind was blowing.

   Suddenly two little girls, about the same age as the boy, came out from behind one of the houses. In a flash they circled the boy. They giggled happily while holding him by the arms so that he couldn't actually move.

" We have you," said one girl. "Now your game is up, Mister Blixton."

" You'd better surrender right away," the other girl asked the boy.

   Completely out of breath, the boy voluntarily put his hands on his back while the girls took the stick away from him. Then they dragged him to a small, white shed next to one of the houses.

" I knew you would find me," said the boy. "Now that you have caught me, what should my punishment look like?"

" Be silent!" One girl demanded angrily. "Sit on that stool and be silent." She pushed the boy onto a stool and then blindfolded him.

" You have committed iniquity," said the other girl to him. “You betrayed our village to the colonels of the dark rulers. Now say your last word before you receive the punishment that is bestowed on every traitor. "

" I'm innocent," the boy protested. "You found me, not me you."

   The two girls walked slowly around the stool on which the boy was sitting and shivering playfully.

" Mercy," he pleaded while one girl tickled his legs with the stick.

“ No mercy!” Shouted the two girls. "No mercy for Blixton the traitor."

   Who or what had the boy betrayed? Who had he betrayed her to? Or was it just a harmless RPG what the two girls played with their boyfriend in the end?

   Outside the shed it was still very quiet. But after a while, two men, a woman and three other children finally came out. Everyone was wearing these strange white cloaks. And everyone had a head covering held in place by a black ribbon.

   The children had a wonderful ball with them that somehow glowed bluish. The ball was no bigger than a tennis ball, but it had strange ridged patterns on its skin.

   In the middle of the small square between the houses, the children then stood in a circle. The boy who had the ball then threw it into the air.

   And suddenly the ball stopped in the middle of the throw and stopped moving.

   For almost two full minutes, time seemed to stand still. And the ball was in mid-air, very still. Completely motionless. You could really believe that time would stand still if the children hadn't moved, all watching the ball eagerly and waiting to see what it would do next.

   Then suddenly time seemed to keep turning. The ball flew on, just as mysteriously as it came to a standstill in the air, straight into the hands of a girl who stood opposite the thrower. It caught the ball skillfully.

" Wow!" She said timidly. “Almost two minutes. Crazy."

" One more throw and you could apply to the next Tajuna Ball championships," said another girl with a cheeky smile.

   The girl pushed her headgear down for a moment ... and then you could see what you couldn't see the whole time: the girl had strange, pointed ears. All the inhabitants of this village had these strange, pointy ears.

   The small village with its quiet inhabitants, in which the children played so happily, was a desert village in a large, wide desert. It was in front of a huge dune, the tops of which were movable and kept changing. However, the dune itself appeared to be a solid mountain, although it had to be made entirely of sand. A few large cacti and three huge palm trees, which looked rather strange, lined the space between the houses.

   A small fountain in the middle of the square was apparently the only source of water in the area. One often saw the women of the village standing there and filling their buckets.

   The children had been able to stand the heat for a long time. The sun was slowly tilting to the west and a few small clouds appeared on the horizon. They moved strangely fast and flickered golden in the rising sunset.

" Come in, children," called a woman, her head covered with the cape to one of the windows. “There'll be food soon. Cockroaches with snail sauce. Delicious."

   The children ran quickly into the largest of the houses. Usually everyone ate together in the largest house in the village. Two or three women then prepared food for all residents. Apparently there weren't that many people living here.

   In front of the houses, in the village square, it was now very quiet. The two girls and the boy who were playing in the shed have already gone into the house where the food was already waiting.

   The clouds on the horizon danced back and forth and a light wind came up. And you could hear the lantern hitting the stick to which it was attached.

   Suddenly - nobody seemed to have noticed - a small, inconspicuous golden lightning bolt came out of the clouds. He moved slowly towards the small village. A strange, strange light enveloped this flash and kept it glowing.

   And that glow came closer and closer.

   And still nobody seemed to notice.

   Now you could see that this strange structure, which was floating high in the sky, had to turn somehow. It appeared to be round in shape, but not exactly round. Something in this round shape seemed to flicker or flutter strangely.

   And the structure approached the place inexorably.

   Only when the strange, majestically shimmering structure flew directly over the village could one see ... that a huge animal was floating in the middle of the light. It shimmered gold and it was shaped like a large horse. But the most unusual thing about it was that the horse had really big wings. And they shimmered just as gold as his fur.

   A rider sat on the mighty, huge horse. He wore a gold robe. Upon closer inspection, you could see that the soft glow was apparently emanating from him.

   And still no one noticed this strange phenomenon of the flying horse with wings that carried its rider.

   He circled the village once. And the next second, before anyone saw him, he disappeared just as mysteriously as he came.

   And at that moment the sun disappeared behind the horizon. The whole sky was now shining in a delicate red sunset, and the first stars came out in the east.

   And the clouds danced on.

   Suddenly the lantern that was attached to one of the houses fell down.

   Suddenly a tremendous thunder shook the desert, and shortly afterwards several lightning bolts flashed around the dune in front of which the small village was located. And the wind got stronger.

   It thundered again. And lightning flashed again at the same time through the sky.

   The clouds gathered over the village in a matter of seconds. They reared up incredibly quickly and got bigger and bigger. It looked like a fast-forward video, it happened that fast.

   Again a loud thunder, this time louder than just now.

   The residents of the village quickly ran out of the largest house where they had gathered to eat. They looked up at the sky in disbelief. It rained and thunderstorms here and there, but they have never encountered such a storm.

   The thick black clouds now darkened the whole of the sunset and the stars that had already risen. The sky was completely dark now, black as night.

