Children Of The Sky (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 2)

Chapter 50

The morning began in a spray of sunrays and thin, hazy grey clouds that turned indigo blue with the sun on them. The city was already awake; it had been since before dawn. Lillian had been, too. Despite her exhaustion, the anticipation of the meeting with the Cassarian council had kept her half-awake most of the night. Nyle was still dead to the world when she got out of bed, shutting her eyes and sitting still a moment to push back sudden nausea. Gods, was she really still so tense? The stress had been mounting steadily over the past several days, but she hadn't thought it'd been affecting her too badly.

The tea she fetched from downstairs warmed her from her chest outward, warding off the bitter chill that seeped through the cracks around the window when she sat there to read. Nyle woke shortly after, giving her a groggy wave and a yawn when she bade him good morning. They ate breakfast together in tense silence, Lillian forcing it down despite her stomach's protests. Then they put on their traveling clothes, made the bed, and ventured out into the morning towards the temple.

The location of the council's headquarters made it clear how closely these people held their government and their religion--or perhaps that was only what the ruling class hoped to impress upon visitors. Dreail's temple stood in the very heart of the city, like the axel of a great wheel, the buildings around it not unlike the petals of a flower. Lillian counted seventeen stories in the temple itself, each with uniform windows and brilliant decorum in every shade of blue. It looked like a tower, in truth, more than any other temples she'd seen. Avani's temple in Etniria--or the ruins of it, at least--was far less magnificent.

The guards, straight-backed and stern in their cobalt uniforms, asked only for their names and the purpose of their visit before allowing them to pass into the front courtyard. The crowd was sparse outdoors, mostly people trickling out of the main doors.

The strong scent of incense met Lillian in a cloud when she followed Nyle into the temple's large main chamber, nearly overwhelming. Nyle took her hand when he saw the crowd inside; she held tightly as he led her through the throng of bodies waiting for a chance to pray. They'd been instructed to go to the third floor, and were allowed to pass into an uncrowded alcove leading to a set of stairs. The guards at the bottom of the staircase must've been expecting them, not giving them a second glance as they passed.

"It's all very..." Lillian trailed off, searching for a word as they climbed, still hand-in-hand.

"Gaudy?" Nyle offered under his breath, his whisper echoing off the stone walls.

"Religious. I don't think I've ever seen so many people in one place just waiting to pray before."

Nyle sighed and squeezed her hand. "Yeah. Hopefully the council doesn't let it get to their heads too much. If they're as stuck-up as mine, I don't think I'll be able to keep from screaming."

Lillian chuckled.

A landing and a second curling flight of stairs led them to a gilded set of doors guarded by a single man with an owl emblazoned on his uniform. He nodded sharply to both of them after asking their names, stepping aside.

"They've been awaiting your arrival," he said. "You may enter. You'll be directed where to sit."

Thanking him, Nyle opened the door for Lillian and followed her inside. Her skin crawled when fifteen pairs of eyes turned and locked on both of them. It felt like their appraising gazes were prying into her mind as she followed a servant's directions to a pair of empty seats at the polished oval table. They'd been put at one of the ends, she noted; all the better for the councilmembers to watch them.

Nyle's hand found hers again under the table when they were seated, and she laced her fingers with his and held on like he was all that was keeping her on the ground. The combination of the dull stone interior and the bluish light from the windows across from where they sat turned most of the council into silhouettes, leaving only regal postures and shadowy eyes. In that moment, despite all she'd done, despite her learning and her status as the heir of the Nemaru kingdom, Lillian felt very much like a child at a grown-up's gathering. Judging by his posture and guarded expression, Nyle felt similarly. Was this what all those meetings of his had been like? It was no wonder he'd taken up jogging to cope with the stress.