I started to ask where this sea was when I saw them.
Graceful, gleaming white stone columns that stretched so far into the sky that if there had been clouds, they would’ve reached beyond them. A tumbling motion in my chest took my breath.
“The Pillars of Atlantia?” I whispered.
“Yes.” Casteel’s voice was soft in my ear.
A sense of wonder washed through me, one that ran deeper than curiosity as we drew closer. I could see shadowy grooves in them, markings in a language I’d never seen before. The Pillars were more than just markers or even the resting place of Theon and Lailah. They were connected to a wall of the same stone, what appeared to be limestone and marble. It was as high as any Rise and continued on farther than I could see. We crested the hill, and I saw between the two pillars, seeing what awaited. Tiny bumps rose all over my skin as a hum seemed to vibrate in my blood in a long-forgotten hymn.
Casteel’s chin grazed the side of my neck, followed by his lips. “Welcome home, Princess.”
Chapter 44
Home.
Was this what the voice had meant last night? Was this truly home?
I wanted it to be more than I ever realized.
We passed through the Pillars, my heart thundering as I soaked in the sights before me with disbelieving eyes.
The first thing I noticed were the people along the walls, just inside the Pillars. How could I not see them? There were at least a hundred, dressed in black, sleeveless tunics and pants. Swords with gold handles were fitted to their sides. Crossbows like the one damaged in the fight with the Dead Bones Clan were strapped to their backs. The moment they saw Casteel, recognized him, they bowed, one after another in a wave, but it was those who stood on the ledges above that drew my attention.
Women.
There were more Guardians. They dropped to one knee in succession, placing their fists over their heart.
I knew my eyes were wide. I knew I was staring, but all of them were staring, too—the men below and the women above—at us. I suddenly wished that I still wore my cloak, even with how warm the air was here. Or that my hair was free. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so exposed, my scars clearly displayed to these strangers’ eyes.
Strangers I…I wanted to be accepted by.
I looked forward, and then I wasn’t thinking of the scars or being accepted.
Leafy green trees lined the wide road, one smoother than any I knew of in Solis. It was made of some kind of dark stone that seemed fused together. The trees spread out into dense thickets of a lush forest, and ahead…
A city sprawled ahead, dipping and flowing with the valleys and hills—a city twice the size of Carsodonia. White and sand-colored structures gleamed under the sun, arcing gracefully with the landscape, some square and others circular. Some rose high, stretching into sleek towers, while others were buildings as wide as they were tall, and some remained closer to the ground. They reminded me of the Temples in Solis, but they weren’t fashioned to mirror the night but to reflect the sun—to worship it. The roof of every building that I could see was green. Trees rose from them, vines swept down their sides, and bursts of color came from all sides.
Unlike the capital of Solis, where the city was stone and dirt, flashes of green surrounded buildings. Just as it had been in Spessa’s End, no building appeared stacked on top of one another, crowded to the point where they could barely fit. At least not from what I could gather from this distance.
Beyond the city, where specks of white grazed in open pastures, past the heavily wooded area that followed, was a mountain that did disappear into the clouds. And in the face of that mountain were eleven statues that had to be as tall as the Atheneum in Masadonia. Each one held a lit torch from their outstretched arm, the flames burning as brightly as the setting sun.
These were the gods—all of them—watching over the city or standing guard.
I couldn’t even begin to figure out how those statues were built to that size, raised onto the mountain. Or even how those torches were lit—how they remained lit.
“Saion’s Cove is beautiful, isn’t it?” Casteel didn’t need to ask. It was the most beautiful city I’d ever seen, and I could imagine what the capital looked like. “You can’t see the sea from here, but it’s beyond the trees, to our right.”
Thoughts of warm sand and salty air tugged at my heart as I followed his gaze. I saw the tops of columns through the trees. “What is in there?”
“The Chambers of Nyktos,” he answered. “You can see the Seas of Saion from there, and the Isles of Bele,” he added. “And, yes, the Goddess of the Hunt slumbers there.