House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(56)
Lexen pushed through the crowd, making his way to the front. When he spoke, everyone paid attention. “When we reach the silver city, go and find your families. They will let you know the date and time for the council meeting.”
“What’s the Silver City?” I asked Star, who was leaning close to me, her arms crossed and a slightly bored expression on her face.
“It’s the main city in Mount Draygone. There are multiple cities, situated across multiple mounts. This is the largest, and our home.”
“So this mountain is called Mount Dragon?” I clarified. “The city within it is the Silver City? And what are those lights made from?” My curiosity was apparently unsatisfied with “alien technologies.”
She chuckled, and then nudged me forward. The group had started to walk; she made sure I kept up. “To answer, yes, yes, and they are flames from the draygones. They can shoot and place a flame anywhere and it will burn forever without need of fuel or energy source. We have been blessed with many great conveniences through our bond with the majestic rulers of this land.”
Note to self: do not insult the dragons while here. They were a big deal, a very big deal.
The stone surrounding us did not change color or texture as we walked. It appeared someone had carved and polished this path, bringing the multifaceted mineral on either side to shine like the most precious of diamonds.
“How big is Overworld?” I found myself asking as I tried to map the planet in my head.
I knew there were sections, at least three, with the Imperials somewhere else, and while the land of Darken seemed vast, could it really rival Earth in size?
Jero, who had been slightly in front, dropped back. “Overworld is huge,” he said, his Discovery Channel voice kicking in. “Larger than Earth actually. Our four houses – and their lands – are part of a small sector … what you would call a country. There are lots of these sectors. Ours is called Dae. They’re all vastly different, and for the most part none of us interact. It’s forbidden to travel outside your sector.”
“So your sector is the only one who has dealings with Earth?” I asked.
Star and Jero both nodded. “Yep,” he answered. “We’re the only ones with the ability to cross to Earth, or for humans to cross to us. None of the other sectors even know about the treaty.”
The tunnel was widening now, the lights growing brighter, and I had to stifle my gasp when we finally stepped out into the open.
“I … how … holy shit.”
My stuttered exclamation would make no sense to anyone, mostly because the jumbled thoughts in my head made no sense to me.
“How is this possible?” I finally got a semblance of a sentence out.
Jero, Marsil, and Star just laughed at me, no doubt enjoying my wide eyes and even wider mouth. But, seriously, it was like something out of a dream. The inside of the mountain had been carved into a city. Silver City, apparently. It was spectacular, spreading out much further than I could see, the roof high enough to seem like a flaming speck above us. Despite its distance, that light was illuminating the entire city. Dragon fire again…
The city itself was carved from something silver, but not like the metal on Earth. The only thing I could liken it to was a silver diamond: translucent, faceted, with a shimmery color unlike any gem I’d seen. We were standing high on a ledge, before a path that wound down the side and into the city. I was ushered along, Marsil taking pity on me and wrapping an arm around me so I didn’t stumble off the side. It was a very real possibility, because there was so much to look at.
It was beautiful, like a Christmas village, everything lit up with tiny lights. Some other colors broke up the silver, golds and mauves being the most prominent.
“How long did it take to carve this city?” I turned my wide eyes on the three Darkens with me, looking between each of them, desperate for answers.
Jero turned back to his city, tilting his head as though seeing it for the first time. “Legend says this city was carved a million years ago by the Draygo, the first draygone people. They could change their shape between what you see now and the beasts who rule the skies. Their magic could bring the land to life. They would sing it into the shape they desired.”
A shiver went down my spine as I thought about the insanity of my life. It was almost too farfetched to believe. I kept waiting for someone to jump out and tell me it was all a joke. Or for me to wake from the coma I’d been in since the fire.
Somehow, it felt real. Maybe the Finnegans had rubbed off on me over the last eight months, or maybe my mind was finally gone. Either way, I was going to enjoy this new experience.
“Are there still dragon people?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet on instinct. I thought Lexen glanced back at me then, but he was far enough away – still leading the group – that I was probably imagining that too.
Marsil spared a quick glance at his brother. “There are a few,” he said briefly. “Secretive and powerful. They live with the draygones, not with Daelighters. You would do well not to speak of them again.”
In. Sane. This was all just insane.
13
By the time we reached the base of the city I was feeling quite overwhelmed. The excitement was still there, but it had waned because there was no way to maintain that level of euphoria for an extended period of time. I was the equivalent of a three-year-old halfway through a birthday party. I’d worn myself out.