Orona (Book 1)

Chapter 8 - King Elden

Chapter 8 - King Elden

After stuffing ourselves with some of the best food I'd ever eaten, a small, sharply dressed Elden walked over to where the king had been sitting.

"Are you finished?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you. It was delicious," replied Drew as he stood up.

"Do you not like Elden food?" he asked, looking at Cubby, who still hadn't eaten anything.

"I'm not hungry," mumbled Cubby, who just stared down at his lap.

"Could you please follow?" he asked, gesturing towards the spiral staircase that ran down the inside of the tree.

We followed him down one level out of the expansive circular palace and onto a long, narrow curved bridge. The bridge connected the palace to the very top of one of the nearby smaller trees. The wind hissed, and I looked down over thousands of feet of open air. My legs wobbled slightly as I stood myself back up straight, feeling faint at the sight of how high up we were.

"You will be staying in some of our guest homes in the branches of Vigor, this great Torina tree you see before you. She is well over 30,000 years old, and will take good care of you."

We finally came to the end of the bridge and then started descending one side of the tree down one of the elevator-like platforms. "We weren't expecting guests of your size, so you'll have to excuse the sleeping arrangements. I hope you will be comfortable regardless," He held his stubby arms out, showing us a cluster of the tiny homes we'd seen throughout the city, each one resting upon a web of smaller branches. I didn't see how they would be able to hold our weight.

"Don't be worried. The older the Torina tree is, the stronger its branches. Sleep well. I will leave you now. Someone will come first light to guide you to dawnmeal. Choose any house that suits you," he said, rushing off before we could even say thank you.

"I'm going to go check on Jack," said Drew. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

"You mean check on Marin?" teased Cubby.

Drew looked back and tried hard not to smirk before rushing down the walkway back to the wounded.

"Good night," said Cubby as he ducked his head and quickly went into the door of the first house we came to.

I kept walking until I spotted one that seemed to float in the open air. The dark gray shingled roof came to a sharp, elongated point with a beautifully carved wooden eagle . Most of the homes looked like this, though I noticed the eagles were unique to each home. The one on my roof, had its wings wide open with one talon connecting to the highest point of the roof. I made my way up a tiny spiral staircase that led into a single room home, warm from the crackling fire. It had little round crossed windows and matching half-circle shutters.

I noticed the tiny bed had been stripped of its bedding, and on the floor was a plethora of pillows and several large blankets made from the softest silky material I had ever felt. I gathered the blankets in a pile and flopped down, immediately yawning. I closed my eyes and as soon as my head hit those impossibly soft fibers, my mind calmed. I fell asleep in a moment.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the now familiar sound of Elden horns. I had slept heavily for the first time on Orona. I looked out through the wavy glass of one of my little round windows and could see Elden warriors coming out of their houses in droves. With weapons in their hands, they quickly mounted their eagles before flying out of sight. Hundreds of mounted eagles dove past me from their homes above.