We continue to ride along the ridge, and the capital city of Thayaria appears, at odds with the eldritch palace. Arberly is a sprawling city with colorful buildings dotted across the knolls and valleys, surrounded on all sides by larger mountain ranges that look almost navy in the mist, the silver fog adding intrigue to the layers of tree-lined ridges. All manner of plants cover the buildings and roads. The whole city looks like one overgrown garden that effortlessly appears both wild and manicured all at once. Next to me, Fionn and Silene are as awed as I am, their mouths open and eyes wide. This is certainly not the dark and decaying landscape children are warned of when their parents threaten to send them here if they misbehave.

Admon walks to us, and his eyes twinkle with delight. “It truly is a magnificent view. Even I never tire of entering the city from this direction.” We’re led down a steep, winding road, then up and down several more slopes. The road we travel seems to skirt the city, a direct route to the palace. When we reach tall mossy gates, several guards come out and look through our trunks before grunting to signal us to move forward. “Your quarters will be on one of the lower levels of the palace, so that you may easily enter the city without needing to trek down, and then up, the many flights of stairs this palace is known for,” Admon informs us. “You’re free to enter the city at your leisure, but you should know the Thayarian people will be extremely wary of you. Very few have left this kingdom or even this city their entire lives, and as you know, we have had no foreigners here for a very long time. Even Queen Laurel herself rarely leaves the kingdom.”

With that warning, Admon turns to lead us farther into the palace. We follow him along overgrown garden paths and through a door built into a hill. Inside, the palace walls are a dark gray, the lights dim and flickering. My skin prickles at the steep temperature drop as we trek farther into the heart of the castle. The place has an ominous feel, and I shudder to think what our rooms might look like. After several turns, we stop at two large double doors carved with various flora. Admon opens them, and we walk into a spacious and gloriously warm apartment.