Jade awoke the next morning, feeling refreshed. The air in the room
was warm, and yellowish pink light
slipped in around the doorframe. The crystal shards that were mounted in lamps throughout the castle gave off a
cool blue light, so this was something different. Jade walked to the door and opened it, her bare feet almost silent
on the stones. The light poured through a doorway at one and of the corridor, and she slipped into a much larger
room, which contained several chairs, a couch, and a wooden table; the light was sunlight, coming in through glass
large glass windows set in one wall. A girl of only five or six was standing at the head of the table, and she froze
when Jade glanced at her. The girl stared at her feet while mumbling, "G'morning." she then hurried out of the
room. Breakfast had been set on the table, but Jade first walked to the windows. The view before her made her
gasp, for she was several hundred feet up the mountainside. The plains and forest stretched out below, and a
shimmering blur river curved away into the distance. The rising sun seemed to be directly even with the windows,
causing Jade to squint, and raise a hand against the fiery brightness.
"Do you like the view?" Melliea had entered the room while Jade was entranced with the scene below her.
"There aren't a lot of windows this high up in the mountain, but since my father is Assistant Chief Steward,
our rooms are more lavish and more spacious than most."
After the two had breakfasted, Melliea lent Jade some of her younger brother's shirts and pants that fit Jade better
than Melliea's old dresses. As Jade changed, Melliea described the arrival of Sriven's parents. "Lord Sriven's
mother and father arrived just after dawn, and they brought his younger brother, Fedlt, with them. The four locked
themselves in Lord Sriven's private chambers, and gave an order that they were no to be disturbed. So, some of
the servants, including me, have the day off. This means I can show you how to find your own way around the
castle."
Melliea and Jade set off into the castle, first stopping in the main entrance hall, where Melliea said, "This is
one of the few fixed locations in the castle, mostly because of its attachment to the outside. From here you can go
almost anywhere else. The side passages lead to both upper and lower levels. The only areas you should avoid are
those two at the end." Melliea gestured towards a pair of intricate archways, decorated with red and black stone.
The patterns stretched out onto the walls and ran across the floor. Anticipating Jade's next question, Melliea
continued, "Those lead to Lord Sriven's private rooms and the lodgings for other immortals who are staying here."
The two girls left the entrance hall, and continued on to see other parts of the castle, which Jade felt was much like
castles on Earth, except larger, and for the fact that the corridors were never the same twice. After seeing the
battlements, the cellars, the kitchens, guest rooms, dinning halls, and scores of gray-stone hallways, Jade's legs
were begging to tire. Noticing the younger girl lagging behind, Melliea paused to wait. "Come along," she
entreated, "I want to show you the Northeast tower, we can rest there."
Jade was not encouraged by the thoughts of having to climb up a tower but, not having much choice, she hurried
along.
Elsewhere in the castle, Sriven was having a less than pleasant conversation with his visitors. Actually,
Sriven was mostly raging angrily about various problems while his parents simply stood in silence. "More bad
news!? Why is this all happening at once!?", He gestured to a pile of open scrolls on a stone table. "The Elves are always a problem but does Sheratock have to pick now to bring up the same old debate over element dominion that he's protested for nearly 6000 years?!" His tone changed to sarcasm, "And what's this? Only four demands from
the council? Last time it was nearly a dozen!"
His mother drew another scroll from a pocket in her sleeve, while quietly speaking, "I believe they thought
this one might make up for the lack of quantity."
Having climbed several dozen flights of stairs, Jade felt just about ready to collapse when they came out on a
small landing. Only one passage led away from the landing, but a ladder below a wooden door was bolted to one
wall. Melliea continued up the ladder, and Jade dragged herself up, too. The room they emerged into was circular,
about 30 feet across, and sparsely dotted with chairs and stools. Jade collapsed in the armchair nearest the door,
but Melliea motioned her towards one of the ironbound windows. The view was even more startling than the one
from the windows that morning had been. Clouds drifted below them, and the base of the castle was nearly
invisible in the distance. Jade murmured to herself, "Wow, I didn't think we climbed this far." Melliea overheard
and commented, "We didn't. I told you before that the passages and stairways move, so it makes it easier to get
around the castle. See, you have to experience it to really understand it for yourself."