   And the wind slowly became a real storm, getting stronger and stronger.

   The sand of the desert was tossed through the air, and within a very short time it fogged the whole area, including the small village. And after a few minutes you couldn't even see the dune, the mountain that rose up behind the village.

   And the residents quickly fled away. They ran out of the village. They ran across the village square, ran behind the houses and sought protection there. But the sandstorm was too strong. They could hardly hold on to anywhere. The thick sand was blown into every little corner. And the men, women and children had to wrap themselves in their white robes so that they could breathe at all.

   The storm grew stronger, the lightning and thunder grew more and more, and the clouds were thick and monstrous as never before. And they kept growing.

   The residents found no protection behind the houses either. It was as if the storm was blowing the air out of the village too. They quickly fled out of the village. Into an uncertain future, full of fear and without knowing where to go. They ran and ran.

   Suddenly the clouds began to circulate. They turned. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. And the lightning flashed, and the thunder echoed all over the place.

   When the village was finally deserted of all its inhabitants, the storm carried away the linen roofs of the houses. And soon afterwards the little lantern flew into the air.

   The storm turned into a violent vortex. An immense tornado formed all at once, and it swept away everything that was loose objects in the square and in the houses, whose roofs were no longer there. The tornado swept over the village at insane speed.

   And suddenly it was snowing. Yes, it started to snow properly. Hailstones and snow came out of the thick, black clouds, which were turning faster and faster in a circle. In a matter of seconds, an impenetrable layer of snow lay in the middle of the village, which buried the houses under itself. It was a blizzard that raged here now, and it raged in the middle of the hot desert.

   It got cold. Very cold. The snow never stopped. The first icicles were forming and hanging from the remains of the house walls that had not yet been buried by the snow. A thick layer of ice formed on the village square within a few minutes. The lightning that struck again and again was reflected in her.

   After a while, the cyclone suddenly stopped.

   The thick, dark clouds suddenly vanished into thin air.

   And it stopped flashing and thundering. The whole catastrophe ended as mysteriously and suddenly as it had started.

   And then it became very, very quiet again. The bright full moon and the stars of the night emerged.

   The snow and ice stayed. The whole desert village was covered with ice and snow. Some walls only looked out.

   And not just the village - the whole area around it was covered in ice and snow. And the mountain, the sand dune behind the village, was also shrouded in snow and ice. The great hill shone majestically in the faint night light of the moon.

   And it was still quiet, just absolutely quiet.

   After a while you could hear soft, strange noises. It was difficult to say where they might be from. Because actually nobody was here anymore. The noises sounded eerie, like a low, eerie whine. Quiet, but very scary.

   Suddenly something happened on the dune, which was now a high iceberg in the middle of the desert. It was as if a larger opening suddenly appeared in the middle of the mountain. And no sooner had it appeared than there were further, smaller openings to the left and right of it, and above and below it. The dune was now an iceberg with lots of caves.

   Suddenly the strange noise rang out again, that eerie squeaking.

   And shortly afterwards you heard a strange flutter, as if many small birds were floating through the air. The flapping sound suggested that whatever it was, it was moving very quickly. And if it had wings or something like that, it would flutter with them tremendously fast, perhaps like a hummingbird, one of those little birds that flap their wings so fast that they can stop in midair.

   But the flapping of the wings that you could hear here couldn't come from countless hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are gentle, good-natured animals. That flutter sounded scary and creepy. Whatever it was causing, it just couldn't be up to any good.

   And suddenly a little bat, barely visible in the dark night, stalked through the remaining house walls of the village. She squeaked excitedly. Then she flew up towards the huge iceberg.

   A second later, a second bat fluttered in the same direction.

   Again a while later a whole flock of bats suddenly arrived. She also floated through the icy desert village and then flew to the iceberg. One bat chased the other. And there were more and more. And they all flew in one and the same direction, namely to the big iceberg behind the village.

   They all flew into the largest of the caves that lined this iceberg. The one that was exactly in the middle, surrounded by the other small caves. The bats flew in there for a reason - almost like trying to congregate.

   The interior of the largest cave glowed faintly. A strange, mysterious light shone in a strange reddish tone from the ice walls. It was still gloomy, but the reddish glow went through the whole cave and the bats danced through the dim light.

   They sat down on poles, chirping softly, which must also have arisen suddenly in an eerie way. And no sooner did they sit than they let themselves down. They were now hanging upside down from the bars. And as soon as they did that, the squeaking suddenly stopped.

   When the last bat flew into the cave, sat on a pole and then let it hang, it suddenly became very, very quiet again.

   They all hung there motionless.

   And the reddish, diabolical light shone dimly in the room.

   Suddenly, after several minutes, a loud crash could be heard. One of the bats suddenly dropped ... and its wings grew in flight. Her head took on a monstrous, dark and dangerous-looking shape. Her little arms turned into paws. Her teeth turned into ugly teeth, which she bared greedily. And her eyes turned blood red, like a dragon's.

   And before the bat hit the ground, it became a creepy monster with a gray shimmering skin that was about the size of an ostrich. The giant bat then stood on its two hind legs and scowled around the area.

   A short time later, another bat floated to the ground and transformed into a similar monster. It was followed by a few more bats, dropping and transforming in an eerie way. And after a few minutes all the bats were in the ice cave, mysteriously mutating into huge monsters, each one of them.

   The monsters then positioned themselves in a semicircle around a giant bat, the skin of which was particularly creepy. The monster in the middle then finally climbed onto a kind of pedestal made of ice. It looked crazy, almost like she ruled the other monsters. She seemed to be something of a leader or even a queen of the bat monsters.

