by Kira Stüssy
“They ordered us to retrieve you from the farmhouse. Part of that order was also to escort you here.” His mouth was set into a hard line, “Normally we would not have hurried so much but seeing as tonight you’ll be receiving your Knowledge, this was a bit of a rush order.”
I felt no less confused. We practically jogged down the hall, the fiery light illuminating the dim path. The tunnel did not extend very long and before I knew it we had reached a giant metal door with unfamiliar engravings scratched into it. There was a mystical quality to the door that made me want to sit and stare at it for hours. I inspected the carvings, trying to decipher their meaning. I started to understand that the symbols were more than just decoration; they revealed a story. And after a minute, I realized they weren’t even symbols at all: they were words. The door was covered in a language I had never seen but still felt familiar, something old and romantic. I tilted my head to the side, trying to sound out some of the words in a small whisper, hypnotized by the loopy style of the letters and the interesting way they meshed together. But before I could really begin translating, Ash stepped forward and turned the enormous doorknob, swinging it open to allow our entry.
Bright light poured from the doorway, casting a spotlight on the three of us. My two companions stepped through the entryway, their heads raised and shoulders high, no longer the jokesters. I only waited a moment before following them through.
*
The Courtroom was spacious and elegant, unlike the dirt sculpted tunnels that had led us there. The room was circular with black marble flooring and pristine white walls. The ceiling high and domed with a mural of four robed people holding hands. I did not understand the painting but I appreciated the vibrant colors and lovely Renaissance style that had been used. I stared hard at the faces of the people in the mural and decided that they looked neither happy nor sad, merely appeased. Tearing my gaze away from the mural I let them rest on the most intimidating part of the room: the four people seated at raised tables staring down at us. They were situated in a large semicircle with a decent amount of distance between each other. There were three men and one woman. All of them wore stern expressions.
“You may sit,” one of the men declared; he wore a forest green robe and even from here I could see the golden sheen of his eyes. He had a pair of gold colored, feathered wings, a similar style to Ash and Erion’s. I noticed that the golden eyed man was the only one on the council to have wings. I turned my head to look for a place to sit when my eyes found a large mahogany table placed to my far right. My heart leaped with shock and exultation when I saw someone already sitting there: Caspian.
“Caspian?” The courtroom faded away into nothing. I forgot all the weirdness of the night and sprinted to my brother. He scrambled out of his chair and to his feet, running towards me as well. His sea blue eyes were relieved and overjoyed, just as I assumed mine looked right now. We closed the distance between us and I practically tackled him with a tight embrace, holding back tears. He hugged me back and for a second we stayed like that, relishing in the fact we were no longer missing our sibling, our twin.
“Mira, are you alright?” He pulled away from me and stared hard into my eyes, “When that freak took you I thought you were gone, like for good.”
“I’m…I’m alright.” I lied.
“Do you have any idea what is going on?“
“Your guess is probably as good as mine.”
Caspian opened his mouth to reply when another voice interrupted, “You may sit.” I looked up at the podiums at the sound of the only woman speaking. Her robe saturated in a deep wine color, her hair long with tight golden curls. Her lips matched the color of her robe and her eyes sparkled, her stare containing the entire galaxy, from beneath her thick lashes. I shifted uneasily under the weight of her exotic stare, not really sure if her pupils were actually real or not.
Caspian and I moved to the table, not wanting to further anger the court, and took a seat. Caspian leaned over slightly and, hardly moving his lips, whispered, “Mom and Bram are somewhere here in Nostos. They came through the portal with us.”
“Iris?” I asked, praying my little sister wasn’t there, hoping she stayed home and safe.
“Back home at a friend’s.”
