Noah and Elara were escorted through the great, golden gates of the city, their every move watched by the calm, ancient eyes of the Early Creatures who lined the streets. There was no hostility, only a profound, almost academic, curiosity.
Kael, their guide and captor, gestured to the sprawling city around them. "This is Aethelgard," he said, his voice a smooth, cultured tour guide's narration.
"Not a city, in the way you might understand it, but a living organism of power. To the east, you have the Spires of Contemplation, where our philosophers and historians reside. To the west, the Fields of Proving, where strength is tested and wills are forged. We are currently passing through the Great Concourse, the very heart of our civilization."
Elara remained silent, her expression a mask of cold animosity.
She knew she was in enemy territory, a lamb in a den of very old, very powerful lions.
