the glass ángel

16. the kingdom in the sky

The castle was dark. He led me through long hallways until we reached a grand door. He glanced back at me before pushing the heavy doors open.

"This is the dinning hall. I thought you would want to eat before discussing matters." He nodded at me and continued walking forward.

While eating the strange food, i stole glances at him. He was utterly beautiful. He looked up at me and i felt flustered.

"Tell me about you, Delilah." He spoke in a soft tone. I glanced up at him and you could tell he was trying to analyze me. I cleared my throat.
"Well, I'm Delilah, obviously. I enjoy music and art, as well as dancing-"

"Dancing?" He murmured with a smile. "You'll have to show me one day." I blushed profusely, but none the less continued.

"Well, i also have a feline deity," i said while taking a bite of the colorful fruit in front of me. "there isn't much to me."

"What about why you're here."

I grimaced and sharply stood. "I've finished my food so we should get going." I began to scoot back but my body froze and was pulled back to the seat. Magic. I rolled my eyes.

"Delilah, why are you here." He said with a hard glance. "How did you get here."

"I-i um, it was by accident. I don't know how. I went into a tunnel and i ended up here. I still don't know what here is." I avoided his eyes.

He let out a sigh. "You're not telling the whole truth." He murmured. "Come, I'll show you the kingdom."

He stood and held his hand out for me.
"What about the orical?" I said hesitantly reaching out for his hand.
"We'll be there soon after."

He nodded encouragingly to his hand and i laid mine in his. A flicker of blue ran though his body from him hand. It looked like it was traveling up his veins.

I let go. "A-are you okay?" He looked a little shocked but masked it quickly.

"I'm alright," he said with a tight smile. "Let's go."

"Don't let go of my hand unless I say it's okay. There are many creatures in this kingdom and you know nothing of them. They could devour you in an instant." I nodded with a gulp.

We walked through endless halls and he told me about what the many rooms held. We encountered a large glass door that lead to an outdoor garden that was gorgeous. It's dark toned green grass contrasted with the bright display of colored trees and shrubbery.

"This is beautiful." I muttered. Oliver looked down at me with a smile. "Come, we're close. I have something to show you before we stop."

We stood in front of a barn like structure. "This is where some of our beasts stay." He said as he pushed the door open. I cringed and stepped back at the sight. The dark hounds heads shot up as the heard the creaking of the door.

I'm used to seeing smaller black creatures but these were massive. "Oh, uh." I couldn't say much. Oliver grabbed my hand and brought me into the colossal barn. "These are our Fenrir. We ride them and take care of them. These are the castles prized Fenrirs. The best fighters and the most loyal." He walked over to them and patted ones head.

He was a big man, but they were huge. Standing over 6 feet, they could easily crush me. Oh god yves.

The barn was enormous. The stalls were large and connected into an open field in the back area of the barn.

"This is our largest Fenrir, and to our knowledge, this is as large as they can grow up to be." He walked a bit further to showcase it.

"Délris! Öushi!" He shouted sternly. The massive creature quickly stood and stared at him. Oliver turned back to me with a lopsided smile and extended his hand out.

"Oh no, thank you." i said with wide eyes. He surely didn't expect me to go near it. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him. My body launched forward and he grabbed onto me. "His name is Délris," Oliver edged me forward closer to the beast. "He will not bite."

I closed my eyes and felt my hand touch it's soft fur. "Suavé, suavé." He said softly to Délris. I snapped my eyes open in surprise as it's body began vibrating, letting out a deep purr. "He likes you!" Oliver laughed.

I let out a little smile as i glanced up at the large hound. "Okay, we must go. We still need to visit the oricals." I met Oliver's eyes and they softened. He kissed my forehead and lead me out.

While leaving the barn i turned around and waved goodbye to Délris. He snorted stuck out his tongue before slamming his body back down on the floor.

"Don't be nervous, the oricals are kind to those who are truthful."