Chapter 2: Glimpse of a Fading Moon in the Dawning Sky (1)
Emeravwe walked silently beside the tall man as they passed through towering iron gates into a vast, bustling courtyard. The yard was paved with smooth yellow cobblestones and encircled by soaring walls of imperial gold granite.
Though it had not been long since daybreak, the court clamored with horses, carts, and people. Merchants with goods, workers, and officials in stately attire. Guards in deep orange uniforms marched about, directing people to different lines. Where both their goods and person were checked before they were allowed further entrance.
Emeravwe stuck fearfully to her guide's side. He walked calmly and unobstructed through the commotion. But she jumped and started as carts clattered by and guards shouted instructions. She quickened her anxious steps to stay close to him, unnerved at the sight of so many people and so much bustle.
At the end of the enclosure, the man led her through another set of dwarfing gates. They stepped onto a wide passageway hedged by the imposing gold granite walls.
The walls were perforated intermittently by archways on either side, and as they continued down the passage the noise of the courtyard faded behind them. All that was audible was the soft tapping of their sandals on the cobbled ground.
Emeravwe distanced herself from the man again, fearful tears pooling in her eyes.
Where is he taking me? Where is Mother? And Father? And… She winced, the tears falling.
She cried because of the chronic pain which had been throbbing in her head for months. And because she was afraid.
She missed her mother and father, but whenever she tried to recall them only faint images appeared, and they were always followed by memories of screams. She shook her head, willing away these memories, and the throbbing worsened.
She cried out, holding her head as a wave of pain rippled through her skull—she did not want to remember.
Hearing the cry, her guide stopped to face her. He was clothed in a long silken brown robe. A rich yellow cloth brocaded with golden suns flanked by crescent silver moons wrapped around his head and forehead. The loose ends of the headcloth were wound so they covered the lower half of his face.
Walking to her, he unfolded a hand from within the sleeves of his robes and loosened the cloth from his face. Reaching down, he gently touched the sheer yellow headscarf which covered her head.
Emeravwe flinched.
She looked up through big, terrified gray eyes.
"Fear not, my lady," the man said softly. "You are safe here."
Emeravwe stared nervously at him. At the long face and dark brow; the notable hazel eyes. He was the one who had taken her from her family. He had taken her to an inn and left her in the care of the owners until this morning. She tried to remember who he was, but her headache intensified. The pain blurred the man's image.
He turned from her and continued on, replacing the cloth around his face.
Emeravwe hastened to keep up, afraid to be left alone.
The passage opened onto an extensive circular courtyard laid with concentric smooth slabs of alternating white and yellow stones. At the center was an island of green lawn, fringed by clear ponds shaped like crescent moons. In their middle, the ponds held marble fountains from which gurgled crystal waters.
At the center of the green island was a golden statue in the shape of a flaming sun with a roaring dragon emerging from within, wings spread wide. Arranged around the perimeter of the yard were marble benches and long stretches of neat flowerbeds bordered by palm trees.
As they emerged from the passageway, Emeravwe's eyes moved around the immaculate courtyard. They paused on the imposing golden gates that loomed just beyond the green island and gold statue.
Adjacent the gates, on either side of the island, were two smaller gateways which perforated the tall granite walls.
She followed her guide around a crescent moon pond to the gates on the left. The iron doors stood open, and they stepped through onto a walkway of flagstones that snaked through an expansive compound.
The compound was one of neat lawns and white stone buildings on either side of the main walk. A cool morning breeze whistled through the leaves of the plumeria and ponytail palm trees that dotted the grounds.
At the far end of the premises, rising above the earth, was a mounded stone pavilion. All around bustled women and girls clothed in blue, pink, and green garments. They walked mostly in groups, according to the color of their apparel. Their backs were straight and steps even, their voices filling the air with a quiet hum.
Emeravwe looked around with awe and apprehension.
As she continued down the walk with her guide, they encountered several of these ladies, who respectfully stepped aside to allow the man passage. They bowed their heads and bent their knees, uttering the greeting, "Miguo," to which the man answered, "Vrendo," and gestured for them to rise as he and Emeravwe walked by.
They came to a building with a wide patio flanked by a robust ponytail palm and low, trimmed bushes.
On the patio, girls attired in pink stood patiently in groups of threes, their hands folded in the diaphanous sleeves of their outer robes. One girl in pink stood on the stone landing before the building's double doors.
As the man and Emeravwe approached, the girls all bent their knees and bowed their heads, pronouncing in unison, "Miguo, Orori*."
The man responded, "Vrendo. Rise." He addressed the girl at the doors, "Inform the Rode Aye that I request their audience."
"Yes, Orori," the girl bent her knees in response and entered the building.
As Emeravwe and the man stood waiting on the patio, some of the girls noticed her glued to his side.
They gasped and turned to their peers with whispers. This caused more of the girls to notice her, and Emeravwe heard exclamations of "A valued child!"
She did not know what they meant, but their eyes and whispers unnerved her. So she unwittingly drew closer to the man, hiding herself in the soft folds of his robe.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone