The Lilliad Chp 25

She fell for what felt like forever, but felt something soft and grainy around her body as she descended further and further into darkness.

Eventually Lilli felt herself slow to a stop. When she reached out, she could feel sand falling on her hands. She looked around.

It was dark. So dark. But off to the left, there was a tiny source of light.

‘Guess I’ll go that way…?’ Lilli resigned herself to trudging through the darkness and sand, feeling grains slip into her clothes and shoes. Sand got in between her three toes and crunched. She gagged.

‘I’ve barely even had shoes, but I already hate getting this stuff in them. It feels gross.’ She shook her foot once, before abandoning the impulse. It wasn’t going to stop.

Then she continued to walk towards the light, noticing that as she got closer the ambient light let her see the carved reliefs on the walls. What looked like coiled monsters intertwined with leafy trees covered the background, with people bringing baskets of food and other things to a person in front of a massive box. The box was glowing.

Lilli looked closer. Yes, it wasn’t a trick of what little light there was. The carved box glowed softly in the darkened room.

‘Magic paint?’ She guessed, daring to poke at it with a finger. She didn’t feel anything but cool smooth stone on her fingertip.

“Are you coming or not?” Arelt’s voice echoed all around her. “You could get lost and perish in here instead, if you want. It would be preferable to a ktharyis attack, at the least.”

Lilli felt her shoulders tense.

Then she laboriously pulled her feet out of the sinking sand and ran in the direction of the light. Her feet sank a bit with every step, and slowed her down.

‘How much sand is even down here?’ She could feel herself getting winded. There was a small popping noise, and then a figure appeared in front of her. Lilli tried to dodge, but the figure sidestepped her easily as they sunk into the sand. She shrieked, and nearly smacked into the wall. Then her foot fell into a dip in the shifting and unfavorable terrain, and she landed on her chest. Sand exploded up into her mouth and closed eyes.

When she thought it was safe, she turned to look back at the figure.

“Hey, Lilli.” Elathor greeted. “At least, I think that was your scream. I’d recognize it anywhere.”

They extended a hand and pulled her up.

“Let’s get this over with, yes?” They asked, slipping a hand into hers and squeezing. She expected them to retract it, but Elathor’s cool, scaly hands didn’t move.

They walked on along the path to the gradually brightening light, and she could gradually see the figures of her friends up ahead.

‘How did they get ahead of me?’

A shape that could only have been Igni waved.

Lilli wouldn’t have admitted it, but she was glad Elathor didn’t let go.

“You got lost?” Benk asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I just kept walking until I got here. We’ve all been waiting.”

“I was admiring the art.” Lilli defended herself. “Arelt’s people did fantastic carving work.”

“They did.” Arelt agreed seriously. “But now they are dead. I trust that you do not wish to join them.”

Lilli felt her smile freeze on her face. “I do not.”

They followed Arelt down what obviously used to be a massive hallway and down a huge flight of stairs. As they descended, a large door loomed over them. Its handle glowed.

‘Okay, so like the box?’ Lilli peered at it from behind the group.

“Falathay rebulut.” Arelt intoned, and the door chimed. It swung open in a fluid movement, bathing them in light.

“This is my Queen’s private study.” Arelt skittered forward on his six massive legs. “Please be appropriately impressed.”

“OOOOOOOOHH.” Elathor and Lorit said, in unison.

“It is very impressive.” Ser Alcuin adjusted their armor. “Thank you for escorting us here.”

“And you escorted us here, why, exactly?” Elathor swept one long finger along the top of a pedestal and examined the layers of stuff and sand on the surface. “Though it is very nice, I don’t suspect you have a ktharyis-destroying weapon down here.”

“Not exactly.” Arelt skittered across the large room, and gestured to a large book on a desk. “But I believe you should have this.”

“Well, alright then!” Elathor walked over and lifted it to their chest. “Now that we have it, what now?”

Lilli could feel Arelt’s irritation washing over the room. Elathor was a bit too abrasive for someone like Arelt.

