Out of the Mountain (6 page)

“The market district,” Rowan said a few minutes after we had cleared the end of the lower housing district. The buildings here were made of brick and identical but for the signage that accounted what the store held within. They were squared off into a sort of complex system of rows and sections that kept them well organized. I noticed a few clothing stores and tried not to linger, but it was nearly impossible not to window shop. I spotted a map hanging in the center that showed how large the market district actually was, with alleys and streets dedicated to nearly anything you could imagine. The scale of this place was so much larger than I was accustomed to, it was going to take some time to get used to the idea. Most of the shops were closed for the night, but the restaurants at the center were in full dinner swing. I smelled the aromas filling the air; my mouth watered and my stomach rumbled, which I dutifully ignored. No one approached us as we walked through the streets, but we were drawing quite a few stares. I couldn’t be sure if they were looking at Rowan, Kel, or me though . . . so I decided on the most logical option of them looking at Rowan.

We cleared the market district, and I could see the palace ahead in the distance. It was still a little too far to make out all the details, so I focused on what was the closest to us next.

“Industrial district,” he said as I took in the large buildings that must have been home to their factories and manufacturing units. On the other side of the main road from that and starting to light up like a beacon were the most beautiful and enormous houses I had ever seen. They were much more spaced out that the houses of the lower district.

“Upper housing district,” Rowan rumbled, and I looked to Kel.

“If you’re thinking rich and uppity, you’d be correct.” He smirked.

“So the city is segregated?”

“The guards live in the barracks that you saw. They protect the city’s perimeter and are near the headquarters. The farmers live on the land that they work. The lower district is home to a little of everyone: teachers, public service workers, clothing designers, blacksmiths, artisans, butchers, barbers, and even pastry chefs who work in the market district. The upper district is full of scholars and engineers, lawyers, physicians . . . old money and privilege do play a factor, of course. They do many things: own the factories and handle the trading contracts . . .” Rowan replied.

“And who works in the factories then? Where do they live?” I questioned.

“There are apartments made available past the factories and labs in the industrial district for those who can afford them, then out past that there is a village of sorts,” Rowan said.

“So they live in some sort of slum?” I gasped, and he shook his head.

“It is not as bad as that. It is the outer district. They work and live within the walls of the city, and that is more than enough to make up for how fancy their homes are. Everyone within these walls does their part to keep the city operating as smoothly as possible. Their little village is most likely closer to what you are accustomed to than all of this.” He motioned around us with his hand, and I bristled, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Velia is a beautiful village full of good, hardworking people. There is no shame in working for a living, earning everything you’ve got, and building your own home from the ground up with your family in mind.” I growled defensively, and he nodded.

“Precisely,” he agreed, and continued ahead of me. I blinked, and Kel laughed aloud at my confused expression. I noticed he had been much quieter since we entered the gates and I eyed him.

“Are you all right?”

“Just taking it all in. It’s been too long since I’ve been home, and much has changed.” He sighed. I looked ahead of us and noticed I could finally see the palace from afar, but the closer we got the more awed I became. Carved from stone and sitting atop a hill was the most beautiful building I’d ever seen. High arches lined the front, supported by columns engraved with intricate designs. They shone even in the fading light.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered to Rowan, and he nodded in agreement.

“Welcome to Alaris,” he replied as he continued his route to the palace gates.

“Alaris, formerly known as Reinhelm, was renamed by the people after the loss of their great king and queen,” Kel said grimly.

“Loss?” I asked, wanting to know more.

“Yes, the palace is currently vacant of royal blood. Instead this city is now governed by a council called ‘the Six,’ voted on by the citizens. It’s very progressive.” Kel snorted.

“Sounds like an improvement,” I noted honestly, making Kel laugh out loud. His sense of humor was beyond me.

We approached the gates and waited as the metal doors swung wide. I marveled at the beauty of the palace once more before we entered the garden that lay ahead of us. Trees, flowers, and ponds were artfully sculpted on the lawn; benches were placed sporadically along the paths. People milled about, seemingly on missions of their own. My eyes stopped on a guard at the bottom of the stairs as she began waving us over. Her uniform wasn’t the black I had been seeing; instead it was a dull gray. She was short and thin, with fiery-red hair and a wide smile.

