Cyrus led her out of the lab, into an overgrown grove. Althea thought of every beautiful grove she had ever seen in Lantris: shy green trees, the smell of youth and sap that led her through white sand dappled with sun blots, the cool breeze bristling the leaves where they touched high in the sky, or the polished sheen of driftwood piles where they had washed up on the river bank. There was always a pathway that led to an unexplored area of fun.

  Sometimes, a trail would lead to a forgotten canal where she could drift on a makeshift raft and forget the noon sun under the shade of bulkier trees. Sometimes there were secret forts that had been occupied not long before them – maybe Sheyn’s or someone else’s. But there were always the winding channels of the river that cut through the forest. There was always a breeze that shifted the leaves above in a restless bid for movement.

  This was different.

  It was much warmer, darker, and closed to the outside world. The trees here stole the sunlight from above and filtered it into a warm green glow so that no direct sunlight reached the loamy floor. The dark, confined light was a shock after the bright white lights of Cyrus’ lab.

  “The lab requires more light and nutrition to function,” Cyrus said.

  Althea looked at the membranous door, now sealed like overlapping flesh. From the entire structure, which had no end as far as Althea could see, those translucent green vines fed a steady stream of something into the lab. The vines lined the mossy floor until they disappeared into darker areas of the forest. There were other doors lining the structure far into the grove, until it was swallowed by trees and other plants. It was difficult to make out in the dim light, but when her eyes adjusted, an endless array of life buzzed about merrily. There were pale flowers of pinks and whites lining the slight trail that led down the membranous doors to lab after lab. There were insects floating about that she had never seen before. Some were delicate and flew gracefully through the air, carapaces gently glinting in the dim light. Others were full of color, like butterflies and bees perched over flowers. She even saw a few small birds hum or tweet high in the branches.

  Another trail led to a pathway in the grove that looked like it had been specifically grown as some kind of facility. The scope reminded her of Isold’s academy, with its sprawling libraries, training areas, and courtyards.

  It was in this direction that Cyrus beckoned her. Althea followed, mouth hanging open in awe.

  “Is this whole structure surrounded by the Gate of Thorns?” Althea asked, the feel of soft dirt and moss on her feet comforting.

  “Yes.”

  “How large is it?” Althea fired off question after question. She wondered if Cyrus was annoyed with her yet. He seemed as calm and patient as a priest.

  “It’s a city,” he said, and smiled at her. He looked much less unsettling in the gentle glow of the grove. Humble, even.

  They wove through trails and passageways all delicately lined with flowers and plants that looked too perfect to exist. There were no brown leaves or wilting petals, no signs of sickness or decay to be seen. All throughout were those strange, fluid-carrying vines, like veins feeding a massive organism.

  Althea supposed that the earth was like a large organism. There were cycles that fed into each other, dependent on one another for existence, flourishing and changing all the while. She thought of the sun that fed the plants, which fed the insects, which fed the birds, which fed organisms like herself. When she died, she’d help feed the plants, the mushrooms, and the worms.

  “Who built this city?” Althea finally asked. She concluded that Cyrus did not mind her questions. Or maybe he had been instructed to let her ask them.

  “Mother did,” was his mysterious reply.

  After walking for what seemed like a long while, they reached something that resembled a main street, like at Lantris’ marketplace.

  There appeared to be shops and places of business scattered throughout the trees. It almost seemed as if they were entwined with the growth of the living giants. A few places looked like they had been carved out of an enormous tree trunk.

  Eerily silent, a few people emerged from the main street, creeping along and chatting quietly. Some stared at her and Cyrus, not looking away when Althea frowned at them.

  “They don’t mean to be rude,” Cryus said. “They haven’t seen an outsider in years.”

  Althea sighed. She wanted to ask more questions about who Mother was, but she knew Cyrus would only tell her to wait.

  Cyrus smirked.

  “Well, what do you expect?” Althea said, knowing he was reading her thoughts. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  They stopped in the street as Cyrus contemplated their destination.

  “What would you like to eat?” Cyrus asked softly.

  “A huge dead animal,” she suggested, ravenous.

  Cyrus looked at her as if she had strangled a baby.

  “What? You don’t have farms in this place?” Althea asked, puzzled.

  There were still strangers all around avoiding them, but staring as they passed by. They silently milled about as if she were some kind of interesting infection.

  Althea returned the gaze of a half-naked girl, who looked away, scurrying forward on the main street.

