I pushed out into the wide ramped aisle, made my way upward, now the foot-traffic had died down quite a bit, as many of the goers had been seated already. I looked around in the hallways, the bars still clumped with people, and began to walk, choosing a direction aimlessly. Soon the sporesong flickered around me, and trailed forth from me like leading flames. I followed it to a dragonmetal door flanked by two darklings dressed in gray and plain silks.

They said not a word as I presented myself.

“I’m—uh—looking for Lhuna.”

Before I had even finished my sentence, the door had been thrown open. There was a brief hallway and a set of wooden doors, and then silver stairs that circled upward.

“Go on,” the left darkling prompted. “First time, eh?”

“Thanks,” I said lamely.

I paused at the next set of doors briefly, then shook my head and looked for the sporesong, which faintly here still streamed from me, pathing up the stairs. So I went, and in each circle there was a hallway that led from the stairwell. At the third circle the sporesong turned toward the hall. I passed down the corridor, walls carved into friezes of roots and blooms, worked through with thin veins of dragonmetal, and opal-hued gems that rippled in the sporelight. The sporesong turned at a silver portal. I rapped upon it.

Presently it opened to a mild-mannered nefra, milk-colored and splotched with teal, wearing a silk doublet.

“Yes?”

“I’m here at—at Lhuna’s bequest,” I said, in as dignified a tone as I could muster.

One of its appendages motioned me in.

“Welcome, guest of House Taladet.”

The nefra shut the silver door behind me with a click, then skittered away into what darkness I could not see. I stood in a tall but narrow atrium. There were multiple ways to move to further rooms. Above me glass windows filtered in prismatic sporelight from the mushroom-spires. Beyond the atrium a set of steps led down into a red-hued room with an open far wall with a glass balcony that looked out over the stage. Here couches and divans had been set with pillows, and a few plush chairs.

I walked to the steps, and touched the dragonmetal rail, and began to descend. Halfway down, someone braced me from behind. I froze, as it was unexpected, then staggered on the steps and fell two steps down, catching myself on my knees and claws.

“Klask! You came!”

I looked up, seeing Lhuna, iridescent hair, milky eyes like cave pools, in dark silks. I grinned and straightened up. My knee felt bruised.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I said.

“Come on, let me show you the place.”

Lhuna took my hand and led me to a divan. A wide dragonmetal tray lay upon the divan already, and Lhuna leapt into the wide space and splayed out beside it.

“Lessos?” Lhuna gestured to the tray.

There were little biscuits upon the tray. They had a shape I could not place, like a double teardrop.

“What are they?”

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Just try one.”

So I did. It was sweet and cut through with a sour currant-like taste. I nodded to her.

“Thanks. Delicious.”

“Feel free. Shello’ll start soon I bet. Sporesong should tell us right before.”

I licked my lips. “If you invited Roz and Aqta up here too, they just might come. It’s pretty nice.”

Lhuna shrugged. “I wanted to see you.”

She searched among her silks and presented me with the silkspeak bracelet. “Thanks for this. It’s clever!”

“I came across the idea from a…student, I guess. From a Weaver’s Spire here.”

“The Weaver’s Spire. Well I’m glad you’re mingling Klask.”

“It’s not like that,” I said, flushing a little and remembering Zelvy suddenly.

Lhuna beckoned to the sporesong hovering above us. “Tell Glym to pour a glass for Klask as well.”

She sent it off back toward the atrium.

“You know I’ve only been here a couple weeks.”

“Yeah.” Lhuna smiled and sighed. “Does it all feel like magic to you here?”

“It’s incredible. Where I come from—we heard these stories sometimes, you know, and it all sounded like a fairy tale to me.”

“Where are you from?”

“The S’uldra—Silsern. A little fishing village."

“Fishing village, huh? Hey is it anything like Vahana?”

I considered briefly while I ate another of the lessos. “From what I’ve heard yeah. Only difference is nobody goes to the S’uldra for pleasure really. Just those of us that live there pretty much.”

“Lived,” Lhuna said. “You live in Blackbloom now. Vahana’s great. Warm sands, warm waters, ancient resort buildings you wouldn’t believe. There’s this frost spa there that…my, Klask, I just…is there anything like that in your S’uldra?”

“A frost spa…?” I said dubiously. “No, not really.”

“No Myr ruins at all?”

My veins froze. I shook my head. “No…no…” I said, and it was all I could manage.

“D’you have any water?”

Lhuna gestured backward. “There’s a pitcher or I can ask . . .”

I rose, finding it a good opportunity to settle my thoughts, and with shaking hands poured a from pitcher of water into two glasses. I drank at one. The water was vigorously cold, both in the pitcher and the glasses.

“Ey, Klask! What’s glowing?”

The voice came from above me. I looked up and saw Glym. He went around and trotted gingerly down the stairs, carrying three glasses.

“Hey,” I said. “Glym! This is quite an event . . .”

“There’s other bards.” Glym hesitated, then grinned. “When Shello’s not available at least.”

He leaned in and knocked his stack of glasses to the waters I carried. I followed him and he dropped off two of the drinks with Lhuna then sat on a plush chair further down. I placed a glass of water beside the drinks on Lhuna’s tray, then sat back on the divan. My water glass’s exterior had fogged. It steamed.

“Like that,” Lhuna said brightly, gesturing the frosted glass. “Just think of that glass but a whole room full of artifice such as that. In the frost spas I mean.”

Lhuna held up her hand for silence before I could respond. Then she jabbed her finger upward.

“Glym!” She sat up suddenly, calling across the room. “Glym! It’s about to start! Look! It’s not going to tell us!”

He flashed her a thumbs up. “All right,” he called unevenly.

“Sorry,” Lhuna said, more quietly to me. “You know I said the sporesong’ll tell us when Shello comes? Well it’s not gonna.”

She said the last part almost like an accusation.

I shrugged. “Maybe not with words, but, well, it’s kinda cool you can tell.”

She shook her head. Then her face softened, and the crowd began to roar. She gestured to the drinks that her brother had procured. “Want some shimmerwine?”

“I’ve never had it,” I admitted.

“Well feel free.”

We settled back onto pillows, close to one another. I urged my heart to be calm, and took a sip of shimmerwine. It was very sweet, but heady. I coughed a puff of rainbow effervescence, which drifted on the air for a breath.

A floating flame of purest pearltone emerged from the depths and came out onto the stage. Everyone was cheering wildly below us. The sporesong gusted about it like a maelstrom. The flame coalesced into a sword, whose keening, booming voice swept over everyone in fullness, carrying word and music together.

in the dragon-deep world

where I wandered alone

through shadows unfurled

upon footprints on stone

where your heart has been

where your love has grown

from where we were when

we marked footprints on stone

you touched my hand in time

the moon's true light shone

now I’m marked by memory

of your footprints on stone

Where your heart has been

where your love has grown

from where we were when

you marked footprints on stone