Mysticality (ON HOLD)

Chapter 5~Damien's POV

        I guess the good thing about a huge spider entourage is that some suspicious people carrying sacks of gold pieces, riding on tough horses, and donning an eyepatch or piercing, let us go without any trouble. I guess people LOVE spiders here. If it was only one spider, they probably would've tried to kill it and cook it for dinner like some people do in Africa or India or wherever, but I guess there's safety in numbers.

"So, uh, we going to some castle?" I ask.

"Its Medium Arcis."  Says the young spider named Reba, eager to show off how much she knows as she skitters excitedly about the road, winding along the group. "I've been there only once, but oh! It's beautiful! Even more beautiful than Mother's webs! Oh, the property is at LEAST 12 acres or more, and beyond that, the Royal Family, AKA you and The King and Queen, own vast farmlands and trading centers and hunting ground, just to feed them and all their servants and guests! And that castle is ancient, but its sturdy! Once a dragon tried to attack it, fire blazed all around it! But the stone has nothing on it, not even any burn marks on the moss or drawbridge! Well, there was a couple of servants and peasants that died from choking on the smoke, but it was still strong and big! Its so old I think it goes back to the Days Of Revolution! I've been in only the grand hall of it, but oh! The floors are made of obsidian! The tapestries on the walls, you wouldn't know they're over five hundred years old! They're so bright and beautiful, brand new! And the stained glass windows, they're all sorts of colors! Black and gray and royal blue, probably why they chose it for a royal castle, and dark pink! And in the center of it all, is a big dragon egg! It's blue and crystally and shimmers! But you don't have to worry about it hatching, the dragon egg wasn't nested in a volcano, where ALL dragon eggs need to be laid if you want them to have even a chance of hatching! The eggs are a symbol of wealth, I suppose, because their so rare! Each dragon only lays them every fifty years, and it's pretty hard to catch a dragon!"

I can already see it in my head. And it's beautiful.

"I guess the castle is so well maintained anyway because the King is so strict! But Queen Myra, she's the softie, although, don't make her angry, I've heard terrible things about the deaths she sentences people to! Fierce but fair, that's her motto, alright. And if you are referring just to the castle, just refer to it as Arcis Castle, because the REAL Medium Arcis is the township around the Castle. And it's wonderful! Sure, on some streets you'll find those revolting beggars who cry for the fall of the Royal Family, which by the way will never happen. Almost everyone is in his Majesty's army, it's the thing these days, you know. Anyways, but on some streets, there's vendors selling chocolate! It's downright expensive, but crikey! it's worth it just to even taste it! You get a good amount, too. Mm! It's delicious! Do they have chocolate in the Other Dimension?"

It takes me a minute to figure out what she means by the other dimension. "Oh, yeah, tons." I say. "Eat it a lot."

"Lucky!" Reba remarks. "Anyways, you should see the dresses! If I wasn't a spider I'd have a million of those dresses! But you don't care about that, do you? But they have lots of Lava Frogs! Lava frogs are different than fire frogs, though, so don't get them mixed up! Lava frogs are rarer! And you can race them! For money! But only if your under ten. Otherwise you'll get busted. All those races have HIGH security standards. The police force is hardy, I'll tell you! But if your a spider, they sorta let you do your own thing as long as you do no harm."

Reba sure is a chatterbox. "That reminds me of the time Wyith started to . . ."

        I tune out on the story about Wyith and his brand new guy urges to touch where the sun doesn't shine.

        Eventually, we see a sign that says "Welcome to Medium Arcis, Home Of Royalty." At the gates to the township, the guards stand.

"HALT!" They cry. They look like dark angels. "Why are you here?"

"We have the Lost Prince." Loki walks up to the guard. "And check his tattoos if you don't believe me."

        The guard walks over and grabs my arm, then studies the black ink. He makes a "Hmph." and then he whispers something to the other guard.

"Bring him to the King and Queen." The other guard says to a few other guards on break who seem to be enjoying some kind of donut with black spikey sprinkles on it. "You will be contacted for your personal thanks from the King and Queen at their most available accordance."

"Wait, I want our reward now." Loki snarls, showing his pointed teeth. "We walked all the way here, and where's the fifty gold pieces I'm supposed to get in reward? And us spiders don't have a home address, we're nomads!"

"Well, watch me." The guard says, his hand on his sword sheath. His breath smells like he's been drinking.

"Oh, I'm so scared." Loki rolls his eyes, and then swipes his claw at the guard, decapitating him. "Anybody else want a go?"

        Apparently they do. The other guards standing at the gate instantaneously grab their swords (one of them has nunchucks) and charge. Archers on top of the gate aim for Loki.

        The other spiders, startled, start running away, as they see a sword slice into Loki, killing him instantly. His body jerks for a few moments, until it stops. Black goo oozes out.

"Bye Prince Damien!" Reba calls behind herself nervously at me, scurrying along.

        The other guards go into a shed and then pull out a carriage, then motion for me to get inside.

"Where's the horses?" I ask.

"Horses?" One of them snorts. "We use slaves here to pull you. Don't worry, these are properly restrained and don't even know what rebellion is. Plus, we'll give you an entourage."

        A few men who look dirty and messy, wearing baggy clothing, step up, wearing hand cuffs and collars, all different species. One of them I think is a dark fairy, one seems to be extra hairy, so maybe a werewolf, and two are vampires. The dark fairy's wings are shortened, like the pet birds at the PetSmart me and Faylinn often went just so Nixie could see the cats.

Faylinn.

        I only realize now how much I miss her, as I climb into the carriage. The driver gets up on the seat as the slaves get some reins put on them. The driver takes out a whip, and then whips the slaves.

"DRIVE!" He says, in a beastly, rough accent. "TO THE ARCIS CASTLE!"