“We’re almost there.There’s the castle gate.We can sit on the wall.”Several young boys and girls had already climbed the wall and were perched there.
“I hate you,” Finnrey muttered as we jumped to the next roof.No houses were right next to the castle, so we had to climb down and push through the crowd to reach the wall.Finnrey and I linked hands, and I pulled her through as I was tall enough to see where we were going.Snatches of conversation swirled around us.
“Did you see—”
“—giants.”
“—on their arms and faces.”
“Terrifying giants.”
I grabbed one of the protruding stones of the wall and scrambled up.Finnrey was right behind me, waving away my hand when I offered to help.“Move,” I told a couple of young boys so Finnrey and I might have the best vantage point.The boys obeyed, and Finnrey and I sat on the wall, legs dangling down.One of the guards looked up.
“Good morning, Lady Finnrey.Lady Mara.”
I didn’t know the guard’s name, but I smiled at him.“Did the Zulenii already enter?”
“No.They’re approaching now.”He pointed toward the thickest part of the crowd.A contingent of honor guards crested the hill leading to the castle gate.Their black coats with gold piping were instantly recognizable.They must have been chosen to escort the Zulenii.The guards cleared a path through the curious villagers.
I held my breath as the strangers behind them came into view.I knew these were the Zulenii contingent immediately.They wore strange clothing—long, close-fitting coats with intricate designs.Their arms were covered by elaborately decorated sleeves.Instead of leggings, they wore trousers that ended at the tips of their boots.Three of the Zulenii were men and one was a woman.As soon as they crested the hill, I realized why everyone had been whispering about giants.Every single one of the Zulenii was at least a head taller than the men and women of the honor guard.
Finnrey grabbed my arm.“Mara, they—”
“They’re tall like me,” I said.“I see that.”Even more astounding, the men of the Zulenii group were actually taller than me.I could judge their heights by that of the guard, who I saw often.I was taller than every single member of the honor guard by four or five inches.These men were at least a foot taller than the shortest guards.The woman in the group was closer to my height.
“No, not their height,” Finnrey said.“Their arms.”
My gaze slid to the Zulenii man in the front of the group.As the contingent moved closer, I realized the Zulenii didn’t wear sleeves under their coats.Their bare skin was decorated with colorful art.
“Old Ceba said he would know them by the designs they wear,” Finnrey said.
I nodded.I’d thought he’d meant the markings on their clothing, but now I understood he must have meant the markings on their skin.Although, their clothing was also decorated.One of the men had the beaded heads of what looked like two large cats on either side of the coat he wore, the noses meeting in the middle of his chest.His coat was a deep blue, and the cats were gold.The craftsmanship of the design was exquisite.This was the clothing a prince would wear.My gaze traveled from his chest to his neck, which displayed an abstract design that dipped under his coat.Was that paint or was it permanent?Then I took in his face.Some of the Zulenii had designs on their faces, but not this man.He had lightly tanned skin—not of a golden hue like mine, but more of the color one achieves from a few hours in the sun.He was clean-shaven, and the absence of facial hair exposed his square jaw and chiseled cheek bones.He had a knife-straight nose and dark brown eyebrows.
My perusal halted on his eyes.They were a pale blue-green color I had never seen before.I was unnerved by how pale they were, especially when contrasted with his hair.The color was a blue-black, so dark I had rarely seen anything similar.It looked like raven’s feathers, tied in a queue at his neck.It shone, glinting in the sun.
“That one is the prince,” Finnrey said, pointing to the man I’d been ogling.
“Yes.”There was no question.The way he carried himself was unmistakable.He had a regal bearing, that same sort my father possessed.
I couldn’t look away from him, and he seemed to sense my stare.He turned his head, his gaze passing over the crowd until it landed on me.
My breath caught in my chest as our eyes locked.The force of those piercing eyes caused me to rear back so far Finnrey put a hand on my back.
“Don’t fall, dusthead!”
“He’s looking at me,” I hissed.I felt a flash of heat on my back, like the feel of the sun in the morning after a dark night.The warmth spread over my back and up to my neck, making me want to fan myself.I couldn’t seem to escape that gaze.His light eyes slid over me like a silk ribbon.I could almost feel his gaze as it touched my eyes, my nose, my lips, my neck, my breasts.He was examining me as boldly as I had him a few moments before.My heart sped up, and I couldn’t quite catch my breath.
His perusal finished, his eyes returned to my face, and despite the heat making my skin prickle, I raised my brows at him.It was a challenging look.I’d given enough of them to know what to expect.Most women and quite a few men looked away when I gave them that look.Broga was the exception.She usually tried to smack it off my face.But the prince didn’t appear at all intimidated.In fact, one corner of his mouth curved up in a smile.
Smile all you want,I thought.If he picked me tomorrow, I’d slit his throat and watch the life seep out of those pretty eyes and then clean my knife on his coat and walk away without regret.Just let him try to take me back to Zulen.
The contingent reached the gate, and the prince couldn’t see me without turning his head.I was relieved at the break in eye contact.I put a hand to my thundering heart and took in several gulps of air.The crowd quieted, and I heard Lord Ashe’s voice.“All hail the venerable King Wollem.”
The crowd bowed.Finnrey and I bowed our heads, but I peeked at the Zulenii.They didn’t bow at first, but once those around them did, they followed suit.I’d been so captivated by the prince, I hadn’t taken in his companions.One of the men had hair the color of carrots.Like the prince, he wore it back in a queue, although his carrot hair was plaited.The other man had short brown hair.He might have fit in among us, despite his height and his skin tone, but he had markings on his face.Then there was the woman.She was the shortest among them, and as I’d estimated, about my height.She had blue-black hair the same color as the prince.I couldn’t see her eyes from my location, and I wondered if they were also a light color.
“You are welcome here in Earsleh,” my father said, his voice deep and clear.“We are honored by your visit.”
The man I assumed to be the prince lifted his head.“King Wollem, I am Taio of the First House of Zulen.”His voice was deep and resonant.I shivered as his words echoed through the silent crowd.He spoke our language with a heavy accent, and I realized I hadn’t ever considered that the other kingdoms might speak different languages than ours.A murmur traveled through the gathered crowds as my people seemed to come to the same conclusion.At least Finnrey and I had been told something of the Zulenii people.The rest of Earsleh had no idea what to expect.Everything they saw now must have piled shock on top of shock.Not only were there other people in the world, these people had their own clothing, customs, and language.It was one thing to realize we weren’t alone but quite another to realize our ways were not the only way.
