17.

Chapter seventeen

Day Twenty-One

R iding to the top of the hill with Corvu and Gecko by my side, we finally see it: Wanbourne. The Capital from this heightened distance is magnificent. There are hundreds of homes, towers, and farms circling a great white stone wall, and within those walls, I can see towers made of white stone and emerald roofing, accented in glistening gold around all of the edges that glisten in the sunlight. I can't wait to see what the area looks like from inside.

Travelling past a guard tower, we make our way inward. Dismounting the horses, we walk them through the crowded village. Each home is built with a lot of care upon the dirt and ground beneath it. It is obvious by the flowerpots and colored paint on their front doors that people take pride in their homes. Gecko is right though; it is mostly dominated by humans, although I do see the odd Daemonaria or two.

I hadn't noticed till now that Corvu has put his hood up. It's sad that in a way he's ashamed of himself. I know more than anything he wants to prove the curse of the Tricksters to be false. I just wish I could help him do that, but I feel like just telling him that he shouldn't be ashamed won't nearly be enough. Walking through a market, I can see at the end of the line of stalls is a clearing in front of iron gates embedded into the wall surrounding the main part of the city. The two guards at the front gate seem to be human, but their shining silver armor isn't nearly as impressive as the gates themselves. They seem to be crafted delicately to reflect vines growing on them, just with iron. Some of the bars resemble a rose thicket, covered in thorns.

Corvu approaches the guard on the right, "We want to request an audience with the King, on an urgent matter. "

"The King doesn't need to know about issues that can be handled in General Court," the guard exclaims, a little too loudly. "What is your business?"

"It's regarding the approaching Orc army," Corvu states firmly. The guards take a moment to exchange a glance. The one on the left lifts his arm high, signaling someone on top of the wall to open the gate. I couldn't see the person on top of the wall very clearly since the sun is blaring right into my eyes, but my thoughts about them dissipate when my eyes readjust to the sight before me. Slowly walking through the gates, I see the area inside is luscious and green, with plants of various colors, shapes, and sizes—some even glowing in the daylight. They make the white stone of the buildings really stand out. It's still very crowded inside, and there are many homes here just like the outside, but maybe slightly upgraded versions with two stories instead of one.

Step by step, we approach the tallest structure—an elegant castle with many twists and turns that make up paths between the towers, guards, and archers stationed along them all. We tie our horses outside the castle and begin ascending the pearly white stairs. Most people don't even have teeth this white; how do they keep it so clean ?

Gecko seems a bit worried and grabs my hand with his free one. I feel bad that we're dragging him along with a broken arm; it's hardly fair on such a small body. Staying close to Corvu, we approach a guard standing at the front door. Reiterating our reason for being there, he ushers us inside, where he asks us to wait in front of the main hall doors for permission to enter and speak to the King. As we wait, the knight by the door looks at us strangely.

"Remove your hood, boy," he states to Corvu. I see Corvu restrain himself from glaring at the man as he complies. The knight purses his lips but otherwise says nothing more. I'm really nervous about approaching the King; even though I'm not from this world, he's still royalty—respect where it's due. I'm startled by a slight knock on the other side of the door. The knight then adds, "You may enter."

We don't even push the doors open; the big wooden bay doors swing open at the same time. With determination, we all enter together. The main hall is glorious. On both sides, there are at least ten stained windows depicting battles. The tiled floor is a glossy grey-brown and reflects the ceiling with a central chandelier. I'm blown away by how traditional it feels, with its glass windows lit by candlelight. Before me is the main attraction. Upon a couple of higher steps is a huge throne, beside it another, both padded with emerald green cushions and spectacular swirling gold accents. A man sits in the largest chair, older, perhaps in his forties, wearing armor similar to the knights and guards but in gold, with a large green emerald in the center of his chestplate. Leaning on the smaller chair is a boy, reminiscent of Corvu but dressed in general noble-style clothing. His formal tunic is green, contrasting well against his fiery short hair.

"You may approach," the guards' voices startle me from my left. The room is so amazing that I hadn't noticed just how many guards are around us, two at each of the six pillars leading up to the throne. As Corvu and Gecko lean forward to do a short bow, I follow their lead. This is not something I'm used to.

As we stand perhaps ten feet away from the King, the room goes silent.

"What is it you wish to discuss with the King?" The boy with red hair questions, a little disinterested in the formal slang.

Corvu responds, "We wish to discuss- "

"Stop." Corvu's mouth all but slams shut as the King speaks. "Who speaks for this one?" I didn't understand the question. "Surely, you did not approach the King without someone to vouch for your words, especially in the time of a near-crisis." Oh, that's what he meant. It hadn't occurred to me to ask how these kinds of things worked. We are totally screwed.

"I speak for him." Gecko's higher pitched voice rings out into the room as he releases my hand and steps forward.

"A Pixie speaking for a Trickster, almost unheard of." The redhead remarks, almost trying not to chuckle as some of the knights do.

