Descendants of the Kings (Book 2)

Ch 20: Eternal Night

Astralis, the sacred city of Eternal Light, where priestesses came to train and prepare, where they rested and found solace, where they dedicated themselves to the enlightenment, creation, and the pursuit of the unknown. Every single King and Queen's counsellor had come from these walls, full of magnificent, sage women.

To say Ella was apprehensive about meeting with the Priestesses was an understatement.

She spent a fair amount of time with Zella and the priestesses under her guard, but they were familiar. They had been serving the Aeron family for decades, centuries even, and furthermore, Ella had developed a relationship with them.

These were no simple priestesses. No, these were women in the highest rank, dedicated to upholding the Realm with their council and wisdom. If warriors were the armour of the realm, Priestesses were the joints that kept it all together.

"We can finally see the castle!" Val called from beside her, face plastered to the window of the carriage, bringing Ella out of her thoughts.

Despite her worries, Ella couldn't help her curiosity. She pulled back the curtains on her side and wiped the condensation with a gloved hand, peeking out into the road.

For the past few hours, as they travelled around the winding path of the Fionn Alps, they had been able to observe the buildings embedded into the rock walls. Hewn into the face of the mountain, well below the castle walls, hundreds of homes. Stained glass windows lit up from within, or thrown wide open, curtains fluttering to let in the cool winter air. Circular wooden doors, balconies, and stairs, all growing from between the rugged beauty of the alps, the way only Fae architecture could.

Now, as they reached the top, they could finally see the great castle. It was a thing of immaculate beauty, a castle of the purest white stone, blending into the snow and gleaming like mother of pearl. Milky walls, twinkling spires and towers, all connected by bridges and ramparts.

"It's beautiful," Ella breathed, half awe, half trepidation.

There was nothing quite as sobering a reminder of these women's power as the enormity of the city they ran. She let the curtains fall back and folded her hands on her lap, back ramrod straight. Then, because she couldn't help herself, she began to retie the bow on her cape, until she was sure it was perfect.

"The priestesses are not interested in royal intrigue," Aedion said from in front of her. She looked up, immediately dropping the velvety fabric of her dress, which she'd been fussing with, smoothing non-existent wrinkles.

"You needn't worry about playing a part with them," he gestured towards the window, leg bent over his knee. "They will not judge you according to that. They don't answer to any Kingdom." 

At another time, she would have been irked that he could read her body language well enough to know when she was stressed, but by now, Ella had learned to manage it. She nodded tersely and tilted her head.

"Not even Caelum?"

"This particular castle was built by Queen Saoirse, but it belongs to the Priestesses," Blaise answered. "The city is a law unto itself. Priestesses only answer to the Gods, no one else. They are justice and fairness. That is why they often serve as Council to the Kings and Queens and as intermediaries."

Ella chewed on the thought. Priestesses were apart from elven nobles, they had their own class and their own standing. The power they held was enormous, though they never abused it. It was something admirable, in the least.

"I'm afraid they won't want to involve themselves," she admitted, toying with the furry fringe of her coat. "And I'm worried about how much we can tell them. I don't know how much we can trust them."