Summoner 9 by Eric Vall

Author:Eric Vall [Vall, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-19T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

My breath froze in my throat as the six of us stopped and stared wordlessly at the Luratamban Queen. We had brought nothing, not even a token from home that could be fibbed as a gift. How had this oversight happened? Even worse, we couldn’t discuss it without Queen Lisi understanding every word, since it was clear she knew our language perfectly.

“Do you think she likes mangoes?” Almasy whispered almost inaudibly behind me.

It was the kind of comment that turned a bad situation into a horrifying one, and I practically choked as I fought to keep myself from reacting.

What could I offer her? How could I keep us from being turned away, or worse, sacrificed for our impunity?

Suddenly, Queen Lisi smiled and laughed. It was a harsh, cawing sound, like a raven sounding an alarm in the middle of the woods. She threw her head back as she did, and her golden headdress clinked and rattled.

“The looks on your faces,” Lisi said with obvious mirth. “I’m sorry, it’s just too funny.”

Nia and I exchanged confused glances, and Varleth shifted uneasily in his stance.

“Huh?” Gawain asked quietly, but the noise echoed in the silence clearly enough for everybody to hear.

“Let me start again,” Queen Lisi decided, and a smile dawned on her face. “Welcome to Lisi City. I am this generation’s queen, and I will be your host while you are all here. There is no custom for guests to bring gifts, of course. It would be ridiculous to ask you for things, and as a host I will provide for your every need and desire.”

My tension left me in a single breath, and I began to examine the throne room closely for the first time. The wooden throne wasn’t actually constructed, but rather grown and carved out as a single piece. The top of it was gnarled with old, blunted branches, and roots twisted out from the bottom portion of it. It was a strangely simple throne for the wealthy ruler of an entire country like this one.

Queen Lisi herself was just as much of a contradiction, now that I looked at her carefully. Her golden headdress fanned from the top of her head in a semicircle of a crest, and jewels sat within the etchings in it. Golden earrings dangled from her ears, and layers of golden necklaces and bracelets hung from her neck and wrists.

Her dress was an ornate wrapping of green and yellow patterns that portrayed some of the most jaw-dropping embroidery I’d ever seen. Her feet were adorned with sandals in the usual style, though the straps were gold, and her ankles were heavy with more jeweled bands.

Lisi’s face was done with similar attention to detail and beauty, and smoky makeup framed her dark eyes. Her lips were rouged, and her skin was carefully done to enhance the appearance of her cheekbones and her eyes. She had a proud nose that defied the painting-over of the rest of her features, and it fit her face well.

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