Chapter 14 - New Digs

Rand and Min followed Helene into a section of the Hall known as the visitors wing, and then up to the fourth floor, all the while chatting affably with the pleasant housekeeper and peering about as they walked. While on their trek through parts of SaDiablo Hall that they had never seen, both Rand and Min noticed many spectacular pieces of art hanging in the hallways, and beautiful and intricate sculptures in small alcoves along the passageways. They also remarked upon the lighting scheme, as Jaenelle had mentioned, most of the light in the corridors and sitting and dining areas was slightly yellowish. The main entry foyer and one of the small sitting rooms shown to them on their way to their new chambers, however, were lit with clearly burning white balls of Craft. The transition between the yellow hallways and these white-lighted areas was astonishing the first time the newcomers to this Realm crossed into the entry hall with an eye to the decor and ambiance. The white glow provided nothing but illumination, it even seemed to strip the parchment-thin veneer of civility from the foyer, forcing one to note the monstrous black building stones and exquisitely carved bas-relief woodwork decorating the complete upper third of the walls. The grandeur of the sweeping black and silver staircase on one corner, and the dark, almost black pigment of the wood carvings contrasted sharply against the silver and gold that was tastefully and sparingly gilded into the few small pieces of furniture, making this single entrance into a sublime and yet austere statement of wealth and Power. The happy glow was gone here, the foyer was dramatically stark and stunning, hammering a clear message and challenge to those who enter; know who and what it is you are dealing with when you pass through this room.

The chambers Rand and Min were escorted to were augustly epicurean. Their new accommodations consisted of three rooms and their own bathroom, each of them larger than the meager suite given to Min following her Healing. A tastefully appointed sitting room, easily large enough for a dozen seated people, acted as an ante-chamber to the main Queen's suite. The meeting room had more than enough space for the eight or so large heavy-looking chairs situated within. Each seat was a masterpiece of carved, lightly gilded and extravagantly upholstered wood, they sat in a circle with small but correspondingly handsome tables occasionally interspersed between the chairs. The dark stone walls along two sides of the room had shelves built out from them made of a glowing amber wood that softly and warmly reflected the light. On the abundant shelving was a wide variety of books, novelties, and nick-knacks, the uses and origins of most of which Rand and Min were completely ignorant. Min became truly excited when she noted that all of the books were exquisitely well-made, with wonderfully soft leather bindings and thick, heavy vellum.

All of their new rooms had windows, as all were situated along an outside wall of the Hall in a corner of the massive building. The antechamber had a fairly large window made of lengthy panes of clear glass held in place by artistically arranged, incredibly thin solid-silver mullions. The formal entrance had brought them from the corridor into the sitting room, facing toward the window on the outside wall. There was a double door on the left wall, it looked as though a rectangular hole was simply sliced through the shelving. The amber shelving jutted out from the black wall and created a minuscule corridor leading to the spectacularly carved golden-wood panels that constituted the double entrance doors to the Queen's chambers.

The regency suite was amazing, making Rand and Min both pause on the threshold, admiring its affective and impressive scheme. The suite was not much larger than the sitting room, but it was darkly magnificent. The entire room was an intricate forest-scape, a tribute and connection to the earth, and to the Darkness. While gawping at the luxurious room, the strangers traipsed over the softest and most incredibly plush dark green-coloured carpet they had ever seen. The dark stone walls had been covered completely in in ingenious fashion, drapes of thick material of all different lengths and colours hung from the walls, evoking the image of looking into a backwoods wilderness at twilight, with all the shades of shadow and shifting light encompassed therein. It was clear that there was a mild illusion to smooth the walls and heighten the appearance of trees and bush, and the room itself smelled of rich loam and cooling mountain-breeze wafting gently through it. The entire theme of the room was a return to an untouched woodland, an inspiring communion with nature.

Min found the counterpane on the monstrous bed in the center of the room to be a heavy and soft velvety material, perfectly matching the dark green woodland tones from the walls, laid over smooth white silk sheets. The vertical members holding the canopy over the bed were actual trees, or a material covered with realistic bark that ran up beyond the bed-covering and disappeared into the black shadows of the ceiling fourteen or fifteen feet from the floor. The ceiling itself was spelled to look as if one were gazing skyward at night, admiring the stars. The two large windows in the Queen's corner chamber were spectacular; many beautiful and huge expanses of crystal clear glass let abundant amounts of light come in. They were uncovered now, illuminating everything except the upper reaches of the ceiling, but there were incredibly heavy and extravagant curtains of dark, soft material that didn't feel quite like silk but was just as gloriously smooth and attractive, ready to be pulled over the windows to block out all light. As in their other room, a large black armoire sat in a corner, but this one was easily double the size and more elaborately fashioned than the one in their former suite. There were no chairs and only one large table underneath one of the windows, just a wide variety of deliciously soft looking throw-pillows and blankets in one corner. Min prowled around her new chambers with an animated, territorial gleam flashing in her brown eyes that Rand had never seen, but quite enjoyed. She squawked in pleasure, unable to articulate her glee, when she was shown by Helene that one of the windows had a counter-balanced section of it, allowing it to swing out and provide egress onto a large balcony, with just the flip of a single ingenious clasp. The stone platform extended in an arc, from five feet to either side of the huge expanse of glass to about eight feet out from the window at it's apex, and was furnished with two wrought iron chairs with a small matching iron table between them. Over-excited admirers of the view, such as Min, were held back from the four story drop by a stunningly intricate wrought-iron balustrade with copper, bronze and silver inlay all along it.

From the Queen's chamber there was a small door leading to a gorgeously appointed bathroom with a decor of dark stone and silver, with red and gold highlights. The metallic opulence conspicuously absent from the woodland realm that comprised the regency suite was back in force here. All of the faucets and fittings appeared to be made of solid red or yellow gold, and one of the black stone walls had strips of silver swirling over it in a gigantic spider-web pattern that was mesmerizing. The decoration continued right into the only window in the bathroom, the silver strips becoming support pieces for the frosted glass that allowed copious amounts of light in, while still obscuring the view. A beautiful and creamy white stone counter had two large sinks sunk into it's surface, and above the counter hung a flawless and massive mirror. The lovers now had their own shower, two sinks, a commode in a separate little cubby, and a huge bathtub made of gorgeous black and red-flaked stone that was almost large enough for Rand to swim in.

The consort's suite was through another door at the opposite end of the huge bathroom. The walls around the consort, or husband's sleeping chambers were covered in warm golden wood paneling with swirling tracks of dark wood-grain. The black and brown streaks seemed to almost leap out of the panels with the richness of lacquer or stain used, and the light coming from the window shone brightly off its highly polished surface. The furnishings were plain in comparison to the Queen's chamber, but a well made bed and a couple of large armchairs made the room feel comfortable and warm. The window was much smaller here, but let in enough light through its clear panes that it would provide sufficient illumination for reading during the day. There was a small door from the consort's suite back into the corridor, so a man could come and go easily without crossing through his Queen's space.