Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Zohar clung to Nessie’s back, studying the older man with long white-blonde hair as he pulled Dolph into a fierce embrace.
He hadn’t been sure what to expect from the imposing man watching them when he first noticed him.
Only Juno’s excited exclamation of joy and the fact the man looked so much like his two new friends eased his mind.
Orion’s eyes met his. Deep blue. Ancient. Knowing.
Zohar gave him a crooked, sheepish smile. “Hi. I’m Zohar. Dragon shifter. Alien—a good one. Sorry for the trouble.”
Orion stared at him for a long beat… then chuckled.
“It didn’t take long for my two to corrupt you.”
He grinned. “I’m pretty good at getting into trouble without help,” he admitted.
“I’m sure. I take it your parents aren’t aware of your current—status?”
Zohar grimaced and shook his head. “No, sir. I’ll probably be grounded for life this time.”
Juno practically vibrated beside them. “Dad! Did you see? We found her! Nessie’s real!
And she’s so nice. She’s just like Mom said she would be!
And we got to meet Zohar. He’s from Va-Vadier.
He’s a dragon shifter like DJ and Stone, only his dragon talks back to him!
And I met some humans! There’s this girl named Tiffany. She was bored, so she helped me. And—”
Orion held up a hand, laughing. “Slow down and take a breath.”
“We have to get home,” Dolph added. “Before—”
“—your mother finds out,” Orion finished grimly. “Yes, let’s go—quickly.”
Dolph glanced at Zohar. “Dad, Zohar needs help finding his friends.”
“Yeah, I told him if anyone could find them, you could,” Juno added.
Orion turned to study Zohar’s tense expression. “I’ll do what I can. We’d better leave before the fog dissipates. I think we’ve given the humans enough excitement for the day.”
Zohar nodded. “Thank you. My friends… we were separated.”
“I’ll help you find them,” Orion said, no hesitation in his voice.
With a hum of power and a rush of water, the group emerged back through the portal—this time into the shallow, glowing waters of the reflection pool. The portal shimmered briefly and then vanished, leaving behind silence and moonlight.
The bubble around Zohar popped with a soft whoosh.
He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the soft glow emanating from the chamber walls, illuminating the intricately carved columns and the chaotic scattering of maps, chests, and leather-bound tomes, the aftermath of Dolph’s frantic search.
With a resigned shake of his head, he stepped from the pool, the dripping water highlighting his disgust as he surveyed his wet attire.
The only difference this time was he had lost his boots and socks.
He looked at Orion.
“Well,” he said, pulling his shirt away from his body and shaking the water clinging to it. “I’m back where I started.”
Juno burst out laughing. “You look like a wet mop again.”
As Zohar laughed, Juno waved his hand and gently dried his clothes.
He gave Juno a quick smile. “Thanks.”
Then he looked at Orion, more serious now.
“I apologize for my unannounced visit. Things didn’t turn out quite like we were hoping. I’m Zohar Reykill. My father is Zoran Reykill, King of the Valdier,” he said softly. “My friends and I were…”
His voiced faded, and he looked down at his hands. The lump in his throat came back when he thought of the others. He couldn’t help but wonder where they were and if they were alright.
“Zohar is on a quest,” Juno explained. “It’s what future kings—and princes and knights like me—are supposed to do, so we can learn to be better rulers. Just like King Author did when Archimedes turned him into a fish and a squ-squ—that bushy-tailed creature—so he could climb trees.”
“It’s King Arthur, not Author,” Dolph muttered.
“That’s what I said, Author,” Juno retorted with a glare before his eyes widened. “Hey, where’s Nessie?”
Orion sighed and shook his head at his youngest son. “I sent the sea creature to Nali through a different portal.”
“Whew, I thought we were going to have to go on another quest. I’m tired and hungry,” Juno muttered.
Zohar laughed. “You sound just like Jabir. He’s always hungry.”
“Let’s see if we can find out what happened to your friends, young prince. I imagine they are as worried about you as you are about them.”
“Thank you, sir,” Zohar replied, relief and hope surging through him.
Late evening draped the sky in a velvet curtain of stars as Zohar stood alone on the moonlit terrace high atop the palace in the Upper Kingdom.
Below him, the Isle of the Sea Serpent shimmered like a living dream, its glowing underwater city casting ripples of light across the sea’s dark surface.
The soft hush of waves against the cliffs rose like a lullaby from the deep.
He leaned against the railing, arms folded, breath fogging faintly in the cool night air.
