by Noah Michael
The musicians whispered amongst themselves. Finally, one of them hurried out of the room. Another one addressed them. “Welcome, Maximus, son of Armolin. We have sent for our Queen.”
As they waited, Raiden gazed with wonder at the Artists. By the looks of it, they’d all been playing two instruments simultaneously. They themselves were works of art, with perfect skin, hair, and figures.
“Maximus.” They turned around. Facing them was an older, but elegant woman, surrounded by guards. Her eyes were ocean-blue, her eyelashes long and thick, her lips rose-red. On her nose was a diamond ring, and from her ears hung long, flowery, red and gold earrings. She wore a red and gold dress flowing down to her feet. A matching scarf was wrapped around her right shoulder. On her neck was a thick, layered, golden necklace. She wore a golden head dress which covered her hair and hung down her back “My name is Iselia, Queen of the Art Tribe,” came a voice that sounded like an instrument. “I welcome you, son of Armolin, and your guest. It is our honor to host you in our humble village.”
“Thank you, Iselia, the honor is ours. My guest’s name is Raiden.”
“Of what tribe?”
“He is of human descent, but he is educated in the ways of our people.”
“Humans are welcome here. We are a peaceful people. Please hand your weapons over for the remainder of your visit. Only royal guards may carry arms.”
Maximus looked the queen in the eyes, his voice deep and hypnotizing. “I will be holding on to these. You gave me special permission, remember?”
“Oh yes, of course, how could I have forgotten?” the Queen said slowly with a puzzled expression. “The two of you have come at an opportune time. My daughter has come of age and we are hosting a feast in her honor. You are invited to the festivities tonight. I must go now to oversee the preparations. My trusted advisor, Barrant, will show you around.” Barrant looked like he was around the same age as the queen. His skin color was slightly tanned, his face shaved to perfection. His eyes were a deep brown. His hair was long and dark, combed up and to the side on his right, and down on his left. He wore a long, coat-like ornamental tunic, patterned in gold and dark brown, with a high-neck collar and antique buttons. In his hands he held a long, bronze scepter.
“Barrant, help them to feel at home,” Iselia said.
“Yes, my queen.” He bowed as Iselia walked out of the room. “Would you rather be shown to your rooms or take a tour of our humble village?” Barrant asked them.
“Is there any food?” Raiden asked, his stomach grumbling.
Maximus elbowed him hard in the ribcage. “It would be our greatest pleasure to see your village before retiring to food and sleep.”
Barrant appeared pleased. “Well then, let us begin.”
Barrant showed them around. Raiden examined the floors, walls, and ceilings, all composed of a shimmering, dark black limestone. Hundreds of pipes poked down from the cave roof bringing air to the village, which was illuminated by a multitude of torches and lamps. Also hanging from the roof was a massive, glowing, golden-colored ball, radiant with both visible and ultra-violet light which reflected throughout the village, causing the limestone to sparkle. Towering, golden support columns stretched from the village floor all the way up to the ceiling. Music echoed from every corner of the city, reverberating against the stone walls. The music was so thick, it seemed like an almost tangible element of the city.
The city was split into five sections, each separated by massive crevices in the stone floor that seemed infinitely deep, but connected by bridges. In the center of the mid-section of the village stood a colossal rock tower, the highest one in the village, which led to the surface and was hidden by a mountain above the ground. It was the royal palace. According to Barrant, the tower held a hidden staircase which led just as deep as the tower was high. Barrant led them towards the second section of the village. As they crossed the bridge, Raiden looked down at the endless abyss beneath him. The edges of the crevice were lined with large stones to prevent people from falling. Out of curiosity, Raiden kicked a rock down into the dark pit.
“What have you done!?” Barrant raised his voice. “You cannot do that!”
“I-I’m very sorry. I didn’t know that rock meant so much to you.”
“No! The rock is a rock. It is the safety of the village that is my concern. You are never to throw anything down those crevices! You never know the consequences it may bring.”
Maximus threw Raiden a disparaging look as they continued to cross the bridge. As embarrassed as he was, he couldn’t help but listen for the sound of the rock hitting bottom.
It never came.
Barrant led them over to one of the stone towers. Stone sculptures were strewn along the way, depicting everything from people to plants to animals. In the main square, a natural fountain made from sculptures of dragons burst out from a crevice below the Earth. Barrant explained that the fountain was the village’s main source of water.
“How did your tribe manage to build this?” Raiden asked.
“Our village is very old. When the Alliance still ruled, they sent their best Builders and Molders to construct it for us.” Barrant led them up to the entrance of a tall, black-stoned structure. The door had no handle. Instead, there was a code-pad with twenty different buttons. Barrant pushed the buttons in a specific order and speed, creating a melodious and surprisingly complicated tune. When he finished, the door opened.
“Follow me.”
