Chapter 10
Lady Rae and the Temple of Sages
"Your business here?!"
"We are here by request of the Lady Rae Mylon from the Temple of Sages, we are from Paramin, our vessel is the Fara Fey." Kaydell called down to the docking master.
"I shall call upon the coach that has been waiting for you, my lords and lady, she has given us notice of your arrival and is expecting you."
"Well, how do you like that?" Klayn shrugged, "Sounds like she's been expecting us."
"Yeah, sounds like it." Kaydell muttered back.
The shore was practically white with the sand and hot. They had all donned lighter clothing, mostly thin cotton. Willow now had to wear her hair in a bread to keep from suffocating in it, F'vel and Klayn also wore their hair tied back at the base of the neck. Kaydell and Beldovin would have Willow cut their hair every so often, every time it seemed to get shorter than the last clipping.
The wagon was brought to the other end of the pier, it was an odd looking thing. Drawn by 4 slim black horses, it was draped loosely in a semi-transparent white cloth, probably to help protect them from the sun on their ride to the Temple.
The coachman was a small human man with darkly tanned skin and clothed in brown sandals, off white cotton trousers that only reached his mid calf and a vest like shirt, also off white.
"I feel naked not going with a weapon," Klayn grumbled as he took a seat in the wagon opposite of Kaydell and Beldovin.
"I am fully sympathetic to your feelings," F'vel agreed, "I too feel unsafe and unprotected without a blade at my side or spell components on my body."
"I do not think the Sage would have us travel three long months to ambush us in her Temple and then slaughter us on the spot." Beldovin assured them.
"Well said, Beldovin!" Kaydell agreed.
"He's right," Willow agreed, "It seems like such a waist if that's all she wanted to do. Not only that but do you honestly think mother would have sent us here if she thought that this woman would try to kill us outright? I think not, now, Mother sending us to a Sage that will send us out to get killed is another matter."
The all laughed at the truth and off handedness of Willows statement.
The ride was smooth, the roads were stone, like the ones hand laid in Paramin, but constructed of a smoother stone.
The surrounding city was marvelous, the homes and shops were all a white color, with open windows and gardens in the front. Peacocks seemed to be at every corner, tiny yellow, green and blue birds chirped and sang in the scattered trees around them. The people of this area all seemed to take on the same physical attributes, slim, darkly tanned, most with darker hair, but not all and all seemed to wear lightly colored clothing made of cotton or fine silk. Most of the inhabitants seemed to be human, but there were some faces that were elven, mostly high elf, a few half breeds as well. Their wagon seemed to be drawing some attention, especially F'vell but he seemed not to notice the stares or he simply chose ignored them.
The Temple, by the looks of it, was at the center of the city, it appeared to have a center dome of enormous proportion with smaller buildings, square or not, strewn about its base as attachments. All of the buildings were of a goldish tan exterior, even the towers, pillars and balconies strewn about it massive dome center.
Soon they entered a large gateway, made of vine covered iron doors, the doors must not have been moved in a hundred years for the ivy to grow as thickly as it did. The road did not curve once but went directly to the front of the Temple. There were no gates here, only an open entrance flanked by two spiraled columns. The entrance had a ghostly, gauze curtain that floated in the coast breeze.
When the wagon stopped, all stepped out and stood together.
"This way my lords and lady," the coach man gestured towards the entrance.
With the short coachman in lead they entered the Temple, to their surprise it was much cooler inside.
"Wait here, I shall fetch the Lady Rae," he disappeared up a long flight of stairs that clung to the far side of the domed center hall.
All took their time to soak in the surroundings. To all of them it seemed as if they were inside of a giant solid bubble. The ceiling arched what seemed to be hundreds of feet into the air, its texture appeared smooth, but there were scenes painted in its walls. Some of the whales they had seen on their voyage, exotic birds, mermen coming out of the waves, clouds and sea shells were littered on its domed ceiling and curved walls.
Several door ways leading to what everyone assumed to be the adjoining hallways, buildings and towers, at the far end there was another entrance just like the one they had entered, they could see that it lead out to what appeared to be a very large exotic garden. When the over grown ivy curtain swayed in the cross breeze, specs of color could be seen threw the door way. There were several staircases that pressed against the dome interior, they looked to be made of a type of pale colored rock.
Many people walked past them, not really noticing them or looking at them, just going on their way. Most of the humans were dark skinned and haired, thin and garbed in wispy light clothing of many different colors. The ladies had their hair piled on the tops of their heads, done in elaborate braids, twists or curls, some of them even wore head pieces or gems in their hair. The men all had short cropped hair and even some of them wore head pieces too. All of them wore some sort of sandal, some were laced high, some of them simply buckled on the side some looked as though one could just slide the foot in and walk, they were all different colors.
"How does one paint on a ceiling?" Beldovin asked.
"Probably on ones back," Klayn replied, looking up as well, admiring the paintings, "Look at that," he pointed.
What he pointed at was a castle of enormous proportion but very dark in color, with tall, slender spike like towers and what seemed to be indissoluble walls. There were trees and gardens surrounding the castle and the ocean that lead to the rest of the paintings subjects.
"That's quite odd looking, don't you think?" Beldovin pointed out.
"Yes, now that you point it out, it is, doesn't really match the rest of the painting," F'vell stated.
"Very queer," Kaydell muttered.
Willow breathed inwardly, "Look, there, I think our hostess is about to be known."
Everyone followed to where Willow had set her gaze, coming down a set of stairs to the far right, was their coachman and directly behind him was a very beautiful human woman.
She appeared to be what the humans called 'middle age', it wasn't so much on how she looked but on how she carried herself. She had long dark brown hair done up into braids that twisted at the back of her head and cascaded down her back into smaller braids. She had a tan complexion, like she only spent enough time in the sun to be this color because she spent most of her time indoors becoming a learned Sage.
She had a very kind and wise face, it was sort of square and chiseled with high round cheek bones. Her mouth was stern, but not unfriendly.
What she wore could probably not be called a gown, but more a beautiful, flowing, lavender garment. Only one shoulder strap held it up but was caught in an elaborately crafted gold and copper broach with tiny purple gems. Where it sat on her shoulder a long piece of fabric from her garment came around her back and fastened to the opposite wrist of which the garment came from, it was held by a matching bracelet. The rest of the gown drifted gracefully down her slender form, seeming to float carelessly around her to trail behind her like a soft shadow. She walked with her head held high and her shoulders back, she walked like the Lady Kailya, with a state of grace and importance.
"My Lords and Lady, may I present to you the Lady Rae Mylon, residing Sage of West Fall." The coachman bowed to both the small party and then to the Lady Rae who nodded to the man.
"Thank you Belian, you may go."
He nodded, "My Lady," then turned on his heel and left.
"Children from Paramin, I welcome you to West Fall. I was beginning to worry if you would ever make it, but thank the stars you have arrived." she smiled at them, eyeing each one carefully. "You must be weary from your journey here, so I will not yet burden you with the details of the quest until you are fully rested. I have arranged some apartments for you here in the Temple for you. I have arranged for your crew to be well taken care of while they are docked, do not concern yourselves with those details. For now, I ask that you follow me so that you may bathed, refreshed and newly garmented. After that time, dinner will be served and we shall then discuss the particulars of your time and duties here."