09-05-2018, 12:52 AM
Valeriya was skeptical. Amanda offered no details about the unknown awaiting her other than pampering (which she didn't even understand what that word meant) and servants fit for a queen (that she understood).
The Above bristled with activity. There were so many people, Valeriya wondered how they all fit. Armande told her they lived in huge towers built like mighty fortresses, and Valeriya quivered to stand at the base of one and peer toward the heavens. The highness of the towers petrified her. People were not meant to dwell in the sky. She opted to remain firmly on the ground and not look up anymore.
The building Armande took her to sparkled like water. In fact, an entire wall of water rippled with glossy sheen that reminded her of glistening caves of the Below. Wetness and warmth welcomed them into a shining, white room. A woman waited there dressed all in white clothing so tight, Valeriya thought the clothes were glued to her skin. She tried to pluck at the woman's sleeve when she frowned and snatched her wrist away. A glance from Armande, who said something in the language of the English, and the woman gushed with apologies wrapped with the mother tongue.
Vale nodded approvingly. When asked her name, Vale replied proudly. "I am Valeriya, Eye of the Khy-" but she interrupted herself. She had no second name to follow the first. Armande had one. Even Father Rasputin had a Family name. She thought quickly and amended her answer. "I am Valeriya Khylsty." The woman accepted it unquestioningly, and Valeriya pondered the significance of the moment. Did nobody remember the great church of the Khylysts?
She parted from Armande in the company of the woman who was introduced as Evelina. A series of questions followed that Valeriya did not comprehend in the least. She simply said yes to them all and trusted Armande that this was the pampering befitting a queen.
The Above bristled with activity. There were so many people, Valeriya wondered how they all fit. Armande told her they lived in huge towers built like mighty fortresses, and Valeriya quivered to stand at the base of one and peer toward the heavens. The highness of the towers petrified her. People were not meant to dwell in the sky. She opted to remain firmly on the ground and not look up anymore.
The building Armande took her to sparkled like water. In fact, an entire wall of water rippled with glossy sheen that reminded her of glistening caves of the Below. Wetness and warmth welcomed them into a shining, white room. A woman waited there dressed all in white clothing so tight, Valeriya thought the clothes were glued to her skin. She tried to pluck at the woman's sleeve when she frowned and snatched her wrist away. A glance from Armande, who said something in the language of the English, and the woman gushed with apologies wrapped with the mother tongue.
Vale nodded approvingly. When asked her name, Vale replied proudly. "I am Valeriya, Eye of the Khy-" but she interrupted herself. She had no second name to follow the first. Armande had one. Even Father Rasputin had a Family name. She thought quickly and amended her answer. "I am Valeriya Khylsty." The woman accepted it unquestioningly, and Valeriya pondered the significance of the moment. Did nobody remember the great church of the Khylysts?
She parted from Armande in the company of the woman who was introduced as Evelina. A series of questions followed that Valeriya did not comprehend in the least. She simply said yes to them all and trusted Armande that this was the pampering befitting a queen.
The Eye of the Khylsty