  “We do not eat animals here,” Cyrus explained. “We do have a few farms for milk, honey and cheese.”

  “Oh,” Althea said, surprised. “Why don’t you eat animals?”

  Cyrus frowned slightly, thinking.

  “It is less efficient when sustaining an ecosystem such as this,” he said after a while.

  “And I think a great deal of us find the killing and suffering of animals… distasteful,” he elaborated.

  Althea laughed.

  “There wouldn’t be any suffering if you had the right kind of farms,” she assured him. “In Lantris, there are penalties for farmers who treat their animals with cruelty and neglect. Granted, Gaither doesn’t have any such laws.”

  Cyrus still looked at her as if she were the strangest creature he had ever seen.

  “Animals don’t feel the same way we do about death,” Althea argued.

  “Oh, I disagree. They have quite the disposition for avoiding pain and death. Especially animals who are prey,” Cyrus parried.

  “Avoiding it, perhaps. When they know it’s coming.” Althea shrugged. She hadn’t really thought about it before. She also hadn’t grown up on a farm, so she had no idea what the life of a cow was like.

  “I will take you to a place with cheese,” Cyrus relented. “It won’t satisfy your bloodlust, but it may be more familiar to you.”

  Althea cracked a smile.

  They walked to a small diner that was warm and loud with laughter. There was a sign above the door carved in elegant lettering that said: The Honey Comb. Althea was grateful that they seemed to blend in more here. There were people of all different colors and dispositions around them that reminded her again of the marketplace.

  The server bounded to Cyrus with the enthusiasm of a hungry dog.

  “Cyrus!” He said jovially, until he caught sight of Althea. Then his smile crawled into a grimace.

  “Is this…” He trailed off, whispering in the din. Cyrus must have spoken to him then, because the man looked embarrassed, afraid, and then relaxed in short measure.

  Althea was thoroughly unsettled that she could hear none of it.

  “Forgive me, Althea. I did not know you were our honored guest. You and your companions gave us quite a fright.” His dark eyes glistened with regret.

  Althea wasn’t sure what to say.

  “I am not as old as Cyrus. I have never seen an outsider before,” he explained.

  Cyrus smiled, but it looked plastered on.

  He locked eyes with her.

  “Come, Althea.” Cyrus’ mouth stayed closed and with the same frozen expression. “We will sit. I have told Lael what to bring us.”

  Cyrus led her to a table with a flat top that resembled a mushroom. She sat down upon a stool that was of a similar structure, woody but springy. The place was lit with a warm, yellow and orange glow from artfully decorated pods. Some were in the shape of honeycombs hanging from the ceiling, made from wax. There were other delicate structures on the wall that looked like insects or flowers—perhaps mushrooms.

  “Are they all made of wax and lit with that stuff from the pods?” Althea asked, curious. Cyrus sat down across from her.

  “The honeycombs are wax shells. Inside are pods similar to the ones from the lab,” he clarified. “The ones that are scattered along the ceiling are a type of flower. They are bioluminescent like the rest of our light sources.”

  “Did you make those?” Althea asked.

  “No,” Cyrus said, amused. “I design much more complex compounds mostly for healing purposes.

  “The architects and decorators do quite a lovely job though, don’t they?” Cyrus said, admiring the décor.

  “Did they design these tables and chairs? How did they make such a thing grow in this shape?” Althea was fascinated.

  Cyrus smiled.

  She realized that he probably could not laugh, otherwise perhaps he would have.

  “You would not like to hear my approximation of a laugh,” Cyrus said, though his voice was fond. “To answer your question, I do not know. My specialization does not involve making things grow.”

  Althea watched the people mill about, laughing and talking, eating like they were content in this small sanctuary. They barely had any contact with the outside world, yet they seemed happy.

  It was warm enough that most of them wore very little—a transparent dress or a loincloth, sometimes. Some people were just naked, and no one seemed bothered.

  “We keep the temperature warm and stabilized for comfort,” Cyrus continued. He seemed to enjoy explaining the wonders of this place as much as she liked hearing about it.

  “Why do you wear clothes?” Althea asked, a twinkle of mischief behind her gaze.

  Cyrus cocked his head slightly, gauging her intent.

  “I work in a lab most of the time. Sometimes it is better not to get compounds on my skin.”

  “I wear clothes out of habit,” Althea thought out loud. “But I guess you already know that.”

