Return to Aqualor

By Debra A. White

"Return to Aqualor" is a moving story of family, respect, empathy, courage, perseverance, love, unity, freedom, loneliness, revenge, and the eternal battle of good versus evil. "Return to Aqualor," the sequel to Return to Isle of the Shallows, will take readers to new and beautiful realms filled with unique characters and their inspiring journeys.
In the Arvak Kingdom, the terrible tyrant Chasqua has escaped confinement. With the portal to the human world sealed, the Arvak people don't know if they can cope without the help of their Paderion, the human boy Drew Barret. Since returning from their last adventure in Aqualor, Drew and his younger sister Alexia have been set on finding another portal to visit their friends. They soon find themselves pulled to the magical world and confronted by Merfolk who desperately need their help to restore peace and freedom to the realm. Embarking on a journey filled with tests of both mind and body, Drew and Alexia's are pushed to their limits as they reunite with old friends, meet new allies, and confront terrifying dangers. The siblings must rely on each other to fight for the future of Aqualor. Drew knows that sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good – and he will stop at nothing to protect those he loves. Since returning from their last adventure in Aqualor, Drew and his younger sister, Alexia, have been set on finding another portal to visit their friends. They soon find themselves pulled through to the magical world. Before they can even catch their breath, they are confronted by Merfolk, the guardians of Aqualor's ancient secrets, who desperately need their help if peace and freedom are ever to be restored to their realm.
Will a mere human boy be able to convince Chasqua, the Lamera tyrant leader, to change his evil ways and allow peace and unity in the Realm of Aqualor? Or will Chasqua bring more destruction than ever before?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350956573

Debra A. White

My greatest enjoyment in life is when I'm with my close family. Both books in the Drew and Alexia Adventure Series are inspired by my family and our life while living in my birthplace, The Bahamas. I have always enjoyed making up and sharing stories, but I never considered being a writer until my husband and children encouraged me to publish their bedtime stories. My wonderful husband Gregg and I have two children, Tristan and Angelique, and a son-in-law, Dante. As you may be able to tell, I'm a creative at heart with a free spirit. I currently live in Florida where I enjoy painting, primarily Bahamian scenes, boat and landscape scenes, pet portraits on acrylics on canvas and panel board.

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Publishing Information

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2024 by Debra A. White

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

FIRST PAPERBACK EDITION: 2024

Printed in the United States of America

Edited by Kirsten Murray

Book Design and Cover by Petya Tsankova

Published by Debra A. White

For more information, address:

[e-mail]

For the loves of my life—Gregg, Tristan, Angelique and Dante

TABLE of Contents

CHAPTER 1

Thoughts of Aqualor

CHAPTER 2

The Gateways

CHAPTER 3

Chasqua

CHAPTER 4

The Lake

CHAPTER 5

The Meeting

CHAPTER 6

The Opening

CHAPTER 7

Garanqua

CHAPTER 8

Liars

CHAPTER 9

Merfolk

CHAPTER 10

The Wounded

CHAPTER 11

Desire and Dread

CHAPTER 12

A Tiny Hole

CHAPTER 13

The Realm of Unicocea

CHAPTER 14

Brilliant Crystals

CHAPTER 15

The Vision Pool

CHAPTER 16

The Conclave Courtyard

CHAPTER 17

A Warm Welcome

CHAPTER 18

Changes

CHAPTER 19

The Best Choice

CHAPTER 20

Computers

CHAPTER 21

The Perfect Spot

CHAPTER 22

The Underwater Tunnel

CHAPTER 23

A Faint Light

CHAPTER 24

Separate Ways

CHAPTER 25

Forces of Nature

CHAPTER 26

The Room of Confinement

CHAPTER 27

The Hideout

CHAPTER 28

Something is Happening

CHAPTER 29

The Coalition

CHAPTER 30

Paderion Powers

CHAPTER 31

The Ancient Being

CHAPTER 32

A Translucent Figure

CHAPTER 33

A Celebration

CHAPTER 34

Prospects

CHAPTER 1

Thoughts of Aqualor

Drew is sitting in the front seat of his mother’s car with the window wound down as she drives him home from school along the road by the sea. His eyes are closed. He draws in a deep breath and releases it slowly. The familiar salty sea air fills his nostrils. He loves the sea breeze, the warm sweet scent, the way it feels like feathers brushing across his cheeks, the calm and peaceful feeling it brings.

His eyes slowly open as his mom asks, What do you think, Drew? Alexia asked you a question.

His sister Alexia is in the backseat. She has been talking excitedly about a science project she wants to do for this year’s science assignment. Her teacher had discussed the concept of time and how it works in class, and Alexia decided she wanted to expand her science project to the concept of the possibility of time travel.

I’ve been talking to you and you haven’t said anything, Alexia pouts.

I’m sorry, Lexi, he turns to look at her and smiles. I was in my own thoughts.

Yes, I can tell. Well, as I was saying, she shifts in her seat, I want to look at time and the possibility of time travel and… She pauses to look at Drew, her brown almond-shaped eyes bright and curious. She has a small wrinkle in her brow as if she’s considering something, and her lips are slightly parted. Her hands are folded in her lap as she leans forward slightly, Are you listening?

