Realm of the Sun

Part 2: Luminary Crescents (Chapter 13)

Ashlee scoffed. "There's no way that's true."

He raised a brow. "Would you like me to spoil the plot for you? The twist is quite stupid, actually-"

"No, no! Please, no spoilers. Just- I'll give you your prize later. But then again..." Ashlee looked down. "That could pay for the repairs for the damage you caused to my dress."

"Did you run into me on purpose?"

Ashlee rolled her eyes. Gods, she was spending too much time near Roza. "You think I would try to ruin the only purple dress I have?"

Sylas picked his cup up again, sipping whatever tea and caffeine was still left. "It's you, Ashlee. I don't know what to expect." He left the cup on the table, grabbing Ashlee's arm as he dragged her out and up to her room.

A moment later, Ashlee came out in another qipao- notably more periwinkle than purple, but passable. Sylas nodded and led his sister down numerous flights of winding stairs, down to where a carriage was waiting.

Already sitting inside the carriage was Yue. Since she was the sole member of her house, Sylas had petitioned for her to ride with Ashlee and himself. The actual court rode in larger, more advanced versions of transportation. He had yet to see the secret underground project for himself, but it was undoubtedly large; all the young Elites travelled above land, and the adults travelled beneath.

"Just so you know," Yue said as Sylas shut the door behind him. The carriage set off. "It's going to rain today."

"During the interview?" Sylas asked, shuffling into his seat.

"I don't know! I blacked out, saw rain, and came back to reality. I only get weather-related visions for things happening today." Yue sighed, flopping down into her seat. "I hate weather visions. Unnecessary headaches and pain."

Ashlee twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers. "Why do we have to go anyway? Isn't this Nicholas and Solarie's thing?"

"We're going because every able house member has to. We're not trying to get either of them killed." Sylas replied.

They continued their ride in silence. Sylas could partly hear rumbling from underneath the ground, but chalked it up to the amount of horse-driven carriages on their way to the stage.

As they approached the stage, they realized just how big of a crowd they had attracted. The stage was no bigger than an average-sized classroom, and yet citizens were surrounding the stage like a hoard of hungry animals. The carriage eventually landed in a plot behind a series of buildings, and the trio emerged into the light of day.

"It doesn't look like it's going to rain," Ashlee remarked.

Yue shrugged. "If only that were true."

A guard led them to their seats. The stage was raised at least ten meters above the ground, probably constructed by a Xiao or raised by a Hong. As soon as they were comfortably seated in the front rows of the audience, the guard left and returned to their post on the stage. The chairs they were provided were sturdy, but more wood than cushion. Sylas could see Ashlee stiffening and shifting in her seat, trying to adjust to the odd texture and feeling of the chairs. These were most likely dragged out from various storage closets in the palace, given that the seats a few rows over were of a completely different make and model. A few rows ahead of that, and they were the same type as the dining chairs in the dining hall. Guess they didn't have enough time to manufacture enough chairs.

Minutes later, Nicholas and Solarie appeared on stage, alone. Where were Roza and Gwen? It was only a half-day trip to the Zhelvakov estate if he recalled correctly.