  “Most people do outside of here. The nudity doesn’t seem to make you all that uncomfortable.”

  “Does it make most people?” Althea teased.

  “From what little I’ve seen, yes.”

  Drinks were brought to them by a server in polished wooden cups.

  Althea smelled the golden drink, then took the smallest of sips.

  “Mmm. Mead?” She asked, delighted.

  “I thought you’d like it.”

  “Well, you’ll have to introduce me to the maker, so that I may learn every secret.”

  Cyrus quirked an eyebrow at that.

  “Do not worry. You will meet The Maker soon,” he said. She did not think he was talking about the mead maker.

  Althea sipped at her drink, taking in the strange people who still now and then stole glances at her and Cyrus.

  “Let me guess… they rarely see you out of your lab, right?”

  “How did you know?” Cyrus replied.

  “It’s not just me they’re staring at.”

  “Ah, yes. I suppose to them I am a bit of a curiosity too,” he admitted.

  “But you live here with all of them. What makes you so strange?”

  “If I could laugh now, I would,” Cyrus explained, joy crinkling his eyes. “I stay in the lab most of the time because I am strange. But I am also very useful there. I am good at what I do.”

  “Are you a green mage? Is that why you can handle all of those compounds?” Althea pressed.

  “I am not. I have no healing abilities. I have other green mages that work with me, however. I know how they sense things because of my gifts. The rest I learned through experimentation—and so I can manipulate the compounds.”

  “Odd.” Althea blinked and took another drink of the delicious mead.

  There was a look of resignation on Cyrus’ face.

  “But not unheard of,” she amended. There were plenty of healers at Isold’s academy studying herbs and wound treatment without any magical abilities.

  “It is alright.” It sounded like he said it to put her at ease.

  “Why do you do that?” Althea asked.

  Cyrus’ eyes widened.

  “Why am I friendly?” He clarified, confused.

  “You’re almost too friendly,” Althea accused. “You try to put me at ease above yourself.”

  “This is a bad thing?” He continued.

  “I guess not if you’re handling strangers from a weird world that you barely know of,” Althea said. “Do you do this often?”

  “Not at all. I think that would be overwhelming.” Cyrus seemed honest as he said this.

  “Yet you have experience with it,” she pressed.

  “I have met others that have tried to come in, yes,” he admitted. “It is very rare.”

  “But you are old,” Althea said.

  “Older than Lael,” he amended, his gaze sharp.

  “I think you’re very old. I think you’ve seen quite a lot.” She left out the part where she thought he was kind because maybe he’d seen things that no one should see. But she knew he could pluck it from her mind anyway.

  Cyrus leaned back on his stool, measuring Althea with his gaze.

  “Do you know when Arévis will wake up, Cyrus?” Althea asked, thinking of little else. “You will be kind to us when we go, won’t you?”

  Cyrus’ eyes softened as he looked at her.

  The servers brought their plates and set them down on the table.

  “Thank you,” Cyrus said to the server. He must have broadcast this to her as well.

  “Yes, thank you.” Althea smiled and returned her gaze to Cyrus. He had begun to eat an assortment of breads and cheeses, along with a salad.

  Althea looked at her own selection and dug into the delicious cheese and honey.

  “I suppose you’ll want to meet the cooks as well?” Cyrus said, delighted at her reaction.

  “Absolutely,” she agreed, mouth stuffed full.

  It wasn’t long after they had finished eating that someone finally approached them. People had been eyeing Cyrus and her especially to the point that it made Althea uncomfortable. Althea normally didn’t mind attention. They sipped at their mead, idly chatting, when a woman with long brown hair tiptoed over tentatively.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but you’re Cyrus, aren’t you?” She asked, eyes bright and skin glowing. Her beauty took Althea’s breath away.

  Cyrus smiled politely.

  “I am,” he broadcast.

  She quaked in her spot, lit with excitement.

  “My friends and I are having a party later. Would you and your friend like to come? We would love it if you could give us a show.” She grinned, clenching her fists.

  “A show?” Althea said, peering at Cyrus with an eyebrow raised.

  Cyrus' eyes looked hooded as one side of his mouth quirked up.

  “We would be glad to attend your party,” Cyrus replied, ignoring Althea’s question.

  “It’s at—” she began.

  “Oh, don’t worry about that.” Cyrus waved his hand, sitting back in his seat. “I’ve already read the location from your mind.”

