The Serpentines waited for what seemed like days, or at least long enough for the sun to finally set until Estreia and Dracon returned. Estreia emerged from the snake’s mouth with a more relaxed face, the exact opposite of Dracon. In her hands, she held what looked like a wooden doll with an oversized head that was covered by an even more oversized crown.
“Warriors, I dismiss you until the Ceremony. Rest, eat well, enjoy the company of your family, go to the Vitrian Games, and enjoy yourself.” The warriors cheered, raising their spears into the air.
“As for you, traveler, I want you too to enjoy our wonderful empire. Stheno, is it possible that you can give him a place to rest and a tour of our society tomorrow?”
“Of course, Empress.”
The soldiers were dismissed. Estreia grabbed Javan’s hand and led him down the path to the marketplace. She slithered through the outstretched arms of merchants and acted deaf towards their requests. Even at night, the merchants never rested. Only once they had exited the busy marketplace did Stheno speak.
“I’m guessing you're tired.” Talk about an understatement. Javan felt like he aged into his mid-life crisis. Even the slow walking they were doing was debilitating.
“It feels like daytime lasts forever here.” Estreia raised her eyebrows.
“You're saying in your world days are shorter.”
“Yeah. I’m hoping the nights last longer in this world as well..”
“I wish I lived in your world.” Her tongue danced in her mouth
“I’m sorry then. This must seem like a huge inconvenience. However, the Empress needed to show her desire to act as a candidate.
“I see.” He recalled the Estreia held in her hands. “So that was what that doll was for?.”
“Doll? That’s a rather crude thing to call it.” Even when she was scolding him, Javan felt comfortable looking her in the eyes. Unlike the other warriors, she appeared not to mind it at all.
“It's called a Symbia, a symbol of the right to rule. Only those of the Volcanian lineage can obtain it, and even then, only the most fated keep it up until the election.”
“That's important, huh? She seemed rather calm about it.”
“Dracon will act as Estreia’s personal guard until the ceremony. Estreia holds deep trust in us Serpentines, but she especially trusts Dracon.”
“Why so?” Stheno stopped.
“We’re here”
Stheno pointed down the stone-paved road to an area of domed-roofed houses separated from each other by stone pillars. In his Greek history class, Javan learned about Mycenaean architecture. One of the defining features of Mycenaean architecture was massive limestone boulders of unequal size piled closely together. The buildings here resembled said architecture, only the boulders were far larger with a slight red tinge that made the buildings appear like they were on fire.
Stheno and Javan walked until they reached a two-story building that stood high above its competition. They walked to the front of the door. The door had no latch or knob. Instead, a small circle was engraved in the middle. Stheno put her hand to the circle. Much like the ones in the mines, it glowed, singing a slightly more happy tune than the one to the Alurium District. The door vanished into the Earth and the two walked in.
“Is that how everything in this world works?” Javan asked.
Stheno turned to him, her eyes eager to explain.
“You’ve seen nothing yet. The architects designed this place to the Great Root a long time ago so while they’re still functioning, they're a bit hazardous at times.” She paused, realizing something she said rang a bit too true.
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“Anyhow, this is where I stayed back before I joined the Serpentines. It’s not much of a place, ain't it?”
Javan agreed. Compared to his home, the place looked like a badly renovated shack. The floor was warm, making it so that Javan skipped wherever he walked. Instead of windows, open spaces in the walls allowed for a view of the outside as well as a prime area for bugs to come in albeit in this world they might be too big. To the left from where he entered, there was a kitchen with barrels and pans haphazardly strewn across stone tables. To his right, there existed what one might call a living room with stone chairs and desks containing an assortment of scrolls that rolled onto the floor. Framed on the wall was a bow quiver. The most out-of-place thing in the room so far were the ceiling lamps, which looked more like luminescent mushrooms. Likely that was what they were, given what Javan had seen so far.”
