I was pulled through the doors and discovered the building was less a home than a council room. The space itself was square but rounded tiers of low stone desks surrounded the center of the floor. A set of wide stairs directly in front and two smaller ones on either side allowed easy access to any seat. The highest of the tiers stood at the end opposite the doors and there was no desk there, only a platform with a single high-backed throne. The chair was carved with raised images of animals, forests, and all manner of life, and seated upon its cushion was a man in glistening white robes lined with red.

The man appeared to be about sixty with long graying hair and a stern expression. He sat erect like an imperious judge and his hands grasped the front of the arms. Rings of various shapes and colors covered his fingers and a necklace about his neck showed off many more precious gems.

I was surprised to see the man referred to as Emperor Eastwei standing at his side. In Pampir’s eagerness to show me off the other man had beaten us to the room.

The crowd eagerly followed us inside and the room would have been swamped with spectators if the seated man hadn’t raised his voice. “Allow the council and no one else.”

The guards nodded and turned to the crowd. The people reluctantly but obediently removed themselves save for about three dozen men and women who hurried to their assigned seats. They stared curiously at me and spoke in hushed whispers.

“Bring her forward,” the seated man commanded.

I was carted to the center of the room and dropped onto the floor. My quick knot partially came undone and the front opened, revealing some of my nakedness. I fought back tears as I clutched the two halves of the robe and shut it, but not before more than one man stared appreciatively at me.

The guards stepped back but Pampir positioned himself at my side like a jailer. “Your Majesty, I bring to you-”

“Lord Eastwei has already told me the circumstances of this woman’s appearance,” His Majesty interrupted him. I was surprised to hear a different title given to the man.

A little bit of Pampir’s wind wheezed out of him. “I-I see. Well, I bring her to you so you might investigate the matter further, Your Majesty.”

The imperial majesty’s dark eyes settled on me. “What is your name?”

I parted my lip to speak but my mouth was so dry that no sound would come out. Pampir glared down at me. “The King of Heaven has commanded you to speak, wench.”

“Can you not see she is terrified?” the man from the door spoke up as he sauntered up to my other side.

“You have nothing to fear if you have done nothing wrong,” the king told me.

I whetted my lips and cleared my throat. “M-my name is Anna. Anna Roberts.”

One of the attendees on my left and near the bottom tier leaned toward his companion. “A most unusual name.”

“What realm do you hail from so we may make inquiries into your lineage?” one of the men spoke up.

I blinked at him. “Realm? I’m not from any realm, I’m from Brookston.”

“Surely this Brookston is located within one of the immortal realms,” the man insisted.

I swept my confused eyes over the room. “Immortal realms?”

Pampir sneered down at me. “You feign ignorance of even the five realms?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know anything about realms or immortals. I come from a city called Brookston and I’m just normal like everyone else.”

A woman turned her nose up and scoffed. “She is quite brazen to lie to us-” The king raised his hand and quieted the room.

His Majesty studied me with deeper curiosity. “You say you are a mortal and yet you share the same immortal aura as us.”

My mouth flapped open a few times before I gathered myself. “I have a what?”

“Your Highness, this woman is obviously trying to waste our time with her disingenuous acting,” Pampir spoke up as he used an arm to gesture down at me. “Perhaps some of our truth serums will convince her to tell us what she truly knows.”

“I don’t think she is acting,” my defender chimed in as he smiled down at me. “His Majesty is correct in saying she shares our aura, but I detect faint hints of mortal dust on her person. If I didn’t know any better, I would say she is newly created.”

A murmur of hushed whispers and stifled gasps rose from the audience. The king raised his hand and all fell silent. He leaned toward me and I shrank beneath his sharp eyes. “You say you were mortal once. How did you come to find immortality?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat but my words still came out raspy. “I don’t know anything about finding immortality, but I can tell you the last thing I remember before I-” I paused and a faint blush appeared on my cheeks as I recalled my awakening. “Before I got here.”

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“Then speak and we shall listen.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I. . .I was walking home. It was night and I took a shortcut through an empty lot. I guess the ground wasn’t stable and I fell through a hole. There was this small tree with purple leaves just standing there in front of me.” My description caused another wave of murmurs to rise from the audience.

His Majesty shot everyone a look of warning that silenced them. “Please continue.”

I shook my head. “There isn’t much left to tell. The tree had a fruit on it and I. . .I couldn’t help myself. I took a bite and the next thing I know I’m here. That’s it. That’s all that happened.”

“What fruit did it bear?” the man with the soft smile asked me.

I bit my lower lip. “I-I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before.”

Pampir scoffed. “You expect us to believe you ate a fruit from a mysterious tree and arrived here?”

I frowned at him. “I don’t expect you to believe what I’m saying but I’m not lying. That’s what really happened.”

“What was the color of the fruit?” my defender inquired.

I furrowed my brow as I thought back to that pivotal moment. “It was purple like the tree but with a silver stem.” A soft murmur rose from some of the company. I couldn’t tell if it was to my advantage or disadvantage.

“And its flavor?” he wondered.

I twisted my face with thought. “I. . .it kind of tasted sweet and bitter at the same time.” Another murmur arose from the crowd and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I felt there was something amiss among their hurried whispers. My heart thumped hard in my chest as I looked among them. “What’s wrong? Why are you all looking like that?”

“His Majesty will be the one asking the questions here!” Pampir snapped at me.

“Quiet,” the king commanded. The stern tone quieted their outward curiosity and Pampir’s fuming words. The royal turned to his companion, the Eastwei fellow. “You can confirm that you did not see her arrive in your gardens but suddenly felt her presence as if she appeared from nowhere?”

Eastwei barely inclined his head. “Yes.”

His Majesty pursed his lips and returned his attention to me. “I will need to think this matter over. Until then, befitting your status as a sky goddess you will be granted a small hall.” He turned to look behind him at a servant who stood behind and to the side of the throne. “What halls are empty now?”

“The Fanshe Hall is empty at this time, Your Majesty,” the man replied.

“Then you shall have that hall,” His Majesty offered as he returned his focus to me. A sharp look slipped into his eyes and tongue. “However, you will not be allowed to venture beyond its walls until we have confirmed your tale. Should you be discovered beyond its boundaries you will be immediately imprisoned.”

I felt a sudden pressure in my chest and I sat up. “But I don’t want to stay here. Can’t you send me home?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “If what you say is true then you no longer belong in the mortal realm. To return there would slowly kill you.”

A cold hand wrapped around my heart, freezing my veins as well. I sat there in a stupor trying to process his words but unable to think or speak.

The man with the soft smile knelt beside me and grasped my shoulders in a gentle grip. “Allow me to assist you up.” I dumbly nodded and he helped me to my feet.

Pampir looked on with disapproval. “I do not think it is a good idea for a prince of heaven to be so kindly toward this unknown goddess. She may attack him at any moment.”

“Do you doubt the swiftness of our guards?” the prince countered.

Pampir scoffed. “It is not doubt in our guards but faith that this woman is not as weak as she appears.”

“That will soon be discovered,” His Majesty spoke up as he waved a hand at the doors. “Take her to her quarters and disperse the crowd outside. If they desire to gossip then they can do so in their own gardens.”

One of the guards grasped my arm and leaned my weight against him. The prince reluctantly released me and stepped back. I was led through the doors and out into the crowd.

“Disperse by order of His Majesty!” one of the guards commanded.

The people glumly removed themselves and I was helped down the lonely stairs. The world was a blur as my jumbled thoughts conjured up a single realization.

I wasn’t going home.