‘At least they haven’t tried to steal anything again.’ She paused. ‘Yet.’

Lilli walked around the pedestals, noting the worn books all around her. ‘Guess the Queen really enjoyed reading.’ But a peek into the next room gave her pause. ‘And exotic pets.’

Elegant cages and large bowls filled a massive room. There was a fountain still dispensing water into a sand-filled pool, and a ball the size of Lilli in the corner.

“That is where I live.” Arelt skittered in front of her, blocking her from entering.

‘Well. I guess it’s normal to want some privacy.’ Lilli looked through the other large doorways, pausing at a set of elegant double doors.

Arelt seemed to soften, chirping to himself. “That is my mother’s room.”

‘The Queen? He calls her his mother?’ Lilli looked at the massive creature. She couldn’t imagine him small enough to fit in some of those cages or the beds in the other room. Had the Queen found terrifying, dangerous magical creatures cute?

“She raised me from an egg.” Arelt’s pincer pushed open the door very gently. “There were more of us, of many kinds of creature. She cared for us very much, and we for her.” Arelt seemed to stare into the room, but his legs didn’t move. “When she asked us to do what had to be done, none of us hesitated to follow her.”

Lilli leaned forward. The room was immaculately clean, untouched by sand and dust. It was light and airy, with dried flowers adorning every surface. Lilli took a few steps in and looked around. Jewels and finery were draped as if the Queen herself was going to come in and change her clothes any moment. The room was trapped in a single moment in time, preserved in dry desert air.

She turned and saw a desiccated body laid on the large and sumptuous bed. Its arms were delicately crossed over its stomach. A crown upon its head would have provided a clue as to who it was, if she’d ever needed one. The Queen was draped in layers of beautiful sheer fabrics that rustled delicately in the wake of the breeze from the door.

“She said that she would stay with us forever.” Arelt’s whisper carried throughout the room. “And we did as she said. She was a good Queen.”

Lilli stared into the face of a long-dead monarch and wished she could see something there besides decay. The woman had made the decision to bury her city and the last of its people to stop a plague from spreading across the land, even though they weren’t her problem. Lilli’s ancestors were alive because this woman had sacrificed everything. Her city would have been demolished, and who knows how far the ktharyis would have gone.

And yet, Lilli didn’t feel strength from it. A creeping sense of dread and fear lodged itself into her heart.

‘If that’s what it takes to stop this, we really are screwed.’

She bowed her head slightly, then retreated out the door to the safety of her companions. Elathor was examining books on the shelves, and Igni was standing outside the door to the stairs, looking bored.

“I wish you luck.” Arelt said quietly, still looking into the Queen’s rooms. “But I think you should leave now. I made a vow that I would cover the city with sand to protect the world from the ktharyis, and I will not allow any eggs they laid to hatch and leave the city. I wish to sink this place back into the desert, to spend the rest of my life in peace.”

Elathor rose to the occasion, bowing politely. “Thank you, Arelt. We greatly appreciate your assistance and moral fortitude.” He turned to Lilli and dropped the volume of his voice down to a very soft whisper. “I stole quite a lot, so we should probably leave now.”

“Thank you!” Lilli grabbed Elathor and tapped Benk on the shoulder, dragging her friend towards the door. “Which way out?”

“Follow the stairs,” Arelt said, still not looking at them. “And do not take long. I will begin the process whether you are within the walls or not.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Arelt.” Ser Alcuin’s voice radiated formality, before turning towards the door. “We should run.”

They ran up the stairs, through winding halls, and out towards the gates. The city was quiet and still, but that didn’t provide any comfort. Once they were out of the gates, Lilli looked up at the sky, breathing in the fresh air.

The ground began to quake underneath her feet, nearly knocking her to the ground. Lilli steadied herself and looked back towards the city, where sand began to fall from buildings and columns as they shook and swayed.

“Well, I think it is a good time to not be here,” Benk said. He wiped sweat off of his face, and grimaced as sweat-covered dirt came off on his hand. “I have no interest in being buried in sand.”

Lorit just looked at him. “It’s not always about you.”