Yes, Drew’s expression softens, his eyes twinkling. His lips curl into a gentle smile and he nods before turning back to continue staring out the window. His voice is kind and caring, carrying a warmth that reassures her.

Alexia’s bronzed cheeks flush a rosy hue and her eyes brighten with excitement. Her hands curl into fists in delight. She leans in closer still. The small wrinkle in her brow fades away and a soft smile graces her face.

As I was saying, I want to look at time travel and wormholes, black holes, warp speed, and things like that…Oh and, also, how gravity and the distance from the sun affect time. I’ve been researching and thinking about this for quite a while now, Alexia’s words are animated, spilling out of her mouth in a flurry of excitement and enthusiasm. Her voice bounces around the car like a wave of energy, its tones rising and falling like the tide.

As Alexia talks, her hands reach out to touch the car window, tracing shapes in the glass as if they are trying to bring the concepts she is discussing into reality. She hesitates then asks, What do you think about that?

"That sounds pretty cool, since I’m pretty sure what we did was time travel," Drew’s face lights up with a warm, wide grin. He turns his head to fully meet her gaze again, his eyes gleaming with amusement. He smiles a half smile, with slight tension at the corners of his mouth.

It had been a year now since Chasqua, a beastly tyrant, had taken Drew through the portal from the island in the lake behind their home to a fantastical world called Aqualor. Since returning home, he and Alexia had scoured the island many times, looking for an opening back to Aqualor but had no luck finding it.

Maria sees the familiar lines of deep thought across her son’s forehead and decides to draw his attention back to their world. She is sure he’s thinking of his friends in Aqualor. She knows it’s just time before he shares today’s thoughts of their adventure. Drew’s mind races with memories of Aqualor—the towering trees with hollow trunks leading to the Arvak Kingdom below; the harmony-loving silky haired Arvaks; and, Chasqua’s henchmen—the huge Lamera who terrorize other inhabitants in Aqualor.

Drew feels a bout of anxiety welling up within him and squeezes his hands together as he remembers the day they saved a young Arvak named Sashi from a cavernous cell in Chasqua’s headquarters. He shakes the thought from his mind’s eye.

I can still see the dark cave, the surrounding chilly waters, the high walls that Mom tried to climb but fell and hurt her ankle. He remembers his mom’s response as she wept at the prospect of losing Drew. I know you and Trev thought I was dead when you found me in that cave. That was scary, for sure. Drew wipes an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead and continues, I’m glad you guys found me and that we got out of there before Chasqua came back. I hate to imagine what he would have done to me. What a miserable bully of a creature! Drew exclaims as he remembers Chasqua, the tyrannical beast of Aqualor, who is at least fifteen feet tall. A maniacal and monstrous creature, he kept his tribe under strict control and caused neighboring communities to leave their homes—the Arvaks moved underground and the Winged-Groshin left to live on another island—in order to have some semblance of freedom and peace.

The Lamera reminded Drew of some kind of hybrid of ape and iguana. Their huge oval-shaped heads topped by a brown-colored mane of hair leading down the middle of their backs like a horse’s mane that has been cut to stand up straight. Their bodies covered with blond-colored fine short strands of hair, much like a Labrador’s coat, a long iguana-like tail that trails at least six feet behind them, and their facial features like an ape’s, with huge orange and yellow eyes.

That was terrifying, Maria says, remembering the experience like it was yesterday. The thought of it still brings shivers down her spine and tears to her eyes. It definitely brought us all closer together though. She winks at Drew, choking back tears, before turning her eyes back to the road.

Yeah, it sure did. He turns and winks at Alexia and says, It was a wild journey, wasn’t it? Just as quickly as the stress lines appeared across his forehead, his face lit up. What an amazing adventure! I learned so much about so many things, especially how to control my anger. He hesitates and then smiles. I’m happy we made it through all the drama and that Chasqua was finally locked up. But I wish we could find a way back to Aqualor and see how things are going. I keep wondering if the Arvaks, Winged-Groshin and Lamera finally became the united community they wanted. He turns and stares out of his window. I hope so.

It feels like ages ago now, Drew sighs. His warm brown eyes are wide with thoughts that he can barely contain. His lips press tightly together in a thin line, a sign of his concentration as he thinks of his friends whom he had left in Aqualor.

However, a small smile still plays around the corners of his mouth, showing that Drew has hope that he will one day reunite with them. He has a feeling in the pit of his gut that he and Alexia are getting close to finding a way back, even though he knows Nadya had explained that she’d probably have to create a blast with their bombs to open the portal again.

These thoughts of Aqualor are pulling him deeper and deeper back into that world, giving him a feeling of being there. Drew feels a calling, a yearning he cannot explain, telling him he must return to the island behind his home again today. He has to figure out a way to return to Aqualor. He has made up his mind.

I really miss them all. I hope they’re safe, he exhales. His mind lingers on Nadya. He smiles, thinking about her. It would be nice to see her again. He remembers the first time they met. She had caught him and Trev off-guard as they explored the Arvak village, curious about their technology. Nadya knew they were up to something and insisted they go to the Arvak school with her. She amused him with her fiery personality, but she was not amused by him. She was very serious at first but soon they became close friends. Drew really admired her brilliance and sense of humor. He smiles at the memory of Nadya. He had liked her immediately.

