Commander Luciferi led me down the right most passage from the common room of the Libra. I noticed that the quality of the architecture improved, the farther we went into the lair. This hallway was polished stone, but it wasn’t marble, no, as I looked more closely, I realized it wasn’t stone at all.
“Petrified wood!” I exclaimed, and Luciferi--Princess Luciferi I suppose-- looked over her shoulder at me.
“Your Father seemed just as delighted,” she said, “no one else has given it much thought. Though I suppose, given your backwood origins, that anything of a natural material might make you pause. Go ahead. Inspect it.”
I smiled, and turned to run my hand over the smooth surface of the multicolored wall. I could see a few occasional wisps of wooden splinters, but it was forged quite beautifully in my opinion. In our humble home in the Berrywood, our table had been made of petrified wood. Father had discovered it when I was still a baby, and had dragged it for miles to bring it home. Mother had always mentioned the joy in my father’s eyes as he’d worked diligently for weeks to make it just right.
I turned back to Luciferi.
“This whole hallway is made out of it?”
“Indeed,” she said. Her eyes sparkled as she watched my reaction, and I suppose my enthusiasm must have been entertaining to her. I was suddenly embarrassed, and turned away from it.
“That would take quite some time to do,” I said, “and it would have already been old when it was made. The First Lords were truly inspiring.”
“Yes, yes,” Luciferi said dismissively, “master crafters and all that. It is always interesting to get your like in here to truly appreciate the details that others seem to disregard. Shall we continue?”
I nodded.
“Wonderful,” she said, and continued along.
The others walked in pace behind me. I still hadn’t figured out why they were accompanying me, but I supposed it had something to do with the nature of my Appointment. I flashed Nox a wide grin and mouthed the words “petrified wood”, and he smiled back and mouthed back, “I know”, nodding happily.
As we walked, I saw that it was in fact water that I’d noticed earlier. An entire column of crystalline water poured down a section of wall, perfectly orderly, from a slit in the ceiling. It was caught by a square foundation beneath, and a small pool of water had formed inside, but drained through several more small openings. It was backlit by a magical glowing orb pressed into the wall behind the spout, and I considered very seriously sticking my hand in it to feel its flow. But I didn’t, we were still moving, and I’d already foolishly gushed over the consistency of the hallways. I didn’t want to give any more credence to the idea that those of us from the woods were simple-minded fools.
Less than a minute after we had passed the water feature, we reached the end of the hall, where a tall stone door greeted us, carved to depict the scales and serpent emblem in the same manner as the entrance. However, I didn’t see any way to open it.
Luciferi reached into the neck of her tunic, and removed a silver chain with a talisman on the end. It was shaped like a star, with seven points fabricated from silver, and a beautiful, deep blue stone rested in the center. She raised the talisman, and muttered something under her breath. Rather than opening, the doorway suddenly rumbled and loosed from the upper arch of its frame. It slid smoothly into the ground, revealing a massive room beyond.
“What was that?” I asked, as Luciferi began to step into the new room. She paused and looked over at me, lifting the talisman up.
“This is the pride of the Nightsigns,” she explained, “each Equites receives one from their commander. It's the only way to access the inner chambers of a sanctuary inside the Gossamer Castle.”
She smiled, and I was learning that when she did, what usually followed would be something pointed.
“It also acts as the only key to entering the home sanctuaries of an Equites’ base. Without it, you’d be doomed to sit outside, hardly better than the peasant you are now.”
I frowned.
“What were the words?” I asked.
“Iustus anguis,” the commander said, “don’t worry about remembering it, unless you pass the Challenge.”
I smiled.
“Iustus anguis,” I responded, confidently.
Now, it was Luciferi’s turn to scowl.
“Are you some sort of mockingbird?” she asked.
I’d seen those words every day of my childhood. Above the hearth in our home in the Berrywood was a large stone stein that had belonged to my grandfather. It was one of the only things he owned that was left to my father. Engraved along its handle were those same words, ‘IUSTUS ANGUIS’. I had asked once how to say the words, and Father had taught me, as though it was important I get the pronunciation just so. In that moment, certain things had clicked into place.
“No,” I said simply, “my grandfather was an Equites of Libra.”
As soon as I spoke the words, I knew they had to be true, and based on Luciferi’s reaction, I seemed to have hit it correctly. She nodded.
“I'm surprised,” she said, a smile playing about her lips, “your father seemed to think you weren’t aware of anything about your grandfather or his connection to this place.”
Was he trying to continue keeping it a secret?
I had to admit, since arriving in Ingvald, I’d been feeling increasingly distant from my father. He hadn’t been very forthcoming with anything as we had engaged in the ceremony, and he’d been tight-lipped about how we’d been summoned in the first place. I couldn’t understand why he’d allowed everything to be clouded in mystique, but I was going to ask him as soon as I saw him.
“I’m learning all sorts of new things lately,” I said in response, and left it at that. Luciferi seemed satisfied with this answer, and turned away from me, facing the room beyond. We entered.
My breath caught in my throat, as it was like stepping into a different world.