   She looked around. She looked at her colleagues, looked deep into their eyes, all of which were glowing blood red. Then she craned her neck and shook her head.

   And the other monsters seemed to be watching her intently, watching exactly what she was doing, every single movement.

   And suddenly the bat monster on the pedestal seemed to be about to say something to its fellows.

" Beings of the night," said the alleged queen then suddenly. "It has now happened." She majestically raised one of her paws in the air. "Beings of the night," she continued. “You have waited a long time for this. It was longed for for a long time. And now ... ”She paused theatrically. “Now we are here, united with all our might. We are born. "

   There was cheer from the noises of beeps and screams. The other monsters stopped abruptly when the queen signaled them.

" You have long foretold the arrival of our race," she said finally. “It was this place that was intended for our arrival. And now we have arrived. Arrived in this world. And we will start from here. "

   Again the others cheered in their most eerie, creepy way.

" From this place fate will take its course!"

   Cheers.

" From this place, here on the star of the empires, we will strike!"

   Cheers.

" From this place, the place of our origin and our birth, the further fate of Naytnal is determined," said the bat queen to her fellow species. “I, who have been called to be your ruler, say to you: it is we who are called. Called to determine this fate. Our kind is born. "

   Cheers.

" The first sign has now occurred," said the bat queen.

   And their conspecifics joined in a minute-long jubilation of beeping noises and screams while the monster on the pedestal raised its paws.

   After a while, the bat queen wrapped her long wings around her body. And at that moment, as if by magic, it floated up again. She floated back to the pole that seemed to float in the air above her. When she put her feet on them, she hung back.

   And all the other monsters followed suit.

   And when they were all back on their poles, they suddenly turned back into little bats.

   And then they fell asleep. Then all of a sudden, hanging from their bars, they all slept soundly and deeply.

   And they should sleep, here in their frozen village in a great desert on the star of empires. Sleep the whole of the following day until they woke up again in the evening and became monsters again.

   And calmly the moon moved on its orbits in the sky. Nobody outside this village noticed what had just happened. Not even the residents who recently fled. Something has arisen in this icy village, something that no one had any idea of.

Chapter 2 - A mysterious book

   The stars shone clearly. Its light shone softly in the firmament. It had to be thousands, no, millions of suns that could be seen on this clear but cold night. Each star seemed more beautiful than the other. Even if most of them were many, many light years away, infinitely far away.

   To the west the moon's little sickle seemed weak. Two days ago there was a new moon, and now it was just beginning to grow again until it shone in its full glow again in about two weeks, as it does every month.

   The fact that it was now only faintly made the beautiful, late autumn starry sky an impressive sight. The autumnal constellations like Orion stood high in the sky in the south, and the huge winter constellations, above all the bright star Sirius, followed closely from the east.

   It was very cold that night.

   For a long time, three children had been sitting behind a small mound of sand or earth. They didn't seem to move. Probably they wouldn't have been noticed, but there was something strange about them.

" Can you see her?" One of the children suddenly asked.

   She was about fifteen years old. She appeared nervous. She turned around very carefully. She was wearing a very strange suit that shimmered silver. But it wasn't the suit that made her look so strange. It was small circuit boards, probably electrical, scattered across her arm. The girl looked like a little astronaut or something like that.

   A boy crouched close to her gently nudged the girl. "Psst!" He said softly.

   The boy was maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. He too was wearing a silver glitter suit with those strange plates on the sleeves, just like the girl. He also wore a silver headband.

   Next to the two children sat a girl who did not move the whole time. Again and again she looked up motionlessly at the sky. The thousands of stars were reflected on her silver suit, which she - like the other two children - wore, and sometimes a dot literally blinked.

" But they should be there by now," she finally whispered.

   Suddenly seven large moons were seen rising in the sky. The sight was beautiful and majestic. The moons were not round, more like islands with hills. And they were much closer to the earth than the actual moon.

   Suddenly one saw more children and teenagers running at night. They all gathered around the two who were already sitting here.

   A young girl padded to the two people with her boyfriend.

" Kitty," she was greeted by the other girl. "There you are. Take a look at the moons. "

" Jojo, I told you we'd get in trouble if we did magic," she said.

   As if she had suspected it, a young woman approached, apparently the mother of the two.

" Are you crazy?" She asked Kitty and Jojo. “Make the night go away. And stop conjuring up pictures in the sky. Nobody should know about Naytnal, you know that. "

" But mom," snorted Kitty. "Jojo and I just sent a greeting to the star of the empires." Kitty waved her hand.

   And in the next second the sun came out, shrouded in some clouds. It was still cold and the field was still bare, for it was early November in the Lantyan Valley; Colorado.

   And the clock on the large main building of the complex said one o'clock in the afternoon.

   Lantyan. The big elite boarding school in Colorado, USA. It was very mysterious in a great valley, shielded by mountains and hills. There was only one road up here, and it was a good eight to ten miles to the next town.

   The Lantyan house was built over a hundred years ago. But it only became a boarding school about thirty years ago. Many of the teachers here used to be students themselves. They were simply drawn to the mysterious magic that was Lantyan. And she never let go of her.

   Few knew the secret of Lantyan. But there were rumors that were already spreading across the country. No wonder more and more children wanted to go to Lantyan, and that the list of applicants was already immensely long and growing. The admission criteria are correspondingly difficult. Only a few children were allowed to move into Lantyan and attend the wonderful boarding school for at least two years.

   The building was huge. It was shaped like an oversized, lying U. Two large towers were each at the lower ends. And a strange but beautiful-looking flag was waving on both of them: On a blue background you could see a crescent moon lying down, bent upwards. Below were two waves in which a spiral clam was swimming.

