“Yes.”
“Follow me.” He turned to lead us to her, and we hurried to catch up, closing the door to my room behind us.
This time, we were led to the top floor of Whispermere, to where there were no more staircases leading upward. We had to have been at the peak of the mountain. At the top of the last few steps, there was a thick wooden door. The servant knocked. This time, instead of footsteps, we heard my mother's voice.
“Come in.”
The servant opened the door for us while waiting in the stairwell. Nyx and I walked into what must have been my mother's personal quarters. It had a cathedral ceiling, as if to mimic the peak of the mountain itself. The first thing that demanded my attention was the gigantic bed just before us. It was large enough to sleep probably five people with room left over, and was clad in thick red blankets. A variety of pillows adorned the top of it, in the colors of red and dark gray. The canopy above the bed was fitted with white lace drapes that flowed beside the bed on all sides.
There was a large, porcelain tub in the corner of the room. On the walls above it were two mirrors that stretched from just above the tub to five or so feet above it on the wall. Vines of fresh red flowers adorned the borders of the mirrors. A globe of Arrayis sat near me, to the right, next to a plush red velvet couch. Bookshelves aligned the wall before the couch, filled with a variety of texts. On a table before the couch sat a tray, little bowls of sugar and tea leaves upon it.
Over to the left, across from her library, was Nanya's closet. She had floor to ceiling cabinets made out of a thick wood that appeared to be tinted red. I wasn't sure if it was a dye or if the wood came from a particular tree. In either case, both cabinets were stocked full of clothing, their doors open. Most of her clothing were gowns, some completely sheer.
On either side of her room, the stone walls had been removed, leading to two balconies carved right into the stone of the mountain. The railings of her balconies were pure, clear glass, allowing it to seem like there were no walls at all keeping her from the sky. I couldn't imagine how hard it must have been to import glass up this mountain without breaking it. Standing on the balcony to our left, barely visible from through a sheer red curtain separating the outside from her room, stood my mother, a steaming mug in her hand, looking over the morning sky.
Only when Nyx and I made no move to walk farther into her room did she turn to us. She looked pleased to see that my companion was Nyx. It was the major reason I'd picked her to come with me. I didn't want any of the men to have to withstand Nanya's sexism.
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“Come,” she said, motioning toward the balcony before her, where a small table and chairs sat overlooking the clouds. “We may sit and talk.”
We made our way over to her, where we sat at the small table overlooking the clouds. Glancing up, I saw that we were, indeed, just meters below the very peak of the mountain. With the glass as our only barrier to the sky, my breath was nearly taken away. It was beautiful here.
Nanya pointed out over the layer of clouds. “That is west,” she informed us. “That is the way you came from. I haven't watched the sunrise in many weeks, because I come to this balcony every morning. I would come here because I knew you were on your way.”
There was a certain longing in her voice, which started to break my heart. She, too, had anticipated this meeting. I was sure by now that we had both disappointed each other.
Nanya took one last look out over the clouds, before pulling out the one empty chair, and sitting down. She was dressed in a flowing white gown. It appeared she had slept in it. Throughout my entire visit to Whispermere, I had never seen her outside of the mountain, with everyone else. I wondered if she got lonely.
“You do not approve of my ways,” she said, avoiding my gaze by continuing to look at the view through the glass. “But it is the way I have lived for nearly six hundred years. I will live like this for six hundred more.”
“I am not asking you to change,” I replied.
“Yes, I know. As I cannot ask you to understand, or change, or do anything you do not wish to do.” Nanya turned to face me, finally. Much of the arrogance that had been in her eyes the day before was gone, at least temporarily. “You are like me, Kai. Stubborn. A natural leader. Staunch in your beliefs. I respect that. It is the first time I have seen it in a long while. You angered me yesterday, with your words. After some thought, I realize I welcome that. No one has challenged me for a long time, and I have become bored.”
“I was harsh with you,” I agreed. “But I believe you deserved it.”
She laughed softly, before looking away again. “There it is again. That spark.” After a lengthy exhale, she said, “Go on, then. Tell me where you want me to begin.”
“From the beginning,” I said. “Tell me of my father. Tell me why I ended up on the steps of Seran University. Tell me how you know of my life and why there have been assassins sent after me. Tell me why I have the power I do and what I need to know about having the blood of a god.”
Nanya raised her eyebrows, as if this was a hefty request. “Hmm. Your...father.” It was clear she still had her biases, but she continued after a moment all the same. “He appeared at the gate one day, seeking shelter on his way to Brognel. I happened to see him there and was attracted to him, so I told the servants to let him in. He wasn't the most muscular of men, but I noticed he had rings on all his fingers, much like you. And a head full of the reddest hair I'd ever seen.” She paused. “I think that is why I slept with him. My favorite color is red.”
That would have been humorous to me if it hadn't have been so sad. “He is a mage,” I deduced.
“Was a mage, yes.”
My heart felt like it was splitting in two. “How did he die?”
“I'll get to that, child,” Nanya replied, slightly annoyed. “So, he was a mage. Fire and life magic, if I remember correctly. He told me about how he was more of a scientist of magic than a battlemage. He studied it. Made some discoveries. Claimed he had an entire town named after him for it, out west.”
My mind raced through possibilities. “Arturian Kilgor?” I asked.
Nanya snapped her fingers. “Ah. Yes. That's the name. That's your father.”
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