She gave me an awkward hug, considering she couldn’t step any closer and Lexen was still holding me steady. I felt heat tinge my cheeks and ears. My blushes were usually more than a little obvious, despite my skin tone. Hopefully no one noticed, because it looked like we were about to land.
I had been expecting to land at the base of the mountain, but we actually stopped about twenty feet above the rolling green land. Then the dragons spun us three-sixty degrees so we were facing what looked like a reinforced, shimmery golden doorway carved into the side of the marbled mountain. Well, not so much a doorway as a huge barrier. Lexen, who could apparently move his feet again, handed me off to Jero and stepped to the edge of the oblong. I untangled myself since the carpet was no longer moving and I didn’t need to be carried like a child. Jero grinned down at me, ruffling my hair.
Ass.
Lexen murmured something that was not English and waved his hand. There was a grating sound and then the metallic door opened, dropping down onto the edge of the carpet. Lexen and his family stepped to the side – dragging me with them – letting everyone else leave first. The chatting Daelighters stepped into the mouth of the mountain and disappeared into the darkness.
“Do you need help?” Jero asked, donning his arrogant smile.
Unlike Lexen and me, who were stuck in our gym clothes, this particular Darken was wearing his suit and thousand dollar shoes.
“No thank you,” I said primly.
No jumping was required; the platform was at least six feet wide, so I should be safe to walk across. As long as I didn’t look down. There was a decent drop on either side. Sucking in deeply, filling my lungs with the sharp, slightly smoky air, I picked up my feet and moved. I was one of the last to cross, and my pulse rate only calmed when I was standing safely on solid mountain.
The entire student body of Darkens was moving into the cavern, which opened up into a large tunnel. I wasn’t a huge fan of tunnels, what with the chance that a billion, trillion tons of rock could fall on my head at any moment, but this one at least was wide and well ventilated. There were also plenty of lights scattered along the wall, just above my head height. I had no idea how there were lights attached to a mountain, but like everything else I didn’t understand, I was putting it in the alien technology category.
Lexen pushed through the crowd, making his way to the front. When he spoke, everyone paid attention. “When we reach the silver city, go and find your families. They will let you know the date and time for the council meeting.”
“What’s the Silver City?” I asked Star, who was leaning close to me, her arms crossed and a slightly bored expression on her face.
“It’s the main city in Mount Draygone. There are multiple cities, situated across multiple mounts. This is the largest, and our home.”
“So this mountain is called Mount Dragon?” I clarified. “The city within it is the Silver City? And what are those lights made from?” My curiosity was apparently unsatisfied with “alien technologies.”
She chuckled, and then nudged me forward. The group had started to walk; she made sure I kept up. “To answer, yes, yes, and they are flames from the draygones. They can shoot and place a flame anywhere and it will burn forever without need of fuel or energy source. We have been blessed with many great conveniences through our bond with the majestic rulers of this land.”
Note to self: do not insult the dragons while here. They were a big deal, a very big deal.
The stone surrounding us did not change color or texture as we walked. It appeared someone had carved and polished this path, bringing the multifaceted mineral on either side to shine like the most precious of diamonds.
“How big is Overworld?” I found myself asking as I tried to map the planet in my head.
I knew there were sections, at least three, with the Imperials somewhere else, and while the land of Darken seemed vast, could it really rival Earth in size?
Jero, who had been slightly in front, dropped back. “Overworld is huge,” he said, his Discovery Channel voice kicking in. “Larger than Earth actually. Our four houses – and their lands – are part of a small sector … what you would call a country. There are lots of these sectors. Ours is called Dae. They’re all vastly different, and for the most part none of us interact. It’s forbidden to travel outside your sector.”
“So your sector is the only one who has dealings with Earth?” I asked.
Star and Jero both nodded. “Yep,” he answered. “We’re the only ones with the ability to cross to Earth, or for humans to cross to us. None of the other sectors even know about the treaty.”
The tunnel was widening now, the lights growing brighter, and I had to stifle my gasp when we finally stepped out into the open.
“I … how …holy shit.”
My stuttered exclamation would make no sense to anyone, mostly because the jumbled thoughts in my head made no sense to me.
“How is this possible?” I finally got a semblance of a sentence out.
Jero, Marsil, and Star just laughed at me, no doubt enjoying my wide eyes and even wider mouth. But, seriously, it was like something out of a dream. The inside of the mountain had been carved into a city. Silver City, apparently. It was spectacular, spreading out much further than I could see, the roof high enough to seem like a flaming speck above us. Despite its distance, that light was illuminating the entire city. Dragon fire again…
The city itself was carved from something silver, but not like the metal on Earth. The only thing I could liken it to was a silver diamond: translucent, faceted, with a shimmery color unlike any gem I’d seen. We were standing high on a ledge, before a path that wound down the side and into the city. I was ushered along, Marsil taking pity on me and wrapping an arm around me so I didn’t stumble off the side. It was a very real possibility, because there was so much to look at.
It was beautiful, like a Christmas village, everything lit up with tiny lights. Some other colors broke up the silver, golds and mauves being the most prominent.
“How long did it take to carve this city?” I turned my wide eyes on the three Darkens with me, looking between each of them, desperate for answers.
Jero turned back to his city, tilting his head as though seeing it for the first time. “Legend says this city was carved a million years ago by the Draygo, the first draygone people. They could change their shape between what you see now and the beasts who rule the skies. Their magic could bring the land to life. They would sing it into the shape they desired.”
