Prophecy

Chapter 25

 The Elemental Palace is possibly the most pristine structure I've ever been in. When another pair of angels opens the doors wide for the Chancellor, my team and I directly behind her, we're hit by a comfortable warmth that chases away the frigid night air of the city. A stone brick hearth with a layer of glass separating the fire from the room is the most dominant feature visible upon entering the palace. A plush, navy blue rug lays in front of the fire, and sitting around the rug is an open ring of white, low-back sofas. The floor is tiled in what looks like dark, polished granite. A staircase frames either side of the room, going up the wall about 18 feet before making a turn to ascend further and meet the other staircase at the floor level of the next level of rooms. We hardly pause in this room, though, instead making our way to the right side of the huge entrance hall and through a tall doorway (sufficiently tall that the dragons don't have to worry about hitting their heads).

We're now in another large room, painted a lovely shade of dusty rose, although the room is much smaller in comparison to the grand room we've left behind.  It's mainly lit up by electric lamps hung on the walls. There are a few sizable couches against the walls, along with a bookshelf, a flatscreen TV, and some beanbag chairs encircling a fluffy red rug, with some floor lamps nearby to provide for sufficient reading light.

"Wait in here for a moment, please. I need to make some calls and let people know that you've made it here safely. Feel free to read or channel surf, and don't get into too much trouble," the Chancellor says with a wink. She lets us all into the luxurious waiting room before shutting the door behind us. I can hear her shoes clicking against the floor as she walks away to resume her tasks.

Almost the moment the door shuts, my teammates collapse onto chairs and beanbags alike. Arik and Ada pass out back to back on a couch, Ada's hurt ankle resting on the arm of the couch. Bo and Andromeda kneel down and rest their heads on the rug, Javier lays back on a beanbag with his wings behind his head, and Rose carefully curls up on a beanbag and pulls up a blanket, broken antler down. Artemis jumps from my arms and curls up next to Andromeda's warm, fiery tail. Anjulee, however, selects a book from the shelf and sits down to read.

"Why don't you rest? We're going to be here for a while and it's been a long day," I urge her, seating myself on an armchair near the dreaming twins.

"I will once everything with the Chancellor has been settled for all of us. Until then, I might as well savor these first moments in Aurora City," Anjulee says seriously. "You go ahead and sleep. I'll make sure you're all awake before she gets back," she promises.

"Alright," I respond quietly, before closing my eyes and letting my head fall back against my chair.

Anjulee taps my shoulder and I snap awake.

"She's on her way back now," she says softly. I blink.

"How long has it been?"

"Like 20 minutes." I shake my head in disbelief and watch as she proceeds to wake up the rest of my teammates. I get up and return Artemis carefully to my arms before waking up Andromeda and Bo with a gentle shake on their shoulderblades. Bo is a bit startled when he wakes up, but he gets to his feet, and Andromeda wakes up with a yawn, a bit horrifying with how close I was to her large jaws.

Just as the last person, Javier, is being awoken by Anjulee, the doors we entered through swing open to reveal the Chancellor. The Spanish fairy's eyes snap open and he sits upright violently, nearly knocking Anjulee over.

"Sorry for the wait, you guys. I've just informed counsil members that you've made it safely to the palace. Since I'm sure you've all had a long journey, I'll save the tour for tomorrow and just show you to your accomodations for the next two weeks," she says, much to everyone's apparent relief. She smiles graciously at us.