   All the classrooms were on the west side. And in the middle was the large dining room, in which one could not only eat, but also drink coffee, play or have parties. The dining room was open from morning to evening, also on weekends and during holidays. In the east wing there were finally the bedrooms - each twin room. The boys had their apartments on the lower floors, the girls slept further up. Office rooms and the library were located in the two towers, which were also the access to the secret attic chambers. And then, of course, there was the huge basement room that stretched below the entire building. It was so big that many had never seen it in full, even if they had been here for years. The huge cellar was undoubtedly one of the most mysterious rooms in the boarding school.

   The boarding school also included several leisure facilities. A huge courtyard with a large fir tree provided a very nice playground with climbing frames and swings for the younger ones, as well as basketball and skate opportunities for the older students. Further up there were tennis courts, a football field and a soccer field.

   And between the sports fields and the main building was a two-story wooden house with a large garden. Leonie, Kitty, Jojo and Leonie's fiancé Trent Thorn lived in this house.

" She's so terribly strict today," Kitty grumbled quietly to Dennis.

" Oh, honey," smiled Dennis. “She's just very stressed. After all, she's getting married tonight. And that in front of a large audience. "

" Yes ... already ..." Kitty wasn't sure what she wanted to say anymore either.

" It will be great, I think," said Dennis reassuringly. When he saw that Kitty was still brooding, he added, “Look, nothing will change for you. Trent has lived in your house for half a year. And actually nothing will be different from what it was before. "

" Oh, Dennis," Kitty breathed while Dennis put an arm around her. "I don't know what I would do without you." She smiled at him. "Thank god you are my friend."

   The other children who had played with them waved to Kitty, Jojo and Dennis and ran back into the main building. When Dennis and Kitty arrived at their wooden house with Leonie and Jojo, Dennis said goodbye to Kitty with a big kiss and then also ran back to his quarters in the main building.

   Kitty ran into the house at the same time and then trudged up the stairs. A little later you could hear a loud slamming of the door.

" I ...", Jojo wanted to start.

" Don't worry," said Leonie then. "I'll do it." Then Leonie ran upstairs while Jojo sat down in the kitchen and poured a glass of Coke.

   Leonie knocked carefully on the door of Kitty and Jojo's room. Kitty didn't respond. Leonie then slowly opened the door.

" Kitty ..." she said softly.

   Kitty sat on her stomach on her bed. She had buried her head in her hands. She didn't look at her mom as she sat down on the bed with her. She was crying softly.

" Kitty ... you understand why I got so angry, don't you?" Leonie asked her daughter calmly. But Kitty didn't answer. Leonie gently stroked Kitty's head. “You can't play with your strength,” Leonie continued. "You both were given it at the time, and you were told not to abuse your spell."

   Kitty turned slowly and looked at her mom. But she still didn't answer.

" Kitty, Jojo and you, you are something very, very special," said Leonie. “Your powers, the magic and the magic that you carry within you are a very special gift. They were given to you so that you can help the beings in the other, mysterious world. ”Leonie took a deep breath. “Anyone who abuses them runs the risk of losing their strength. Kitty, Lantyan is very special. It holds the only access to this other world. Please don't risk this chance, Kitty, just because you want to play. "

   Kitty mumbled something unintelligible. Because Leonie didn't understand her, she looked at her inquiringly. "What?" She said.

" I made Naytnal out of my dreams," said Kitty. "I can decide for myself where I use my gifts."

" Kitty, it's not that easy," countered Leonie seriously. "And you know that, too. You know what Trent told you about the Star of the Realms. "

“ That it's secret,” Kitty knew. "That one shouldn't talk about him." It almost sounded ironic. Kitty took her pillow and tossed it in the corner. "Trent, Trent," she said. "Always Trent." She looked at her mom. "Since he's been living here, you hardly have any time for me."

" Honey, what really annoys you?", Leonie wanted to know. "You're not angry with me at all."

   Kitty was crying. “I ... I just don't want you to forget me again. Like back then ... "

   Leonie took Kitty in her arms. "But honey," she said. “I didn't know you were here then. I never forgot you, kitty. I had to think about you all the time, and it hurt like hell, every day, every hour. ”Leonie caressed Kitty's arm. “They told me at the time that you ... that you also died in the accident. You know that. I had no idea you'd lived here all these years, Kitty. And then we found each other again. ”Leonie looked seriously at Kitty. “There will never be anything more important to me than you in life. As you and Jojo. "

" I'm sorry we did magic even though it was forbidden," Kitty cried softly. “I don't know how it came about either. I ... just wanted ... because of Trent ... I was scared. "

“ Believe me, Kitty. Nothing will change for us, not even if Trent and I get married tonight. ”Leonie then stood up and gently shook Kitty's sleeve. "So, little one. And now look for your clothes that you will wear tonight. "

" Okay, Mom," said Kitty. And a small smile crossed her lips.

   Then Leonie ran downstairs again.

   Kitty hopped up and looked for a beautiful white dress from her closet, which she got last week, especially for the wedding reception. She put it on her bed. She quickly slipped out of her silver suit. Then she ran into the bathroom and took a shower. After a few minutes she was done with it, and then she ran back to her room dripping and dried herself off with a towel that was on the floor. When she was about to put on her beautiful dress, Jojo came into the room. She then also took off her suit.

" She's still totally nervous about tonight," she remarked. Then Jojo also put on a beautiful white dress, which she had received especially for the wedding.

" It won't go away either, I think," said Kitty. Then she turned to Jojo. "How do I look?"