“Finally! I thought you’d never arrive!” She squealed, bouncing on her toes, and Rowan narrowed his eyes at her. At least I wasn’t the only one he glared at.

“I’m Briony, and you must be Vivienne,” she continued, reaching a hand out to shake mine and turning her eyes on Kel. He reached his hand out to her with a smile, and she tilted her head, looking more closely at him. I could see recognition dawn on her face.

“Briony is a novice in training for the guard,” Rowan said, stopping her from whatever she was about to say.

“Yes, the actual guard isn’t quite as unprofessional.” She winked at me and then said to Rowan, “I’ll work on it.” She sighed and I grinned.

“If you’ll follow me, the council has been notified of your arrival and has gathered in the dining hall. The staff is preparing a welcome feast.” She smiled, and my stomach growled loudly at the mention of food. Rowan glared at it.

“Sounds perfect,” I said, letting her lead us up the wide stone steps. When we reach the heavy doors, they opened of their own accord, allowing our entry. Only a second passed before I was marveling at the beauty within. The entryway was enormous, ceilings reaching high and arching into the roof. To the left and right were multiple arched doorways, leading off into parts of the palace I couldn’t wait to explore. Directly across the room from the entrance was a grand staircase carved elegantly from stone. It was massive, curving up on both sides of the room. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings, light bouncing off and reflecting rainbows. The walls were covered in beautiful paintings. There was so much to look at.

“This way.” Briony smiled, branching off to the right and through an arched doorway. After a short distance, this opened up into another massive room lined with wooden tables and benches. At the front of the hall, sitting up on a platform, was a large, ornate table overlooking the others. This one was occupied by six people. We approached them, and when we came to a stop the woman in the middle stood. Her graying hair was swept into a tight bun, her face was lined lightly, but she was still beautiful. Her blue-gray eyes narrowed on Kel.

“You,” she accused sharply, and he grinned. I looked around in confusion.

“The girl has no knowledge of her lineage. She has not been taught anything,” Rowan said loudly, and I glared.

“I have been taught many things, much more than you, I’m sure,” I hissed, and he shook his head.

“He means no offense. You’ll get used to him,” Briony piped in, and I frowned.

“Very well. My name is Mauve, I am one of the Six,” she said with a careful smile at me. The Six were decked out in all white. (These people were really into color coding.) She gestured to the first man at the end of the table, who was staring intently at Kel, and began introductions.

“This is Quillion, Cordellia, Zoran, Orion, and Dahlia. They are the others of the council.” I looked at each of them as they nodded in accordance with their names.

Quillion was sharp looking; all the angles of his face and body could cut. He had silver hair and dark eyes. Cordellia was dark skinned with bright eyes; her hair flowed with locks of honey blonde. Zoran smiled when he met my eyes; his bald head reminded me of the monks. Orion was rotund, with hair the color of sand, and although Dahlia certainly appeared to be the youngest of the group, her hair was an impressive shade of silver. I blinked, taking a long look at her striking beauty, and she winked.

“I’m Vivienne,” I said, quickly recovering, and they all smiled.

“Such an honor to make your acquaintance,” Mauve replied, and then turned her attention to Kel.

“Now we must get down to the matters at hand.”

“Yes, yes, but can I tell the whole story?” Kel asked excitedly, nearly bouncing on his toes in anticipation. I watched as Mauve gave him a sharp look before nodding consent and sitting back into her chair with a look of contempt. I didn’t think she liked to share the spotlight very much.

“Sit first,” Rowan advised to me as he pointed to an empty seat, and I did, but only because I was exhausted.

“Where to begin?” Kel asked, tapping his chin.

“How about the beginning?” I said.

“Yes, that’s as good of a place as any.” He smiled and cleared his throat. I stifled a grin at his showmanship.

