The dark webbing tunnels continued to wind and bend at the Serpentines command as they reached the Earth’s surface. Instead of encountering miners, Javan saw small tent villages where chaffed women with Samson-like hair held tight to their children as the lampres passed. The children, from the safety of their caretaker's arms, gazed up at the giant soldiers adorned with the jewels that were ever so close to them, but infinitely far away. The men, whose conditions ranged from rugged to disabled, paid no head. Builders and craftsmen appeared to be the bulk of them with their red stunted axes and grizzly hands. Cooks sat next to charcoal furnaces littering the air with smoke. The scent was remarkable. Whatever monstrous creatures these people found underground must be some type of delicacy. Those who could no longer work rested on the shoulders of those who could.
Seeing how this community treated their weak, Javan remembered the old man. He knew the situation was wrong and yet, what could he do? He was in a different world, with rules and customs far different from the ones he knew. His company seemed despondent, at times even antagonistic to those workers around him. This had to be wrong. But, he was an outsider, a traveler from somewhere far beyond.. What demands could he make in a world that was not his own? Still, he should have said something, done something.
“Halt.” The empress pulled on the reins of her Lampre.
“This is the final one.” She placed her hand on the circle. The wall glowed, chanting the instructions of its creation, which allowed the adventures to go up one more winding tunnel.
Strands of sunlight beamed from the tunnels’ end. The light was blinding to Javan, almost crippling. He covered his eyes as he and Stheno ascended onto the surface world.
They stood in front of a stone triangular barn covered in green moss. The barn was around five houses long, though its height was only slightly taller than Estreia. Outside the barn, tied to ropes wrapped around fence posts, were other lampres.
The warriors stepped off their rides, Estreia remaining at the front with Dracon right behind her. The entrance from which they emerged sunk back into the ground, leaving only the circle that had willed its existence.
For being dinosaurs, the lampres were easy to calm down and put into their stable. Stheno seemed to have a special relationship with her steed. She could place her hand in the creature's toothy maul and allow its slippery tongue to scratch every pigment of skin on her body.
Javan was sad to travel on foot again. While the lampres were scary, he had grown rather attached to them. Their cool factor overrode any initial fears Javan had at first sight.
They walked through a bustling bazaar. Merchants dressed in floral garments scurried along the floor. They pushed wheelbarrows containing dog-sized roaches, spiders, and bees impaled on daggers flavored with honey. Wooden benches draped in golden linen provided space for red necklaces, golden earrings, and lapis rings. Observing these treasured items were wide-eyed men and women who fired off numbers and attributes to their customers, letting curious hands touch but not hold.
The merchants swarmed the warriors. Some of them even ran into them in order to get their attention. They had no self-preservation.
One of the merchants approached Javan. In his hands, he held a sheathed scabbard that glistened in the sunlight.
“Royal retainer, you must have this invincible sword. Its power allows direct contact with the Earth’s core. It can even take down a Wata Jabber. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“There’s no need,” said Stheno. She tried to look normal, but she was terrible at holding back a grin.
“This man here hasn’t been to the sacred fountain yet.”
“Ah, I see. How odd.” The merchant did a 180 to talk to another warrior.
“Sacred fountain?” asked Jeremi. Stheno punched his shoulder.
“You’ll learn about it soon enough, Javan, once we attend the meeting.”
The merchants had now formed a large circle around the soldiers. The warriors tried to push forward, but at every perceived opening, another merchant would seal the whole, bargaining for some magical axe or enchanted spear. If anything, they were more formidable than the cultists.
“They sure are persistent,” said Stheno. “I wonder how long it will take for Estreia to…”
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“Stand down, vermin!” Estreia stamped her foot on the ground. Her raised head sent shivers down the merchants’ spines, causing them to scatter from the warrior group.
“Honestly,” Estreia lowered her head. “They should know about our situation. Can’t they do this any other time?”
“About that..” Javan was about to ask about the meeting until one of the remaining merchants called out. Javan admired the man’s guts. Estreia looked as if he was a walking corpse.
“Stessy, it’s been so long.” He ran up to her, only stopping once he saw Estreia's murderous eyes. Like anyone would, he gasped but kept his composure. The guy was around Stheno’s height, with a frail frame and large, curly hair. Stheno glanced at him, eyeing his features, before turning in the opposite direction.
“Come on, don't treat me like that. It’s been forever since I’ve last seen you.” He reached out to Estreia’s ears. The green marbles that hung from them swung slightly towards him. He reached for the one on the left, only for Stheno to slap his hand down.