" Man, Kitty," said Jojo. “You look crazy. Almost as if you were getting married today yourself. "

   Kitty grinned. "You look just as great, Jojo."

   The evening finally approached in unstoppable steps. Kitty and Jojo had already decorated the entire house with garlands, candles and beautiful plants. There were three long tables in the garden that could seat at least one hundred and fifty people. On the white tablecloths stood the most beautiful holiday dishes.

   A bunch of strangers had been trudging through the house since morning. Again and again they carried things around, put things up, dismantled and reassembled. Even now in the early evening it was still no different, and even if everything looked absolutely great and beautiful, it was far from finished. And the frame of the marquee wasn't even in place.

" Wait!" Shouted a man walking around on the upstairs windowsill. He was holding the end of a brightly colored string of lights that he still had to fasten. "Now!" He called to another man who was standing on the terrace below with a cable drum. The other man then plugged a cable into the socket - and shortly afterwards the fairy lights began to glow in all possible colors.

   Kitty and Jojo just came out of the house. “Wow!” They both were amazed when they saw the lights that adorned the house.

“ That surpasses everything,” said Jojo.

" Where's Trent anyway?", Kitty finally thought.

“ Bachelor farewell”, Jojo explained shortly.

" Kitty, honey," came Leonie's voice from inside the house. “He's not allowed to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding. That brings bad luck. "

   Kitty ran to the front door. She tried to open it, but apparently someone had locked it.

" Mom?" Kitty said thoughtfully.

" Everything's fine, little one," answered Leonie. "I'm just not ready yet."

   Jojo suddenly nodded to Kitty, smiling mischievously. And Kitty understood what Jojo meant.

   Kitty and Jojo always got along blindly. All they had to do was look at each other and they knew what to say to each other. Except for one time - and Jojo, although she was the culprit, couldn't do anything for that - Kitty and Jojo had never fought. The friendship, which later resulted in an intimate sibling relationship, has always endured.

   In this particular case, Jojo Kitty meant that it was time to get the wedding present for Leonie and Trent, which they had hidden in one of the towers. The two girls had been making a big secret of it for days. Leonie, who was a curious person by nature, failed to figure out what it is.

   Kitty and Jojo crept quietly to the main building.

" Man, this is going to blow her away," Kitty whispered.

" She really doesn't know what we're going to get her and Trent for the wedding?" Jojo smiled like a rascal.

   Kitty shook her head. "You can see how well we have hidden it."

   The two girls came into the large entrance hall next to the dining room. From here you could get into all corridors, all rooms and all floors. Majestically went up the stairs left and right, shimmering white, and large windows adorned the wall with great decoration. Next to it were pictures of landscapes and people. Many fairies could be seen in the pictures. The entrance hall was laid out with a shiny golden parquet floor.

   It was very, very quiet here in the main building at this hour, which was certainly largely due to the fact that the upcoming wedding was a big event for everyone living here. And now they were all getting ready for it.

   Kitty and Jojo crept quietly to the first floor. They crept past the classrooms of the lower classes until they came to the stairs for the right tower.

   There was something mystical about the towers. The light in the small staircase, which consisted of a spiral staircase, glowed faintly as candlelight, and it almost looked a little creepy here. Scary and mysterious.

   Then they finally got upstairs, upstairs in one of Lantyan's most secret rooms that very few people have entered - the library. This is where Kitty and Jojo had hidden their present.

" Do you have the keys?", Jojo asked Kitty.

" Sure," said Kitty quietly. "I stole my mom's keychain this afternoon unnoticed."

   Kitty took the key out of the pocket of her beautiful dress. Then she carefully led him into the keyhole. It fit. Kitty turned him around ... but when she was about to open the door, Jojo suddenly touched her shoulder.

" Kitty ..." she whispered. Her voice sounded strangely frightened, as if she'd just seen a ghost or something.

   And Kitty turned to Jojo.

" What ... what is that?" Asked Jojo.

   It was totally strange. Kitty and Jojo have often come up here, if only because Leonie and Trent often work in the library. There was always only one door that Kitty was about to open. And suddenly there was a second door across from this door. It looked exactly like the first door. She was the very exact image, almost like a mirror image.

   Carefully, Kitty raised her arm and touched the door. "A second door," she stammered.

" How long have they been here?" Jojo looked at the door in disbelief. "Is it new? Or has it always been there? "

" Why did we never notice?" Asked Kitty in amazement. "I've never noticed the door before."

" Neither do I", Jojo stammered.

" Awesome!" Said Kitty. "Totally crazy." She still looked at the door in amazement. "You, I would love to know what kind of room is behind it."

" Try to see if the key works," Jojo asked.

   And Kitty took the key out of the first door. Then she put it in the keyhole of the second door, but it didn't fit. Even if the two doors looked the same, the keyholes were obviously different.

" Shit," she said. "Doesn't fit."

   Jojo took a deep breath. Then she knocked on it a few times. But nothing happened. "Nobody seems to be in there either."

" Jojo," said Kitty. "How can that be? Suddenly there is a room that we didn't know about for years. There was always a wall there, exactly at this point. And suddenly there is a door. “Kitty looked seriously at Jojo. "Don't you think that's strange too?"

" Colonel strange", Jojo confirmed.

" Do you know what I'm thinking?" Said Kitty. "That we should find out early tomorrow morning what kind of room this is."

“It's school tomorrow morning,” said Jojo, discouraged. "Or did you intend to skip."

" Uff!" Said Kitty. "Well, then after school."

" And why don't we just ask Mom or Trent?"

" Are you crazy?" Kitty looked at Jojo startled. “We got in enough trouble today. Let's let Dennis know and we'll be back tomorrow. "

" I agree," said Jojo.