Sriven took the scroll and passed his hand along the lighted crest, which promptly vanished. As he read
what was written, his eyebrow began to twitch as he fought to keep his composure. When he spoke, his voice was
barely a whisper, and deadly even. "So, you know what it says?" he continued without waiting for a reply, "How
do you think this makes me feel? I will tell you that I am VERY, VERY ANGRY! After being flung most
unpleasantly from a different pla?n? and being sidled with a human houseguest, they now command that I teach her
immortal magic?!"
slipped in around the doorframe. The crystal shards that were mounted in lamps throughout the castle gave off a
cool blue light, so this was something different. Jade walked to the door and opened it, her bare feet almost silent
on the stones. The light poured through a doorway at one and of the corridor, and she slipped into a much larger
room, which contained several chairs, a couch, and a wooden table; the light was sunlight, coming in through glass
large glass windows set in one wall. A girl of only five or six was standing at the head of the table, and she froze
when Jade glanced at her. The girl stared at her feet while mumbling, "G'morning." she then hurried out of the
room. Breakfast had been set on the table, but Jade first walked to the windows. The view before her made her
gasp, for she was several hundred feet up the mountainside. The plains and forest stretched out below, and a
shimmering blur river curved away into the distance. The rising sun seemed to be directly even with the windows,
causing Jade to squint, and raise a hand against the fiery brightness.
"Do you like the view?" Melliea had entered the room while Jade was entranced with the scene below her.
"There aren't a lot of windows this high up in the mountain, but since my father is Assistant Chief Steward,
our rooms are more lavish and more spacious than most."
After the two had breakfasted, Melliea lent Jade some of her younger brother's shirts and pants that fit Jade better
than Melliea's old dresses. As Jade changed, Melliea described the arrival of Sriven's parents. "Lord Sriven's
mother and father arrived just after dawn, and they brought his younger brother, Fedlt, with them. The four locked
themselves in Lord Sriven's private chambers, and gave an order that they were no to be disturbed. So, some of
the servants, including me, have the day off. This means I can show you how to find your own way around the
castle."
Melliea and Jade set off into the castle, first stopping in the main entrance hall, where Melliea said, "This is
one of the few fixed locations in the castle, mostly because of its attachment to the outside. From here you can go
almost anywhere else. The side passages lead to both upper and lower levels. The only areas you should avoid are
those two at the end." Melliea gestured towards a pair of intricate archways, decorated with red and black stone.
The patterns stretched out onto the walls and ran across the floor. Anticipating Jade's next question, Melliea
continued, "Those lead to Lord Sriven's private rooms and the lodgings for other immortals who are staying here."
The two girls left the entrance hall, and continued on to see other parts of the castle, which Jade felt was much like
castles on Earth, except larger, and for the fact that the corridors were never the same twice. After seeing the
battlements, the cellars, the kitchens, guest rooms, dinning halls, and scores of gray-stone hallways, Jade's legs
were begging to tire. Noticing the younger girl lagging behind, Melliea paused to wait. "Come along," she
entreated, "I want to show you the Northeast tower, we can rest there."
Jade was not encouraged by the thoughts of having to climb up a tower but, not having much choice, she hurried
along.
Elsewhere in the castle, Sriven was having a less than pleasant conversation with his visitors. Actually,
Sriven was mostly raging angrily about various problems while his parents simply stood in silence. "More bad
news!? Why is this all happening at once!?", He gestured to a pile of open scrolls on a stone table. "The Elves are always a problem but does Sheratock have to pick now to bring up the same old debate over element dominion that he's protested for nearly 6000 years?!" His tone changed to sarcasm, "And what's this? Only four demands from
the council? Last time it was nearly a dozen!"
His mother drew another scroll from a pocket in her sleeve, while quietly speaking, "I believe they thought
this one might make up for the lack of quantity."
Having climbed several dozen flights of stairs, Jade felt just about ready to collapse when they came out on a
small landing. Only one passage led away from the landing, but a ladder below a wooden door was bolted to one
wall. Melliea continued up the ladder, and Jade dragged herself up, too. The room they emerged into was circular,
about 30 feet across, and sparsely dotted with chairs and stools. Jade collapsed in the armchair nearest the door,
but Melliea motioned her towards one of the ironbound windows. The view was even more startling than the one
from the windows that morning had been. Clouds drifted below them, and the base of the castle was nearly
invisible in the distance. Jade murmured to herself, "Wow, I didn't think we climbed this far." Melliea overheard
and commented, "We didn't. I told you before that the passages and stairways move, so it makes it easier to get
around the castle. See, you have to experience it to really understand it for yourself."
Sriven took the scroll and passed his hand along the lighted crest, which promptly vanished. As he read
what was written, his eyebrow began to twitch as he fought to keep his composure. When he spoke, his voice was
barely a whisper, and deadly even. "So, you know what it says?" he continued without waiting for a reply, "How
do you think this makes me feel? I will tell you that I am VERY, VERY ANGRY! After being flung most
unpleasantly from a different pla?n? and being sidled with a human houseguest, they now command that I teach her
immortal magic?!"