1 Chapter 1

"Calin… Calin~"

A gentle voice cooed into my ear.

"Wake up sweetheart. We're almost there, and you don't want to sleep through your first time seeing Aema, do you?"

I doggedly ignored the voice and dedicated myself to falling asleep once more, or at least I would have had not something hard, sharp, and distinctly elbow-shaped

found its way into my ribs. I shot up with an indignant yelp, instantly awake, as I heard a second, much rougher voice.

"Get up dumbass, after all, you wouldn't want to miss passing through Hell's Anus now would you?"

My elder brother's words mocked Mother's previous encouragement. I lunged forward, ready to pay him back for the elbow. He casually batted my wrist aside and plucked my forehead. Before I could retaliate or my mother could reprimand Evan for his vulgar language, Amber spoke up gruffly from where she sat opposite me.

"Could you two save the rough-housing for when I'm not on the verge of heaving my guts out? Otherwise I will make sure it is you guys who become reacquainted with my breakfast."

We both instantly froze under her glare knowing that the threat was not a hollow one. Amber despised travelling by cart and was easily motion-sick, a fact that we had all been victims of numerous times. After we had all fallen silent, my father called back from the driver's seat where he was keeping a loose hand on the reins.

"And you Evan, are to have some respect for the City of Aema and for the Gates of Gold."

Evan muttered a noncommittal 'yes sir' and slouched further on the bench. A few minutes later as we rounded a bend in the road I got to see how the Gates got their name. In the bright, glaring, desert sun they shone like fire, reflecting light with a vibrant gold sheen. Of course they weren't actually gold but rather brass that was regularly polished to a shine to appear as such. It worked. The view was nothing short of dazzling and I immediately clambered to the front of the cart beside my father to get a better look. Spread before me were the greenest fields I had ever seen in my entire life. Even the oases back home couldn't compare and the week spent riding through the dull monochrome of the desert only accentuated the effect. Splayed out beside the stunning gates were the massive alabaster walls of Aema towering into the sky. My greedy young eyes drank in the vista insatiably, unable to get enough.

'Aema' I thought 'This is where heroes are made, where legends are born, the set piece of a thousand tales. I finally get to see it. No, not only to see it, to live in it.'

Beside me, my younger sisters were similarly awestruck meanwhile Evan and Amber both sat smugly, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible due to having seen the city once before I was born. Aema was like nowhere else I had seen. Deserts didn't make the ideal setting for metropoli yet Aema stood as an island of fertility in the ocean of sand. Its oasis was so large as to cover the entire plateau, providing enough food to support its population of nearly a million. Jenny and Sparrow felt no need to hide their excitement with Jenny jumping up and down while Sparrow clung to my arm and stared silently with wide eyes. To many my youngest sister may have seemed pensive but I knew her well enough to tell this was her own way of showing anticipation.

All three of our dreams were cruelly and ruthlessly killed the moment we passed through the gates and saw the motive for their alternative name, Hell's Anus. Where on the outside there appeared a noble and idyllic city, the inside revealed a cesspool. I had seen slums before in some of the larger towns I had visited but while those areas inspired pity and sorrow for the unfortunates who were forced to live there, this place simply created a dark knot of dread in the pit of my stomach. It seemed as though every one of the shadiest thugs, thieves, and hawkers had gathered to the gate like flies to a carcass. I swallowed nervously and quickly ducked back into the covered portion of the cart. After a few hundred meters the oppressive aura seeed to fade as the rickety slums made way to modest but respectable working-class homes. Though the area was still poor and run-down it seemed far more pleasant and peaceful. Some of the passersby even sent tired but still warm smiles my way as I peeked out once more from the cover of the cart. The closer we got to the city center, the more affluent the area seemed to become. The small flats, likely shared by multiple families, gave way to more well maintained buildings designed for those affluent enough to rent or buy a room for themselves. From there I began to see full-sized houses with gardens, all of them beautiful and likely owned by merchants. Yet there were those who were wealthier still: at the core of the city were the noble estates, massive sprawling properties with hedges, fences, and walls covering expansive gardens, fields and even forests. As we travelled through the collection of opulent mansions I turned to my father.

"Pa, why is everything here so magnificent while back at the gates it was so...so…"

"Miserable?" he offered.

"Yeah." I said lamely.

"When Aema was founded there were still great fears of an invasion by the elves. To be near the walls was seen as vulnerability and nowhere was that more true than by the gates. It was only natural that the people shunted to such a zone were the most desperate and destitute. Desperation is the mother of evil as they say and, well, the area quickly became synonymous with crime. Over time those who were less desperate but more opportunistic realized that the only entrance to the city was the perfect place to intercept and take advantage of naive travellers and by then the fate of the Gates of Gold was sealed."

I hadn't really expected an entire history lesson but then again I should have known better. Father never treated me like a child - or rather - almost never.

"We've almost reached the palace gates." Father announced.

Looking up I saw that he was correct. We had arrived at the center of the city where stood the imposing grey stone walls surrounding the royal palace. A quick word from the fully armoured guards had Father rein the camels in, bringing our cart to a jarring halt. We probably looked comically out of place in our dinghy, dust-covered cart, set amidst such a grand display of wealth.

"State your business!" one of the guards asked warily and perhaps a little over-zealously.

He had his hand on the blade at his waist, no doubt apprehensive of peasantry showing up in front of the royal palace. My father sighed and brought out a piece of parchment.

"I have a summons from His Majesty the King." he stated firmly, unrolling the scroll. The guard looked doubtful until he saw the ornate royal seal placed at the bottom of the parchment. His eyes widened and he immediately hammered on the door adjacent to the gate and whispered something into a slot in the middle. Within moments both the gate and the portcullis had been opened and their cart was allowed through without question. From within the walls one could easily tell that the 'royal palace' was more of a royal castle, designed as much for practicality as luxury.

Immediately before me was the keep's main courtyard, hemmed in on either side by wings of the castle/palace. The outer portion of the right half of the courtyard held a massive set of stables while the left revealed an open-air corridor where I could see doors leading off to what I guessed were servants' quarters. As our cart rounded the ornate fountain at the center of the courtyard several stablehands rushed forwards to untack the horses while a couple more servants moved to help my mother and sisters from the cart.

The pampering earned a giggle from Jenny and even a dazzling, if slightly queasy - smile from Amber that left one of the younger servants blushing furiously. Sparrow shied away from the helping hands and preferred to clutch onto the elbow of my tunic as we clambered down.

Once we had all disembarked, my father kissed my mother on the cheek before striding away purposefully. The six remaining members of our family were left standing awkwardly in the courtyard until yet another manservant greeted mother with a deep bow. This one was older and appeared more distinguished, dressing almost like an aristocrat himself. He clearly held a more prestigious position among the staff. Mother, unlike the rest of us, seemed entirely unsurprised by the man's subservient attitude.

"Are you here to show us to our rooms?" she asked expectantly.

"Yes of course M'lady. This way if you will."

The man gestured for us to follow.

"I appreciate the hospitality Hawkins." my mother responded with a gentle laugh.

"I assure you the pleasure is all mine Lady Isabelle." the man said, clearly showing that the two were acquainted.

My eyes narrowed but I managed to hold my questions for later through sheer force of will.

Hawkins led us through the grandiose main entrance that opened into a large antechamber with more doors leading off in every conceivable direction. The largest of these stood directly opposite from the main entrance and I could only imagine it led to the Great Hall. Hawkins ignored this however and led us off through one of the smaller doors.