CHAPTER XI #2
We’re late on our travel to the temple city of Alston, slated to arrive well into the night. It’s a casual ride that we take and one that has me thinking of the new Woodlands city we’re traveling towards and what very little I know about it.
The first, is that Alston is thrice, if not four times the size of Etter, with its population heavily comprising of females.
This is due to the fact that Alston is a city purely dedicated to the service and study of the Old World’s Ancient Ten, the second thing I know.
Everyone who resides within or navigates to the city does so with one purpose— to become seers or priests for the Ancient of their choosing or to live and thrive in their quarters.
The third and last thing I know about the city is that it has no Lord. It’s the only one of its kind in all of Disce, forgoing the politics of the local court to instead focus its attention on the magical beings that are central to life there. To say that I’m intrigued is an understatement.
We’re about halfway to the city when we stop for lunch along the Road of Gold, the sun well past its noon apex and heading into late afternoon.
Keane and his brother lead our group under a thick canopy of woods, with everyone gathering in a loose circle to share the food and drink we brought with us from Etter.
The change in the mood from when we first departed for Woodlands is so different than before.
The anxiety and nervousness that first gripped us is no longer here, instead replaced by the shimmering Forest of Quiescence that’s starting to become a bit familiar to us all.
The numerous argents that dip through the trees are now greeted with smiles, as are their songs and the multitude of other animals that are seen running through the woods.
It feels good to be at ease for the first time since setting off…
though that doesn’t take away from the harsh reality of where we still are.
I sit quietly and look at the group around me.
Cal and Alanna have warmed up towards eachother, no doubt resolving whatever was going on between them.
The two are sitting side by side, both sharpening their weapons as they smile at something Holis says.
The warrior soldiers are all engaging as they used too, though their eyes are alert to everything around them.
Even Canon has started to relax a bit, but his quiet demeanor reminds me so much of Mana that I can’t tell if he’s content in his own being or just silently taking in the forest around him.
Mana himself sits eating his lunch with his oak wood on his thigh, writing a note to Sera as his kedge lays well within grasp should he need it.
Watching Mana prompts me to reach for my own slab.
I pull it forward and hide it under my bag, not sure if I want the Warrior soldiers or Canon to know about it.
Both sets of brothers now knew of my ability, and I didn’t mind if Cal or Alanna did, but it was the other men that had me a bit hesitant.
Did I want them knowing I could practice magic? Even if it was small?
Holis leans next to me, passing a small muffin that I take graciously with a smile. I toss him my bag of sugared almonds and then tilt the thin oak, my eyes going wide at the etchings that wait against the wood.
Shit.
I forgot to write to Clair…
I genuinely can’t wait to write to you through this wood, Alexis!
We’re staying a night in Gaumond. I see why you love it here so much.
Hello. Any one there?
We’re hearing rumors coming from Disce. What’s going on? Is everyone alright? Are you alright?
Alexis. Write to me. I need to know that this is working.
I take a hasty bite and scribble back fast.
I’m horrible at this, sorry.
Yes, it’s working, I’ve received your messages…
We ride through Woodlands Court now. Just departed Etter for Alston. I’ll have to tell you what happened in person. The village, Clair… it should not have existed in the state it was in. Not good but getting better. Keane is correcting things. Where are you now?
I stare at the slab, watching my words disappear as they make their way to the Princess. Surprisingly, or probably not, her own words appear after only a few moments, etching themselves across the wood.
Red Falls for a few more days. Rion had a messenger from Keane waiting for him when we arrived. Terrible to hear. But is everyone okay? How are you two?
Everyone’s good. Exhausted but good. How about the babe?
Making me tired and sick but worth it. I swear to Rion that I felt the flutter of wings in my stomach, but he’s hesitant to believe. Can you pass the wood to Keane? Rion wants to give him a message.
I smile and look up from my seat, catching Keane’s brown eyes on me in curiosity.
Clair, I mouth and tilt my chin back down to my bag. Keane nods with a grin, watching as I write back to her.
