Kiara's Quest

Kiara knew something was wrong.

Teresa Bateman

Kiara hadn’t intended to go on a quest. When her father, the king, announced that a quest would determine which of his children would be the next ruler, Kiara had known her older brothers, the twins, would compete for the prize. Raj and Suraj soon galloped off, each searching for the “most valuable thing in the kingdom.”

Everyone waited, wondering who would win. But when weeks had passed with neither twin’s return, Kiara knew something was wrong. She searched her brothers’ rooms for clues. After determining where each brother had gone, she told her lady-in-waiting about her plan and slipped out of the castle to find Raj and Suraj.

Kiara first rode in search of the Waters of Healing—Raj’s goal. She’d read that those who failed a test at the Waters turned to stone. But what was the test?

She came upon a beautiful garden. And leaning against a tree, a flask at his lips, was Raj, still as granite! Kiara sighed. “Whatever the test was, Raj must have failed it.”

A sign by the water said “No Thyself.” What did that mean?

Kiara had read about a lady who’d used these waters to save her sons and about a knight who had healed a sick friend. Kiara suddenly knew what to do. She scooped up some water and dripped it onto her brother’s lips.

He blinked. “How . . . ?”