The Unmaking (The Last Days of Tian Di, #2)(78)
“It is forbidden for any but the Faery Guard to carry silver,” Tariro explained coolly.
“As you have seen today, our Kingdom is a place of absolute beauty,” Jalo enthused to Nell, not registering her distaste for the silver-hounds. “And as such, it suits you very well!”
Nell thanked him and did not say what she thought of that. She noticed Tariro give her a sharp look, however. Through the crimson doors, they followed a long passageway, taking many turns, and then came to another set of giant doors guarded by silver-hounds and guards bearing spears. Beyond this, more twisting corridors led to yet another set of doors and the same thing again. By the time they came to the innermost wall, Nell had no idea how to find her way back out, which was more than a little disconcerting. They entered a vast courtyard full of thousands upon thousands of Faeries standing in orderly blocks. Lily petals covered the ground like snow. A broad petal-strewn path led from the crimson doors, between the Faery formations, to a pyramid of steps lined by rows of the Faery Guard. At the top of the stairs, two thrones stood side-by-side on a platform. This was the High Step, Jalo explained to Nell in a whisper. Slender bridges were slung from the High Step out to separate, garlanded platforms that seemed to hang in the air, forming a semi-circle around it. Each of these platforms held at least thirty or forty Faeries in fantastic, colourful dress.
“Come, you are guests of my family and you will watch from our dais,” said Jalo. The sky was emptying of the last morrapi as they made their way up the steps of the pyramid to the platform just below the High Step and crossed one of the bridges to a dais shared by several noble families. While Ander, Charlie and Nell attracted a few curious stares, most of the Faeries looked at Swarn. She had refused the fresh attire offered by the Faeries, sticking to her worn leather and wolf-skin vest, though they had not allowed her to bear any weapons to the ceremony. Tariro had somehow ended up walking next to her, as if they were particular companions, and this caused a great deal of whispering. Jalo introduced Nell and the others to his father, Nikias, who struck Nell as rather dunderheaded for a Faery.
The air crackled and rippling waves of colour swept across the sky, accompanied by music like the song Jalo had sung when they first entered the Realm of the Faeries. Faeries dressed in yellow came around with trays of exotic delicacies and crystal glasses of heady wine. The sky went suddenly black and figures edged in gold danced across it, enacting Faery Legends to the rhythm of a terrifying drumbeat. In one of these displays, Nell thought she was witnessing the Mancers fleeing Tian Xia. In another, a being made of stars gave a Faery two boxes. The Faery opened the boxes and then, across the sky, Faeries danced and fought.
“There is a legend,” Jalo explained to Nell when she asked him what it meant, “that the Sparkling Deluder in the south long ago gifted the Faeries with Music and Envy, shaping our destiny forever.”
“What about the Mancers?” asked Nell.
Jalo smiled wryly. “To you, they are great protectors, but to us, they are something else. They were the scribes of the Faeries in the Early Days.”
“When humans were slaves,” said Nell.
“Yes,” Jalo admitted, “but for the Faeries, that time is still widely considered a golden age. The rise of the Mancers as a separate power is regarded as a kind of betrayal.”
“What do you think?” asked Nell.
Jalo smiled at her again but he did not have time to reply before a great noise drowned out any possibility of conversation. The sky began to crackle with lights, as if it were splitting open and some heretofore hidden luminescence was breaking through. The Faeries stomped their feet and clapped their hands in unison. The sound was deafening and shook the whole courtyard. Nell put her hands over her ears, looking around her. The dais was shaking and swaying. The Faeries looked transported with an almost mad joy.
“Welcome the King!” shouted the Faeries. “Welcome the King! Welcome the King! Welcome the King!”
The crimson doors at the end of the compound swung open and a morappus as bright white as the Di Shang moon came billowing through it behind a huge, gold-eyed myrkestra. The Faeries erupted into applause. Drums thundered and the sky flashed white and gold. The King of the Faeries emerged from the morappus in a cloak of crimson feathers that trailed on the ground. His tunic and pantaloons were made of threads so radiant he seemed to be clothed in light. On his brow sat a band of the finest Faery gold. The King’s new wife stepped out of the morrapus after him and, with hands joined, they proceeded towards the pyramid, climbed slowly to the High Step, then turned and bowed to the shouting mass of Faeries.
Nell was surprised to see that the Queen did not look like a Faery at all. She was taller than the King and her hair formed a dark halo around her lovely face. In contrast to the fair-skinned Faeries, her skin was black and shone like burnished ebony. She had a regal face – high forehead and slanted cheekbones, a strong jaw and full lips. Her long eyes were the colour of fire. She wore a simple white robe and a shawl of gold thread. The first and second Advisors left their respective daises, crossing the swinging bridges with flawless balance and grace to flank the King and Queen.
Malferio spoke to the assembled masses, “Since the Ancients Made Tian Di, the Faeries have wrought in the west the first and the only Great Civilization! Poetry, music, beauty, war, all of these belong to us! We, with the power of Illusion, are the true heirs of the Ancients! Still we flourish, and crush all our enemies beneath our heels! On this night, we celebrate the greatness of the Faeries and the inviolable sanctity of the Faery monarchy!”