  Her eyes went wide.

  “I’ll see you there.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Althea gaped as the woman left and Cyrus settled back in his seat.

  “Show off,” she teased. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said, pleased. “I have many surprises for you tonight.”

  They went on a pleasant walk through the city streets before they set off to the party. Cyrus pointed out certain eateries and shops with delicious secrets. There were beautiful hand-carved wooden toys and pretty decorations. Althea wanted to meet some of the high-end designers that had made The Honeycomb beautiful, but apparently they were busy.

  “Artists never sleep when they’re working on a project,” Cyrus explained.

  Althea smiled, remembering Terran. She’d meet him at the river only to see him strumming on his lyre, scribbling down lyrics, eyes dark from lack of sleep.

  “I’m almost done,” he’d say. She would laugh and toss sand at him.

  A flash of Arévis working on her writing before the end of the year released her from obligations crossed her mind.

  “Neither do people like you,” Althea said.

  “I’m taking a night off right now, aren’t I?” Cyrus pointed out.

  “I bet it hurts a little.” Althea laughed. He rolled his eyes.

  The low glow of sunlight through the trees darkened further as sunset approached.

  To her surprise and delight, the city literally lit itself up like sparkling stars in the darkness. Fireflies flooded the streets like little beacons, buzzing about randomly. There were bioluminescent orbs that lined the trees and buildings emitting a gentle light. Even the fluid-filled vines that ran throughout the city were glowing a faint green. It was like this was when the city came to life via its creations.

  Pale flowers glowed softly in the overgrown wildlife as they walked a forest path to the party. Mushrooms lined the mossy ground, glowing a fluorescent blue. Still, fireflies permeated between the trees and plants like unexpected candles in the gloom. As Althea tiptoed between the thick growth of vines and branches, Cyrus led her silently.

  She was starting to hear the gentle tinkle of music and a flowing stream.

  “Are we almost there?” She whispered with barely contained excitement.

  “Yes,” Cyrus assured her. Althea thought he sounded excited, too.

  They finally approached the clearing and the sound of music became a pleasant lull. The stream was flowing from a small pool and waterfall that clashed off a tiny cliff. People were splashing in the pool, laughing and dancing. There were lanterns with glowing orbs and even more bioluminescent insects gathered amongst the chatter and dancing. She saw a huge moth, pale green and bright amongst the yellow of the fireflies.

  To Althea’s delight, she spotted tables with snacks and drinks.

  “Cyrus!” Rang the cries of several party-goers.

  “Hello, everyone!” He broadcast, his arms outstretched. He was still wearing the white of his lab coat. It looked out of place with all the nudity and scant, stylish garments. Yet he looked at ease in this environment that was so out of his element.

  “Shall we get a drink?” Cyrus asked her, leading her toward the snack table.

  “Yes, please. I think my buzz is almost gone,” Althea lamented.

  The mossy floor was soft and cool beneath her bare feet. Althea was awash in the contented glow of the evening. Her belly was full, the lights were beautiful, and there were a slew of strange new people to meet. It was just the sort of place she’d love to find at Lantris – some new tavern that no one had found out yet, attracting travelers and musicians of eminent talent before it was crowded and overly popular. It was a secret: well hidden and kept safe from the outside world.

  Althea sipped a wonderful drink that must have been some kind of fruit wine. She watched some of the dancers sway to a lively tune. Their garments were flowing and bright with intricate designs.

  Cyrus helped himself to some food and drink before he was again accosted by the strange townsfolk.

  “Give us a show!” One shouted gleefully.

  “Tell us a story!” Cried more partygoers.

  Althea watched as Cyrus’ eyes folded to their requests, resolve and amusement coming to his features.

  “Alright, alright…” Cyrus assented, a close-lipped smile reaching his eyes.

  Althea watched, bright-eyed as the others gathered round in a circle.

  “I shall tell you the story of a strange and mysterious event…,” he began, and the music shifted to something soft and mysterious as the musicians watched for his tone. The rest were quiet, fidgeting in anticipation.

  Cyrus’ hands were graceful as he gestured, standing as the others watched him. Althea did the same.

  “There once were two girls wandering in the forest,” he began, and his hands moved as if he were dancing. He looked almost fragile in the glowing lights. In the middle of the empty circle, the air itself began to shimmer. Althea fixated on the disturbance, watching as the light, flickering from color to color, shifted into the shape of a tree. It was pale, translucent, and three dimensional like the real thing. More trees lined the circle, all in the flickering illumination of the light. The crowd gasped in awe.

