Chapter 8 #3
“I am not,” Finn said in mock outrage. “It was two hours of them trying to convince me to be a poultry whisperer. Two. Hours. Lexie. It was brutal.”
I laughed as we continued on through hallway after hallway.
Most hallways in this monstrosity were internal and the only light we had was the harsh magical light that flickered from the walls themselves.
It had taken some getting used to, but now after a month in residence, I was finally starting to adjust.
We reached a spiral staircase, and Finn gestured for me to go first. I tried counting the floors we covered, but lost track. There was no rhyme or reason to how this castle had been built. When I complained about it, he laughed, a bit breathlessly with the strain of the climb.
“My understanding is that this started as a fortress when the gods first cast the Veil, and over the generations, people have built onto it. But clearly without any thought as to how, or if they should.”
That was an understatement.
“In fact, this version of the castle is built atop the previous fortress. Below what we consider the basement are ruins and tunnels, the original uses now lost to the centuries. There are even rumors of caves below the ruins.”
We finally reached the top of the spiral stairs, and entered the circular turret, with eight arched openings in the wall that would have been windows had they been set with glass but instead were open to the elements.
I leaned against one of them, the bottom of the opening hitting me at chest-height.
The view was certainly worth the climb, even with the wind buffeting us, whipping my hair around.
The sky was a clear blue, the air with that crispness that only came with autumn.
I could see the Mistrael Mountains, jagged and curving around us in the distance, their snow-capped tips almost blinding in the sun.
Finn pointed out two peaks: Kaelthorne, the tallest mountain in the range, and Faelmont, the mountain closest to us.
Finn was right—compared to that majesty, we were on a rocky outcrop.
Everything in Valdris was a concentric circle.
The castle. The ramparts. The city, laid out below us in a spiral, the sun glinting off the cedar roofs, shining brighter on the newer shingles, the others worn and faded.
Ramparts extended beyond the castle walls and down throughout the city, the stones colored from age and surviving the seasons.
Turrets and outlooks jutted out every few feet, leftover defenses from a time when the city needed to protect its own.
Ivy climbed some walls, adding a splash of green to an otherwise brown-, gray-, and yellow-stone landscape.
Chimneys littered the uneven rooflines, soft clouds of smoke puffing up into the sky.
Finn pointed out several landmarks, including the massive river, Avoneitha, heading down from the Mistrael Mountains, splitting in two as it passed by Valdris, then rejoining on the other side, and stretching the length of Serentyn.
When the river was high, it could spread out and surround the floodplain below the city, forming a natural moat.
I could barely make out the maze of bridges that crossed the river, some large enough for wagons and horses, some pedestrian only.
I heard footsteps behind us and somehow knew it was Griff approaching. He was back.
I turned to him as he climbed to the top of the turret, surprised to see a slight smile on his face. He shared a look with Finn that spoke volumes, only I had no idea what those volumes were about. Probably me, if I had to guess.
Griff came to my side, leaning on the ledge. “Princess,” he murmured in greeting, sweeping hair out of his eyes.
“Champion.”
Finn rolled his eyes.
“I have good news for you,” Griff said, his arm brushing mine. “See that road over there, near the forests?” I followed where his arm was pointing. “We get to go there tomorrow.”
“Are you telling me I’m leaving this fortress?” I was practically vibrating with excitement.
His eyes crinkled at my enthusiasm, and it made something flutter in my chest. Including Finn in the conversation, he said, “Deirdre got back to you. She’s free to train her tomorrow.
” As an explanation to me, he added, “Deirdre is a powerful earth channeler, but she refuses to leave her plants. So we’ll have to go to her. ”
“Can we just go now?” I asked.
I surprised a chuckle out of him. “No, but I’ll make a deal with you. Meet me bright and early, and we can see a bit more of the kingdom before your appointment with her.”
“That sounds wonderful.” I turned back to take one last look at the view. The sun was starting to set, painting the mountains in shades of purple. “I could stay up here forever.”
“Unfortunately, forever will have to wait.” Finn’s voice startled me. I had almost forgotten he was there. “It’s dinnertime,” he said before starting down the stairwell.
I took one last look at the open sky as Griff gestured for me to precede him.
Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.