Golden City

Ria whimpered in a corner, trapped in a nightmare that wouldn't end. Her mother had never hurt anyone; how could the King treat them this way. When the old King died and the new King came to power, her mother left the palace to avoid animosity. Yet that was not enough.

After all, when the old King died, the crown was supposed to be passed down to the Crown Princess. The Princess fled after losing her husband and father within one night, along with her brothers. No single true descendant of the Divine Deity remained except Ria and her mother.

At that time, Ria could not comprehend why they needed to run nor why she needed to keep her eyes covered. If she hadn't saved that guard, the current King wouldn't have found them, but a simple act of kindness resulted in her mother's death. The guard seeking to move up in the ranks had rushed back to inform the new Cobra King that Princess Aashvi still lived.

Looking up at the golden lady, Ria chose to gamble on her life one last time. Even the pretty man who accompanied her had a gentler aura than the King.

The lady lifted Ria up with one hand and inspected her closely, "Coatl could use a sister."

The man snorted, "will you take in every orphan we come across?"

The lady smiled, "who says I can't?"

"My name is Ria," the girl's eyes continued to shimmer with hope.

"Well, Ria, I am Xiao, and this is Song," Xiao set the girl down as Da-Eun and Tarkhan descended from the carriage.

"What are we doing here?" Da-Eun couldn't understand why they needed to stop at a shop of mystic wares.

"All will be revealed," Song leads the way into the dimly lit shop filled with colorful lamps shimmering mirrors, and undescriptive items.

Lilitu stood behind a wooden counter, hunched over as if she were truly a croan. Colorful scarfs flowed behind her, hiding the entrance to her real business.

"All who wander over yonder when thunder howler, their hearts will crumble," Lilitu said in greeting.

"And that's supposed to mean what exactly?" Xiao flicked Lilitu's forehead, "how long has it been, Kaya?"

At Xiao's touch, the croan disguise disappeared, and a young female with emerald eyes and glossy black hair stood before them.

Lilitu taped a clawed hand atop the counter, her eyes turning serpentine. "My lady, this is something only you can decipher."

Song set a bag filled with mystic stones atop the counter, "We require your assistance traversing the Golden City."

Lilitu lifted the bag weighing its contents with one hand while taping her chin with another. "Anything for my King."

The Serpent only delt in gems; she was no different than a dragon when it came to all things shiny. That was why Song had Tae collect only the most precious of gems. Lilitu's love of shiny things was part of why Song didn't fully believe Lilitu wouldn't sell them out. Thus, Song had instructed Tae to keep an eye on the Serpent.

"If Lili may ask," the Serpent walked over to the door, stuck her head out, and spotting no guards locked the door, "why does my King sneak into the city?"

"There are things you don't need to know." Song was never a patient man, except when it came to Xiao for her, he could try. If Lilitu asked more questions, there was a great possibility he would cut her head off.

"Lili understands," Lilitu walked past them and moved the colorful scarfs to the side, "please follow Lili."

An ivory table was set at the center of Lilitu's actual shop, and a piece of shimmering coral was on it, surrounded by a golden aura. To the far-left wall hug rolls of fabric made from mermaid tails. Bowls after bowls of mermaid pearls are set atop a shelf carved from stag horns. Blades crafted from meteorites hang above their heads like deadly chandeliers.

It was evident Lilitu had designed the room to intimidate and tempt all who entered. At the sight of Lilitu's valuables, Xiao had decided she would return the tails to the sea. There were things even she wouldn't do; cutting a mermaid's tail was one of them.

"Would my Lady like some tea?" Lilitu set a tray of porcelain cups filled with green tea on a table carved in the form of a stallion.

From what Xiao could gather, all of the objects within the shop still contained a trace of their original essence. What had become of Lilitu to trap so many of their kind, turning them into ornamental figures.

Song, like Xiao, had decided once the Naga Pearl was in their possession, they would free all the souls trapped within Lilitu's shop. It was good that they had Ria go with Tae instead of entering the shop. Song had no doubt Lilitu would have tried to claim the girl for her Divine Eyes.

Drinking what Lilitu offered could result in their death. Thus, Xiao pretended to trip and knocked the tea over, "forgive me, Lili, I have not felt quite like myself these days. Perhaps is there somewhere I could rest?"

While the others chatted with Lilitu, Xiao snuck out the window leaving a decoy in her place. They couldn't trust Lilitu to be faithful. So, while she was distracted, thinking she could get information from them, Xiao flew into the city unseen to all who wandered.

The palace was heavily guarded, yet even the cleverest of guards could not spot the monarch disguised as a moth. Xiao stuck to the walls and listened in on secrets, then flew above the King's head and stole a strand of his hair; it would come in handy later.

Finding the corridor, Ria had described Xiao snuck into a room with a lotus carved upon its doors. Using the strand of hair, Xiao changed her appearance to that of the King. She had precisely ten minutes to find the pearl and get out.