The Key (#1 of Anna Kippling Series) Paranormal romance by A.D. Duling (2 page)

She opened the door and pushed on it,
allowing it to slowly swing open. She hesitated for a moment in the
doorway and looked around; the trunk sat in the corner waiting for
her. The lock still lay next to it on the floor, where she had left
it the few days before. She crossed the threshold and walked over
to the trunk. She lifted its heavy lid and picked up the top
journal. She flipped through the pages and found all the same
entries she had read before.

It could very well be just a story…. like
she really, really wanted it to be! But with the journal and what
she saw on the other side of that door; has only disproved that
theory…even more.

Anna knew the only way she was going to find
out wither this was real or not; she was going to have to open that
door again! She placed the journal back and picked up the wadded
handkerchief holding the jewelry. She put them on and stood up; she
missed her grandmother and wished she could be here to explain
this. Perhaps wearing her jewelry would give her the strength and
comfort to perform the task she was about to do.

She turned back to the door and walked over
to it. She shut it and wiggled the knob, it had locked again. She
took her key out of her jeans pocket and inserted it into the lock.
She turned until she heard the click again and pulled it out. She
quickly stuck it back into her pocket and grabbed the door knob;
with a trembling hand she turned it and opened the door. Once again
she found the forest waiting on the other side.

Cautiously she stepped to the edge of the
door way and reached her arm out; it went through! She then reached
over and touched the branch hanging in front of her; it was
solid!

“Ok, so this is real….”

She scanned the forest as far as she could
see and found nothing threatening; it actually appeared to look
very pleasant! However, for safe measure, she returned to the trunk
and grabbed the dagger. She stuffed it into the waist of her pants
and returned to the doorway. If this was Tatania as she thought,
she had some questions that needed answers!

She stepped through; intrigued by the
transition between the wood floor and dirt ground. She looked
around again not sure on which way she should go. Ahead over to the
right, she thought she saw a clearing and decided to head towards
that direction.

What if she got
lost?
The thought crept into her head and
she quickly returned to the attic to look for something to use. She
dug through a stack of boxes she found against a wall and found one
full of ribbons. She could use these to mark her path as she went
along; so she could easily find her way back! She grabbed a handful
and stuffed them in her pocket.

She ran back over to the doorway and tied
one on the nearby branch. She then stepped out and shut the door
behind her. As soon as she did the door disappeared! Panicked she
reached out for the door and instantly felt the wood. Relieved, she
ran her hand down until she felt the cold metal of the knob; turned
it and opened the door. It reappeared!

“Whew!” She said aloud and closed the door
again. Once again it disappeared!

“That is so cool!” She blurted.

Feeling a new sense of confidence, Anna
turned back and headed into the direction she had chosen; tying
ribbons on branches along the way. When she reached the clearing, a
beautiful sight awaited her! Spans of vibrant green hillsides and
lush fields full of wild flowers lay beyond. A few yards off was a
dirt road and she headed towards it.

She followed it down for about a mile and
spotted a wooden sign posted on the side of the road up ahead of
her; Tatania 12 miles.

“Twelve miles….. Great! That’s just great!”
She complained.

She continued on, but wished now that she
had thought to bring her bike. It was very hot out, with no clouds
to soften the penetrating heat of the sun. She would feel a breeze
once in a while, but it did very little to cool her off.

She also had become very thirsty and wished
she had thought to bring some water as well. She spotted a large
rock ahead of her and walked over to it.

She sat down and wiped her brow with the
sleeve of her shirt. She shielded her eyes and looked up ahead;
only the road and open fields waited for her. She knew she was
making very slow progress and with no water, her pace was not going
to pick up any faster. She also did not have a watch and had no
idea what time it was! She took a guess by the position of the sun
and figured it had to at least be after lunchtime. When she had
ventured out, it was morning.

“
Well, I’m not going to
get there any faster by sitting here.” She said aloud and stood
back up.

