How Divine is Thou?

Facile

Getting into the palace was the easy part. We had split with Citune, Ettia, and Mizotl a while back. Ialdir took a side road to find a way in. I was left with Nyx as we approached the front gates.

"Names?" The guards asked. An iron helmet covered his head and face. Not an inch of skin showed. I shifted closer to Nyx, remembering I was supposed to be his wife.

"I'm Nyxion Hyfled. This is my wife, Tholnia Hyfled," He told the guard. I flashed a smile and tried to look natural. I probably looked like a nervous toddler.

"The Boiling Desert?" He asked. Nyx nodded. The guards uncrossed their blades. "Welcome to The Crystal Palace. Try not to break anything."

With that lovely send-off, we walked into the palace. We walked through, following the crowds. For once, I was thankful for the concerns of others. I might have gotten lost if Nyx hadn't grabbed my hand.

"Remember, you're my wife," He said with a smile. "It's okay if you want to touch me."

"Oh, shut up," I scolded. In truth, I was glad for an excuse to stay close to him. I didn't like the way all the old men in the corridor were looking at me. "We should find your sister. See what this big fiasco is about."

"Yeah," he said begrudgingly. "Follow me." I wasn't given much a choice as his grip on my hand was quite tight. We weaved through the crowds of people standing around and talking. "If you see that girl from your dream, tell me."

I had almost managed to forget about that. The face of Lady Vynaria Hyfled wormed its way back into my mind. Now that he was cleaned up and in formal clothes, their resemblance was so strong I couldn't believe that he didn't know her.

We walked into the ballroom and searched around. There were so many different people. I recognized some. The king of The Venomous Jungle was chatting with the princess of The Steel Kingdom in a distant corner.

Two men who looked alike were speaking with two women in hushed voices. I considered that maybe they were discussing something important, but when they started to giggle and blush, I led my attention elsewhere.

Near the back of the room, I saw a group of four. Three of them were women. The man was probably in his mid-twenties and had on a straight black suite. One of the women looked like she was in her late fifties but tried to cover it with makeup. Another looked to be in her late twenties. The third caught my attention.

She was rather pretty, but her dress was horrendous. It was sage green with pink lace for trim. Her long dark brown hair was done up with flowers in a bun. I recognized her in an instant.

"That's her," I told Nyx, trying to be subtle with my pointing. He looked towards her and turned white.

"You've got to be kidding me," He hissed. "She's talking to my stupid mother and sister."

"That's your mother and sister? They look nothing like you," I commented as we headed towards them. I saw Vynaria look towards us and smirk slightly. Had she recognized us?

"I'm aware. I always was the black sheep of the family. That woman does look like my father, though. Probably one of his affair kids," Nyx said. As we got close, his grip on my hand tightened, and he seemed to be holding himself back from saying some colorfully worded things. He managed to get out a polite, "Hello."

I smiled at them, trying to catch Vynaria's attention. Not only did she know where Lesterati was, but she had the Godstone.

The younger of the two women was the first to open her mouth. "Hello there." Gods, her voice was annoying. I felt like I could get a migraine from being around her too long. The older woman, presumably Nyx's mother, looked livid but tried to hide it. "Can we help you with something?"