The room inside was very spacious. It amplified the sounds within. Even the smallest whisper reverberated against the shining black walls. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling. At the front of the room was a grand, stone stage, upon which sat an orchestra of children dressed in matching uniforms. The boys wore blue-green tunics, the girls wore dark-purple dresses. One girl stood out from the rest. She wore a red and gold dress and was adorned with jewelry. Long, sparkling, diamond earrings dangled from her ears and a golden nose ring was fastened to her small, smooth nose. Her blonde hair was silky and long. Her face was flawless, her ocean-blue eyes glistened in reflection of the light from the chandeliers. In her straight, slender fingers she held a violin.
“Children, would you be so kind as to play something for our guests?” Barrant requested. The children readied their instruments. “Please,” Barrant motioned to Maximus and Raiden, “Take a seat.”
The song began quietly, the flutes whistling, the violins gentle. The trumpets sounded softly in the background, the drums beat a rhythm that united the symphony. Slowly, the violins trembled. The flutes whimpered, as if sensing an oncoming storm. The trumpets let out a call of fury. The drums picked up with growing intensity. The storm arrived, as the instruments crashed and clashed with ferocity. The land grew quiet, awaiting the results of the storm.
Slowly, the flutes peeked out their heads. The violins climbed out of the trees, the trumpets heralded the coming of the sun. The drums played a tender beat, restoring peace.
Each note was flawless, each sound perfectly in place. For a few moments, Raiden felt completely at peace. He rose, applauding them wildly. The children bowed their heads.
“Can we hear another one?” Raiden asked.
“Ilenia,” Barrant answered, “would you to be so kind as to play for our guests?”
The girl in red and gold nodded. The chandeliers dimmed as she took a place at the grand piano. She closed her eyes. Each movement of her fingers brought a new flavor, a new color. At times the music grew faster, the girl’s fingers racing across the white and black keys. At times it grew slower, sending calming pulses down Raiden’s spine. Finally, the song drew to a close.
This time he could not clap. He wanted the song to ring in his ears forever.
Barrant whispered something into Maximus’s ear. Maximus walked over to the stage. He took Ilenia’s hand and kissed it respectfully. “You must be princess Ilenia, daughter of the queen.”
“I am.”
“I am Maximus, son of Armolin. Thank you for your
gift of music and congratulations on the upcoming banquet in your honor.”
“Thank you. All guests are a great honor to us. The song I played is passed down only to members of the royal family. We call it the Song of the Princess.”
“Why didn’t you introduce me?” Raiden whispered.
“It is not in our interest for you to meet the princess,” Maximus said, “You do not understand the ways of courtesy and respect. It is the fault of your culture and time. We must make a good impression with this village. If we succeed, we may be offered eternal refuge.”
“The hour of the banquet has arrived. I will escort you to the Queen’s tower,” Barrant said. They followed him out of the music room, past the fountain, and to the bridge. The streets filled with people scurrying about in every direction, and Maximus and Raiden struggled to keep up with Barrant. The artificial sun above was beginning to dim.
When they reached the palace, there was an endless line emerging from the front door. Barrant walked them straight to the front. The doormen took one look at Barrant and opened the door. Raiden felt a tug at his shirt. He turned around and looked down at a small, chubby child who wore a tunic three times his size. “What are you wearing?” the boy asked.
“It’s called a T-shirt. I gotta-”
“Where are you from?”
“Does it matter?”
“Do you have a mommy?”
“What…?”
“Does she cry when she sees the way you dress? My mommy does that sometimes.”
Raiden glanced towards the door. Maximus and Barrant had already gone through, the doors were closing. “Sorry kid, I gotta go.” Raiden sprinted towards the doors, but they slammed shut in his face.
“Sorry sir, back of the line.”
“No, you don’t get it, I’m with them.”
“With whom?”
“I’m with Barrant.”
“Sure, and I’m engaged to the princess. Get to the back of the line.”
Raiden tugged desperately at the doors, shouting for Barrant and Maximus. The doormen threw him onto the ground. He stomped all the way to the back of the line and considered how to get back in.
Circling the palace, he noticed an open window a few stories high. A few rocks and torch holders stuck out prominently from the walls. It took some creative climbing and he needed his belt to make the final distance to the window, but Raiden managed to pull himself through the window not long after.
Raiden was in an empty bedroom. There were a couple of bookshelves filled with books, a table holding a violin, a flute, and some other small instruments, a painting canvas and a piano. The door to the room led out into a circular hall lined with more doors. He began opening them randomly, hoping to find the stairs. Some doors were locked, others opened to empty rooms. It took nearly a dozen doors to find the staircase.
He hopped down the steps, stopping at each floor, hoping to hear the sounds of the banquet. But at the bottom of the stairs, he faced an empty, stone wall.
“Why does this happen to me!” He screamed, pounding his hands against the wall. To his surprise, the wall spun around, depositing him in a pitch-black room on the other side. He pounded on the wall behind him, but to no avail. He was stuck.
After all I’ve been through, this is how I die, starving to death, having made a wrong turn in the palace of the only tribe that doesn’t want to kill me…
Raiden walked slowly forward, hands out, trying to feel for something – anything – when music filled the room. It was the song the princess had played. It was coming from in front of him, so he followed the sound. It moved slightly to the right. He turned, walking slowly towards the sound, until he hit a wall. The music was coming from the other side. He banged on the wall again, shouted for help. No answer. Suddenly, the music stopped and started over again, this time coming from the other direction.