   Then Kitty and Jojo unlocked the first door that led to the library. They quickly got out the present for the bride and groom - a large package wrapped in silver paper and decorated with beautiful red bows. Then they secretly ran down the stairs of the tower, stomped back down the hall into the great entrance hall. And hand in hand they then ran back to their house, where several guests had already gathered. Leonie was still in the house and apparently still busy getting ready. Thank goodness, she hadn't noticed that Kitty and Jojo had slipped away for a few minutes.

   In the meantime, the large, heated marquee, which the workers had been working on since the morning, had already been set up. The last tarpaulin had just been put in place, and the roof of the tent shone in the beautiful colors of the Stars and Stripes, the American flag. The tent was huge and there was room for a lot of people. Conveniently, it ended exactly at the house entrance, and the terrace of the house was converted into a stage and dance floor.

" Hey, Kitty!" Shouted Dennis, who was sitting at one of the tables with Jeremy, when he saw Kitty.

“ Hey, Jojo, mouse!” Jeremy called to Jojo.

   Jeremy was a handsome, well-dressed boy. He was in ninth grade and had just turned sixteen a few days ago. Jojo had known him for almost a year, but it had only really sparked between her and Jeremy last summer, at a party on the occasion of Kitty's birthday. It started very slowly, because - contrary to his cool demeanor - Jeremy was a rather shy boy. Since Jeremy was dating Jojo, the two of them have been doing a lot with Dennis and Kitty, who had been a couple for a whole year. Jojo and Jeremy were sometimes embarrassed to show their love openly.

" Hello guys," Kitty greeted the two better halves. "Is the gift table ready yet?"

" Yes," said Dennis. "Right over there." He pointed to a table that already had some presents on it.

   And then Kitty and Jojo put their present on the table.

“ Mouse, what about you? You look so confused, ”Dennis then stated.

   Kitty looked at him mysteriously. She smiled.

“ You've got something up,” said Dennis.

   Kitty put an arm around his shoulder and brought her lips close to his ear. "I'll tell you later," she whispered to him.

" Hello, children," said a voice suddenly. A middle-aged man, tall, with white hair, suddenly stood behind Kitty, Dennis and Jojo. The children were a little frightened.

" Oh ... Hello, Mr. Templeton," Kitty said then.

" Is Trent not here yet?" Asked Mr. Templeton.

" He has to be there any minute," Kitty explained. "If you want to have a drink, the bartender is already at the counter."

" Thank you, Kitty," Mr. Templeton replied politely.

   Mr. Templeton was Kitty and Jojo's class teacher. It was considered strict but very fair. Most of the children got on well with him. And if someone ever had problems at school, he could go to him because Mr. Templeton always had good advice. Before Leonie became a director at Lantyan, Mr. Templeton was the director. But he felt too old to do this job. Now he was just a teacher.

" When does it start?"

" Where is Mr. Thorn?"

" What kind of dress is the bride wearing?"

" When is your mom coming out?"

   Children and adults kept coming to Kitty and Jojo and bombarding them with curious questions. Kitty and Jojo felt very flattered, despite all the stress.

   In the meantime, almost all of the guests have already arrived. And someone had already turned on all the candles and the fairy lights. The front yard of the house shone beautifully in the setting sun. And the first stars that were already emerging in the eastern sky gave the whole thing the right, romantic atmosphere. Yes, this would be an unforgettable wedding celebration.

   Finally the pastor arrived who was supposed to trust Leonie and Trent. He gallantly bailed out Kitty and Jojo and took care of the people who kept asking curious questions. Dressed in his black parsonage, he ran to a platform on which a microphone was attached.

“ Dear attendees, dear congregation,” he began a speech to the guests. “Well, it won't be long now. The groom is already on the way and the bride is still in her house. For good reason, because no one should see her wedding dress before the groom is there and the wedding ceremony can take place. So I ask you to be patient for a while ... "

   Suddenly, at that moment, a black limousine came around the corner and stopped on a small path that led alongside the house. Two men dressed in black finally got out and opened the rear door. Then a very handsome man stepped out. Well coiffed, wearing an imposing, shiny dark blue suit, he walked slowly towards the front yard.

   And when the guests saw him, they began to clap and cheer.

“ There's Trent!” Kitty called. "There he is! There he is!"

" Man, he looks great," said Jojo happily. "Well, if I were his age ..."

" Hey!" Kitty grinned mischievously. Then she ran up to Trent with Jojo. "You look great," she said to him.

   Trent thanked him politely.

“ The time has come,” you could hear some people shouting. "It starts! It starts!"

   Dennis and Jeremy then arrived and led their two friends Kitty and Jojo to a seat they had reserved beforehand. As they sat down, Sydney suddenly arrived too.

" Sorry," Sydney said as she sat down next to Kitty. “I'm a little late. Have I already missed something? "

" It's just getting started," said Kitty, excited and curious.

   And Kitty, Jojo, Dennis, Sydney, Jeremy and all the other guests didn't have to wait a second longer. In the next moment the pastor came back to the lectern.

“ Dear guests, dear Lantyan Congregation,” he began. And suddenly everyone went silent and looked at the lectern with anticipation and anticipation. Then the pastor looked around searchingly. "Where are the flower children?" He asked, slightly disoriented.

" Oh," said Kitty while nudging Jojo lightly. "That's us." She jumped up quickly, pulled Jojo by the sleeve and ran with her to the entrance of her house.

   Kitty and Jojo then grabbed two baskets filled with beautiful red rose petals while Trent took up position in front of the lectern. And when they had it in their hand, the front door suddenly opened and out came the most beautiful bride Lantyan had ever seen.

