Their rooms were resplendent and opulent. Frustratingly so. There was an almost sickening allure to the furnishings that almost seemed to beg one to partake. Ulgrin had taken a seat on the bed and almost immediately felt a great desire to fall asleep. It was a struggle not to take advantage of the supplied space, but he retained his willpower. Someone in the party had to remain responsible.

He definitely felt that the penthouse suite rivaled their stay in the Viscount’s castle. Perhaps he’d have something better to compare it to when they visited Andire’s royal chambers? It probably wasn’t fair to compare a downright enchanting quarters like this to a more mundane place. Still, it was a damn nice place to rest. He found himself dozing off, but managed to maintain a proper watch.

By the time Saezz came to relieve him Ulgrin hit the bed sheet like a rock. He found himself curling around Lorekeeper’s vessel, praying to whatever deities were listening that she would be alright.

Time passed. Or so he presumed. The dwarf awoke, feeling quite well rested and recuperated. All the aches and pains in his body from training, battle, and exertion had disappeared. He felt like a new man. How much would it set me back to purchase one of these beds? Probably half a kidney and my second born son. Leaving such fantasies behind he made his way into the conjoined dining hall and found his friends gathered and enjoying a subpar breakfast of smoked meats, softened hard-tack, and dried fruits.

“Don’t trust the breakfast platter?” He asked, staring at the decadent display of food. Glistening apples and berries seemed ripe for the picking. Fresh jam was available to be spread on rich smelling loaves of bread. “I’m guessing there’s something wrong with it, considering you all haven’t chowed down already.”

Wind lifted one of the loaves and tore it in twain. “The food is rotten.” The glamor was dispelled and he got a glimpse of some truly foul moldy bread. “The fey love to play tricks like these. If you’d like to try a bite, then by all means. Dunvi stomachs are supposed to be hardy, no?”

“I’ll gladly munch on some rocks, but not that.” He rapped his knuckles against some bread turned brick. “At least we brought plenty of provisions. Do you think their dinner will be the same?”

“Not likely. Queen Erenaya isn’t likely to make much fun of the occasion. She’s a rather… straightforward kind of Archfey.” He paused to wipe Maya’s mouth and face off with a handkerchief, diligently taking care of the girl even in a place like this. The girl pouted, insisting she could clean herself off.

“I’m not a baby anymore, Wind.” She said, crossing her arms in frustration. “I just missed a spot, is all.”

“You must remain as presentable as possible.” He chided, handing her the cloth. “Miss Maya, you’re here to represent your family line now. It’s good to make positive impressions.”

“I’d put up with all the doting, lass.” Raelza said with a smile, waving a stick of cured meat at the girl. “Pretty soon you’re gonna miss things like this.”

“Not gonna happen.” Maya was certainly a stubborn kid. Gods above and below knew that Ulgrin missed his own family dearly.

Ulgrin shook his head in amusement before focusing on eating. He kept casting glances to his satchel where Lorekeeper’s vessel rested, still dimmed from last night’s event. Occasionally he would get a spark of life from her, but very sparsely. She was in a stasis of sorts. Resting, most likely. He had to imagine that such a thing would be a great shock for the construct.

Soon enough the party was well fed and ready to take on the world. His aetheric channels seemed to have recovered well while they had rested, something he was very thankful for. The world practically swam with mana around him despite the incongruent non-magical effects of this place. Then again, it was located on a leyline. Below the earth a great channel of power lay, brimming with energy and power. Rituals could take advantage of such places, but required a lot of time and materials to set up.

The party whiled the time away waiting for their guide to show up. Mostly through simple card games and basic exercise. However long ‘twelve heartbeats’ were, days passed strangely in this place. A constant twilight lay over the city through their window, further dampened by the water above.

A knock at the door announced the arrival of Tenebrous, whose shadowy form seemed unchanged. He gave a low bow as he opened the door and greeted them. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. A pleasure to see you once again. I hope you’ve all been enjoying the amenities? We made sure to give you the rooms that contained ‘toilets’. Abhorrent practice, but we would prefer the defecation remain behind closed doors rather than in the middle of hallways.”