Envision him in your mind when you write. It will appear on Keane’s oak.
That’s right! She writes back quickly.
Don’t be a stranger, Alexis. Morose says hi.
My heart surges at her words as I give the old woman a greeting before tucking the oak back into my bag.
I glace at Keane again, noticing that he’s got a sly smirk across his lips, reading whatever message the Pyrenese royals sent to him.
His eyes dart up to find mine, so intense in their brown that my full being stills, letting them hold me to him.
We ride into Alston in the dead of night.
The woods are thicker here, reminding me of the forest that surrounds Gaumond.
A small fog rests at the bottom of the trees, covering the foot of the main road as we pass through.
Stormfall jumps off my shoulder to fly ahead to Keane, a good sign in Woodlands if I ever did need one.
I watch him land on the King’s shoulder, spotting a number of tall white structures that now come into view at each side of the road. The structures are tall and massive, scattered at about five on each side, their sizes lean and reaching high into the forest above.
I narrow my eyes in curiosity as our group rides closer, realizing that those structures are sky-high statues that lead into the city.
Past the statues and farther along the road are more white marble structures, those ones resting high in the tree lines and curving with the small hills in the forest. They’re buildings of sorts, probably all the temples that reside in Alston, and glitter from the hundreds of bottled moonslight lanterns that’re affixed to the woods surrounding them.
I slow Millie in her walk as our group reaches the first statue leading into the city.
My eyes go wide when I do, because not only is the structure massive, nearly standing as tall as the Great Oak in Bardot, but it and all the others are fashioned to resemble people.
And when I look up at the first one, I’m quite literally thrown into a shock, looking at the distinct features of Heysan staring back at me.
The full of the statue is white in its marble, yet there’s no denying the fully grinning face of the Ancient of Good Fortune and Celebration.
His eyes are crinkled in joy, with the artist capturing his round cheeks and reminding me of his time in Bardot.
I swear his white marble eyes follow me as I pass under him, the rest of his body standing casual with his signature easy shirt that’s rolled up to his elbows.
The statue even has the too many bangles encircling his wrists— something I can hear clanging in my mind.
Ancients.
This is amazing.
Whoever the artist is that created this is simply amazing. He or she was certainly given a detailed account of how the Ancient looked, so much so that it’s uncanny.
My gaze travels to the next statue at the opposite side of the road, eyeing an exceedingly beautiful woman who looks serene and stares into the night.
Her features are calm with a full head of long hair that extends all the way to her torso.
She holds a candle in her hands at the front of her chest, and it’s then that I recognize her as Windsor, the Ancient of Tranquility and Peace.
There’s also an argent resting on her shoulder, the bird small but its stance mimicking that of Stormfall’s pride.
I have to hide my frown at the Ancient who is no longer of this Old World. She was slaughtered by the Elder Mother and Father thousands of years ago, when her and the Ancient Damen made the horrible deal with the Aireals for more power.
Sianoa and Nolan are next in line, both of them also holding something in their hands that symbolizes their titles.
For Sianoa it’s a glass orb, emphasizing the medium that’s used to look into the mystics and the unknown.
For Nolan, it’s a small set of chamomile flowers, the herb known throughout the Old Kingdom to alleviate the common cold.
After the two of them comes Rivian, who I promptly stop Mille in front of to analyze.
The Ancient has the same features of those from Livyatan, her hair braided in a similar fashion and falling across her shoulders and behind her back in hundreds of small twists that are held at the bottom by beads.
Her brows are narrow, as are her eyes, with the full of her face looking sharp as she smirks down at the road.
She wears a dress that sweeps across one shoulder and then dips down to her waist, right where a heavy broadsword sits fastened at her hip.
Her bare shoulder and arm are muscled and well-toned, with a snake wrapping around her wrist and darting up her elbow.
She is without a doubt the most formidable and beautiful woman I have ever seen, even for a statue.
I scowl at her gorgeous face, reminding myself of the sacrifices it took to wake her and catch up to Holis.