Questioning his own sanity, Raiden followed the sound of the music again. As he walked, he realized that the floor felt odd. Bending down, he found a small square protruding from the floor’s surface. He pushed on it and it sank. Raiden began putting the pieces together. He followed the music to the first wall where the music was loudest. He felt around by his feet for a square. He quickly found one and stepped on it. To his delight, the square began to glow very faintly, signaling where it was. As the square lit up, the music changed its location. Raiden followed it around, once again stopping where the music was loudest. He bent down to the ground, searching for the square when he fell backwards, discovering the next square with his backside. A small line of glowing dots appeared, connecting the two squares, forming half a circle.
This time, the music split in two directions. One note was straight ahead, the other was to the right. Guessing, he went right. The notes stopped playing. All the squares and dots on the ground disappeared. The song began playing from the first wall again.
This is just one big memory game, he thought.
By process of trial and error, he walked this time forward towards the higher note and stepped on the third square. It lit up, dots emerging to connect it to the two former ones. The notes split up this time in four directions. Raiden closed his eyes and replayed the song carefully in his head. He managed to narrow it down to two of the notes. He guessed, feeling for the next square. To his surprise, it lit up, connecting with the others.
This time, four different, nearly identical versions of the song began playing in four different directions around the room. This step was much harder than all the others, perhaps impossible for someone not from the art tribe. He honestly could not tell the difference between the songs. Despairing, he looked at the glowing squares on the floor for inspiration. And found it.
It looks like that piano symbol! What’s it called...base cleft? Treble cleft?
He found the next square that completed the pattern and the sound stopped. Raiden’s heart dropped as the squares disappeared, the dots along with them. He stood alone in the darkness, his breathing heavy. He was ready to give up. He waited for the music to start again.
It didn’t. Instead, one of the walls lit up, a code pad. Raiden couldn’t believe his eyes. He punched the symbol of the treble cleft into the code and the door opened. The room on the other side was small and dimly lit and contained a small bed with a violin. In the center of the room was a piano, playing the Song of the Princess. A woman sat at the piano bench, swaying to the music. He paused, not wanting to disturb her. She stopped playing.
“You seek the same thing as the man before?”
Raiden had no idea what the woman was talking about.
“May I see your face?”
“Yes,” Raiden answered, wondering why she asked permission.
The woman stood up from the piano and turned around. Raiden froze. Before him stood the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her eyes shone blue, her cheekbones were high above her rosy cheeks, her long brown hair flowed down her back and was adorned with a blooming rose. She wore a gown similar to the queen’s, red and gold, with matching earrings hanging down from her ears. There was a crystal tiara on her head. “You do not look like him.”
“Like who?”
“The man who came when I was a child. I forget his name. What was it...Grith?”
“I’ve never heard of him.”
“Yet you seek the same thing that he did, no? You seek the home of the Shadows.”
“How did you know?”
“The only time someone else visited me here, it is that which he sought.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Elasia, eldest daughter of the queen.”
“Why are you locked up here?”
Elasia walked closer, her face growing dim. Something was wrong here. Very wrong.
“I am to be offered as tribute to the beast on the day of my younger sister’s becoming. That is why you are here. You are here to make a deal, are you not?”
“What kind of deal?”
“You are to save me, and I am to lead you to the doo
rway of the Shadowlands.”
“How can I trust you to know where they are?”
“I escaped from here once as a child. I stumbled accidentally upon the entrance. Despite my protests, the Shadows handed me back to my mother for a large ransom.”
“How do I save you?”
Elasia drew closer until she was face to face with Raiden. She looked gravely into his eyes. “You slay the beast.”
There was a noise from the room behind them. “Quick! You must hide! There is someone coming!” Raiden dove underneath the bed. Elasia resumed her playing. The door opened.
It was the Queen.
◆◆◆
“It is an honor to meet you, Drixon.” Maximus clanked his glass with the man. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was actually enjoying himself. The elders of the tribe respected him. An orchestra led by the princess herself was playing. Everything was made of gold. The food was as perfectly arranged as it tasted. Each dish was a work of art. The room was filled with sculptures and works of the most talented artists. Men and women danced gracefully to the music. Yet something felt off.
Where is the human?
He stood up and glanced around the room. No sign of him. He walked back to the entrance of the palace and asked the doorman to check outside. Maximus looked down the line of people but saw no sign of Raiden. He walked back to the banquet hall.
Maximus sat back down. Raiden had probably dozed off somewhere. He’d turn up. In the meantime, Maximus read the eyes of men and women as they spoke to each other, but time went on, their trite thoughts bored him. Barrant tapped him on the shoulder.
“Would you excuse me for a few minutes? The Queen requires my attention.”
“Of course,” Maximus answered, his voice deep and calm. Maximus’s eyes followed Barrant as he walked to the Queen’s table. He watched closely, studying the Queen’s face. This was more than just an issue of party-planning. Her face showed intent to kill.