“Saezz does enjoy having a place to rest his behind.” The lizardfolk nodded heartily. “Where is the plumbing, though? The next time he checked it was simply empty.” Normally most places used a network of pipes and water to send waste to the sewers, but this place lacked that. Instead, the seated hole simply sent the stuff… somewhere else. Whether that was magical or not he had no idea.

Tenebrous paused for a moment before ignoring Saezz and continuing. “If you would all join me, please. We have a schedule to keep up. First we shall be joining her Majesty in the gardens for tea and biscuits. There you may ask her simple questions. Afterwards there will be a dance in the main hall. Following that shall be the banquet, where she will give you all her answer.”

“Seems like a good time to me,” Raelza said, crossing her arms and stretching. “I could go for some tea. Does the Queen have any fancy varieties?”

“Indubitably.” Tenebrous replied, already guiding them through the maze of hallways.

Taking numerous turns brought them to an open courtyard. A glass pane above seemed to transform this area into a greenhouse, amplifying the poor light and allowing a beautiful garden to form. Their eyes were drawn to numerous colorful plants of all shapes and sizes. Some were simple like the common dandelion while other plots housed a deadly nightshade they stayed well clear of.

Stolen novel; please report.

Queen Erenaya sat beneath a masterfully crafted gazebo made from beech and cherry. Her tall figure reclined in a chair, taking in the scenery. Her piercing gray eyes wandered over them, dismissive. “Take a seat next to me, all of you. Today the flowers are blooming. A rare occurrence here.”

Alyss gave a deep bow, prompting them all to follow suit. “Thank you for the invitation, your Majesty.” She led the way, noble instincts kicking in. If there was one thing the alchemist knew about traditional practices, it was how to act during a tea party. Something about the way she conducted herself told Ulgrin she’d done this a thousand times, if not in such serious circumstances.

Tenebrous poured them all cups from a teapot. The pot seemed to be boiling itself automatically via some unknown method. Erenaya expectedly waited for them to partake. It wouldn’t be right to refuse a Queen, would it? Ulgrin paused, eyeing his steaming cup. Then he shrugged and took a sip. Absolutely divine stuff. Flavors burst over his tongue, causing him to close his eyes and withhold a groan of pleasure. Immediately he regretted it because he knew deep within his heart that he would never taste something this good again.

His fellows followed suit, each having their own reactions to the drink. It felt criminal to drink something like this and never have the opportunity to try it again. But he would have to live with that. It wasn’t like he could order a parcel from the Murky Court and expect it to be delivered. No doubt the courier would get lost on the way there.

Erendaya waited until they had all partaken before speaking up in her odd voice. “You will each have questions for me. I shall answer one from each person.” She looked towards Maya who almost buried herself in Wind’s side. “The child may ask one as well.”

Now that was a difficult thing to come up with. What should he ask? He cast his gaze to the others in the group, finding them all stumped as well. A hundred different possibilities raced through his mind. This was his only chance to ask an Archfey a really important question.

Maya frowned, speaking up suddenly. “Are you my grandma?”

The Queen paused, the slightest hint of a smirk on her lips. “No, child. I am only distantly related to you, as I am to all descendants of the fey. But I knew of your mother. She was a beautiful, brave woman. Her passing was a shame.”

“Oh.” The girl thought about that for a few moments. “Thank you, missus Queen.”

Saezz raised a finger, speaking up. “This question. We may ask whatever we wish to know, yes?” Ulgrin winced, already seeing the man’s mistake just a second too late.

“Yes.” Her smirk widened just barely. “Next question.” Of bloody course the fey is going to take it literally. He felt sorry for his friend, the lizardfolk crossing his eyes in confusion before realizing the error of his ways. Saezz sighed, angrily grabbing a cookie and chomping down on it. Tenebrous quickly ran a brush over the falling crumbs, cleaning them in an instant. Ever the dutiful servant.

Amused, Raelza spoke next. “Hmm. If that’s the case, I can ask whatever I’d like… Will I ever find true love?” Ulgrin was very tempted to smack himself in the face, for all the good hitting his steel helmet would do. Why was his friend like this? Ugh.