We stood at the beginning of a stone path, one that appeared to be suspended high above an infinite void. It was something akin to a cavern, but unbelievably awe inspiring. A vast expanse of circular stone platforms and connecting bridges filled my vision, and I craned my neck upward and saw many similar features everywhere in the immeasurable cave. The rock walls climbed high, and I could not see where the ceiling was, so far above me it must have waited. Actual waterfalls occupied various sections of the cavern, fountains of water issuing forth and into the bottomless pit beneath us.
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The path we were on led to one of the circular platforms, a roaring brazier in its center. Four massive stone columns had been erected around the platform, each in various stages of decomposition. They were ancient, covered in ivy and various holes and chips from collisions long forgotten. Each platform seemed to lead to a different access point, in various directions, but I could see above a doorway perhaps a hundred feet higher, and slightly to our right had a familiar symbol. The rams head of Aries was carved proudly in the stone, and as I looked back to where we’d just entered, I could see the serpent and scales of Libra displayed in the same manner above the heads of my companions.
“Do these each lead to the different Nightsign sanctuaries?” I asked, as Luciferi continued down the path. I looked over the side and felt a sense of dizziness. The immense void below was like a beacon of danger, and I feared losing my balance. It would definitely be a death sentence to tumble over the side.
She didn’t turn around.
“Indeed,” she said, “each of these paths leads back to their specific sanctuaries here in Gossamer Castle, and they are all connected to that.”
She raised a hand and pointed clear up, where I could see a huge structure forged from the rock of the cavern itself. Along its side were square sections that looked like windows, and I could see several bridges of stone connecting to it, though the structure itself had nothing to support it. It seemed to levitate above, held in place by some great magic. I shivered.
“What is that?” I asked, having to look back down for fear I’d faint.
“The Almagest,” said a deep voice, and I turned. Garth had spoken for the first time in a while. He was staring up at the structure with a sense of reverence.
“It is the area that the Challenge takes place, and is one of the oldest creations in all of Cygnus, let alone this castle,” he continued, “it’s been quite some time since I last laid eyes on it, but it still fills me with a sense of wonder.”
“That’s uncharacteristically poetic of you,” Nox said, smirking, “you must have failed pretty badly inside there.”
Garth scowled.
“Your Highness knows that I did not fail,” he hissed, “had I not succeeded, I would not be able to claim my rank as an Equites of Nightsign Aries.”
I hadn’t really connected those dots yet. I had clearly seen him wearing his Aries tabard, but I’d assumed it was simply because he was some sort of servant to the king. Now that I really thought about it, what was his purpose exactly other than acting as a nanny to Nox. If I passed the Challenge, would that be the fate that could potentially await me? Babysitter?
“Can we get on with this?” Hawk asked, striding forward near Luciferi, he hadn’t said much since arriving either, but his manner indicated his distaste.
“Yes, let us contemplate our past achievements and deeds later,” Luciferi said, her eyes flicking to Hawk for just a moment, and then back to the rest of us, “we wouldn’t want to miss our window of opportunity. You don’t want to have to wait another three years, do you Hutch?”
I shook my head.
“No, Commander,” I said, hoping that would warm her responses to me.
“Commander Luciferi will be how you shall refer to me unless you pass the Challenge,” she said, “then, if you do that, we can discuss a more casual form of address.”
I lowered my head. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to go through with this whole ordeal. The only reason I was even following through with this strange set of events was because I wanted to be able to talk to my father, and this seemed to be the only way that would happen.
Luciferi moved to the center of the rounded platform, and stood next to the brazier. Hawk stood opposite her, but still close to the flames of the copper-colored vessel as well.
“Sir Garth,” Luciferi said, “do you think you could give us all a lift?” She smiled at him and pointed up at the structure with her index finger.
“It sure would beat having to climb up hundreds of stairs and cross dozens of precarious bridges.”
Garth sighed.
“I suppose that is the only reason I was invited in the first place.”
He sounded as though he was asking a rhetorical question, but Hawk gave him a sheepish look.
“Well, you see…” he said, and Garth suddenly turned red.
“Wait...did you--are you telling me I was actually only summoned on this scheme to--to… be your transportation?!” The bespectacled man stamped his foot angrily.
The Herald chuckled uncomfortably and pointed to his leg.
“I’ve got a bad knee,” he said.
“You mustn’t be serious!” Garth exclaimed, and marched over to the brazier, with his hand outstretched.
“I should instead, rip this whole platform off its base and watch the two of you tumble into the aether.”
“I’d be careful, waving that hand around like that,” Luciferi warned, taking a single step forward, her entire demeanor shifting dramatically, “wouldn’t want to lose something valuable because you were far too liberal with your magic.”
This seemed to work. Garth stopped in his tracks and dropped his hand, then he slid his golden spectacles up the bridge of his nose and sighed.
“I could have been reading in my room…” he muttered.
“My apologies, Sir Garth,” Hawk said, looking genuinely sorry, his eyebrows knit into a picture of concern, “but Ilfin magic is the only thing that works on these, and you’re the best at what you do.”
Ilfin?
“Sir Garth…” I said, “you’re Ilfin?”
