I was in a beautiful hell. That was what it felt like to be half-dragged through the pristine paths and the beautiful gardens. Trees of every shape and leaf size shaded us as I was led by the guards to the hall mentioned by the king.

And a king. I never expected to meet one but he certainly pulled off the imperious nature of one. And that ‘prince’ the scrawny Pampir talked so badly to. If anyone was to be my jailer I was glad it was him. Still, I was going to be placed in a jail and the thought sank my heart into my stomach.

The guards guided me through the maze of buildings, walls, and paths to a simple archway. The arch led into a small garden of grass on either side with a white-barked tree on our left. The small plain path led to a porch attached to a building some twenty feet high but with only one floor. A raised covered portico surrounded the building and vines twined around the stone columns to add a nice accent. The building itself had thick screens for walls and a pair of sliding doors in front of us led inside.

The guards led me up the short set of stairs and through the doors. I was presented with a deep but simple room of marble floors without rugs. The room led clear to the back of the building with a bracing wall in the middle as a mild interruption. A low table stood at the back surrounded by mats and a few pillows were tossed into one corner, but otherwise, the room was empty. Two pairs of sliding doors on the left were open and led into a bedroom with a low bed and a spare storage room.

The guard hefted me over to the table where he set me on one of the low mats. The pair turned and marched back outside, mindful to close the door behind them. I sat in a daze for a while where they had left me, my mind a confused mess of thoughts and indecision. The walls around the enclosure were too straight and tall to climb over, and even if I could escape where would I go? I had no idea where this heaven place was nor did I know how to get back home.

I stirred after a few minutes and looked about me. The quarters were comfortable but sparse and everything was dusted and washed. I wrapped the robe tighter about myself and stood on my shaky legs. The inspection of the place didn’t take long and I soon found myself drifting toward the tempting bedroom with its soft-looking bed.

I stepped into the room and something shiny to my right caught my attention. It turned out to be a full-length mirror and my breath caught in my throat as I stared at myself.

I almost didn’t recognize the face in the mirror. There were the same cheeks and the same ears, but my eyes were now a soft gray color. My skin, too, was as smooth as silk and without any blemish. The strands of brown short hair were gone, replaced by the long silver locks that framed my unfamiliar face. I reached up and brushed the shaking tips of my fingers over my face.

I jumped when a knock came from the front room. My heart pounded against my chest as I inched over to the doorway and peeked out. The man with the smile stepped over the threshold and his eyes searched the rooms for me.

“Lady Roberts?” he called out before he discovered me. “Good evening. I hope I-” My shaking legs couldn’t stand the strain anymore and I collapsed to my knees. “Lady Roberts!” The man rushed to my side and grasped my arms. “Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “I-I’m fun, just-” I reached up a trembling hand and brushed my fingers over half my face. Tears sprang into my eyes and my lips quivered. “I don’t recognize myself. Something’s happened to me.”

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“Let me assist you to the table,” he soothed as he lifted me to my feet. He leaned me against his arm and helped me to the table where he eased me onto one of the mats. He took up possession of the one on my left that faced the door. “Is there something I can get for you? Some tea, perhaps?”

I set my hands on the top of the table and shook my head. “I-I’m fine. This is just. . .just a little too much.” A bitter snort escaped me. “I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and find myself in some gutter or maybe back in my bed.”

“I assure you this is no dream, Lady Roberts,” he insisted as he set a hand over one of mine. “But should you need anything, do not hesitate to ask for my assistance.”

I shook off some of my shock and looked over my guest. “But who are you?”

His eyes twinkled as he inclined his head toward me. “My apologies. I am so well-known that I often forget to introduce myself. I am Prince Yushir, nephew of the ruler of Heaven.”

“And you. . .you’re a god?” I guessed.

He drew his hand away and nodded. “Just so. Everyone who resides in the Heavens is an immortal.”

I swept my eyes over the spacious room. “But how’d I get here?” I raised my hands and looked over the smooth skin, so unlike the worn typing fingers I knew. “And what happened to me?”

“The change in your appearance isn’t too surprising considering the circumstances,” he mused.

I blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

He leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. A contemplative expression crossed his face as he stared hard at the table. “If memory serves, those who first ate the fruit of the Diyedi Tree also experienced a change in their appearance.”

“The what tree?”

He smiled at me. “My apologies. The Diyedi Tree is, I believe, the tree you discovered in that hole. There has only one such tree in existence and that now resides in the gardens of my uncle here in heaven, though it once stood in the mortal realm many millions of years ago.”

My mouth slowly dropped open. “Wait, millions of years? And the tree is still alive?”

“The tree is as immortal as you and I,” he informed me.

I looked down at myself. “I don’t feel immortal.”

He chuckled. “That is because you have not yet practiced your magic.”

I whipped my head up and my mouth fell open. My lips flapped a few times before I got a hold of myself. “Magic? Real magic?”

“As real as you or I.”

“And I can do it? You’re sure?”

“I see no reason why you should not be able to do so,” he mused as he looked me up and down. “We need only see what element you most relate to and have you practice the gestures to summon it.”

I leaned toward him and studied his face. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

The corners of his eyes crinkled mischievously as he raised one hand with the palm facing upward. He pressed two fingers together and twisted his wrist. I started back when a large droplet of water formed out of nowhere and floated above his hand. He opened his hand and the droplet lowered onto his palm where it jiggled in place.

My big eyes were reflected in the surface of the rippling water as I leaned in. “Wow.”

He closed his fingers around the droplet and the magic vanished with a soft ‘sploosh.’ I started back and found him smiling at me. “Now it is your turn.”