Queen Erendaya’s eyes seemed to flash like storm clouds for a moment. Then she spoke, “No. You will die alone, clutching your guts as they spill out onto the cavern floor. It will be painful and excruciating. Your friends will be gone. Your weapons shattered. Your closest companion, deceased.”

Silence fell over the group. Raelza’s purple face went pale. That… Was she divining into the future? That couldn’t possibly be how their friend’s story ended. Ulgrin reached down and clutched Lorekeeper’s vessel tightly, fear sinking into his heart. What did he even say to that? Surely such a portent was false. But who was he to doubt such power?

Alyss laid her hand on the drow’s shoulder comfortingly. Then she took a deep breath and tried to focus on her own question. “Why did the Lady of the Lake disappear after granting the Mantle of Andire to our nation? The stories have never explained what exactly happened.”

Erendaya thought about that for a moment. “Why, she died of course. Queen Ninianne used the last of her power to create the Mantle before perishing. It was very tragic. Afterwards, I took up residence in her old home now that it had become abandoned. You all stand in the remains of her castle.”

The alchemist blinked at that. “Oh. That makes a lot of sense, actually.”

Alder went next, rather nervous to be speaking to fey royalty. “Ah… Is my sister alive?” The words hurt Ulgrin’s heart.

“Yes. Though you should hurry, or that fact may change.” Erendaya replied simply. Alder slumped over, at once relieved and exhausted by learning such a thing. Ulgrin patted him on the back, happy for him despite the current circumstances. There was still hope in that, at least.

Fleeting Wind waited for a few moments before speaking up next. “What is the biggest threat to Maya’s life?” The girl looked up at him, furrowing her brows.

“Her father.” The Queen said simply. “I would take care of him, else the child’s fate be doomed by his blind hatred. But his search is fruitless for the time being. Eventually he will find you, though.”

“Thank you.” He took some solace in these words. “He shall not harm a single hair on her head. This I swear, witnessed by the Queen herself. Twice do I vow to protect her. Thrice do I promise to not let him spill an ounce of the child’s blood.” With each word the air seemed to grow heavier and heavier, ending in a final statement of determination. The wind whipped up around Wind before settling down.

“So it is witnessed.” The Queen said, narrowing her eyes. “A lofty promise. Do try and survive what comes, will you? I’d quite like to see this child’s future.”

Maya bit her lower lip, staring up at Wind. She wasn’t quite sure what was meant during all of this. It was beyond a child’s comprehension. But she seemed to know he cared a great deal for her. “Um… Please don’t get hurt for me, Wind. I’d be very sad.”

“I shall endeavor not to, Miss Maya.” He said warmly, ruffling her hair.

With that said and done, the Archfey turned her attention to him. Expecting. Waiting. Questions ran through his mind. His head hurt. Finally, he came to a conclusion. One that he spoke through parched lips.

“What happens when the sky is sundered and the great void comes?”

Queen Erenaya paused, staring at him. Her composed appearance cracked, and a furious expression filled her beautiful face. “Ask another question.”

“But,” he said, eyes widening. “You said you would answer any question we had. Surely that’s not a difficult thing to answer?”

“I said ask another damned question, you foolish dwarf!” Her voice rose, filling the air with an odd pressure that pressed him down into his seat. His heart raced as she rose from her seat. “I will rip your heart free from its ribcage and whisper the answer to your corpse, should you ask again. Now. Ask another question.”

Ulgrin felt sick, his body weighed upon by a great pressure. If even an Archfey didn’t want to speak of what would happen when the world ended, what did that speak for their fate? He felt so very small at that moment.

Questions asked of an Archfey won't always give you the answers you want. And thus ends the Writathon on a grim note. More mysteries come into question about the end of the world. Erenaya's portents are true, or at least as true as she can give them. There is no perfectly accurate divination. I'll be taking a break for up to a week. Need to let the creative juices flow and my mind to recharge. But it's been a fun Writathon. Thanks for reading! I'll see you all next time.