The woman threw her head back and laughed. It sounded so mirthful and genuine that Cole had to resist joining in. “Does she imagine herself safer than you where she now stands?” the woman asked.
“Yes,” Cole said. “Who are you to boss her around?”
“I have authority to speak on Trillian’s behalf,” the woman said.
“And I can speak for Mira,” Cole replied.
“Can you really?” the woman asked.
“That’s why she sent me,” Cole said.
The woman closed her eyes for a moment. “True enough, I suppose. Very well, follow me. My master will see you.”
She turned her horse and started walking along the Red Road toward the glistening keep. The men fell into step behind her.
Cole glanced at Jace, who shrugged. They looked back at the fence. Beyond it, all was impenetrable blackness.
“Does Jace have to come?” Cole asked.
“Both of you,” the woman said, not looking back.
Cole walked to the side of the road, crouched, and tried to pick up one of the smaller crystals. Most of them were anchored to one another, but after a moment he found a loose one. He turned and prepared to throw it out through the open gate.
“Don’t toss it,” the woman said. “And don’t dally.”
Cole looked over at Jace, who glanced toward the fence and gave a nod. Cole winged the crystal sidearm. Just before it reached the blackness beyond the gate, one of the guards appeared and caught it.
“Did he just teleport?” Cole muttered to Jace.
“He’s got some skills,” Jace murmured back.
The guard gestured with his halberd for Cole to follow the woman and the other guard. Cole and Jace obeyed.
The woman continued ahead of them on her muscular steed, with one of the guards flanking her. The other guard followed behind them. Craning his neck back, Cole saw that the sky was a swirling cloud of opalescent light. He observed no sun or moon or other specific light source, yet the whole area was quite bright. Light glowed down from above, out of the crystals, and from the very air itself.
“What’s your name?” Cole called to the woman.
“I am Hina,” she replied, not looking back.
“Have you lived here long?” he asked.
“Save your questions for Trillian,” she replied.
The Red Road ended at a cascade of steps leading down from the mirrored doors to the palace. Hina dismounted, and the guard took the reins of her horse. “Follow me,” she instructed.
Hina swept up the steps to the castle door, which opened at her touch. Cole hurried in order to stay close. The inside of the castle shone like the outside. They passed through minimally furnished chambers of pure white marble and chromium. All surfaces appeared smooth and highly polished. Glowing crystals of odd shapes and sizes served as decorations. Everything was so clean and white that Cole couldn’t decide whether it looked more like heaven or a fancy insane asylum.
After a climb up a long staircase, Hina indicated a door to Cole. “You may await my master here,” she said. “You will not be able to leave this room unless he allows it.”
Cole reached for the doorknob, and Jace moved to follow, but Hina placed a hand on Jace’s shoulder. “I have a separate room for you.”
Cole and Jace shared an uncomfortable look. “Can we stay together?” Cole asked.
“You cannot,” Hina said.
“Their house, their rules,” Jace said.
Cole went through the door, and it promptly closed behind him. A smooth, white floor sloped up into smooth, white walls that curved into a smooth, white ceiling. The room lacked edges or corners. A low, crystal table sat surrounded by cushions instead of chairs. A large round bed filled one side of the room. Billowy pillows topped the silky white sheets.
Cole crossed the room to a small window on the far side. Looking out, he had a bird’s-eye view of the crystalline grounds around the castle, as well as the towering wall of blackness that prevented any view beyond the outer fence. It looked like somebody had carved a glittering kingdom out of dark nothingness.
Cole sat on a cushion by the table. The crystal surface felt cool against his palms. He wondered how long the torivor would make him wait. Would Trillian come to his room or summon him? What was a torivor, anyhow? What if he looked like a giant spider? Or a gooey slug? Would he speak Cole’s language? Was Trillian already talking with Jace?
As time passed, Cole became drowsy. There wasn’t much to do in the bare room. He wandered over to the bed and tried it out. He couldn’t believe how soft it was! He laid down and sank into a cool comfort like he had never experienced. Despite how yielding the mattress felt, he didn’t end up in an awkward position that might lead to a kinked neck. It was less like lying and more like floating.
The comfort of the bed begged him to sleep. His eyes felt heavy. How would the torivor react if he entered to find him dozing? But what else was he supposed to do? Sit at an empty table? Trillian had given him a room with a bed. Why not steal a little nap? His sleep lately had been on the ground or in rickety cots. This bed was more relaxing than any he had ever known. It would be a crime to waste it.
Some part of him warned that he shouldn’t let his guard down in an enemy castle. But that objection stayed remote, a concern of the waking world. Effortlessly, Cole slipped into the embrace of dreams.
Chapter 28
TRILLIAN
Cole stood in a posh chamber. Full of warmth and color, it was less sterile than other rooms in the castle. Precious metals and deep-blue stones decorated the floor in an elaborate pattern. Thick wooden beams added character to the walls and ceiling. Fine paintings and tapestries hung in abundance. The center of the room featured a generously open space, but the perimeter had furniture of exotic shapes and materials.
Cole failed to notice the man until he moved. His age was difficult to gauge, somewhere between a young man and a grandfather. He wore a loose golden robe with fur on the collar and at the end of the sleeves. He seemed a product of many ethnicities, with Asian the most prominent among them. Light suffused his skin, as if his entire body gently glowed from within. The man walked slowly, almost carefully, all the while regarding Cole with penetrating eyes and a cryptic smile.
“Hi,” Cole said. “How did I get here?”
“Think back to your arrival,” the man suggested. Cole heard the words with his ears, but also in his mind, as if the message might have arrived even with his ears covered.
“I’m asleep,” Cole said, recalling the bed.