Page 13 of Taken By the Naga King

She approached the shuttle, still looking uncertain. He found it kind of adorable, but he didn’t appreciate the stares they were attracting from the Niri nearby. He knew it was mostly because he was their king, but seeing him with a human girl definitely made their focus more intense.

Azha faced her fears and stepped aboard the shuttle, seating herself next to him.

“I thought for sure I’d fall right through it.” She giggled. “This is so cool.”

Gravon pressed a button and a screen popped up in the air in front of him. He typed in a few things before the screen disappeared and the shuttle began moving.

“It’s just going to take us to the palace?” Azha murmured.

“Yes, it does not need to be driven. In fact, it cannot be driven.”

The shuttle took them to a gate made entirely of shining opal, which opened for them as soon as they approached. Once the gate opened and they entered the capitol, Azha seemed to forget entirely about her fascination with the shuttle. Now, she was fascinated by something else.

“The trees, they’re…”

“Alive, yes. Did I not mention that earlier?”

“No, you didn’t. I most certainly would’ve remembered that!”

Her head turned from side to side, looking at the trees that lined the road that would lead them to the Niri castle.

“They’re called fire willows.”

The trees were tall, with long, reaching branches, some of which stood straight up, and some of which hung low. The branches were unique, as they did not carry leaves. Instead, glittering fireflies buzzed around them, glowing in shades of green, blue, and some even purple.

But perhaps the most unique part of the trees were the trunks. The color on each one remained the same, a soft red that just barely glowed. Each one seemed to be moving, swaying almost. The trunks rippled like waves and emitted a soft humming sound.

“Are they sentient?”

“No one knows. But my guess would be no. Regardless, we still respect them. These particular ones only exist in the capital. We have no idea when they got here. We actually know very little about them. But in the colder months, the fireflies all die and fall to the ground, turning into dust. I’m not sure how our kind figured this out, but the dust has healing properties, so we collect it and distribute it to the hospitals.”

“I can’t wait to see them at night.”

“Oh, they’re very hard to miss at night. Just look out your window. They light up the entire city.”

“They’re beautiful.”

He supposed they were, though he was used to them, having grown up in the palace.

Gravon thought back to a time when he was a child, and his friends would try to climb the trees to capture the fireflies in their hands. He never joined in because his father had warned him to treat the trees with respect. He had thought stealing the fireflies would be the opposite of that, so he stayed put on the ground.

His friends never could reach the top. They usually fell about halfway up because the trunks would always begin swaying faster than normal, as if they did not want anyone on them. So maybe in a way, they were a little sentient. The Niri would probably never know for sure.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the castle. He led her inside and up to his wing, which was on the topmost floor. There, two females of his staff waited for them as ordered. Gravon had made arrangements for the two of them to wait here for Azha as soon as they had landed on Nirum.

“Azha, I’d like you to meet Vespira and Xenia, two of my servants. They will be at your disposal should you need anything. They will wash your clothes and make sure you have everything you need, including making sure you are fed when I am not present.”

Azha didn’t respond, and she barely looked at the females. Gravon dismissed them and led Azha down a wide hallway.

“This is a guest suite that will be yours for the time being. My own quarters are not far.”

She nodded to show that she understood, but she appeared to be uncomfortable.

“What is wrong?” He frowned. “Is it not to your liking?”

“No, no, this is all very beautiful, and much more than I’m used to. It’s just… am I going to be living here?”

“Yes, of course.”

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