   And the organ player began to play the wedding march.

" Mom ... you look crazy," whispered Kitty and Jojo.

   Leonie slowly ran in step behind Kitty and Jojo. She looked really wonderful - a white lace dress and a long train that came down to the floor. She also wore a very valuable chain and an ornate veil.

“ Dear Congregation”, the pastor began again when Leonie, Kitty and Jojo arrived and Leonie was standing next to Trent. “We have gathered here today to wed Leonie Linnore and Trent Thorn who are here. So it happened that two people met here in our house six months ago. First they were colleagues, then they became friends. And love developed out of friendship. The two of them want to seal their love today. ”The pastor turned to Trent. “So I ask the groom present: Do you, Trent, want to take Leonie, who is present here, as your wife, honor and love her, in good times as well as in bad, always stand by her side until death do you part? So say out loud: Yes, I do. "

   Trent looked at Leonie in love. "Yes, I do," he said.

“ And now I ask the bride: Do you, Leonie, want to take Trent, who is present here, to your husband, to honor and love him, in good times as well as in bad, to always stand by him until death do you part? So say out loud: Yes, I do. "

" Yes, I do," Leonie breathed a little shyly. "And as I want."

   Some people had to smile.

   The pastor then took the small box with the two rings in his hand and opened it. "As a sign of your solidarity, please put the rings on your fingers."

   And Trent put a beautiful gold ring on Leonie's finger, and Leonie did the same with the second, equally beautiful ring.

   Leonie and Trent looked at each other in love.

" So I explain to you, dear bride and groom, the power of my office to husband and wife," said the pastor. "Trent, you can kiss the bride now."

" Leonie, you are just a wonderful woman," Trent whispered to his wife. Then Leonie lifted her veil and Trent kissed her passionately. And the crowd applauded and cheered.

   And Kitty and Jojo shed a few small tears with emotion.

   As soon as the kiss, which seemed so endless, was over, Kitty and Jojo gave their mom and stepfather Trent a big hug. And still the crowd clapped.

" May the party begin now," Kitty called suddenly. And in the next second a specially hired band began to play.

   Of course, Leonie and Trent opened the dance. Soon after, most of the guests followed suit. Even Jojo, self-confident as she was, grabbed her friend Jeremy and danced with him.

   Kitty crept up to Dennis quietly. When she tapped him on the shoulder, he smiled sweetly at her. "Well," he said, "would my future bride also want to dance?"

   Kitty smiled and shook her head. "Come on, Dennis," she whispered.

   Kitty and Dennis crept away. They ran hand in hand out of the tent, across the yard, which was pretty dark, because most of the people were at the party. Kitty led Dennis to the right side of the building.

" Mouse, where are we going?" Asked Dennis.

" Psst! " Said Kitty. "It's a secret."

" You're making it really exciting."

   Kitty led Dennis to the right tower. They then stood against the outside wall and Kitty raised her arm and pointed to the top floor. "What do you see there?" She asked her friend.

" The library window," Dennis said questioningly. "What about it?"

" How many doors are there on the top floor?" Kitty asked him.

" Well ... one," said Dennis. "The one to the library."

   Kitty turned to Dennis. "Dennis, I was up there with Jojo this afternoon because we had hidden our present there." Kitty looked at Dennis seriously. “Imagine, all of a sudden there was a second door. It is exactly opposite the first, where the wall was. They look exactly the same. But the keys didn't fit, we've already tried that. "

“ A second door?” Dennis asked in disbelief.

" Yes," said Kitty. “It's ... it's like she showed up all of a sudden. As if she wasn't there the whole time. "

" Strange," mused Dennis.

" Dennis, what can that mean?"

   Dennis thought back and forth. "I don't know," he said finally. "Either, the door was already there the whole time, and they just cleverly camouflaged it ..."

“ Or ...”, Kitty continued, “the door has really only been around for a very short time. Dennis, that looks a lot like magic, don't you think so? "

   Tenderly, Dennis stroked his kitty over her beautiful, medium-length, dark-blonde hair that gently shone in the moonlight. "We'll definitely find out," he said. "We'll get to it tomorrow, honey."

" Promise?"

“ Very tight,” promised Dennis. “Well, let's go back to the party. I am sure that the gifts will soon be there. And I would really like to know what you and Jojo gave your mom. "

" I told you you couldn't find out," Kitty laughed mischievously. And then she stormed back to the house, followed by Dennis.

   Leonie and Trent were already opening the presents. Thank goodness Kitty got there in time. Trent and Leonie have already unpacked a nice tea service, lots of biscuits and plants, CDs, concert vouchers for the opera, a flight to Denver, jackets, sweaters and much more. Only at the very end did they unpack the present that their children wrapped so nicely for them. And something very, very special came to light. Kitty and Jojo then approached the bride and groom.

   And Leonie and Trent could hardly believe what wonderful things Kitty and Jojo had for them. They looked at it in amazement.

   It was a stone. It was almost square, about eight inches long and ten inches wide. Its thickness might be about an inch. And on it you could see the beautiful image of a particularly beautiful fossil, a kind of scorpion or cancer that looked very rare.

" It's from Florida," Kitty explained. “I found it in a shop in Orlando that was part of a museum. You said it was a very rare specimen. "

" It's for both of you," Jojo emphasized. "Because Trent is also interested in science."

   Leonie and Trent looked at the wonderful fossil with amazed eyes.

" It's wonderful," said Leonie gratefully. "It really is a rare specimen of a crab." She looked at the fossil thoughtfully. "Even an image of a primeval crab."

" Thank you so much," said Trent.