I could breathe again. Caspian straightened and stared ahead. I did the same. The four leaders in the robes of green, red, black, and blue seemed oddly familiar. I glanced up and noticed that their robes were identical to the ones in the painting on the ceiling. The robes were the same but the wearers much different. Ash and Erion still stood in the middle of the room, stick straight with their hands down to their sides, military style. In the short time I had known them, never once had they ever shown a single shred of discipline. Until that moment, that is. They were no longer the two boys who joked around constantly and who shared a friendship so strong I noticed it within the first few minutes of meeting them. I did not quite understand how, but they were soldiers now.
The man in green with the eyes of liquid gold stood and addressed Ash and Erion, “Where are your uniforms?”
“Your Highness, when we were notified to retrieve Miss Durrant we thought it would not be until tomorrow that we actually arrived. But then we learned that she would be receiving her Knowledge tonight and we picked up the pace.” I wanted to speak up and correct him and tell him that my last name was Daily, not Durrant, but the intimidating stance of the Council kept me quiet.
“You realize this is no excuse. Uniforms are to be worn at all times while on duty. You understand that the standard punishment is in order? No exceptions.” Those golden eyes fixed on Ash with icy determination. Ash glared back without fear. The looks of white hot hatred being exchanged between the two indicated bad blood between them. I wondered what could cause a soldier to despise a member of the Council so greatly. From what I knew of Ash, his smart mouth probably had something to do with it.
The woman in the red robe focused her gaze on us, from where I stood I could swear her irises literally sparkled, “I have Seen that you were hosting a celebration for your sixteenth year, correct?”
I was confused by her wording, but Caspian seemed to understand, “Yes, our birthday party.”
“Why would your parents allow such an occasion when they knew you would be receiving your Knowledges?”
Caspian seemed to think on this for a moment, “My mom said something about a Cast?”
The man with electric blue eyes now stood, “None of the Wielders would attack a fellow Nostosian, even if they were a banished Elemental.”
“I believe they were working for Hartrain, Borak.” The golden eyed man said, his tone appeasing and lighthearted.
“You are suggesting a Wielder from Hartrain put a forgetting Cast on Rain Durrant and Bram Ani to forget their sixteenth?”
The Council chorused angrily.
“Preposterous!”
“The treaty forbids it!”
“Is your intention to start a war, Cyro?”
The golden-eyed man, Cyro, now turned towards Caspian and I, ignoring the others, “You will be receiving your Knowledges shortly. I realize that you are most likely ignorant to what this means. Tomorrow I will be assigning you each someone to show you the ways and customs of Nostos along with informing you of everything you need to understand in order to properly function in our Elemental lifestyles. You are due for another Court meeting in fourteen days to discuss your situation further. But for now, off to your rooms.”
My room? Newsflash, my room was back in Lincoln City, the nice and safe little beach town that seemed a lifetime away. But I knew that he wasn’t referring to this room. The golden eyed man did not look at us as he spoke, clearly thinking himself to be too royal or whatever to meet our lowly gazes. Ash and Erion led me and my brother out of the courtroom, back down the dark hall, and up the stairs to the open air of the hill. The fresh wind whooshed to meet my skin and I breathed in the breeze welcomingly. The world above ground had not changed, but the sight did not f
ail to impress me. I twirled once in a full circle to take in the whimsical view. The four lands whirled by, the various shades and colors blurring my vision, utterly breathtaking.
Ash and Erion marched down the hill briskly toward the land with the lovely meadow and fairytale cottages. The bottom of the hill flattened out to a cobblestone path that wove throughout the expansive field. Before long, we found ourselves treading through what I could now see was a quaint town. I walked through the village in wonder as I observed blacksmithing shacks, herb stores, and even a library. I yearned to enter these shops and see what Elemental stores were like. Now that the initial shock and discovery of this strange world had eased, despite the fact that part of me still thought this was all just some sort of sickening dream, I found myself actually wanting to learn more about Nostos. I realized the odd Court case I just endured only piqued my interest.
