The carriage rolled right through the city and over the square to the palace. We passed small houses and I could smell the faint scent of dinner hanging in the air. The rocks made our carriage rumble as we passed a church. Inside the glass pained windows, I saw light and wondered who was in there, praying their sins away. Would it be like home? The version with the cups and the benches. Maybe they would welcome me.
We rolled through the gate into another square with torches lighting up the path. Nightfall had settled and the stars were shining bright.
I saw no other carriages going into the palace and wondered why. If tonight was supposed to be an important event, I would suspect more people would be outside. But all that greeted us were the guards. Sarvin exchanged papers with them before they let us pass up what seemed like hundreds of stairs. At the top, another set of guards greeted us, opening a big door. Behind it, a long hallway began.
A soft smell of roses hung in the air.
The hallway was lit by three huge chandeliers, jewelled with stones hanging from small threads. It almost looked like they were dripping off the gold. The floor was a wooden red and the walls a soft dark brown and bare.
Mayra straightened her back as we walked down the hallway which opened up into a large room lit up by hundreds of candles, all hanging from the ceiling by golden threads. The sound of music and chatter filled my ears and the scent of roses magnified. A large railing squared around the room and below it, on ground level, were the lords and ladies all standing around conversing.
They were all dressed in spring colours and their hair was moulded into weird shapes, jewelled with tiny stones, glimmering in the light.
Sarvin dipped to the right, heading for an opening carved into the wall. It led us down a circling staircase and onto the grand ballroom. The floor was glass and below it, roses in all colours had been placed. In the corner, a musical act was playing a slow entrancing tune and at the end of the hall, a big dais could be seen. Its size was arrogant on purpose. That was the king's chair, the same chair the general now sat in. The back of it was long, and the rest wide. The fabric was black and white buttons had been sewn into it.
Meeting them all at eye level, I suddenly understood what Sarvin had talked about. The people who weren't dancing immediately surrounded us, greeting Sarvin, and shaking his hand while complimenting him at the same time. He finessed them quite elegantly, replying with a few jokes and compliments that made them giggle. Some were even grinning with gold completely coating their teeth.
It was sickening staring at the wealth of those people who were so rich they could afford to accessorize their teeth. At home, a pair of those could buy food for a whole month.
I looked around ignoring all their curious stares as Mayra's attempts at dividing their attention from me were successful. My eyes rounded the room, landing on the biggest pile of food I had ever seen.
Sprawled onto a long table placed against the wall, stood piles of food. It had everything. Apples, a pig, a turkey, pudding, chocolate-covered fruit, and even a mountain of fuming buns. It looked as if nothing had been touched at all.
"Beautiful dress darling." An old woman had darted around Mayra who hadn't seen a thing. Her hair was a sad grey and pinned back with silver. Her dress was a fading hue of blue matching her ocean eyes that looked me up and down, mostly focusing on my face.
She didn't wait for a reply, "Are you one of Lord Sarvin's?" Her question was seasoned as if she already suspected my answer.
"I'm a friend of his daughters," I said, sounding corrected. She might have been suggesting something more vulgar.
YOU ARE READING
My Darkening Ember
Adventure"This bounty is mine, Xander," He said. It was the first time I ever heard his name. Xander smirked, "Kill me first, then take her." He proposed arrogantly, a silver knife resting confidently in his hand. The man only nodded once as his hand slithe...