  Althea nearly did herself, looking from the light picture to Cyrus as he concentrated on making it real. It remained pale and flickering, but the shapes were detailed.

  Between the trees, the shapes of two girls appeared, and a stream of water trickled beside them.

  “The girls had lost their way in the depths of trees, hidden even from the sun…”

  The pale light dimmed to a barely visible translucent picture.

  “They had heard tales of monsters in the forest,” Cyrus continued, and the music became ominous. Shapes and shadows shifted between the trees, running behind them, always out of sight of the two girls.

  “But they were not afraid, for they were stronger than the monsters.”

  On one side, the forest floor shimmered as it was covered in frost. On the other, the ground lit up with pale fire.

  The trees behind the girls became tall and thorned, like the gate she and Arévis had crossed.

  “The monsters attacked them as they were making their way.”

  Instead of artificers or wanderers, Cyrus drew pictures of giant snakes and wicked, misshapen creatures. They came at the two girls and they curled into the Gate of Thorns.

  “The only way to escape was through the Gate of Thorns,” he said, and the gate opened miraculously for them. The monsters were engulfed in flames and ice and the shapes of the girls were sucked into the gate, along with some of the monsters. The music hit a crescendo.

  The lights dimmed until there was nothing.

  Then, a picture of the pods Arévis and the others were recovering in bloomed in the center.

  “Some of the monsters had come through with them… but it turns out, they were people just like the girls. They had only mistaken them for monsters.”

  Cyrus made a large worm and another misshapen creature transform into a boy and girl.

  “They recovered from the battle in their tanks because the villagers behind the Gate of Thorns had taken the lost people in.” A lone figure emerged in a white coat.

  “And one of the girls recovered more quickly than the others. She was special, like the villagers,” he whispered into her mind. The music was low and hopeful.

  The light flickered until it was formless, shifting and dancing. The pale mass came to settle all around Althea like a shroud.

  “She was kind and capable, and though she came from a different place, she was curious about the small village in the forest, and all the people in it,” he broadcast, letting the light slowly fade until Althea was sipping her wine and trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the crowd now staring at her.

  Though she tried to avoid their gazes, as she looked around she saw curiosity and worry.

  “What was the girl’s name?” Asked a villager.

  Cyrus looked to her and she spoke before he did.

  “My name is Althea,” she said, smiling. “What a beautiful light show, Cyrus. I’m honored to be invited to such an interesting party with so many welcoming villagers.”

  The sounds of rustling and moving subdued and it was silent for a moment.

  “Let us drink to Althea!” A boy said joyfully, and the music picked up into something they could dance to again.

  “We’re so glad you escaped the monsters!” Cried another.

  “Me too,” Althea agreed, laughing.

  “Tell us where you’re from!” Another shouted.

  “Alright, alright! I can tell a story or two before I dance my heart away.”

  She glanced at Cyrus, who was smiling softly, his eyes partially glazed. He was sipping from a drink and looked content.

  Several drinks later, Althea was telling a very handsome young man about Lantris, something he seemed endlessly fascinated about.

  “How can so many people live in one place?” He asked, dark face shining with a smile.

  “Lantris is on a delta—,” His face scrunched up, “—which is a place where a river feeds into the ocean—,” He tilted his head a bit, “which is a large body of water that encompasses the whole world… How do you not know what an ocean is?”

  “Is it like a large river?” He asked, curious.

  “…Sure. It’s a huge river that surrounds all the other little villages.” Althea took a drink and then continued. “So because it’s so near the water, lots of people travel there to trade. Lots of people travel there because we have a famous academy.”

  “Oh. Why do the other people travel to the famous academy? Why don’t they go to their own academies?”

  “Because it’s better.”

  “Why?”

  “Hm… I don’t really know.” Althea shrugged. “It has to do with prestige, I guess. If a famous goddess founded it, then it must be good? Maybe it attracts good teachers to teach the attendees, so it’s a place where everyone wants to go.”

  “Shouldn’t every academy be as good as a city can make it?”

  “Well, yeah,” Althea slurred, trying to remember what she actually wanted to talk about.

  “How do they know it’s really better than their own academies?”

