Thank you for waiting.

Chapter Fourteen

Ali entered the castle though a wide opening in the front, designed to be as if the walls of the first floor were missing on one side. After passing between widely spaced pillars, he landed, claws clicking against the hardwood floors.

Flor squinted, her eyes hurting just a bit. Everything seemed visible on the inside, but the planet-light was much brighter than this. The walls were dark, deep shades of stained wood and colored paper, with thatch details wherever it made structural sense. The bottom story was the size of multiple floors, spanning the entire width of the castle. It reminded Flor of having ten stages next to each other. Above them as she looked was ten more stories of room, most of the height limited to a singular vertical column and most of the space taken by rooms surrounding the shaft, doors open and big enough for dragons to fly in. There were no stairs, nor were there any kind of flooring outside of the doors – it was for dragons and dragons alone.

But there weren't any dragons here today. There were dozens of normal people of all shapes and kinds, their only unifying characteristic being a uniform made of a black canvas outfit with white sashes around their waists.

"Hey, you mind sliding off?" asked Ali, "I've gotta transform back and get lined up."

"Of course," she whispered, sliding off. Her torso felt sore, as if someone had pulled it a little too far, and when her feet hit the floor, she felt sick. "How long will we be here?"

"Not too long," he replied. In a flash, he curled on himself for just a second before suddenly being replaced by his normal self. He was wearing the same uniform as the others. "I'll need you in a bit," he explained, "We've got interviews..."

She bowed. "Of course."

Without another word, Ali ran off to join the others, who were all standing in a line. It wasn't long before they, in unison, began to go through an elaborate set of movements. Flor sat near the back, leaning against the wall. It reminded her of a dance. A part of her wanted to join. A more significant part of her didn't want to do anything at all.

So instead, she sat where she was, staring at her feet. They still didn't feel like her feet. None of this felt right. And it disturbed her how little she could do by herself. What if she were stuck like she was before, and no one had been there? She'd be upside-down, trapped by her own weakness until her useless feet slipped out her boots and she plummeted down towards the planet to her death. She knew she was completely helpless. She felt soft, like the yolk of an egg in a bowl of soup.

Her eyelids felt heavy. It was as if the room was doubling on itself, but she soon realized that it was just her eyes crossing. The floor was stiff, and for a moment she considered taking her blanket outside and sleeping on the grass... but that wasn't an option. Nonetheless, the blanket wasn't purposeless. She folded it up in her hands and slowly slumped to the ground, propping it underneath her head and allowing her eyelids to slowly close. Her stomach, neck, and mouth were particularly grateful for her decision to sleep. She could hear the people training for some time, primarily counting in Chitotzish, but it wasn't long before that eventually faded out in favor of null.

. . .

When Flor woke up, she noticed immediately that the smell of her current room was distinct from where she fell asleep. The castle had a very distinct smell – oiled wood, paintings, and candles. It was a strong but not unpleasant aroma. It felt alive. This place did not feel alive. It was musky, stagnant, and mildewed, like someone's breath when they have a cold.

She flew awake, nearly jumping from where she was. This couldn't have been where she fell asleep, and once her eyes were open, she could see that it wasn't. However, it was familiar. It was the library again.