Alexia inspects his face and then says, Me too. She is sure he is dwelling on Nadya but doesn’t say anything. Instead, she sits forward in her seat and cries, I wish I could go for a ride on Zelinda’s back right now.

The seat vibrates with each word that Alexia says. Drew begins to realize that he is connected to something greater than himself and the world in which he lives, leading him to imagine all the possibilities of time travel.

Maria listens quietly to her children, a gentle smile playing across her lips. She is an attractive woman with an athletic build. A smooth bronze face framed by shoulder-length brunette hair kept back from her face to combat the heat of the island. Her kind and caring hazel eyes betray her sweet nature.

Maria is an involved mother and the children adore and trust her emphatically. She and her husband, Frank, a darkly handsome man, have a strong relationship that has helped their children feel safe and loved. He regularly affirms Maria’s guidance and care of the children and tells her he can tell how much they have learned about life from watching her.

Maria casts an attentive ear towards Drew as he speaks his thoughts out loud. Since the family’s return from Aqualor, she has seen a change in him. He appears deeply reflective and has become more worrisome and anxious. He has adopted a new role of protector for Alexia, and while Maria admires his helpfulness, she worries it might get too overwhelming and impede Alexia’s own independence in tackling life’s challenges. It’s almost like he’s afraid something might happen to her if he isn’t there to guard her. To help him stay grounded, Maria has been gently leading Drew away from trying to control every situation.

Sometimes I wake up wondering if Aqualor really happened, Drew says as he peers out the window. But I also feel like that wasn’t the end of it somehow. He sighs.

There is a hush in the car as Drew looks out the window, trees whizzing by like a streak of green paint against the backdrop of an azure sky. The sun’s glare illuminating everything in its path transforms the endless expanse of turquoise sea into a diamond-studded blanket. There is a gentle hum of the car on the road, only broken up by an occasional seagull calling or rustling of leaves. Drew’s soft sigh echoes in the car like a distant whisper.

What makes you think so? Maria finally asks, her gentle gaze focusing on Drew’s face before turning her attention back to her driving. She brushes a loose strand of hair away from her face as she waits for Drew’s response.

Drew’s shoulders rise and fall in a shrug of uncertainty as he turns and looks at his mother. His lips part slightly, and then he looks away, displaying unspoken thoughts that even he can’t quite express. I don’t know, I just do, he says in a whisper, looking out at the sea as if hoping it will give him an answer.

Alexia watches Drew, knowing he’s wishing he could be in Aqualor to help everyone and make sure everything goes smoothly, but she wishes he’d chill a bit and not worry so much about everything.

Well, I’m up for another adventure whenever you are! I would love to talk with Dayl about time travel. I wonder what he’d say. He’s so smart and knows so much about science. I bet he could help me with my project. Nadya and the others are lucky to have him working with them on their projects.

She gazes at Drew, eagerly hoping he’d forget his worries and take the bait. As Drew stays silent, Alexia diverts the direction of her conversation back to her science project.

"After going through the passage from here to Aqualor, that made me want to try to figure out what happened. Because if you remember, when we came back it was like we had only been gone for a short while. But in Aqualor, it was longer. It was days. I want to figure it out. What happened? You know?"

You’re right, Drew agrees. You may be the youngest scientist to come up with a new theory, Drew says. When you figure it all out, please explain it to me, he chuckles.

Me too, Maria chimes in, happy to feel her son’s gloominess disappear.

Alexia continues while looking out of her window. I looked up time travel. That’s how I found out about wormholes, black holes and other interesting things in space, but I didn’t see anything about travel to other worlds through the earth. This is why I want to do my science project on the topic. Maybe there’s something there and I just haven’t found it. I’m not sure what it is we did, but it wasn’t just time travel. It was something else…like inter-earth travel or…inter-worlds travel. Something like that. Her voice drifts off a bit and Drew turns to look at her.

That’s pretty deep, Lexi. What does your teacher think about your project? I’m not sure your class will understand it. I know I don’t and I experienced it, he queries.

At first, she thought it was a little much, but I convinced her I’d make it interesting and not too difficult for everyone to understand, Alexia chuckles. I told her we had watched a show on TV about traveling to the center of the earth and time travel and this got me interested. She said she knew the show, and she liked my idea. That totally convinced her. Quickly she adds, And guess what else? She hesitates and Drew looks back at her. John likes the idea too. He’s going to be my partner. He watched the same TV show with his sister, Kerrie, and they really liked it. By the way, Kerrie’s doing much better. She should be able to come back to school next year. I can’t wait to meet her. John says she’s really cool, and smart, she says, bouncing around in the back seat.

That’s wonderful news, Lexi. I’m happy to hear that. Our prayers were answered, Maria says.

Yeah, that is good news, Drew agrees.

I’m not surprised you convinced your teacher, Drew laughs then quickly adds, "…You know what? I want to help you, now that you’ve got