“Hey,” I called up to Ash and Erion, who exclusively trudged ahead of us a little ways and leaned over to whisper to each other, heads bent inward and words spoken as whispers. At the sound of my voice, they both seemed to sigh and then tilt their heads back towards me, “could we go shopping tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.” Ash replied briskly and then returned to his conversation with Erion. I rolled my eyes and scooted over to Caspian, who had acted rather zombie-like ever since the conclusion of the Court meeting. His blue-green eyes were glass as he stared off into the distance.
“Crazy stuff, huh?”
No reply.
“But it’s alright, they are going to explain everything tomorrow. I know it all seems weird now but it feels right here, you know?”
Silence.
I scrunched up my nose in frustration and forced my tone to become sterner as I spoke with him, “Cas, I know you are probably freaked out, I am too, but we have to make the best of it and just figure out…”
Snapping into himself, Caspian stopped walking altogether and stared at me, “What the heck do they mean by ‘receiving our Knowledge’? I mean, I know that it means we will discover what sort of power we have or whatever, but what does it really mean.”
I had no response. I glanced toward Ash and Erion and the sets of majestic wings planted on their backs. We followed in silence, Ash and Erion’s whispers floating back to us, too quiet to decipher. I breathed deeply in through my nose and was delightfully pleased by the strong smell of flowers and spring water. It smelled like home, where the ocean roared only a mile away and my mother’s fragrant garden thrived practically year round. I thought of Kelsey and Danny and how confused and scared they would be when they discovered that my entire family had disappeared. Vanished into thin air. Caspian already tried to text Danny but no cell service could be found here. If our friends tried to contact us, they would be out of luck. What would they think? I wished I could talk to Kelsey. She had been my rock and source of wise advice for the past year. And Danny, with his understanding smile and great sense of humor, a listening ear I already missed.
We traveled down the winding cobble stone street until the small buildings on either side became more and more scarce and then none at all. We had reached another field, very similar to the first. Fragrant wildflowers dotted the green canvas, a mixed array of colors beaming bright even in the moonlight. The castle I had seen all of the way from the hill stood proudly in the near distance, transported directly from a fairytale.
“Uh, are you sure we didn’t pass it yet?” I called out tentatively to the two boys who were still deep in conversation. They glanced back, exchanged a final word, and fell back into step with me and my brother, taking the flanks with Erion beside Caspian and Ash next to me.
“No, we’re taking you there.” Erion pointed ahead to the beautiful castle. I struggled to keep my jaw from hitting the floor in wonder. The fanciest place I had ever stepped foot into was the dentist’s office. My brain simply couldn’t wrap around the idea of even touching the marvelous architecture the path led us to.
“Our rooms are in there?” I muttered. “I don’t believe this.”
“Believe it, darling.” Ash murmured, his gaze fixed forward. I tried not to stare but failed miserably. Something in his haunted dark eyes, his mysterious expression, and the way his hair lay in a messy mop on his head and still managed to appear flawless drew me in. I knew Ash had bad news written all over him. All of that sarcasm and cockiness, plus the vaguely dark demeanor, but there was more to him, a deeper side.
His eyes flicked in my direction and his lips curved slightly upward as he caught me, once again, staring. I quickly averted my eyes and cursed myself for acting like a freak. I expected him to make some sort of snide comment to embarrass or make fun of me. But instead, he merely chuckled lightly and continued to look down at me. I finally braved another glance and dared to make eye contact. His eyes, black as coal, held the warmth of a blazing inferno. The heat rushed to my face as he gazed down at me. Again I saw through his joking act and straight to the real person concealed beneath the actor. What could he possibly be hiding?
A gust of brisk night air stung my skin. But the cold did not register against my flesh. Cold never particularly bothered me, but I shivered anyways because that was just what people did and it felt like the natural thing to do. Ash’s eyes clouded with concern, “Are you cold? Here…” he shifted off his cargo jacket and swung it across my shoulders. The wind was no match for the jacket and the pleasant warmth of my own body heat trapped in the insulation instantly seeped to my bones. “There yah go. Better?”
“Much.” I smiled with gratitude but he had already turned away.