She wiped her face again with her sleeve and
traveled on again. She hoped as the sun started to set it would
start becoming cooler and sure enough it did! In fact after another
mile or two the breeze picked up a lot and made the last few miles
for her more bearable.

The sky was nearly black by the time she saw
the city, the moon was already showing his face or at least half
his face. A tall wall bordered it, preventing her to see anything
inside. As she got closer to the wooden doors of its entrance, a
man in armor yelled down to her.

“
State your business here!
His voice cracked; revealing his youth.

She looked up at him, “My name is Anna
Kippling….. I am here looking for family!” She yelled up.

“
Wait here.” He ordered
and disappeared behind the wall.

She waited a good while before one of the
gates opened and the same armored man walked over to her.

“You said you are a Kippling?” He asked. She
nodded as he eyed her up and down. “Your clothing is strange; you
are not from here are you?” he observed.

“That will be all of the questioning,
Private Donavan.” A voice spoke from behind him.

The man quickly turned around and gave a
salute, “Yes sir, General!” And he returned back inside.

The General walked over to her and gave a
slight bow, “Hello Anna, welcome to Tatania.”

She stood for a moment unsure how to
respond, and then gave him an awkward curtsey.

He laughed, “A good try! Now my dear, please
come with me.” He offered his arm to her and she grabbed it. He
gave her a smile and patted her hand with his gloved one. “There
are actually two people who would very much like to meet you, Anna
Kippling.” and he led her inside.

On the other side, it was like stepping back
in time; almost medieval, yet modern as well. He guided her down a
cobblestone road that ran through the center of the city and then
down a few side streets, until finally stopping in front of a house
sitting on the corner.

He gently unlinked her arm from his and
excused himself.

She nodded and watched him walk up the house
and knock on its wooden door. The door opened quickly after and a
very beautiful woman stepped out. The General said something to her
and she glanced over at Anna. She stepped back and allowed him to
enter; the door shut quickly behind them.

A few minutes later the door opened again
and the General stepped back out.

“
Please come in Anna!” He
beckoned to her.

She walked over to him and followed him
inside. A young man and the woman she had seen at the door earlier,
stood just inside. The woman walked up and hugged her. “It is so
wonderful to meet you Anna!”

The young man went over to the table and
pulled a chair out for her, “Please come and have a seat; you must
be very tired!”

She
was
very tired and when she sat
down; only then did she realize how much her feet hurt! They sat
down across from her; while the General walked over and leaned
against the hearth behind her. They sat quietly for a moment
smiling at each other.

“Are we related?” she asked them; to break
the ice.

“Yes, we are your grandparents.” He answered
her.

“But you both look too young to be my
grandparents!” She exclaimed.

He laughed, “Yes probably… here in Tatania
we age differently than where you come from.”

“Every ten years for you counts as one year
for us.” The woman finished.

Anna frowned, “Well that sucks!”

They laughed, “If it would make you feel
more comfortable, you can address us as Nathan and Karina.” He told
her.

She smiled, “That would be great.”

Karina stood up, “Oh my dear, you must be
starving! Let me get you something to eat.”

“Yes, thank you. I missed lunch and am very
thirsty.”

“
I’ll work on her thirst
dear, while you work on her hunger.” Nathan announced and went over
to the sink behind them and turned on the faucet.

“You have running water?” She asked
surprised.

He filled a glass and turned around, “Why
wouldn’t we?”

She pointed to a lamp on a nearby table,
“Why is it you have plumbing, but no electricity?”

“What is electricity?” He asked and handed
her the glass.

“
Well… it is a current of
power that gives you light.” She tried to explain, but knew she
failed miserably.

He smiled, “We do not use electricity for
lighting, what we use is this.” He walked over to the lamp and
picked it up. He carried it back over to the table and sat it down
in front of her. He lifted the lid, “What we use is this.”