“Watch yourself now.” The man backed away, his hands tied to his sides.
“I’m sorry, it's just…”
“I don’t have the time.” Stheno looked up to Estreia, who nodded.
“We must register for the coronation. Surely, you should know how important this is.” The man fell to the floor.
“I’m so sorry, Empress. I would never mean to harm you.”
The Serpetines walked past him. One of them even spat in the man’s direction, though Estreia chastised the soldier afterward. Stheno stretched out her tongue, shaking it back and forward like a cobra. Javan had noticed that Stheno had glanced back at the man again as they were walking away.
Javan was about to pass out. They had been trave lining nonstop since they entered the cave for over sixteen hours! Sixteen hours! Javan was so tired that he didn’t even question how it was still daytime. Stheno assured him that once they entered the Signing building, they would be able to take a week’s break before the Grand Ceremony, whatever that was. Stheno said she couldn’t explain the signing or the ceremony. If Stheno was able to keep quiet about this, then it had to be important.
From the marketplace, the warriors entered a less busy area. The buildings in the area were wider, as if compensating for the decreased traffic. Tall, domed buildings made of basalt-like stone towered over the troops. Statues of warrior women were sprinkled around these buildings, their torsos as long as giraffe necks. Their marble eyes never looked forward but always up, daring the sun to blind them. On the floor, iron railings led to the warriors' destination.
It was a massive skeleton that perhaps once belonged to a prehistoric python if that python’s length spread across a small cul des sac and was covered in molting feathers. Around the dead serpent was an equally frightening sight. Another group of soldiers, more than twice the size of Estreia surrounded the snake’s mouth. The soldiers wore scaled chest plate armor that extended from their chest to their legs but left their feet barefoot. They were armed with red axes and spears.
If Estreia was Goliath, then the woman in front of this new group of warriors was a Nephilim. She seemed to stand over all things, even the planets themselves. Her braided blue hair captured the sun and made it submit to her command as her cold eyes stole its heat. The stomp of her feet sent miniature earthquakes that put everyone around her off balance. Her voice sounded like a volcanic eruption, heated and full of energy.
“So you actually planned on arriving, Estreia.” She shook her head, her hair waving behind her.
Estreia hissed. Javan could see veins popping out of her neck.
“Why, of course, Demetria. I am one of the Empress candidates.”
“In name only, and even then, that’s gracious language.”
“My Empress,” said the soldier next to her. His height neared that of Estreia only he was a couple of inches smaller. He was a muscular guy with a tattoo on each bicep.
“Did I give you permission to speak?” The lady turned her stern glare to him. The muscular man shivered.
“Certainly not Empress. It’s just this bickering...its…’
“Unnecessary isn’t it?” She smiled as if an interesting thought had just occurred to her.. “I believe you to be correct. Sorry, for my correction.”
“No thank you, Empress.” He bowed.
“Have you come to declare your intention?” Estreia got up on her toes. She bent all the way back, her eyes facing upwards.
“I have already done so, sister. Time is of the essence, after all.” Demetria, too, stared at the sky. The two of them continued staring up until the muscular shoulder tapped Demetria’s arm.
“Empress, we…” Suddenly, Demetria’s hand turned into a giant scaled claw. She slapped the man, sending him flying off.
“Now when did I give you permission to touch me, I wonder? I believe that violates my right to privacy. No, it's a violation of my freedom of expression. Have you no class? Have you no shame for a lady’s boundaries?” The man slowly got up to his knees. His face told more than what words could convey.
“I am so very sorry, Empress, but we should leave now.” Demetria gave him a concerned look.
“Why, you are right, Daddogan. Those like me should be more diligent with our time. Forgive me.” The man hobbled over towards her, holding the side of his face. She placed her now normal hand on his head and caressed his disheveled hair
“Goodbye, foolish sister. May Fate always align with the best result.” Demetria left with her soldiers scampering behind her.
“What in the world?” Javan thought before Stheno grabbed his shoulder, pulling him to the side. Javan looked around. The other soldiers had already formed two parallel lines that left a narrow path straight into the serpent's mouth. Stheno bowed her head and Javan, seeing the other soldiers, did the same. Estreia walked right down the middle, with Dracon following behind her. The two of them walked inside the snake. Javan swore he heard a low hiss emerge from that ancient mouth as it gobbled the two whole.
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