“Long ago, this land was ruled by a just and kind king called Killian . . . No, wait, I guess I should go even further back than that, though, shouldn’t I? Let me start again . . . ,” he said, clearing his throat more loudly and cracking his knuckles before settling back into position and starting once more.

“When Killian was young, as was custom, he was arranged into marriage with a powerful magic line. The royal bloodlines possess the most powerful forms of magic, which is always passed down, making the future king quite a catch.” He winked, and I smiled eagerly. I was finally going to get some sort of explanation.

“The largest nations were divided into two separate groups: Conduits, who could wield elemental magic, and the Shuni, who could conjure. This was the result of a war that took place long before Killian was born. The Shuni had their own kingdom with lands that bordered his, and both of them were bordered on the opposite sides by the sea. Though they had no quarrel with the Shuni, they also had no way to fix the rift between the two nations. So the kingdoms kept mostly to themselves.

“When Killian came of age, his fiancée Narissa was brought to the palace so that they could properly court. Narissa was beautiful, ill-tempered, and entitled. This didn’t sit well with Killian, but the two were paraded around as a happy couple, and he complied out of duty to his future kingdom. They had a hard time connecting, and Narissa would often disappear into the forest that bordered their lands. One night out of curiosity, Killian secretly followed her.

“When they reached the Shuni border, against his better judgment and out of concern for Narissa, he followed her to a camp that was close by. A party of sorts was going on, and Narissa was welcomed in as if she was well known. Killian watched from the shadows and was awed by the rambunctious behavior of the Shuni. Conduits were a very reserved group, and the antics of the rowdy Shuni fascinated him.

“He lost sight of Narissa and decided to look for her in the camp. No one seemed to notice him or even care that he was walking among them. That’s when he saw her . . . not Narissa, no. This was a dark-haired beauty with skin as pale as the moon and eyes to match. She was dancing around a fire, laughing among her friends. He felt drawn to her beauty, and before he knew it, he was standing in front of her. A smile lit up her face before she pulled him along and into the dance.

“When the time came to leave, he drew her aside and they agreed to meet in secret. They met many times before Narissa stumbled upon them in the forest. She immediately started plotting her revenge. You see, the girl was the royal Shuni Princess Alma. And so Narissa alerted a Shuni guard to their location and sat back to watch what unfolded.

“The Shuni king was outraged and ordered Alma to never see Killian again, but alas, the two had fallen in love, and there was no keeping them apart. Alma fled her home, and Killian implored his father to see reason. The king saw an opportunity and started trying to negotiate a treaty with the Shuni king. A marriage between their children could be profitable. Narissa’s plan for revenge had backfired on her, so she again began to plot.

“She seduced one of the Shuni king’s guards and convinced him to show her around the palace. She slipped away from the guard and snuck into the Shuni king’s chambers to wait. Narissa killed the king in cold blood and stole the Shuni amulet. This amulet was passed down through the generations and was embedded with powerful and pure magic. It allowed the king to retain order among his people, and in the wrong hands it was dangerous.

“Narissa was not a Shuni or a royal, however, and even though she could not wield its power, she took it out of spite and fled into hiding. The Shuni kingdom fell into chaos and the queen was soon killed. All the remaining power-hungry Shuni turned on one another, fighting for the right to be in charge. It was a time of chaos. The remaining Shuni dispersed and when news reach the Conduit king, he offered refuge to all who would take an oath to serve his kingdom. Alma was distraught, her father and mother were dead, she was the last of her bloodline, and her kingdom was no more. She turned to Killian in her time of need, and the wedding became the main priority of the kingdom. The people needed something to hope for and received just that when Killian married Alma in a public spectacle, inviting all to attend. It was an event that allied the Shuni and Conduits in a greater way than any had ever done before.

“The Shuni kingdom, which is now aptly referred to as ‘the Wastes,’ has been in turmoil since, and no leader has ever claimed any significant part of the land since the amulet was stolen. There are settlements and villages throughout, but it isn’t a safe place to settle by any means. No king means no soldiers, and no soldiers mean there is no law and order to be followed. Bandits and smugglers are a particular nasty blight for them. But I’m getting away from the original story now, so let’s refocus!