   The festival was a great success. After Dennis and Kitty danced together, there was finally food. A huge barbecue was specially set up. Around one o'clock in the night the first guests said goodbye. Some of the teachers had to be fit because classes were back the next day.

   Kitty and Dennis then went to a bank near the house, exhausted. And they weren't badly surprised to see Sydney sitting there.

" Hello," Kitty greeted her friend. "How did you like the party?"

" It was crazy," said Sydney.

" Yes," Kitty agreed. "I can hardly remember the last time I had such a wonderful party."

   Sydney looked kind of sad. She looked at the floor. She didn't answer Kitty right away. She gently brushed a strand of red from her hair behind her ear.

" Sydney, are you all right?" Asked Dennis, somehow realizing that something was wrong with Sydney.

" I ... can still remember well." She paused thoughtfully. "To the last party, which was so nice." She looked at Kitty. “It was your birthday last summer. It was such a nice party. "

   And now Kitty knew what was bothering Sydney.

" It was her party," she breathed softly, and it almost sounded embarrassed.

" Yes," Sydney said, her gaze back on the floor. "What is she doing right now?"

" Nobody knows," said Dennis sympathetically. “But it is still in all of our hearts. And in all of their hearts. "

" I miss her," Sydney admitted. “She was my best friend. I miss her so. Still. ”Sydney was crying softly.

   Then, after thinking for a few minutes and holding Sydney in her arms, Kitty took a photo out of her pocket. "Here, Sydney." She passed the picture to Sydney. “I should have left it to you much sooner. You should have it from now on. "

   Sydney had known the photo for a long time. She was one of the first to see it. It showed a little girl, shimmering silver. Against a white, matt glowing background. It was hard to see, but the girl appeared to be wearing a white dress. And she smiled. You could almost think that it is carried by wings.

   There was a saying under the photo. But his letters seemed strange. Like from another world.

" Do you know what it says?" Kitty asked Sydney comfortingly. “It means: an image from beyond the borders. From a world that sleeps during the day and wakes up at night. "

" Natalie is definitely fine where she is now," Dennis added comfortingly.

" I would so much like to believe it," breathed Sydney, holding the picture in her hands. “Kitty, it's such a valuable picture. Lina gave it to you. I don't know if I can accept it ... "

" But Sydney," said Kitty. "If anyone deserves to have this picture, it's you."

" Is she an angel?" Sydney asked thoughtfully.

“ Maybe,” said Dennis. “But she is definitely a very, very special person. And she will always stay that way, wherever she is now, whatever she does now. "

   Natalie was Sydney's best friend. Until about half a year ago they shared a room. But on a long journey that she had undertaken with Sydney, Dennis, Kitty and Jojo, she suddenly and unexpectedly died in a world completely alien to her. Natalie has been the heroine of Lantyan ever since. And it will be forever. Natalie has always been a very mysterious girl. Only after her tragic death last summer did it become clear what a fantastic role Natalie had for Lantyan. And not only for Lantyan, but also for another, very mysterious world - the world that holds the secret of Lantyan. The world that Kitty and Jojo knew best and that also gave them their wonderful gift of magic and spell. The world whose only access was here in Lantyan: the legendary, mysterious star of the empires. Naytnal.

" Children," suddenly called a voice not far from Kitty, Dennis and Sydney.

   Kitty and Dennis turned around with a jerk, shivering because they had no jacket on. And Sydney wrapped herself in her jacket and wiped the tears from her eyes.

   Then Leonie arrived. "What are you doing out here in the cold?" She asked.

" We were just talking," said Kitty thoughtfully.

   Leonie knew very well about Natalie's story. And she immediately realized that this had to be the point when she saw Sydney. Then she understood, despite the cold and the late hour.

" It's time to go to bed," she told them. "You have school again tomorrow."

   Dennis said goodbye to Kitty with a kiss. "See you tomorrow honey."

" See you tomorrow," said Kitty. "And don't tell anyone about what we found today," she whispered to him. Dennis smiled, then went back to the main building.

“ It was a wonderful party, Mrs. Linnore,” Sydney said. Then she went back to her quarters too.

" Sydney ...", Leonie called after her, "if there is anything or you need someone to talk to, then come on over, okay?"

   Sydney nodded pleasantly before disappearing into the dark courtyard.

   And then Kitty ran back to the marquee, totally tired and exhausted, holding Leonie's hand, then she stomped straight into her room where Jojo had already gone to sleep.

   The next morning around nine o'clock the late autumn November sun shone over the large courtyard and made the huge fir tree in the middle shine wonderfully. Many children were already sitting on the bench that was set up around the tree. They were busy playing games or doing the forgotten homework. The mood was exuberant, typical of Lantyan. The coming weekend - today was Friday - was already a reason to be happy for many.

   In Kitty's and Jojo's classroom, almost all of the children were already seated. Today there was a lot of hectic pace, very different from the other classes. Most of the children had notebooks and books spread out in front of them. “How did that work again?” One kept hearing. "Do you remember that?" "Do you know the solution?" "Have you learned?"

   A French job was announced in the first two school hours. Unlike Sydney, who stayed seated last summer and was now attending eighth grade for the second time, Kitty and Jojo were visibly nervous. And not only that, they were also pretty tired from yesterday's celebrations.

" Hey, you two bags," said Sydney, who was sitting at the table behind Kitty and Jojo. “You look so worn out. Have you at least learned well? "

" Rien ne va plus", Jojo answered with an annoyed expression on his face. "Man, I will definitely beat the job."

" How are we supposed to be? You were in bed in time. "

" Hey, I would like to be in Dennis's place now," said Jojo. "He doesn't have to take a test today."