Gecko steps back between Corvu and I, facing the King with a determined expression. "I am A'tra Gecko Val'ran, and I vouch for Corvu, the Trickster." The room's chuckles die down instantly. What was going on? Corvu takes a surprised step to the side away from Gecko, looking down at him with pursed eyebrows.

"You're a Val'ran?" He questions, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't want to be treated any differently. Besides, now I know you saved me because you like me." He snickers. I couldn't take it anymore.

"What's going on?" I question, a little too loudly, and probably speaking out of turn.

"The Pixie brat just happens to be a royal brat." Royal? Like a prince? My eyes widen in surprise.

"Enough." The King states. "What is your business here?" Corvu takes a deep breath and continues his original statement.

"The impending Orc invasion, we have information that is of interest in this matter." Without saying anything the King merely nods. "The reason they are headed in this direction with their army is because Cutlass heard the rumor of an amulet resurfacing."

"There hasn't been an amulet sighted in perhaps ten years." The boy by the smaller throne states, taking a seat on it. Perhaps he was the Prince? That could be safe to assume. Corvu looks over to me and nods, looking toward my chest. Hesitantly I pull on the rope of the necklace that shows above my tunic and lift the amulet for all to see. The mood in the room shifts to an alerted and curious state quickly.

"Tia isn't from this world, she's from another one, where a Witch or carrier must have given her this amulet. She doesn't understand the gravity of it, but regardless bringing her here was her only chance to get answers." The King looks towards the Prince and then back at us, "Tia just wants to go home but doesn't know how to use the amulet to do that. The safest thing for the Kingdom would be to send her and the amulet back to her world where it can be destroyed. The Orcs will never be able to get it there." A particularly smart plan. I like the part where I went home. Oddly, it also makes me feel really sad. For a moment the King says nothing, he merely contemplates.

"Understood." He says finally, pointing a finger at one of the nearby guards. "Lead them to Gildre, see if he can instruct her to use it for the sole purpose of sending it anywhere but here. And girl, Tia?" I look directly at the King without breaking eye contact, "When you return home, be sure to destroy that thing."

The next few moments seem to occur quickly. We're directed into following and being escorted by several guards toward Gildre, who as I learnt along the way, was the King's personal Wizard.

He is in the nearby building, which is great because I am honestly getting a little exhausted from walking everywhere. That's when the knights say that he resides at the top of a swirling staircase. Maybe there really is a curse trying to kill me.

At the top of the stairs is a large room, filled with books and brewing potions of various colors. It is gloriously bright from the open windows. In the middle of the chaos is a desk, where a man, perhaps around forty years of age, sits reading as we interrupt. He stands upon seeing the guards with us. Elegantly dressed in deep blue robes, he steps around the desk.

"How can I help?" he questions. His voice is deep and soothing, and his greying hair is slicked back into a low ponytail, held there by a rope.

"The King wishes for you to activate the witch's amulet and send this girl to her own world with it to be destroyed there," the Wizard's expression becomes alerted at the words and he steps closer to me. This is the first time someone has approached me where I feel no fear, I just don't know why.

"Yes, curious things, amulets," he nods, then steps back toward his desk. "I will have to consult my books. Perhaps take them back to the castle to clean themselves up. It may be a while." There is another man up there, younger perhaps, with much darker hair and pointed ears. He doesn't speak, just looks directly at me. It's an odd feeling, I feel like I've seen his eyes before, but I must be mistaken. The knights look at me and point back to where we had just come from.

Great. More stairs.

I am shown to a lavishly furnished room featuring an expansive canopy bed draped in rich fabrics, a polished dining table with ornate chairs, a spacious wardrobe adorned with intricate carvings, and a marble-tiled bathroom complete with a gilded mirror and a clawfoot bathtub. As I take in the opulence, a woman exits the bathroom, momentarily startling both herself and me.

"My goodness," she states, smiling, "you gave me quite a fright." This one is definitely a Clawhop, her large eyes sweetly looking at me, and her hair tied back in a ponytail. "I've prepared you a bath and I'll just bring out some clothes for you to wear. You and your friends will be dining with the King this evening. "

"Oh," I respond, ", is that a good idea? He knows I'm not from around here, I don't know how to behave in front of a King." The girl giggles.

"He knows you're not from around here, he won't hold you to any special standards." It's actually a relief to hear that coming from someone. I'd hate to think what would happen to me if I accidentally did something wrong and was actually expected to know better. I wonder how frequently they behead people here. "I'm Sandy. I'll be your maid while you're here."

"A maid?" I question, "I've never had a maid before."

"What's your world like, is your Kingdom much like this one?"

"It's absolutely nothing alike. And no offence to you, before I came to this world the idea of a Clawhop or anything non-human would have scared me half to death." She didn't take offence, she mostly just laughed.

We part ways so that I can take a bath, which is properly hot, with soap. It's itchy soap, but still soap.

I've never felt better.