In a world divided into three races since ancient times, there have been three kingdoms. The first kingdom is the kingdom of the gods and sits in the heavens ruling above the other two. The second is called Amaryllis and filled with the prosperous...
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"The room was woven from sunlight."
Dai picked up a pillow, sniffing it, cautiously. He felt nervous prickles run up his spine as he couldn't smell anything. There was no scent anywhere in this place. The heavens were a cold and sterile place and Dai could feel something was wrong. Though the place was bright and warm, there was something shadowed lurking, something evil poisoning this place.
"What are you doing?" Lukas snapped.
Dai tore the pillow in half.
"Go ahead, destroy my room," Lukas said, sarcasm lacing his tone as Dai looked through the stuffing. Nothing. When was the last time something living was in this room? "Want to tear up some more pillows? Eat a couple of socks?"
"When was the last time you were in here?" Dai asked.
Lukas's face scrunched. "At least ten, twenty years," he said. "Why?"
"It smells weird," Dai said, running his finger along the bed expecting to find dust. But there was nothing at all. "This place is weird."
"It's the heavens," Lukas said, shrugging.
"Take me back to the Wild Woods," Dai demanded, crossing his arms. Of all the places he had been, this was by far the worst. Even the Dark Master's Keep was better than this. And that was a place where only shadows and corpses bloomed. Its walls were laced with the stench of death and Dai was its prisoner for lifetimes.
Lukas shook his head. "I can't," he said. "Victoria told me to-"
"Gods Lukas, just don't listen to her," Dai snapped, tail swishing in annoyance. Dai wanted to leave this place, he wanted out. He couldn't be the prisoner of another garden of shadows and corpses.
However, Lukas flinched. "I'm just going to wait her out," he said. "Victoria will blow out some steam and then we can slip out," he said.
Dai narrowed his eyes. "And how long will that take?" he asked. "A day? Two weeks? Ten thousand years?" Dai began to pace back and forth. "You realize what will happen to Honey, right? She'll be dead by nightfall!" he hissed.
"I know!" Lukas snapped. "But I can't defy her. She's my older sister!"
"I defy my brother all the time!" Dai countered.
"Your brother isn't a god!" Lukas said, letting out a sigh. "It's different," he said. "We're different. I'm a god and you're a Mutare. I'm supposed to be perfect. And you... you are just a Mutare. A servant. A mortal."
Closing his eyes, Dai sucked his a breath. Of course, Dai had no idea what it was like to be a god. He didn't know what it was like to have the Balance Goddess for a mother or to be looked up to by every single Lekki. But he knew of pressure. He knew the weight of trying to live up to his family's legacy. He knew the weight of a crown.
