Isoaked it all in and realized in the space of a few weeksI’dtravel further from my home thanIever had in the five hundred years before.Iopened my mouth to speak when the trees before us parted andIwas greeted by an extraordinary sight.Theforest had dropped away into a stoney canyon, a great waterfall cascading down into a tranquil pool at the base.Carvedinto the walls and rising up above the surrounding trees were stone buildings that more resembled temples than homes.Theirtiered shape flowed from a square base, and each level was decorated with steps and golden carvings.Theimages were inlaid with turquoise and red stones, and verdant green plant life sprung from every crack and crevasse as if it couldn’t have been stopped had the designers tried.
Flat-bottomed boats floated along the pool below,pushed by porters with long sticks.Beneaththeir decks,Icould see the shimmer of a magnificent magenta fish that was longer than the boat above it.
Morewaterfalls flowed from the canyons’ side and away from us; the city perfectly existed within its surroundings instead of fighting them.Iwas so entrancedIdidn’t notice a small group of locals until they were nearly upon us.
Theywere dressed in boldly colored robes with large, geometric patterns, similar to the carvings on the stone walls.Theyfell straight from the shoulder to the floor and were relatively plain except for the massive collars that lay across the wearers’ neck and shoulders, made from golden cloth and trimmed with a complex pattern made from gems and stones of every color.Twowomen wore headwear that mimicked these collars, extending above the head like the rising sun.
Jungave me an apologetic smile before hoisting the weight of the trunk back onto me and walking over to stand beside his sister and the king.
“Lak'echAlaK'in,KingAbraxas.Ithas been too long.”Oneof them greeted him and pressed their two index fingers together, tapping them to their forehead.Thewoman beside her did the same.
“Lak'echAlaK'in,QueenXareni,QueenItzayana,”Abraxasgreeted, mimicking the gesture. “MayIpresent to you, thePrinceandPrincessof thePearlKingdom,JunandToriKhato.”Thetwins both mimicked the gesture as well beforeTorispoke.
“Thankyou for welcoming us into your home,QueenXareniandQueenItzayana.”
“Weare honored to be received by you,”Junadded with a soft smile.
Thequeens did not return it.
“Comeinside.Thereis much to discuss.”
Chapter 56
Tori
Wewere led through the halls of theRiverKingdompalace.Itwas difficult to think of it as one.Eachfloor of the palace was open to the outside, and the building seemed to be mostly made of arches and columns, with very few walls.Wherewalls did block the flow of air from the outside, they were covered in mosaic murals that were absolutely stunning.Artisanshad laid out thousands of tiles made of glass, metal, and stone to recreate the beauty of the world outside.Well, at least to pay it homage.
AstheQueensled us to the top of the pyramidal building, one in particular caught my eye.Azureglass had been transformed into thousands of scales that flowed along the back of a beast that stretched from one end of the hall to another.Astylized face held golden fangs and horns that looked very similar to the oneInow saw every night.
“Acousin of yours?”Iasked, looking atAbraxas.Heran his longer fingers over the tiles on the wall thoughtfully.
“No, not a cousin.Buta lover, perhaps?”Hesmirked at me, andIslapped his arm.Helaughed, but the queens infront of us turned around with a disapproving glare, and we hopped away from each other like younglings caught in the gardens.
Therest of our journey to the top passed in silence except for my embarrassingly loud breathing as we climbed more and more stairs.Ifelt like my lungs were going to give out when the floor beneath me finally flattened out.Wehad come to the top of the pyramid, and the square floor had been covered with dark tiles laid out in a circle that touched all four edges.Whitemoonstones had been inlaid to illustrate the constellations that match the sky above.
“Whatday does this sky represent?”Iasked, motioning to the floor.
QueenItzayanaturned to me with a quizzical look. “Thewinter solstice, our most holy of days," she said simply.
“Wehave the biggest celebration then!”Asmall face popped out from behind the queen’s skirts.PrinceAapo, the youngest of all fae royals, was born only a decade ago.Hewas the spitting image of his mother, from his bold eyebrows to the curve of his aquiline nose.
“Oh, and what happens that day?”Iquestioned.Hismother subtly tried to push him away, but he barged forward.
“Thesun is reborn, and when his light breaks over the roof of the palace, we offer a sacrifice to honor him!”
“Oh, and what do you sacrifice?”
“Sheep, mostly,” his mother answered before he could.
“Soundsvery formal.”
Hescrewed up his face at that. “Yeah, it can be boring, but there is always a big party later.”
“Aapo, that’s enough.”QueenXarenistepped around her wife and gave the boy a stern look, and he looked down at his toes.
Bothof his mothers turned and headed towards the altar atthe center of the roof, butIleaned in and whispered to the boy, “Soundslike a lot of fun.”
Hedared a smile at me. “Itis!Youshould come; we never get any visitors.”