  “I guess because the attendees become famous and then people want to go where the famous people went.” Althea shrugged again. “I guess I didn’t realize how much it doesn’t really make sense.”

  The man started laughing.

  Althea tried again. “I think it also depends on how rich a city is. Lantris has resources, so a lot of its public projects get attention. It’s not a monarchy like Gaither, where the king gets to choose what gets built and when. In Lantris, the people help choose where it goes so that it benefits everyone.”

  “What’s a monarchy?”

  Althea rubbed at her eyes, already exhausted with the conversation.

  “You’re joking, right? You’re making jokes because I’m an outsider?”

  The man just laughed. “No, of course not. I just didn’t know there were so many things outside of Paradise.”

  Althea blinked for a moment. She looked around and smiled.

  “I guess it is.”

  “What?”

  “Paradise.”

  The young man’s smile it up his whole face.

  “My name is Roone, Althea of Lantris. Will you come dance with me?”

  Althea left her drink on the table and leapt to the music, prancing with Roone in tow. She laughed and laughed as they danced, the music melodic and upbeat.

  Althea thought that dancing with a group of half naked drunk people was one of the best ways to spend a night. She swayed here and there, blissfully aware of good food and drink, scenery, and Roone’s identical lack of inhibitions.

  She twirled into Roone’s arms and stepped in very close to his personal space. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he leaned in as well as she rose on her tip toes to kiss him. His mouth was warm and very pleasant.

  “Come, Althea. Let’s go to the pool,” he whispered enticingly.

  Althea thought that she just made a squealing noise rather than actually replying. He laughed and they pranced their way to a pool that was a bit more isolated from the frivolities.

  As they stripped off their clothes and slipped into the warmth of the pool, a gentle waterfall lightly misted them with a pleasant stream. A few partygoers whispered and stared.

  “No need to stare! This is Althea,” Roone introduced her to the others.

  “Oh, brother, you’ve brought the fascinating outsider to our group!” Said a beautiful young woman with long, black hair. She had braided parts of it and woven in flowers and vines.

  “This is my sister, Yuneira,” Roone said. Althea smiled at her.

  “It’s so lovely to meet you.”

  “Althea was telling me about how things work in the outside world,” Roone explained in a low tone.

  “Tell us all about that!” Yuneira squealed, swimming in the pool to where they were.

  Althea looked around at the curious eyes that reflected the pretty glowing lights.

  “It all seems very complicated compared to Paradise,” she assented, still taking everything in.

  “Cyrus says what he does is very complicated, too,” Yuneira explained, her wide, dark eyes sparkling up close.

  “What he does is complicated,” said the voice of another woman, her eyes sharper and less open.

  “Cyrus says the outside world is full of people who will hurt you, and use you, and take from you when you’re in need. He says it’s full of cruelty,” said a man with chestnut hair.

  Althea’s face dropped.

  “Is that what the monsters did to you from the story?” Roone asked.

  “Yes,” Althea admitted. “The outside world is full of cruelty. But it’s full of people like you, too. My friends are out there. My best friend Arévis is still healing from what happened outside the Gate of Thorns. People like Cyrus are there to help when others are hurt.”

  “Cruelty exists here, too,” said the woman with the narrowed eyes. “You’re stupid if you think it’s only on the outside.”

  Roone and Yuneira looked offended.

  “I don’t think Mother would like it if you told her that,” Yuneira said.

  “I did tell her,” the woman said.

  “Don’t listen to Iliana,” Roone said. “She’s just angry because Mother told her she can’t go outside.”

  “Why would you even want to go outside?” Hissed Yuneira.

  “You wouldn’t understand,” Iliana scoffed.

  “It’s not like that. Mother keeps us safe,” Roone assured Althea.

  “No one has ever been cruel to me,” Yuneira added.

  “Then you don’t remember being a child,” Iliana said, undeterred.

  “Mother says that on the outside, no one cares if you live or die. No one takes care of you,” said the man with chestnut hair.

  “Well, that’s not always true,” Althea said, trying to soak in the warmth of the pool. “Most of the time your parents take care of you. And if you don’t have them, you have the orphanage. If you don’t have that, you have friends, and they take care of you.”

  “What’s an orphanage?”

  “Parents?”

  “What are your friends like?” Said three voices at once.

  Althea chose to answer the question about friends, because she was already getting tired of explaining simple concepts.