Awe still pulsed through him from the day's adventure. He, Dolph, and Juno had explored the fabled city of the sea folk—under Orion and Jenny’s watchful gaze—swimming among creatures he had only ever seen in the picture books that his mom read to him by the glow of a bedtime lamp—books he now read to his little sister, Aurora, with the same wonder in his voice.
His heart clenched gently. He missed them. All of them.
Footsteps padded softly behind him.
Zohar didn’t turn at first. He smiled, already knowing who it was.
Orion came to stand beside him, eyes lifting toward the night sky. For a long moment, they stood in companionable silence, stars blinking like ancient beacons above them.
“I used to think aliens only existed in stories,” Orion murmured. “Now I know they’re real and live on other worlds… and sometimes right under our feet.”
Zohar gave a breathless, half-laugh. “I used to think mermaids and sea dragons were just myths. Now I’ve ridden a sea serpent and eaten dinner beside a Minotaur who giggles. I’m still not sure I’m not dreaming.”
Orion’s mouth lifted in a soft smile. “And how does that make you feel?”
Zohar didn’t answer right away. His gaze drifted upward, tracing the stars. Then he said, quietly, “Small… in some ways. But more connected in others.”
“Explain.”
Zohar hesitated, gathering the swirl of thoughts in his heart.
“On my mom’s world, they don’t even know aliens exist. And on mine, I didn’t know any of this did—until Phoenix opened the portal.
We’re all different, but… we’re also not.
We laugh, we hope, we fear. We love. I miss my family.
My friends. But I’ve made new ones here, too.
If we hadn’t come through that portal, I never would’ve known this world even existed. ”
He gestured toward the sea and the glittering stars beyond it.
“I think… that might’ve been the saddest thing of all. Never knowing it was out there.”
His voice caught on a breath. Raw, real.
“Dolph told me future kings have to go on quests. That they need to live before they lead.” Zohar gave a nervous laugh, the sound shaky. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to be a king. If I’m ever even half the man my dad is, I’d be proud. But the truth is…”
He lowered his head, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m scared.”
Orion placed a steady hand on his shoulder, the weight grounding him like an anchor.
“I was too,” Orion said gently. “I imagine all leaders are, when they first step onto the path. Being a king isn’t about always having the answers.
It’s about showing up. Listening. Learning.
Failing—and trying again. You can’t grow into the man you’re meant to be if you never take that first step.
And you already have. Dolph did that when he risked his life to bring Jenny here—to save a kingdom. Yet, he still has doubts.”
Orion paused, his eyes warm with quiet pride.
“You helped a lonely sea creature find peace. That wasn’t just an adventure. That was compassion. That was leadership. That was heart. And that tells me you’ll one day be a strong, wise ruler—one your people will follow not because they must, but because they believe in you.”
Zohar blinked hard and turned his gaze back to the stars, voice thick with emotion.
“Maybe you could tell my dad that,” he said with a tremulous smile. “He’s probably pacing a hole in the floor—or planning to ground me until I’m a hundred.”
Orion chuckled. “Yeah. I imagine he is.”
Then his smile softened even more. “Speaking of your friends… I heard from Drago.”
Zohar’s head snapped around. “You did?”
Orion nodded. “He and his family will be arriving tomorrow.”
The breath rushed from Zohar’s lungs—but Orion wasn’t finished.
“And they’ll be bringing someone special with them. A young lady you might know—named Phoenix.”
Zohar staggered back a step, the words hitting him like a crashing wave. Emotion rose so fast, it choked him. Relief—pure and bright—washed over him, stealing the air from his lungs and replacing it with light.
“She’s okay?” he whispered, barely able to speak around the lump in his throat.
“Yes,” Orion confirmed. “And when Drago arrives, he and I will be traveling on with you and Phoenix to the Isle of Magic. There’s a chance some of your friends may have landed there.”
Zohar blinked back tears and gave a shaky, embarrassed laugh as he scrubbed at his eyes. “Sorry. I just…”
“I know,” Orion said softly. “Dinner will be ready soon. Take your time.”
Zohar nodded. “I’ll be in… in a minute.”
Orion gave his shoulder a squeeze, then turned and left him alone beneath the stars.
Zohar exhaled a long breath and tilted his face to the sky, letting the starlight touch his cheeks. Hope and relief overwhelming him for a moment. Somewhere out there, his dad was probably feeling the same emotions he was—fear, uncertainty, frustration.
All the things he was, only magnified a thousand times. Emotions he never appreciated until now.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to scare you. We’ll be home soon. I promise. But first…”
His eyes closed, voice trembling with quiet resolve.