She looked down inside; instead of oil and a
wick there sat a tiny orb of light.

“It’s actually is a stone; when it becomes
dark it glows.” He explained.

She grinned, “That is very neat! How does it
do that?”

Karina walked over to the large fireplace
and opened the door to the oven built inside of it. Using her
apron, she reached in and pulled out a loaf of bread. She then
closed the oven door and carried it over to the table.

“Tomorrow he can tell you all about it dear,
but right now you must eat and then off to bed, it’s late and you
need your rest.”

She grabbed a bowl from a shelf and walked
back to the hearth where a stove sat and scooped out a large
spoonful of the stew from the pot sitting on top; and poured it
into her bowl.She carried it over and sat it down in front of Anna;
the aroma made her stomach growl! Karina laughed!

“I see that you stomach is approving!” She
went over to the hutch and opened a drawer to get out a spoon for
her; she walked over and handed her the spoon.

“I will leave you now and shall return
tomorrow.” The General spoke up behind her.

Anna had almost forgotten he was there and
turned in her seat to acknowledge him. He gave her another polite
bow and left them. She turned back and took a bite of the stew, it
was delicious! It did not take her very long to eat; in fact she
practically gobbled it up!

“Would you like some more Anna?” Nathan
asked her.

She looked up at him, suddenly embarrassed
by her messy eating. “I’m sorry! I must have looked like a beast,
but it was so delicious and I was so hungry!” She apologized.

He laughed, “Don’t be, it is
understandable!”

She yawned. Karina walked over and gently
squeezed her shoulders, “Come Anna, let’s get you to bed.”

She said goodnight to Nathan and followed
Karina upstairs. She was taken to a room at the end of the small
hallway. Inside, Karina walked over to the wardrobe closet and
pulled out a nightgown for her.Anna walked over to a small
bookshelf against the wall and slid her fingers along the book
binds.

“Your grandmother loved to read.” Karina
spoke from behind her.

Anna looked at her, “Karina, about my
grandmother…” she went to explain, but the woman interrupted
her.

“I know… I think I knew when I saw you here
instead of her.” She softly spoke and hugged her.

“Now get some rest! We have so much more to
talk about tomorrow!” Karina kissed her cheek and handed her the
nightgown. Anna changed; crawled into bed and sleep followed
quickly after.

Chapter 3

T
he sweet fragrance coming from downstairs woke Anna up. She
sat up in bed and stretched; at the foot of her bed laid a dress
and some undergarments with a note sitting on top. She picked it up
and read it
:
The wash room is
across the hall, there are fresh towels in there for
you
.

She grabbed the dress and headed over to it;
she was relieved when she found a bath and even more relieved that
there was a toilet! After a quick bath (who could soak with such a
scrumptious fragrance teasing at you!) and an even quicker
dressing; she went downstairs for breakfast!

She found Karina, Nathan and the General
sitting at the table in deep conversation. Karina was the first to
notice her and quickly stood up; ending the conversation.

“Good morning Anna, please join us for
breakfast.” She invited.

Anna walked over to them; the General looked
up at her and smiled. “Good morning Anna, I trust you had a restful
sleep?”

She smiled and nodded. Karina sat down a
plate of food in front of her as she sat down “It’s been a long
time since I had eggs and bacon for breakfast!” She picked up her
fork and took a bite of the eggs. “Delicious!” she praised after
she swallowed.

Karina buttered a piece of toasted bread and
put it on her plate, “Thank you! Would you like a glass of milk,
Anna?” She asked. Anna nodded and she poured her some. She took
another bite and Karina sat the glass of milk in front of her. She
walked around the table and sat back down.

Anna finished chewing and took a drink of
her milk; she noticed the uncomfortable exchange of looks between
the General and Nathan.

“Is everything alright?” She asked.

Nathan smiled, “Yes, everything is just
fine! He assured her. “It’s just that the General would like you to
meet a friend of his after breakfast, is all.”