“Yes, well, couldn’t bring an ice sculpture of yourself to the castle. The maids would be rather confused. Can you even begin to imagine their distraught little faces?” All kindness had fled from his expression, leaving only harsh sarcasm and an apathetic smirk.
“I’m sixteen, you know. You talk about me like I’m a kid, or something.”
“Perhaps it’s your size. Are you aware that you’re quite short. Not a dwarf or anything but not far off, if we’re being honest.”
All hope that there was a real person underneath Ash’s exterior faded swiftly, “I’m fun sized, thanks.”
He blinked, “You’re what?”
“Fun-sized, like the candy bars?” I silently cheered at the fact that I had broken his witty stream of comebacks and that I knew something he didn’t. “It’s a human thing.”
“Ah. Well, newsflash you aren’t human. Better get used to that, sweetheart.”
“I’m not your sweetheart.”
“Whatever you say, my dear.”
I rolled my eyes and looked up as a shadow bathed us in a darker tone of gray. The cobblestone road ended and we now strode along a wooden bridge that led to the large entrance of the castle. The palace was even more magnificent up close. Bright green ivy slithered along its river rock walls, climbing as high as the tallest towers. Lovely flowers surrounded the base of the castle, sending a wonderful fragrance wafting through the night air. The palace itself came right out of a storybook, with the soaring towers and light color pallet. I half expected Cinderella and her Prince Charming to come dancing through the entrance to the sound of a melodic orchestra. Of course this didn’t actually happen, but that didn’t stop me from sighing audibly in awe. The bridge in front of the castle crossed over a gently flowing creek, probably the same one I saw weaving through the meadow. A roaring noise to my left caused me to look over the edge of the bridge’s wooden rail and I saw that the slow moving stream led to a crashing waterfall far into the distance. Even from here, I could see the water sparkle as it fell into a frothy, white foam.
We walked through the front entrance and into a foyer that put our small entryway back home to shame. The interior of the castle was exactly how the outside led you to believe it would look: luxurious and dazzling. Everything shimmered from the chandeliers to the pillow cases on the settees. From here, all that could be seen was a winding spiral staircase to the right and a brightly lit corri
dor to the left.
“Wow.” Caspian said. Since I had stricken mute, I could only nod in agreement.
“C’mon now.” Ash broke our awestruck wonder by grabbing my wrist, gently but forcibly, and started to lead me up the spiral staircase.
I ripped my hand away from him and stopped mid-step, “Excuse me? Do you have any manners?”
“No,” and he reached again for my arm.
I prepared to yank away again when I glanced down at where we had left Caspian and Erion only seconds before. But could not find them there.
“Where-?”
“Erion led Caspian to his room, and I’m leading you to yours.” Annoyance coated his tone. “Now please let me do my job, we only have a few moments.”
“A few moments until what? My Knowledge or whatever? And quit trying to pull me around like a dog on a leash.”
“You’ll see in a few minutes.” I followed him up the stairs, my anxiety increasing with each lift of my foot. Thankfully, he didn’t try to grab my hand again. Did receiving your Knowledge hurt? What if mine never came and they were wrong about me, what if I was actually human like I had been insisting the whole night? This thought was no longer a relief to me. A strange despair washed over me at the very idea.
We climbed and climbed. I figured we were almost up to the top of one of the tall towers I had seen outside while walking in. Neither of us spoke. I wasn’t sure I was capable of such a task at the moment, between the struggle of breathing through the exercise and the growing stress level. Finally, the staircase flattened out and opened up to a short hallway with only three doors, two on one side and one on the other. The landing dimly illuminated by a flickering wall candle. Part of me wondered if Elementals had yet to discover electricity or if they were just weird traditionalists. Neither option comforted me.
“This one is yours.” He said gesturing to the lonely door facing the other two. I reached for the golden handle and twisted carefully, sure that if I broke anything I might shatter this dream I still swore I was living.