Anjou wanted to scream. She was currently cradled in Venomgrin’s arms with her face buried into the leathery skin as they flew high above the fields. Heights? Why did it have to be heights? She could walk through the darkened alleys of a city or walk up to a wild lion to feed it no problem, but as soon as she got off the ground, her body went into panic mode. Climbing out of the well was different because she couldn’t see the bottom and she was concentrating on other things.
When Venomgrin had suggested they fly, since that was one of her core abilities, Anjou had vehemently been against the idea, but the lizard woman didn’t wait for approval. She materialized wings and picked up the scared rabbit as she took off. Throughout the beginning of the trip Venomgrin had tried to provide calming words, but none of them took effect.
How long they had traveled, Anjou was unsure, but she kept her eyes closed tight the entire time and did whatever she could to keep her mind occupied so as to not freak out even more. It got to the point that she began to sing half remembered songs she had heard from David’s CD collection that he used as training music.
It wasn’t until hours later that Venomgrin spoke again, this time with words that did make Anjou feel better. “Look, we’re almost there.”
It took effort but Anjou peeled her face away and looked out towards the city. She had expected a standard medieval kingdom with stone buildings, wide streets and high walls with guards stationed on them. Instead the capital city of Esteris was shaped with two interlocking spirals, one starting from the ocean coast in the war and the other from far inland. As they spun in on each other, they traveled higher and higher until they came to a point where a circular castle with a singular tower rose above the city. The top of which had a circular platform like a lighthouse. But the most amazing part of the city was the white stone that shimmered with flecks of gold as the sunlight hit it, giving it an ethereal shine.
Anjou expected Venomgrin to touch down towards the center tower, but instead she landed at the entrance of the city which was an archway. A plethora of guards were stationed there, each one either letting people in or checking carts before waving the drivers in, each of them pulled by horses. As they got closer, Anjou could see that the guards were similarly dressed to Takrin and his men, including the spears, only they had an emblem attached on their tunics. It was an open clam shell with the shape of a diamond sitting inside it.
As Venomgrin landed a couple of the guards came over. “My Lady,” one of the guards said, making the triangle gesture that Erin had made when Anjou first met him. “You’ve been gone several days. The queen was getting worried.”
Venomgrin put Anjou down who had to grab onto her shoulder for balance to let the feeling get back into her legs. “Everything’s fine guardsmen. Send a message to the Queen that I have returned, but I will not be up at the tower right away. I must get my new friend here registered and acclimated.”
The guard looked Anjou up and down. “Is she the one in the reports?”
“She is. She is also an Eater.”
Without missing a beat, the guard made the triangle gesture and bowed his head. “Welcome to Esteris My Lady. Might I know your name to properly address you.”
“Not this again,” Anjou said, annoyed.
“I’m sorry?”
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“Is the whole My Lady thing really necessary?”
The guard looked up at Venomgrin confused who smiled and patted Anjou on the head. “She’s not used to our customs. Her name is Anjou. Now, please deliver my message.”
“Right away. And it is an honor to meet you, Lady Anjou.” Without another word the guard ran to one of his compatriots and said something before dashing off into the city.
“So the whole My Lady thing, is a thing here?” Anjou asked. Her legs were still unsteady, but she was able to support her own weight now.
Venomgrin waved her along and they both entered the city. As they passed the guards, they momentarily stopped their duties to give the gesture and then went right back to work. “Only here in Esteris. Other kingdoms treat Eaters differently. And that hand gesture they use is called Shellen.”
Due to the fact that Venomgrin was a lizard thing and Anjou was a rabbit, she had expected to see more non-human people in the city, but they looked like normal people. Anjou felt more out of place than the time she had traveled to Japan for a fight. At least then she was human.
Everyone they passed had similar styles of clothing. The men wore loose trousers and long tunics in dark colors that hung below their waist and were tied with either a leather belt or a rope. The women on the other hand either wore the same thing or loose layered dresses which were also tied together with a rope or belt. Some of the people also wore straw sun hats. But what they wore on their feet was the strangest thing of all. It looked like they had all taken the bottom part of a flip flop and glued them to the bottom of their feet without the plastic thong part for their toes, almost like the human version of a horseshoe. Even though she saw Anjou staring, Venomgrin did not offer an explanation.
On the ground, the gold shine of Esteris was less pronounced. The stone buildings embedded into the walls of the spiral were a mix between Mexican Pueblo architecture and the open air markets of the Middle East with people bustling in and out of each building.
“So is this like the lower caste of people in the city?” Anjou asked.
Venomgrin stopped. “What?”
“You know, like how some places have wealthy people and poor people. Higher class and lower class.”
“Oh.” Venomgrin continued walking as she spoke. “There’s nothing like that here. While I won’t bore you with the fine details, yet, each duty here is represented by guilds. Things like fishing, farming, selling stuff and everything else. Everyone has a relationship with one another and the wealth is spread around, outside of the guard and the royal family. But the people understand that those with those responsibilities is afforded a little more. But not by too much. It’s a little complicated, but it works out.”
“Are people happy this way?”
Venomgrin shrugged. “People say they are, and who am I to disagree. I know I’m happy, and hopefully you will be too. Ah, we’ve arrived.”
They stopped at an entrance way that was identical to all the others except that there was no door. Only a wide window where a bored looking guard sat there reading a loose pile of papers held together by thin string. As they walked up the guard looked up and smiled.
“Ah, Venomgrin. Good to see you.”
Anjou held back a laugh. “What happened to My Lady?”
Venomgrin smiled. “Some friends are afforded certain things, as long as they don’t shout it out loud.” She aimed the last part at the guard.
The guard bowed her head and made the Shellen. The woman was skinny and had brown hair that was tucked into her face helmet except for a few strands that fell out. “Apologies. It’s just been a boring day.”
“That’s alright.” Venomgrin leaned on the window that doubled as a counter. “What are you readin’ there Lisae?”
The woman quickly put the papers away and blushed. “Nothing. Certainly not the next chapter of Tangled Lines.”
“Really now? How’d you manage to get the next chapter before anyone else?”
“The editor may have owed me a favor, anyway who’s this?” Lisae looked at Anjou.
“This is the reason I was gone for a few days. She’s an Eater, we need to get her in the registry and then see if the princess likes her.”
“Well well, hopefully she likes this one. The other hopefuls left the city the same day. Let me get things started. What is your name, current core level and original world of origin.”
Anjou stepped up closer. “Anjou. One. And Earth.”