The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 (87 page)

As
she slept in the tent on their first night travelling through
Aslemer, her mind had been haunted by dreams. Images flocked her
mind, but the most disturbing of them all was that which had seen
her back in the strange temple – like building she had frequented
in her mind during her poisoning, where she had first met the Akari
woman’s spirit. This time though, the majestic building was cold
and damp and its previously awe-inspiring halls had fallen into
disrepair. Water dripped from the ceiling and seashells and strange
creatures clung to the massive pillars that had grown dank with
brown smears from rusty metal nails along their lengths. As she
walked around in the dreamland she passed several alcoves, where
crumbling statues of human - like creatures were covered in
mussels, kelp and seaweed. A dank, blue light from an invisible
source hung across the place. She seemed to wander aimlessly about
for hours, until she emerged through an archway into an average-
sized room with paintings across the walls she could not quite make
out in the gloom. It felt eerie and lifeless, like a tomb. At the
far end of the room was a set of three steps leading on to a kind
of stone podium. As she walked up them, in the centre of the square
block of stone were the three golden rings she had seen before in
the water. There were symbols carved into the three rings, and in
the centre was a single golden disc engraved with a lone symbol: an
ideogram in the rough shape of a wavy ‘T’, but with an extra line
dissecting the vertical sweep of the icon. She knelt down and
touched the rings. They were cold - metallic, as she expected by
their appearance - and they felt very solidly inset into the stone
surrounding them. As she touched them, whispers filled her mind.
Most of the sentences she could not make out, but one seemed louder
than the others and familiar somehow:

“
No hope of salvation unless the One can be
found;


She
will find where the Peacekeepers have gone to ground;


Only then in time can the Peace be restored;


And
the countries again united in utopian accord.”



She lifted her hand from the rings and they
pulsed. A ghostly outline of Taico Grimm appeared and she yelped,
stepping back in surprise. He smiled at her and then his face
morphed, growing less gaunt and a beard began to grow unnaturally
quickly until it covered half his face. He looked squarely at her
and nodded. “This is what it was all for,” he said in a calm,
almost
fatherly
voice. “Asternabai, chosen one. It will all end if you do
not stop the Return.
Free
them
.” At that point she awoke, back in the tent,
sitting up in a cold sweat. Her clothes were drenched. She slipped
her blouse off carefully beneath the sheets, looking to make sure
Thadius was still asleep whilst she did so and then, laying it
carefully by her side so she could easily retrieve it, pulled the
blanket close and over her shoulders. She didn’t sleep after the
dream, but lay there thinking, shivering in spite of the heat, cold
from the sweat, and waited for the sunrise to
come.

The
next day’s travel was much like the first and despite making small
talk with the soldiers who escorted her, most of the day passed in
silence. That night she stayed awake thinking of Matthias. That she
still had no idea if he were alive or dead haunted her as much as
the nightmares she continued to have. Her heart ached when she
pictured him lying dead in Crystal Ember, charred and burnt from
the dragon’s flames. She felt even more guilt in that she had not
thought as much about Luccius. He was just as dear to her and yet,
her thoughts continued to linger on Matthias.

Finally after what felt like an age the princess and Thadius
were passed over into the hands of their current escort, a man
named Taliph as they reached the border of the city. He was a tall,
black – skinned man with a shaven head and a golden earring in both
his lobes and burly arms. Despite his oppressive stature Taliph
seemed quite kindly as he greeted her with a warm smile. It was a
more innocent smile than the leering looks the soldiers had treated
her to and she took comfort in it.

“
Everything looks so
ancient
,” Josephine exclaimed, gazing wide-eyed
around herself at the city as they walked.

“
Ank’ Shara was founded over a thousand years ago, by the
First Imperator Julian Tresco,” Taliph said with a heavy foreign
twang in his voice. “When his caravan of refugees were driven from
their tribal lands in the north, they rested around the banks of
the river Ankalid, shielded on one side by the mountains there.” He
indicated to the range of purple - tinged, imperious pyramids of
rock that skimmed the clouds. “To protect his clan from more harm,
Julian ordered the building of a stone wall around the rest of the
encampment, and with it he laid the first stones of this city. Our
people swore to defend it to our last, as we do today.”

“
It’s hard to believe that anything could
survive
for so long,”
Thadius commented. “That it made it through
all
the great wars that have plagued
Triska for much of that time is
impressive
.”

“
Our skin is thick and our dedication is
just
as strong,” the man
said.

“
Forgive me, but you speak of Aslemer as home, yet
you do not bear the
features
of an Aslemerian,” Josephine commented.

“
You
speak of my colour?” Taliph asked. Josephine nodded.

“
I have seen some men of your kind appear in
Aralia, but you are few and your origins are said to be from
far
across the
ocean.”

“
I
was born in this city,” he replied, swaying his bare arms around
casually as he strode onwards. “But my mother did come from across
the sea. She travelled far and arrived many, many cycles ago. I
know no other home than this.”

Josephine nodded. “And what a home it is,” she
complemented.