  “My best friend’s name is Arévis. She’s a gifted mage, so she was sent to a special academy to be trained.” Althea thought of how elating and disappointing it had been to watch her leave. She thought of how she wanted Arévis’ dreams to come true, and also how she was heartbroken to be separated from her.

  “My other best friend is Terran. He’s a musician who plays beautiful music, usually on a lyre. It has strings like one of the instruments in the band playing here.” She thought about how she had left him behind in Lantris because he didn’t want to come. Althea’s hand shot to her wrist where the leather strap should have been. It was with her other things, probably back in the lab.

  “When we were children, we once broke into a bar in the middle of the night and filled all the barrels with salt so that it would ruin all the beer. It bubbled up and spilled everywhere!” Althea started laughing at the memory. “We probably would have gotten away with it at the orphanage, but Arévis and I smelled like beer. Terran got a good beating from his dad when he found out.”

  “Why would you want to ruin all the beer?” Yuneira exclaimed.

  “It was Terran’s idea. His dad used to drink a little too much when he couldn’t write. He was an author, you see. He wrote great epic tales about adventures.”

  “There’s no such thing as drinking too much,” Roone said, furrowing his brow.

  Althea just laughed. “Trust me, there is. Especially for people who can’t heal quite as fast.”

  “You must love them so much,” Roone crooned. “Did you make love to Arévis and Terran often?”

  “Make love – have sex with them?” Althea clarified, taken aback.

  Roone just nodded.

  Althea sighed. She mumbled, “Well, I would have liked to with Terran.”

  “But why didn’t you?” He prodded.

  “I left with Arévis. He didn’t want to come with,” she explained. “By then it was too late. It all happened so fast.”

  “Why didn’t you before?”

  She shrugged. “I was being stupid.”

  “Don’t say that,” said Yuneira. She hugged Althea close and petted at her wild curls.

  Althea laughed it off, secretly touched. “Thanks. But I was stupid. I should have told him how I felt earlier. So many years we could have had…”

  Althea thought of it wistfully, and a pang of hurt went through her heart.

  “But once Arévis wakes up, you’ll be with your other beloved. Then you will have many opportunities,” Roone said confidently.

  “Oh. Um.” Althea was puzzled that he would get that idea. “Arévis and I don’t do that.”

  He frowned, also confused.

  “Not everyone fucks each other constantly, Roone,” Iliana said, toying with her own curls the color of gray-brown tree bark.

  “Not everyone refuses to fuck anyone,” Yuneira defended, rolling her eyes.

  “That’s not true. I once had sex with Iliana!” Said someone at the opposite end of the pool.

  Iliana just shrugged.

  Althea spotted a few couples by the waterfall making out. They didn’t seem to mind that they were surrounded by other people. Althea watched for a moment, transfixed.

  Roone looked at what Althea was staring at and then smirked.

  “Maybe you can make up for it now,” he whispered, floating closer in the water and running a finger down her face.

  Althea thought again of Terran and violently shoved it down. There was no point dwelling on him when he hadn’t come with.

  They kissed while the others made “Ooohs,” and other noises. She opened her eyes when Roone pulled away, wanting to touch his dark, shining skin. Instead her vision was filled with the sight of Roone and Yuneira kissing close to her face. She jumped back, startled. This startled them and the others as well.

  “What’s wrong?” Roone asked, cupping his sister’s face in his hands. Yuneira turned towards her as well.

  “Wouldn’t you like to join us?” She said dreamily. “We can go somewhere more private if you want.”

  Althea’s heart was racing. Her mind couldn’t catch up to what she was witnessing.

  “Um. N-no. I think I’m… I can’t,” She stuttered uselessly, and rose from the pool, grabbing the white dress that Cyrus had given her. She stalked off into a mellow part of the party, where she grabbed another drink and sat. She stared into the spectacle of dancers and watched as many of them paired off, or went off sometimes in groups to make love, as Roone had called it.

  They were all comfortable with one another in a way that Althea couldn’t grasp. It seemed wrong, yet they had all acted like she was the weird one for being shocked at such casual intimacy. Yet in Lantris, everyone knew it was wrong to couple with blood relatives.

  Althea flinched as she realized that Iliana had caught up with her and was sitting next to her on the stool.

  “Sorry to startle you,” she said in a voice with little inflection. “It wasn’t really my scene either.”

  Althea frowned. “But you live here. Didn’t that seem normal to you?”

  “From them? Yes, completely.” Iliana didn’t seem to enjoy the party as much as the others.

