Page 33 of The Fifth Soul

“Who is he?” I ask.

Before answering, she eyes my bag of cookies. “I’ll tell you for a price.” She gestures to my hands.

Taking one cookie out, I hand over the rest of the bag. The regret of giving away the bag comes quickly after taking a bite. The sweet bread I got from Sofia days prior turned out to not be the most amazing thing I had ever tasted, despite my initial belief.

“What on earth are those?” My mind forgot about the old man, now purely focused on the cookies.

Amy looks at the bag longingly. “These are white powder cookies. A traditional pastry made only for royal weddings. However, the palace bakers make a weekly stash only for the king.”

I furrow my brows and look back at the old man making his way inside the same car as Brandon. Then, the realization hits me. The king. Amy's focus on chewing her first cookie keeps her from noticing my turmoil. I was speaking with Andres Oscuro, King of Puerto Quinn.

Arriving at the House of Light was not what I imagined it would be. Light symbolizes brightness and clarity to me; I envision vast gardens and greenery. But the gardens around here are all trimmed into shapes surrounding an expensive-looking building made of glass and metal. From my seat in the car, I can see people moving about on the second and third floors. When Santiago called it a glass castle, he was being literal.

A group of about twenty individuals dressed in cream and gold await our arrival with a mixture of clear stone expressions and rehearsed smiles. If I know one thing, it’s reading people. Their clasped hands resting in front of them and bone-straight backs raise my hackles.

The doors of all the cars open at once, except for one. Alejandra walks out of the last car and makes her way up the line. Her expression is stone-like, but I can tell by the way her eyes take everything in that she’s observant. She nods at the soldiers as they file out and assume the guard outside each car. I copy their movements, but when she passes me, she gestures for me to follow her, and I do so without question.

We make it to the only closed door with Brandon and the King inside. Another guard opens the door, and the car's occupants exit. Isabel and Lexi Blue, two maids whose paths I haven’t crossed, are the first to exit. Brandon follows and then moves aside to allow his grandfather out.

“Welcome, Your Majesty and Crown Prince Oscuro,” a small woman with snow-white hair greets. Her voice is loud and high-pitched, making me cringe internally.

“Stay by my side, behind Brandon, no matter what,” Alejandra orders in my ear.

As soon as the crowd opens, we all move. I take my spot behind Brandon. Alejandra to his right and me to his left. Curious eyes look me up and down as I climb the steps to the front door. Two large metal doors open for the King and Crown Prince.

Day and night, night and day, let bliss arise.

Day and night, night and day, let bliss arise.

I look around to see where the chant is coming from, but it’s coming from everywhere all at once, almost like a whisper from the walls.

The halls are empty as we walk inside. The small woman directs King Oscuro down the center hall. I can see through the castle walls to the outside and wonder how much privacy this type of architecture can provide. I’m nervous about looking up and accidentally seeing under someone, but thankfully, the floors and ceilings are solid metal.

We walk down the glass halls until we see a brick wall. The first sign of color in this entire building. There, we see similar brick steps down to a wooden double door. Behind the large wooden doors, we enter what I can only describe as a temple.

All the royal families pray to the goddess, also known as Fates, but each has its own culture and spiritual beliefs that differ from one other.

Day and night, night and day, let bliss arise.

Day and night, night and day, let bliss arise.

I look around their temple, absorbing each image and picture decorating the walls and windows. Unlike the glass castle, colorful images cover the walls of the temple. The images vary from simple portraits to long stories.

As my eyes move along the walls, I try to follow the stories but become confused by a specific symbol. It dawns on me that open-mouthed drawings represent singing. Now that I’m here, I wish I would have spent more time in the library learning about the Hue’s temple and the stories the pictures tell.

The Hue family lives in the glass castle with a few city officials and servants. The rest of their people live within city limits. The people of Lux, also known as the City of Light, have an old belief that their magic will be restored and enhanced by their singing. Nothing I read supported that belief to be true; it only mentioned it as a cultural belief of their people. Each Royal Family has their own, after all.

Day and night, night and day, let bliss arise.

Day and night, night and day, let bliss arise.

I look around as the cult-like chants echo through the walls. My skin crawls at the high-pitched voices that carry throughout the room.

“What is happening?” I ask in a whisper to Alejandra.

She furrows her eyes, and her face appears borderline uncomfortable. She isn’t looking at the temple. Instead, her focus is on the people around us.

“Welcome ritual,” she says, then turns to face forward again.

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