Golden [bxb]

Chapter Six

"Lord Artemys," Spirit woke me.

I rubbed my eyes, wondering when I'd fallen asleep, and yawned as I glanced back at the head peeking at me from the curtains. Spirit winced in apology for waking me, but I waved him off and peered out of my peephole to see where we had landed.

It was nightfall by then, but flickering orange lights lit a path from the carriage, up a set of crumbling ancient steps, and beyond that I could no longer make out through the fog of gleaming splendor that waited for me.

A line of Omorrowan guards with ornate silk headscarves in every color I'd ever seen bowed on their knees, their great staves lying on the ground beside them. Their scarves flowed in the night air, coloring the wind with sparkling waves of chrysanthemum, fuchsia, emerald, and azure, and even the towering colossus seemed to bow at my welcome.

The backdrop of it all: a cerulean and crystal tundra swirling with icy winds. The moment the door opened, a bitter cold whipped against my cheeks and nose, and I tightened my arms around me. I'd forgotten the warning of the frozen tundra until then.

"Welcome to Omorrow," Spirit spoke again.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the display waiting for me, however. Before I realized it, the door of the carriage opened again. Spirit gave his most gracious bow and took one step to the side before holding out a double-ended cane-like thing for me to grab. I cocked my head, hand hovering over one of the jeweled round ends as he held the other. Sensing my hesitance, he bowed his head.

"No one must lay a finger on the honorable fiancé of the god-king, not even a servant," Spirit explained.

I twisted my face in amusement for the queer ritual, but I took the stick despite my confusion. He helped me down from the carriage, and, flat on my feet looking out at the the towering colossus and its soldiers, I suddenly felt like a rabbit; the soldiers looked less like admirable works of art and more like predators.

"His Majesty is waiting for you just ahead," Spirit told me.

I followed him on the other side of the jeweled cane as he guided me up the stairs that stretched ahead of us. My eyes combed through the display of power on either side of us; the soldiers cleared a path for us in immaculate procession with each step we took until we reached the top of the steps, and the deepest part of the tower's shadow swallowed us.

Spirit raised his free hand and rapped the stone door with his free hand. In its echo, we stood and waited in a silence much longer than I, or I suspected even Spirit, anticipated.

Then, cracking the very silence reverberating in every snow flake of the kingdom, the massive stone door creaked open, revealing the towering figure of the god-king himself.

His presence was even more imposing up close—he was built like a mountain, wrapped in furs and adorned in intricate ceremonial armor, the kind that seemed designed more for spectacle than battle; it was freezing, but the god-king looked a bit hot under all those layers, and I couldn't help but feel responsible for him wearing what must of been his finest getup.

His eyes glimmered beneath his heavy brow, locking onto me with an intensity that made my breath hitch.

Spirit, standing beside me, finally ruffled his composure at the sight of his king.

"Your Majesty!" Spirit squeaked, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the ground. "Please, allow us to come to you. This is highly irregular—"

The god-king's glare was sharp enough to cut ice, and Spirit immediately silenced himself, pressing his forehead to the cold stone. He didn't dare move a muscle. I watched in surprise as the king, the most feared ruler in the land, then hesitated upon turning his attention back to me, his formidable figure seeming oddly out of place. He looked... Nervous.