The Darkness Beyond the Stars

Chapter 21: Sjis-rok

I tried to keep track of all the faces, but they were swimming all about in my vision.

Then the guards erupted in shouts of congratulations and more laughter. I wavered a little, but caught myself. Eventually, the guards parted, and Raon led me through, with Morok and the horses trailing behind.

A bright circle of sunlight shone down onto the floor of the tunnel ahead It seemed too bright and alive for this world. I gazed at it, drinking it in like water.

Stone stairs spiraled up towards the source of the light. Raon led me to the foot, and we went up. I counted each step as we went up. My legs felt like they were bending in the wrong direction. I counted ten steps when hot air suddenly enveloped me. In the next ten steps, it got even hotter. How could it be this hot?

Then suddenly we were standing in a brightly lit room. It was sandy brown everywhere, with stone walls, dirt floor, and white linen cloth hanging in sweeping arcs from the ceiling. Blinding sunlight streamed in an open door in front of us.

I forgot my jelly legs and ran towards the door. The smell of a flower I didn't recognize filled my senses right before the sun struck my eyes and blinded me. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Then my mouth dropped open.

The door led to a street full of horses, carts, shouting merchants, and dark elves dressed in the colors of jewels, their skin dusky brown. Shouts and laughter were everywhere. The dust kicked up by all the people made the street hazy and golden. I grinned, and barely noticed Raon coming to stand beside me.

"Come!" He took my hand, and dragged me into the chaos.

We wove around horses and cows, ducking through tents, around stands full of fruit and steaming hot cooked meat. We finally reached the end of the street, and Raon pointed down to the left.

"Welcome to Sjis-rok."

I followed his arm, and my mouth dropped open again.

We were at a high point, and as the street dropped down, the city was spread before us in a mosaic of color and movement. There were colors everywhere, flying from the white rooftops, darting through the streets; blue, green, gold, dark brown, crimson, orange like a sunset. And the smells! Spices and flowers and dirt and incense stung my nose and filled the air.

A white palace stood like a crown at the far side of the city, reaching up to the sky. And beyond it, I could just catch a glimmer of white light, like the way the sun reflects off water.

I looked behind us, and saw the mountains we had passed under. They rose against the far sky, rose and white. And a lot farther away than I thought they would be.

I turned back to Raon. He was watching me, pure delight shining on his face. "Do you like it?"

I took a deep breath of the humid, heady air, and held his hand tighter. "Yes."

We mounted our horses again, and rode down into the city. Morok rode ahead, and some of the guards behind us. The people parted before us, and I heard whispers under the shouts. But soon whispers mixed with shouts, and I heard them calling their prince. When I looked behind us, people were following us. They smiled and chanted. "The Seventh! The Seventh!"

Someone started throwing flowers at us, and soon we were bombarded with flowers and bright scarves. A deep blue one caught on Raon's saddle, and he handed it to me. I wrapped it around my neck.

But when I looked closely at the faces, I could see the expressions change. You could tell they adored Raon, but when they looked at me, their faces became harder somehow, closed. A few vegetables were mixed in with the flowers. I ducked to miss an odd looking glob, and it splattered onto the wall on the other side of the street. Raon saw it, and turned to the crowd, with a look on his face that would melt flesh from bone.