“Impressive that you caught me, but why are you so concerned? I don’t mean to rob your land blindly. I won’t even be here much longer. I have business that I must attend to. People I need to find.” A thud quakes inside my chest, and Nuri’s words spill over me. I’m drenched in the memory of what I saw in the Minea’s house. I roll back my shoulders to shake the dread that follows. No. I’ll find them.

Theodore sighs and tugs at her neckline, which plunges so low I think it rude to stare for too long. “I’m concerned because I need a favor.”

I stop walking and smile, crossing my arms, “Aye?”

“And for payment, I’ll do you one in return.”

After hours of shopping and mindlessly dumping coins into pockets, we meet at the massive temple towering over the center of Senlow. At the base of its stone portico, people throw petals and sing hymns and chants as we walk past. Children laugh and play with wooden animals while their parents bow. Idalia locks arms with the King, and she waves to the people, soon to be her people, with an effervescent expression.

Inside, white marble pillars curve into giant arches. Walls of an ivory pearl shimmer under the light of chandeliers whose bright candles cast shadows across the intricately painted ceiling. “Gods,” I breathe, astonished by all my eyes drink in.

“Funny you should say so; that’s who it was built for, after all,” Theodore says, picking up the pace to join her brother’s side.

The ceiling holds my attention, its mural stealing it from other ornate statues and art. The Lady holds her shield high and proud on one side, and the Guard courageously brandishes his sword on the other. In between them, the artist painted the entire world. Near the feet of the gods, Aeradian is outlined in bold red, and its interior blooms with a field of Salva flowers. People who are holding their hands out are painted between the petals.

Above Aeradian, Baelliles is depicted as a great tree. People dressed in green are laced between its branches. A few strange creatures I’ve never seen before are perched on a few of the limbs. I concentrate on them for a long moment, unsure of what they have to do with my Kingdom, unless Aeradian has made up its own folklore concerning my home.

Near the head of the gods, Verdana is painted as a giant, glistening blue mountain. At its base, a group of people stand at a river; in the middle is a large boat with a giant sail. Atop Verdana sits a golden crown. Light, like the sun itself, shines over the entire rock.