COF Special: The Season of Wishes

Nine

"Do we really have to go this far? I'm sure the Imperial seamstresses can conjure something up just in time," Xanthy tucked herself deeper into her coat, thankful for the warmth the fur lining gave her. Elred wasn't kidding when she advised Xanthy to dress for the cold.

Elred glanced over her shoulder as she walked a few paces ahead of Xanthy. "Of course, The fashion exhibits are something to die for." the shard fairy said with a light bob of her head. "You wouldn't want to look like a witch at your closing ceremony. Come and enjoy Helinfirth as well."

Ah, yeah. It was Xanthy's first time in the famed Glass Mountain. She had been to Rabante, the city at the foot of the plateau, but all she heard of the Upper Cities were nothing short of what she's seeing now.

When she touched down on the glass-paved roads after being cooped up in a carriage pulled by winged animals whose wings looked like that of April's, her mouth had fallen partially open at the sight of tall buildings hewn out of glass and at the sheer amount of decorations peppering every inch of the city.

For a city who was razed to the ground during the war, they sure did their best to rebuild everything by Jered Hyngtis.

"It's a commercially active time of the year so what better way to regain the balance of the economy other than opening it up for tourists?" Canelis said somewhere besides Xanthy. She almost forgot the pixie was even with them with her silent steps and ever-present brooding skills. "You should see Yin Alora. My people have performed well in their mission."

Xanthy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the pixie's grand statements. If not for the years of study she took under scholars, Canelis would surely be talking like the rest of them. "Stop reading my mind when you're not a thyminka, Can," she said to the pixie. Let her hope to the gods Canelis didn't mind the nickname Xanthy just called her.

The pixie's only answer was a light grunt. Her pace still matched Xanthy's whereas Elred was already miles off into the road. Xanthy blew a breath and she watched the crystallized tendrils curl off her lips. Woah. Was it that cold?

Her soles crunched against the multicolored glass lining the road before them, its noises matching the hundreds others from people who were with them. Xanthy glanced at another mound of the white stuff that fell from the heavens. They weren't quite like the ice she saw in the Ice Capital. It's ice, that's for sure, but shaved. It's as if there's a giant gadget in the air, grinding huge icicles and sprinkling the product to the earth.

"Snow," Elred was suddenly beside Xanthy, her gaze pointed at the same spot she didn't even realize she was looking at. "That's what snow looks like."

The only word that flew out of Xanthy's mouth was, "Cool."

"Now, come on," Elred jerked her chin to a specific mansion. "The Sandoxa emporium is close to opening. We would want to be the first ones there."

Xanthy raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you like royalty in this place? Shouldn't you get special privileges or something?"

Elred rolled her eyes. "We are in Xixora. The Valkalin family does not have much power here."

Xanthy blinked and Canelis put a hand on Xanthy's shoulder. "Best to not concern yourself with political matters especially during the holiday," the pixie said. "Let's just follow Elred to get this done with, do you agree?"

She stuck her bottom lip out. "Sure."

The next hour, then, was spent trekking past a road that seemed to be exploding with more and more decorations as it led to somewhere. The clothes of the people who traveled along with them changed from simple to frivolous. The slogs of boots were now replaced by the tinkle of high-pitched laughter of noble ladies and the stringent clacks of glass heels against the pavement.