The Mystic Spires
The entire platform lurched as the castle-shaped portion of the dais pulled free from its perch and rose quickly in the air. No one had been prepared for what would happen, and they all dropped to the deck to avoid falling off. As they became accustomed to the motion, they slowly stood. Even though they were moving quickly, the ride took several minutes.
"What if the Fates are not friendly?" Junayd asked refusing to look down. Devrim had been thinking the same since his experience with the griffin. What if the Fates only allowed them to stay near the base of Dew Mountain because visitors were not welcome?
"Hands at the ready," the grey-eyed man responded as he held the pommel of his sword. The others followed suit, and even Aurora reached in her cloak for her bow. Above them a hole opened to admit them into a base of one of the spires. As they passed through a stray section of the cold mist to enter the portal, their vision was momentarily absent.
Their muscles tensed as the fog cleared. The hall in which they stood was so white, it was almost as if it had absorbed the fog. High arches met at the ceiling giving the place a look of exaggerated height. Before them stood a single figure with skin so bright it glowed a tint of blue. The woman had long flowing hair and an ageless face, both young as a child and wise as a sage. Her eyes, though, were colorless —and at the same time full of color—in the iris with lightning streaking outward from the pupil at unknown intervals. They were tumultuous and soothing at the same time. This was a Fate.
The lady wore a cherubic grin, which was striking against the rest of her austere surroundings. "You are late," she said like it was a known fact. There was no judgement or mocking in her voice.
Aurora recognized her immediately, "You… you are the one from my vision!"
The Fate continued to smile, "You may want to move off of the platform before it returns to the ground."
The platform rumbled in reply, and the elf and the humans hastily disembarked. Nurlan's foot had barely left the floor when the glowing castle disengaged and began to sink.
"Now, who would like a hot bath and a nice warm meal?" the Fate asked. She took their stunned silence for agreement. "Excellent! Follow me." Without another word, she headed for the stairs.
The group followed Aurora, who saw no other course of action and who ultimately did want both of the things offered. "Why does this seem exactly like how our visit with the elves began?" Devrim whispered to the Empress.
Having heard him, the lady with the glowing skin chuckled. "Because the elf Monarchs know how to make others feel welcome, but only as long as it suits them. Do not worry, we have no intention of enslaving you." The Fate turned toward Brinn with a sad expression, "No offense dear, I know they are your parents."
"No offense taken," Brinn said easily.
The Fate's countenance brightened, "I knew I chose well!"
They walked a spiral staircase and came out at a long skybridge linking one spire to the next. The drop was dizzying, and Junayd leapt back from the edge. "Yeah, that is not going to happen," he pushed himself against the doorframe. His eyes were so wide, they completely filled his face.
Devrim tried to rally Junayd. "You are a soldier of Valiant and an escort to Her Majesty. You have faced countless horrors worse than this. Take heart!" The speech worked, for the young soldier held his head up bravely and marched forward without looking down, his hands trembling only slightly.
"It seems you chose well too, dear Empress," the Fate observed. Aurora became shy and turned crimson. She was curious to know just how much the Fate knew, but was far too embarrassed to ask.
Across the bridge they went and entered the next spire. "You seem to know who we are, but we do not know your name," Brinn placed her hand on her hips. There was a defiance in her voice because the Fate intimated that Brinn had been chosen for a purpose. She did not like the idea of being manipulated.
The Fate seemed to read her mind, "My name is Hanna. And do not focus your anger at me. I may have given you the opportunity to join this merry band, but the choices you made are all your own."
Brinn relaxed a little. She knew that she had been brash. The elf decided to let the matter drop. The spire they had entered had lower ceilings but the same arched design. This tower held the sleeping quarters.
"Now, you can each have your own suite or you can split up boys and girls. We will have no hanky-panky among unmarried parties under my watch." She looked meaningfully at the Empress and her fake consort. The pair looked away from each other and blushed heavily.
"You said that just to embarrass them, didn't you?" Brinn could see through Hanna's remark.
"I have so few pleasures in life," the Fate responded with a grin.
"We will split up boys and girls," Devrim said definitively. "I will feel better knowing you are not alone, Aurora."
"Same for you," the Empress agreed. "I will feel better knowing that you have back-up."
"Ah, I love to see your loyalty." Hanna directed the males and females to their quarters. "I will be back with food in an hour after you have gotten cleaned up."
She vanished from sight before they could respond. "Anyone else find it curious that she is the only one we have seen?" Nurlan asked.
"It is curious, but what about the land of magic has been normal?" Aurora countered.
"The Fates can be invisible and go between places in an instant. They may be watching us even now." Brinn told them. The rest looked around warily. It was like ghosts had now suddenly surrounded them.
"Let's get cleaned up." Aurora ignored the chill that ran down her spine. They all hurried to change.
After they were clean and changed, they reconvened for a meal in the boys' quarters. Hanna confirmed Brinn's words. "Yes, the other Fates are watching. They are deciding what to do with you."
"Didn't they know we were coming?" Aurora asked.
"They knew I called you, but they never thought you would make it." Hanna's ever present smile turned mischievous. "We showed them, didn't we!" The others were surprised. They believed that the Fates worked in unison, but it seemed even they made their own decisions individually. Pretending not to notice their stares, Hanna took a bit of the fluffy bread on the table and dabbed it in oil. She popped the morsel into her mouth and sighed with pleasure. "Why, that is delightful!" she cheered. After just a bite, the Fate rose and took her leave. She turned as she reached the door. "The Fates will convene with you within three days. Until then, please enjoy what few mortals have seen. Welcome to the Mystic Spires."