Athyyah

Chapter Seven Melan

Once they reached the building the women led the group through a curtain door, but unlike the other buildings, not only were the curtain extremely exquisite, but it actually had ornaments around the doorframe. You could tell this building had some sort of important function. It was noticeably larger than the others and inside it was much taller, almost a two story building, with two wooden beams, with sub-beams laid perpendicularly to hold up the grass on steroids roof, running from the two visible corners to a point in the center of the building, where they disappeared behind the wall. From the massive entrance, they were led to a waiting room of sorts, with not much decoration on the walls. The group was rather disappointed at finding that there was no water or any snacks they could munch at, much less any chairs to sit on.

"I wish they at least had water in here," Kaitlyn said, speaking her thoughts. The trip in the hot sun had left her parched. The others nodded, with Ellenah once again not paying much attention.

After a few minutes a young thin woman with long wavy red hair and golden yellow eyes with a perfect figure any man could love, came out of another room and turned to Ellenah. Like the other woman the group encountered, she was a good six feet in height, though she was noticeably shorter than the ladies that had escorted them in.

"You can bring in the visitors now," she announced.

"Thank you Anthieyah," Ellenah said and turned to the five outsiders. "If you'll come with me," she said as Anthieyah and her walked to the doors that Anthieyah had come from. The other woman warriors remained standing by the exit.

The group slowly followed the two women through a couple of short corridors that were decorated with very beautiful art. The walls here were even painted with different tones of blues and oranges, greens and greys, with carved wooden artifacts hanging all around. The group all felt they were in a compressed art exhibit. At the end they walked through another curtain door, this one noticeable heavier to push out of the way. Those of them who were more familiar with the science of sound guessed it would be quite effective and muffling conversations going on inside.

They entered into a large room. There was a long rectangular table with delicately carved legs that each each were shaped like a weasel like creature that appeared to be holding up the flat dark wood of the top. A single window rose at the far end reaching up from the floor all the way to the ceiling. It could pass as another door. There, sitting with the window right behind her was an elderly woman with grey highlights in her smooth deep blue hair. She sat on a pile of cushions and made no attempt to get up, just watched as the group slowly entered. Ellenah told them to sit down, the group releasing sighs of relief as they did. They've been either walking through unknown forests or standing around all day up to this point. They were appreciating the fact that they were not being asked to stand. There were no chairs of course, but plenty of cushions around the walls for which they could seat themselves on.

"Greetings. You must be the strangers that we're found in the ruins. I'm Melan," the woman said. She had a very projecting voice for being an elderly woman. I do not want to be on her bad side, getting screamed at by her would be deafening. Arnold thought.

"That would be us," answered Valerie feeling it should be rather obvious considering how they looked, but made sure that didn't come across in her tone.

"Hello," said the rest of the group all a little uncertainly.

"Can we get some water or something to eat?" Kaitlyn asked impatiently. "I don't mean to be rude, but we have been walking or standing for what seems an eternity. Being hungry and thirsty is only adding to the frustration of not knowing what is really going on."