The Golden Court

•un•

© Imani Quinones 2019

Xi flew gracefully through the tepid doldrums that comprised the Ellure Sea. Each night she delighted herself in its smooth currents. This night was only slightly different. The emperor had been short with her. His tone slick and venomous. She would forgive him if it weren't for the fact that it was her moonday.

With a flick of her tail, Xi swam above the strong current she had been following. Clenching her slender fingers into a fist, she tried to squeeze all of her frustration out of her small frame. Her only answer was the prick of her sharpened nails into her smooth palms. A small cloud of crimson rose with the sea to meet Xi's eyes with an almost judging air. Her lips pursed in indignation as she waved her hands gently to expel the pain she had inflicted upon herself accidentally. Inspecting her wounds carefully,  she pursed her lips at the half moons carved into the paleness of her palms.

If only the emperor had indulged her on this significant day. She could've been smiling or laughing or even moaning under him at this point in the night. Of course he had chosen this night out of all nights to snap. It was like him to focus only on his imperial status at times that called for the soul inside of him to connect with another.

Xi's slanted pupils glanced towards the moons in an almost ireful gaze. Her slender arms came to rest at her sides as she glanced back towards the opulent palace that housed the subject of her frustration. Emperor Nero Dynos. The siren emperor known for his ruthless cunning and tactical genius in the Deliis War that claimed many a siren yet still resulted in his crowning and the triumphant victory of their proud nation. The nation of Tallyr.

With another baleful glance to the moons Xi tensed her tail and dropped into another doldrum that would transport her back to the palace. They all knew her well enough as the emperors famous handmaid and concubine. She would have no trouble with her entry.

Upon reaching the gilded palace gates Xi inhaled deeply and gathered enough courage to face Nero. Surely he could explain what ailed him. Tide knows she would forgive him. She always did. Her outer fins curled against her silver tail and betrayed her nervous stature to the guards. Thankfully they were gracious enough to overlook her fidgety behavior; either that or they simply didn't care enough.

The palace was completely obsidian. Made from a special sea glass known only to the inhabitants of the Ellure Sea. It was called seeor. Seeor is made from the underwater volcanoes shoved between cracks deep in the tectonic plates of the planet Saldyne on the ocean's floor. It's shine is brighter than gold. Most would say that it was liquid upon first glance, but a run in with this sturdy element would surely have one seeing stars for a millennia. The sight no longer impressed Xi, having been in service of the great palace for at least several centuries numbed her to its majestic qualities.

Unknowingly, she clenched her hands and was rewarded with another fresh sting of pain as a hiss of annoyance escaped her serrated teeth. A few strokes of her strong tail took her to the front entrance of the palace after she was granted entry by the ever stoic guards. She needed to speak with Nero.