Garth turned to me, and whisked back his volume of green hair to reveal his ears. I hadn’t realized that they’d been covered the entire time I’d known him, but there they were. Long, delicate things, far bigger than mine, and stretching out from the sides of his head like an animal’s.
“Do not think you and I have any connection because of this,” he said, “I have made a firm effort to distance myself from the biases of others, and I won’t start making alliances or treating others differently because of some perceived kinship.”
I didn’t say anything, instead I just let it be.
Nox nudged Garth.
“No one wants to be on your team, Garth, even the other Aries didn’t want anything to do with you.”
“That’s not true, Your Highness!” He exclaimed, “the king himself sought me out personally to act as one of the Royal Guardians.”
“We do not have time for all this!” Luciferi suddenly shouted, and slammed her fist on the brazier. The clang reverberated loudly through the cavern and caused us all to jump.
“The Almagest will be closed to us in six minutes,” she continued, “now, all of you, shut your stupid mouths and get over here. Garth, take us up there or I will make you my personal Royal Guardian.” There was some awful threat inside her words, and Garth quickly rolled up his sleeves.
“Everyone get around the brazier,” he said, and with a flick of his wrist, the large book in his possession floated into the air, a bluish hue of magic surrounding it. Nox and I quickly moved to the brazier, and left a space for Garth. He stepped forward, and as his feet reached the platform, we felt it lurch. I grabbed the brazier for support, but felt the intense heat burn into my hands and I yelped and released. Nox grabbed onto the stiff fabric of my newly acquired clothing, and kept me from tumbling forward. In an instant, the center of the platform came loose, and the five of us began floating into the air, the yawning abyss beneath us.
I had to close my eyes. Heights were something I’d never grown accustomed to. Even when I would help Father with repairs to villagers’ roofs, it would take every ounce of focus I had not to fall from the incredible shaking my legs seemed to do all on their own. Now, this was like that feeling but magnified hundreds of times over. I’d never felt such an intense desire before to be on solid ground. I peeked under an eyelid and almost puked.
We were suddenly flying, moving quickly upward toward the Almagest. I closed my eyes tightly again. I’d never been afraid of much, but this experience was a foe I’d not yet been able to vanquish.
After a moment of blind riding, I felt us stop, and I chanced a look around.
We had arrived on a larger platform, just outside of the place they’d been referring to as the Almagest. Up close, it was even more daunting. Incredibly large, at this side of it I could see its entrance: two twenty foot doors that were opened wide. They rested at the top of a glorious set of stairs that stretched to the platform fifty feet below. Dozens of statues towered over us in two parallel lines on either side of the pathway leading up to the Almagest itself. Inside the doorways it seemed brightly lit, and I looked at Luciferi for instruction.
“Don’t just stare at me,” she ordered, “all of you. Go. Now. We’ve got one minute until those big doors close and we are locked out until this whole thing is over.”
We took that as our cue. The five of us raced along the path, and as we reached the stairs, I could see the doors starting to turn inward.
“They’re closing!” Nox shouted, and I tried to add some energy to my movements, but it had been a long, sleepless night and I was feeling exhausted. Suddenly, however, I felt myself being lifted into the air.
“What’s happening?” I questioned, and looked over my shoulder.
Garth’s book was still out, and it was crackling with magical energy as he lifted all of us into the air and with a swipe of his hand, sent us jettisoning upward, toward the swiftly closing doors. I closed my eyes and braced myself for a hard impact, but it never came. I heard a loud boom behind me, and opened my eyelids.
We were on the other side of the closed doors. We’d somehow been gently placed just inside the doorway, even at the speed with which we’d been hurled. I could see Nox, Hawk and Luciferi, but no Garth.
“Garth didn’t make it?” I asked, a little concerned
“Oh, he’ll be just fine,” Nox said, scrunching up his face to display his distaste for his Ilfin caretaker.
“Yes, Garth can either wait, or return, as he’ll have no problem making his way back if he uses the Aries door,” Hawk said, “we might likely find him outside, his nose in that book once we leave here.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was fine with that, as long as he’d not experience any undue danger. He was irritating, but I didn’t wish him harm.
I stood up and began reflexively dusting myself off. Nox did the same. The inside chamber of this resembled a foyer in a mansion or palace. It was made of light colored stone and filled with large smooth plinths of the same material. Hanging braziers hung from fixtures in each of the columns, bathing the whole hall in a warm, amber light.
I was about to ask Luciferi what our next move was, when I heard a familiar voice.
“Eluva da daiasi!”
It was the traditional Ilfin greeting.
A pale-haired form emerged from a doorway, the back of his mane left long while the front and top were untidy, but much shorter. He smiled, and I saw that his black eye had now begun to heal. I noticed his prominent ears sticking out from the sides of his head, and they twitched a little as he strode toward me.
I groaned.
“Didn’t think I’d get a chance to see you again, Carthage Hutch,” Waldo said.
Before I could respond, I noticed the tabard hanging over his clothing. The blue field and serpent and scale of Nightsign Libra. I hadn't even known the frustrating Ilfin had made it past the Harbinger Arch, but now it seemed that if I wanted to actually become an Equites, he’d be one of my comrades.
I sighed.
“This is just wonderful.”