As we drove up into the shadows of the large structure, I got a very clear picture of both the beauty and horror before me. It was clearly ancient, the materials showing wear and age, the stone casting scenes of a gothic design complete with high gargoyles. And yet there were these amazing stained glass windows depicting beautiful and colorful scenes, along with twisting vines of purple flowers that softened the gray stone.
Quarn drove us under an archway which led to an underground bunker filled with vehicles. Pulling into a spare space, he exited the car, waiting for us to do the same. My eyes continued to drift upwards to the high stone ceilings. The entire structure fascinated me. Despite the cold stone, it felt like home, like I’d lived here before, which was the strangest sensation.
“Welcome to the royal castle.” Quarn shifted around the vehicles, leading us to a set of stairs. “Stay on guard and trust no one. I’m yet to figure out what it is but there’s something dangerous going on here.”
I shivered at his final ominous message.
Chapter 15
The stairs led us into a small stone circular room. It looked like a foyer or something. There were shelves for hats, cubicles for shoes and a rack that held a few thick coats. I wondered if they were just for show. In all the time I’d been on First World, I’d never had much need for warm clothing.
“Do you have cold seasons on First World?” I asked. I knew it snowed at my cabin but what about on the rest of this world.
Quarn nodded. “Yes, it will start to get cold in the next few months. Nothing like the iciness of New York, but a definite change in climate.”
Brace marched beside me, matching his longer stride to fit my much shorter ones. “There’s a continent here which is always covered in snow. Close to the star sky cabin. We should go there one day, I can take you boarding.” His eyes lit up and I could see this was a sport he enjoyed.
“I’m guessing there’re a lot of places in the seven worlds you’ve explored,” I started slowly. “Hopefully one day we’ll have the time to explore them all.”
I felt a little disappointed that we wouldn’t experience all these things for the first time together, but it was always a bonus to have a knowledgeable guide.
Red, no matter the experiences I’ve had in the past, they weren’t with you. Don’t you know that makes it all a first time for me? I see everything differently now; you’ve changed my perspective and my life.
It always felt intimate hearing his words in my mind. It was so private. Neither of us had said ‘I love you’ since the night he returned. Sometimes it felt as if it was harder to follow up and say it for the second time.
It’s not just that, Red, it’s that those three words seem insignificant to the feelings I have. The words that would be strong enough just don’t seem to exist in any current language. He took a deep breath. Takeshia lalina aroona quisd.
The beautiful words flowed through me, touching a place deep down inside.
What does it mean? I asked.
It is from the Walkers’ origin language. There is no literal translation, but something along the lines of ‘more than my life, more than all of the worlds, for all eternity’.
I nodded, those damn tears lingering again.
I feel the same.
Leaning down from his lofty height, he pressed his warm lips to mine. It was a brief but tantalizing kiss.
“Sorry to interrupt what I’m sure is a very important moment.” Quarn’s dry sense of humor was in full force. “But we’re about to enter the Emperor’s chambers. Lucas wants to see you.”
Great. This was going to be interesting.
We continued to follow Quarn through the rooms. I loved the interior of the castle. The furniture was modern, but with ancient tapestries and art work displayed on the walls. I’d always been a fan of the mix of old and new, especially if you found that fine line where it blended without clashing.
Two men, dressed in a uniform of red and black, with large brass decals on each shoulder and matching buttons down their coats, opened a double set of wooden doors. We stepped through into a massive room and I recognized it immediately. The room from my dream long ago, it was a throne room, and the details were eerily similar; well, minus the crying First Worlders that had been in the dream. There were two chairs at the end of the rectangular room. Lucas was sitting on the larger and more ornate one. The back rose up over his head, glinting in the light from the massive jewels imbedded throughout.
As we approached, Lucas stood, his expression somber. For the first time he was not dressed in his standard slacks and button-down shirt. I would describe his normal attire as before-the-downfall-rich-playboy, but now he wore a loose-fitting white robe, threaded through with gold. He looked older, or maybe it was that he finally wore a mantle of responsibility.