“At once, Your Grace.”
“I hate to ask,” Josh said, “but… will the lassy be alright piloting a vehicle of that size?”
The High Priestess snorted. “Quite. You might say Annabelle’s qualifications are… extensive. And I’d expect nothing less,” she added, smirking. “The Glaith engine was conceived here, in the temple labs. That lassy, as you say, is the very reason you have a coach to pilot at all.”
Eyes tracing the outline of her retreating back, Josh hummed. “Really now?”
“Keep it together, Master Trapper,” my father murmured, smirking as he tugged Josh’s arm.
With a tiny smile of my own, I nudged him with my elbow, watching a flush of color stain his cheeks. And then, trying to take in as much of the magnificent architecture as I could, I followed along in their wake. Ignoring the weight in my pocket and the subtle whispers of forbidden ki in favor of what was before me.
Everything within sight, from the slight, upward slope of the floor, to the earthy scent in the air, was organic. Twisting and turning it was a mimicry of the straight lines and strict, harsh edges I was accustomed to seeing in the nation’s traditional buildings. Here, wood wrapped around stone, as if commanded to do so by the Goddess herself.
Curiosity piqued, I pressed my palm to the wall, sending a tendril of ki into the wood. “It’s alive,” I gasped, then laughed. Breathless and awestruck. “The entire temple it’s… alive!”
“It’swhat—”Josh stopped short, glancing around with wide eyes.
The High Priestess’ teeth gleamed in the half-light. “Very good, Mila. I’m impressed. It takes most Priestesses several years to put that together.” She leaned in, her tone dropping low. “It’s something of a poorly kept secret among those of us who’ve been here the longest. We hold bets each year to see which of the initiates will figure it out first.”
“But—” I pressed harder, trying to communicate with the tiny spark in living wood. “How? How is this done?”
Her reply was nothing but a coy smile, and one I should have expected. This was the Priestess’ haven, after all. Here, the paltry rules of nature did not apply. Not to them… Not to…me…
Placing her palm on a stone tablet embedded in the wall, the High Priestess unleashed her ki. The tile lit up, sparkling with the Glaith’s trademark blue, green, and purple before fading, once more a lackluster gray. After a moment, something tumbled deep inside the walls, clicking and turning. And then, to my open-mouthed shock, a door swung back, revealing an airy, open office. The entire back wall was glass, overlooking a courtyard filled with yet more exotic flowers and trees.
Josh cleared his throat. “Might I ask just howyouknow the walls are live, lass?”
“Simple deduction,” I replied at the same time my father said, “No.”
Cheeks flushed, Josh stepped back, palms raised. “Apologies, sir. I’ll just… uh… wait out here. With the living walls.”
Ushering me into her office, the High Priestess said, “We won’t be long, Master Trapper,” and let the door swing shut on silent hinges.
“Goddess,” I breathed, trying to take it all in. “I hadn’t realized we’d come up this high. How—”
“There are no stairs here, Mila. Aside from the front steps, of course. Easier on the knees.”
Nodding, I drifted toward the windows. “What arethose?”
She peered over my shoulder, following my finger to a flock of truly massive birds fanning their wings in an elegant dance. Birds who would have stood taller than me, but for my elevated vantage point. “Ah, the planeth. Impressive, aren’t they? A gift from across the ocean. Extinct now, but for a few scattered flocks in sanctuaries like ours.”
My father hummed. “Do they fly?”
“Goddess, no.” She laughed, the tinkle sending a wave of shivers cascading down my back. “They’re much too large for flight, thankfully, but they do jump.”
“Do I want to know how far?” I asked, eying their thick, muscular legs and foot-long beaks.
“Only if you intend to spend any time with them. They look positively savage, but we keep ours nice and fat. Haven’t had a serious injury in almost a decade. Do you see that one? The big colorful one standing just there, fanning himself?”
I nodded.
“That’s the flock leader. He protects the others, and it’s him you have to impress if you wish to stand on flock territory.” She stepped behind a desk laden with flowers and plants, and flicked her fingers at the pair of chairs set before her. “Please, have a seat.”
The captain’s ring bumped my hip, affording me a confidence I hadn’t earned, but I dropped into a plush white chair as she bade. Tracing the seams in so fine a leather with my forefinger as the High Priestess watched me.
It was my father who hesitated. “Is your office… private?”
Her icy blue eyes didn’t waver. “Quite. We are free to speak at will.” And then, with a sigh, she pulled a strange, spiked little plant front and center. Composed of muted brown and greens, it sat in a tight bundle atop a bed of dry earth in a plain clay pot. Nothing at all like the incredible variety blooming all around us.