  “But it’s weird to you,” Althea prodded.

  “Only because I don’t desire to have sex often.” Iliana shrugged, unbothered.

  “But they were brother and sister,” Althea whispered, not wanting to say it out loud.

  “A lot of us are related,” Iliana explained. “I think part of my lineage comes from Roone and Yuneira’s.”

  “But if they were to couple and have a child, it could come out very wrong,” Althea said, hoping she was conveying the seriousness of the problem.

  Iliana scoffed. “Mother has ensured that that will never happen.”

  She looked straight at Althea and made eye contact. Her eyes were green like tree leaves – like Terran’s.

  “I’m not as na?ve as the others. I know how a lot of things work in the outside world. Well, more than they do anyway.” She stared straight ahead at some partygoers. “I know that where you come from, children are still born.”

  “What do you mean?” Althea was horrified. “Children here aren’t born?”

  “Not in the way you think of. Mother makes them. She mixes their codes in special ways to create the best combinations. She makes sure to mask the parts that would make a child come out wrong.”

  “But if Roone and Yuneira have sex—”

  “They have and they will again. No one here is capable of birthing children. Mother takes it out of us in the process of creation,” Iliana said.

  Althea put a hand to her mouth, trying to comprehend it.

  “Does that horrify you?” Iliana asked, making direct eye contact again.

  Althea didn’t answer, watching partygoers dance, some looking remarkably like one another. She wondered how many of them were close siblings. She wondered how many of them were lovers.

  “Part of my lineage is also Aridian, like yours,” Iliana said after a while of letting Althea absorb what she had told her.

  “Are you a healer?” Althea asked.

  Iliana nodded. “One of the best here in Paradise. I am Mother’s most trusted alchemist.”

  “Do you work with Cyrus?”

  “Sometimes. We make a lot of interesting compounds.”

  Althea leaned in to hear her better.

  “For example, we perfected the stuff that is healing your friend Arévis right now.”

  Althea thought of Arévis and a pang of desperation went through her.

  “When will she wake up?”

  “I don’t know,” Iliana said. “Maybe in a day or two. She was injured more than the others.”

  At the mention of the bandits, Althea’s temper flared.

  “Why did you save them when they almost got Althea and I killed?” She demanded.

  “Cyrus tells me that they also helped save you,” she said.

  Althea huffed. “That doesn’t erase what they did.”

  “Maybe they wish it would.”

  There was a moment of silence as Althea tried to make sense of this place.

  “Why do you want to go outside when you live in Paradise?” Althea asked.

  Iliana avoided eye contact unless she wanted to make a point. This time, she looked at Althea unblinkingly. It was a bit unnerving.

  “Mostly because I’m not allowed to leave. Don’t you think that’s strange?” Her brow furrowed slightly. “The people in Lantris let you leave, right?”

  Althea frowned, a bit disturbed. “Of course they do.”

  Iliana’s face seemed to change to irritation for no apparent reason. Althea looked behind her, and there was Cyrus, looking as placid as ever.

  Iliana looked from Althea to Cyrus, gauging her words carefully.

  “I will take my leave now. Althea, it was good to meet you. I hope to see you again after you meet Mother.” With that, she was swallowed up once more by the crowd.

  Cyrus settled beside her, ominously silent.

  Althea watched the partygoers, now exhausted from the night and more than a little drunk. She slouched in her chair, folding her arms.

  “What did you tell her?” Althea asked.

  “To save all that for Mother,” he said gently into her mind.

  “Then why not broadcast it?” She snapped.

  “It was between Iliana and me,” Cyrus replied just as sharply.

  Althea sighed. “This place is wonderful and strange, but I’m getting tired of being constantly surprised. When do I get to meet Mother? I have many questions that need answers.”

  Cyrus nodded. “You can meet her tomorrow.”

  The party continued on, music frivolous and people shout-chatting.

  Despite the shock, it was still breathtaking.

  “Good,” Althea assented. She realized how tired she was and yawned.

  “Oh, how rude of me. Of course you want to retire for the night. It has been a long one for you.” Cyrus gestured for Althea to rise. “Please follow me, and I shall take you to your chambers.”

  Cyrus led her back the way they came.

  “I want my belongings back, too – especially my leather bracelet.” Althea said, trying not to trip over vines and mushrooms.

  “Of course. I shall have your belongings brought to you.”