Page 64 of Shifter King
Breaking the connection, she found herself back in the room. Her head spun. The ache had intensified. Some of the voices outside seemed louder; bubbles of thoughts and emotions pushed harder against her consciousness as if searching for a way into her mind.
Drawing in a deep breath, she pressed her hands against her temples. If she risked the deep mindreading with Naatos, she could drop him out of the sky. And what could she even tell him? That she was safe, yes. For now. And apparently she was in some sort of tree village. But that wasn't worth the cost of his safety.
She tore off strips from her gown and bound up her hands and wrist elmis as well as her forehead elmis. Even from this distance, the pressure from these people was intense.
The latch clicked.
Damn these Bealorns.
She grabbed a stone frog sculpture from the nightstand and hid it behind her back as the door opened. A man and woman entered the room. Both wore broad blue sashes over loose pants with intricate batik designs, showcasing a variety of Ecekom animals and geometric symbols. The shirts they wore were simply cut, a light, green material with clasps to hold the sleeves together rather than seams. Both had long hair twisted up in braids and pinned to their scalps. Colorful carved stone beads formed intriguing designs across their scalps.
"The queen wishes to meet with you now," the woman said. "And you are to be informed that there is no escape. We are in the center of Reskal. All is enclosed and guarded. All entrances and exits are camouflaged, secured, and guarded with poison and stone. Any attempts to escape will be met with swift and brutal punishment. This I say of my own accord. Our great queen says you are wise enough to understand that cooperation is the best choice."
Amelia nodded slowly, putting the statue down. Yes. She did understand. She'd find another better weapon elsewhere and then construct an escape plan that did not have so many chances for failure. "I am eager to speak with your great queen myself."
Both guards narrowed their eyes at her. Perhaps she was expected to say "our."
They gestured to the door, the woman stepping out first and the man remaining behind, his hand near enough to his curved sword that he could draw it with barely a second's notice.
She gave him a curt nod and followed the woman out onto an intricately-woven rope bridge. It moved from tree to tree with several layers above and below. This tree alone had several small homes or rooms set aside. The trees stretched high above them, nets of living leaves and branches woven to cover places the trees did not.
This small city had been built around the forest as seamlessly as if it had grown up there itself. Branches had been bent and woven to form bridges and layers among the trees. Houses had been constructed at intervals along the trees, staggered so that one side was ever too heavy.
Dozens and dozens of people wandered about, many with animals near them or on their backs. Most of the creatures appeared to be on the smaller side of Ecekom wildlife including colorfully striped winged serpents, bright painted tree mantises, and grey-blue rock snakes as well as quite a few large hawks with golden heads and silver eyes. It struck her as odd that it was so limited. Somehow she had expected to see far more variety in animals.
The two guards marched her along the curving paths. Wherever she had been placed, it was near a large clearing that everything seemed to branch out from like spokes on a wheel.
To the south of the clearing, the community included a broad stony hill. A large stone sat in the side, roughly carved to fit an opening. Precise lines of dark color depicted numerous animals from those in the sky to those in the water to those on the earth. That unease spiked as soon as she saw it. Something awful lay back there.
Large fires burned in the center of the clearing, massive slabs of fish and meat roasting. Children played on the north side, kicking small beaded bags back and forth or scrambling up and down knotted ropes that hung from the branches and bridges.
Stone circles covered the ground like manhole covers at irregular intervals, some pushed aside to reveal staircases into the earth and stone.
All of this seemed to move on farther than she could see. The warriors who had abducted her dragged her to the largest of the trees. Its shaggy red-brown bark had been worn away at points, revealing dully iridescent rainbow wood. Steps had been carefully fastened into the sides of the tree, and on the other side was a large pulley system that formed a sort of elevator option. In the center was a blue door.
Two guards stood on either side. They wore large ornate headdresses woven from leaves and branches and adorned with delicately-carved stone beads, far fewer than her guards. Each wore a broad red sash, a sheathed dagger attached to the right side and a long curved sword on the right. Each had their right hand wrapped around a towering halberd whose uppermost blade had a skull attached to it. The base of each was set into a small stand so that they did not have to support it fully. And the shaft had been carved with colorful runes. Six red ribbons flowed from the base of the blade and were then braided around it.
The guards stepped back without her escort even having to say a word. The doors opened. They ushered her in.
The long chamber for the throne room was paneled with polished wood. Elegant carvings depicting a tree whose branches and roots intertwined with another stretched across one wall of the room, some of the carvings so realistic it was as if they might leap to life.
At regular intervals, there were sealed containers with delicate flowers and birds painted on their fronts and sides. Wooden panels with carvings of animals in the various biomes and depicting a journey through mountains and over grasslands segmented the room. Teal cushions lay out in clusters of three before the dais.
Attendants in simple green and brown garb stood either at attention or gently waving large painted fans throughout the chamber and beside the throne, keeping the air lightly moving.
Zorna sat at the far end, her wooden throne on a red carpeted dais with three steps at the center. Her smile spread wide when she saw Amelia, but it did not reach her eyes. "Ah, forgive the abruptness of the invitation, but it did not seem wise to wait. I trust you have been treated well."
"As well as being snatched by a giant beetle allows me to be." Amelia placed her hand over the worst of the bruises on her torso as if that could shield her from more pain.
Zorna chuckled as if Amelia had something exceptionally witty. "Oh, my dear, I do apologize for the harshness of this exchange. I realize that it has not likely encouraged you, but it was essential that we give a demonstration to prove how valuable a partnership would be between us.""Not to mention how dangerous it is to oppose us."
Amelia frowned slightly, still meeting the queen's gaze. Had Zorna thought that last portion or was it just that obvious? Shrieking crespa. Maybe her mindreading got more sensitive when she was nervous now. Or maybe it was just because Zorna was Bealorn and from her sister race. She forced her own smile. "I may not fully understand, your Majesty. Should I be pleased I was abducted? I should warn you I don't find that impressive."
"Could I offer you some tea? Or perhaps some wine?"
"Thank you. No."
"You may as well make yourself comfortable, dear Neyeb. Your skinchangers will not find you here. It is impossible. We have just enough of the Abliato tech to make ourselves essentially invisible to anything that could track you by scent or taste without erasing all other scents. And this world...it’s a big one. Easy for beasts to get distracted and lost themselves."