As they passed through a market, a man with a
brightly - coloured waistcoat and a conical red and purple hat that
barely covered his head approached them in the cramped street and
attempted to guide them in the direction of his stall. Taliph
warned him off with a hard look and the man slunk off dejectedly.
Dodging people they then passed near to a dock - yard, where men of
all colours and creeds worked to unload cargo off an unusual
looking ship with narrow, burgundy - coloured, triangular sails
shaped like a shark’s fins. Most of the men there were built like
workhorses, hoisting crates and barrels practically the size of
themselves from the ship’s hold on to horse-drawn carts on the
stone port beside. She stared in amazement at the variety of life,
but the further they travelled into the bustling city the more she
began to notice that in spite of the mixture of people, there were
very few
women
on the streets. Some appeared here and there, carrying
baskets and bags as they hurried past on their business, but there
was a definite discrepancy in their numbers compared to the
men.

“
Many of the city’s women spend much of their time in the crop
fields to the west of Ank’ Shara,” Taliph told her when she asked
him about it. “They work to harvest the crops and tend to the
animals bred for food. Many also work to make bread and
wine.”

The
princess nodded. “I see. Tell me something. Most of the women I
have seen wear a circlet across their forehead. Why is that?”
Josephine asked. “Is it the fashion in these parts?”

“
It
is a wedding band,” the man advised. “The jewel at its centre is a
gift from the husband to his wife. Every five years they will give
to their wife a new type of jewel to symbolise the length of their
marriage.”

“
That sounds
expensive
,” Thadius sniffed. “What if you are a peasant
with no money?”

“
Then they will often use glass, coloured to
resemble a precious stone. It is a great dishonour to a wife for
their husband to not to give them a jewel. Men will save for them
before they will
eat
sometimes, rather than face the wrath of their partners,”
Taliph chuckled.

“
I think I would prefer to stay
unattached!
” Thadius laughed
back.

As
they began to climb up an ascending pathway cut into one of the
mountains, the sandy-coloured stone buildings that had moments ago
towered around them, several stories high, fell away and the full
expanse of the city became apparent. Wooden poles stuck out from
the tops of many buildings. Some were flat - roofed, whilst others
were slanted and tiled. In a similar way to Aralia’s hotchpotch of
building designs, Aslemer had its own unique variety of
architecture, only instead of building in levels as in Rina, their
building were arranged in tidy, coordinated rows stretching far out
into the distance. To the west, a cluster of red - brick spires
jutted out from around the smaller buildings. Josephine pointed to
them.

“
What are
those
buildings? With coloured tops?” she asked
Taliph.

“
They are the buildings of the Imperial Plaza,” he
advised. “That is where the Senate meets. They are
very
rich
buildings.”

“
Their domes are shaped not dissimilarly to the whipped egg -
white desserts that the palace cooks make back home!” Josephine
grinned. “The ones flavoured with rosewater and sugar?” she
suggested to Thadius. The knight nodded his
understanding.

“
They look like they are made of materials a
lot
more expensive than
egg – whites,” he added. He turned away from them. “But as
impressive as those building are, I think the palace ahead beats
them hands down.” He squinted against the sun as they walked and
stared at the building.

At
the very end of the pathway they walked up, high on a precipice,
the palace loomed over the city. The golden domes and white washed
walls shone on the mountainside like a beacon.

“
It
is called the Sharika Palace,” Taliph said. “It is said to have
taken twenty years to complete.

I can understand
why
. It is at
least
three times larger than the palace at home,”
Josephine breathed. After a few more minutes of climbing the steep
slope she turned around and stared back down at the city people
below. “They all look like
insects.
Ants
scurrying around the streets.” She shook her head
in wonderment. “How much higher must we be than the highest level
of Rina?” she asked Thadius.

“
Hard to say, but I would guess perhaps almost twice the
height,” he answered.

“
It is an
incredible
view. I do not think I have ever seen the like in
my life.” She took in the mountain range that curled its way along
the boundaries of the city to her left, disappearing into the
distance, further than her eyes could see. Then she turned back and
continued to ascend. She gazed at the gleaming white palace that
grew closer with each step. Then, just as her eyes were starting to
accept her surroundings, her eyes caught sight of another
incredible sight, and she opened her mouth in shock at what she
saw. A gaggle of small creatures, furry - headed, with golden, oval
eyes and small, pointy noses almost completely hidden in the fluff,
were marching down the hillside towards them! All but two had jet -
black fur. The others were a mixture of dark brown and mottled
greys. They all wore little, tailored coats – a kind of uniform,
she supposed – with upturned, oversized collars and a thick belt
strapped around their waists. They could not have been more than
half of Josephine’s height and they waddled double - file in
chunky, brown boots and gloves, passing them by, chirruping to each
other as they headed down into the city.

“
They are the
Innie
, princess,” Thadius said quietly to
her.

Josephine nodded, and found her breath. “Yes of course. They
caught me by surprise.”

“
I have read a lot about them,” Thadius said. “They
might
look
quite harmless, but they are trained to be deadly, so they
say. They are weapons for the hunt, like
pack
wolves on a leash.”

Josephine grimaced. “No. It is
more
than that Thadius. They’re
slaves
,” she whispered back, so as not to be heard by
Taliph.

“
Slaves princess?” Thadius whispered back. “They
are
animals
.”

“
They
aren’t
just animals tough,
are
they?” she suggested. “They’re dressed like
people
, not
beasts
. They
talk
to each other. They think and walk like any person
could!”