“It’s a little better upstairs. You don’t mind sharing a bed, do you?”
“Um,” said Javan, his cheeks red. Stheno chortled.
“I’m joking, gecko. Nice to know that there are these sorts of similarities in our culture. You’ll have your own room if that’s okay with you.”
‘Yeah, of course.” They walked up the flight of stairs to the second floor. Javan kept scratching the back of his neck. A thought occurred to him, one that often frequented his mind. He was planning on asking Estreia about it earlier, but given the current conditions, he deemed it to be a later problem. However, it was his problem.
“Do you have the idea of how you guys can bring me back to my own world? I came because the Empress told me there might be a way. Do you know anything about that process?”
Stheno shook her head. “Sorry, but I have no idea. I’m not even trying to hide it from ya this time. I really don’t know.”
“Do you think the Empress might be lying?”
“No, Estreia would never lie to an ally. She knows some way, but it might not be so easy. Sorry about that.” Her expression was the same whenever Estreia reprimanded her.
“I guess it's to be expected at this point.” Javan laughed it off. They arrived at the top of the stairs.
“Your bed is on your left. If you need anything, just knock on my door. Have a fateful rest.”
“You too.”
It felt weird waking up to a bed without covers. Despite that, he felt warm. For some reason, the building maintained this constant heat. Javan’s best guess was something to do with glowing stones. Javan reached for his watch, then his iPhone, then his wallet. Realizing that none of them were there, he got out of bed.
He was a mess. His clothes smelled. He smelled. One of the first things on the agenda was getting new wear. He hoped for the plated armor that Demetria’s warriors wore, but more likely it would be the grassy wear of the Serpentines.
Javan heard rustling downstairs. He walked downstairs, only to narrowly avoid being pelted in the face by a glowing orb.
“Sorry,” said Estreia. She held a pan in her hand filled with gelatinous circles that pulsated under the heat. She wore a red kikepa dress that covered up to her chest. A white symbol of the dragon hid under her right armpit.
Javan inspected the orb near him. He could see a slight blue from its center. Javan pointed to it, his finger not daring to touch it.
“What is that?”
“A good morning breakfast.” Stheno danced as she flung the orbs into the air, catching them with a brown platter before splatting on the floor.
“Okay, funny, but really, what is that?”
“The light shrooms. They’re pretty tasty once they used up all their light. I’m such a conservationist, right?”
“And you expect me to eat that?” Stheno stretched out her tongue until it was inches away from Javan’s eyes.
“Yes, and you will love it.” She pulled back her tongue. Confidence brimmed from her face as she placed the platter on one of the stone tables. Javan sat with waited breaths. Since dying once in such a painful fashion, he wondered if his second death could match it. Death by poisonous mushrooms might take the win.
The food was good. A bit squishy and stretchy, but the overall flavor was remarkable. Stheno’s confidence turned to bravado.
“I told ya, didn’t I. I told ya” Stheno wrapped her tongue around one of the pulsating shrooms, pulling it back into her mouth faster than a speeding bullet. She talked completely different from when she was with Estreia, much more relaxed and cheerful.
“So where to go first?” Instead of licking her food, she twirled her tongue around her fingers. Somehow, she was still able to speak coherently.
“I’d like some new clothes and a shower, too.”
“That can be arranged.” She stood up, facing the door.
“There are a lot of interesting places to visit here. Not as many cool places as the capital, mind you, but there are some.”
The grin on her face got Javan to stand up. With all the craziness going on, the issue with Zephir, Estreia's character, and even Stheno herself was an enigma to him, and yet, that smile reminded him of his mother. The smile didn’t ask anything from him, force him into something that he wasn’t ready for, manipulate him into following somebody else. All he saw in that smile were monarchs in flight, four buckets of blueberries picked from bushes just in bloom, two young wide-eyed children enclosed in the embrace of a woman who never aged with a burly shoulder of a country bumpkin wrapped around her back. He could never hate it.