room. I'm supposed to follow her, obviously. Except…no one gave me any shoes and I still feel naked in this dress.
I adjust the gauzy layers of my dress, patting them over my boobs and thighs. Here goes nothing. With a deep sigh, I follow her out of the room.
First walks ahead of me, her steps brisk despite her flowing gown, and I trot behind her, doing my best to keep up. It's difficult, because all I want to do is stop and stare. This place is amazing. I gape as we walk through crystalline hall after crystalline hall. It's like a fairy-tale palace made entirely of shining quartz. The floor is patterned crystal and shines like a diamond, but it's smooth and cool under my feet. We walk down one hall and I see a massive, icicle-like staircase that curves and descends into the depths of the Citadel. I peer over the railing and it looks like there are layers and layers to the citadel itself, all made of the same sparkling materials. It's fascinating and the place practically hums with an internal vibe that makes my hair prickle. It feels almost electric, but I doubt anything here actually runs off of power, so it must be magic. We pass by a large window and below, I can see the Dirtlands with white roads snaking through them. We're extremely high up, and when I comment on that to First, all I get is a haughty sniff in return, as if that should be obvious.
I try to remember everything Aron said to me about this place, but all I remember is magic. Magic magic magic, and that it pulls all of the life out of the surrounding lands. I wonder how First feels about that, but I bet she doesn't care. As long as it's what her goddess wants, she's cool with it. Seems kind of fucked up to me, though, if they’re killing Aventine and the surrounding area just so they can have a floating place to live.
The Citadel itself is a paradise, though. Other women pass by us, speaking in low voices, hands clasped in their wispy robes. They all have the pale, metallic hair, milky skin, and glittering wings that First does. Someone's singing off in the distance, and this entire place feels like a cross between a dorm and a church. Which is a weird intersection, but no one asked me, I suppose.
We descend the icicle-dripping staircase, and I'm glad I'm barefoot, because the steps themselves are rather slippery with the crystal surfaces. First walks down, wings bobbing, but others fly past us, and it makes me wonder why there's a staircase if everyone has wings. Finally, we get to the bottom and First takes me down another hallway. Then she pauses in front of double doors and turns to me.
"Do we need to wait to enter?" I whisper, because this place feels like somewhere you would whisper.
The look she gives me is patient, and she licks her finger and smooths a stray hair back from my brow, then takes the gathers of my dress and adjusts them out with a few tugs. So much for hiding the nips. When she's satisfied with my appearance, she turns and opens the double doors, then sweeps inside. "Follow me. My lady is waiting."
I follow. What else can I do?
The room itself is arching and vaulted, and it reminds me of a massive gazebo. Thin, fluting crystalline columns support the arching, glittering ceiling and the floor itself is a dull, polished patterned quartz that doesn't reflect the light. There are people gathered along the edges of the room, like an audience before a performer, and I notice idly that they seem to be both the crystal angels of the Citadel and normal people. First pushes through the crowd, sweeping past them as if she's got someplace important to be, and I trot after her as she heads to the front of the room.
There, on a dais, sits a lovely woman. It must be the goddess. The first thing I notice is that she's tiny. The throne itself is another crystal monstrosity with a fan of spikes arching along the back, but she seems dwarfed by it, her bare feet resting on a crystal step as if she won't quite reach the floor otherwise. She's not a child, though. Far from it. The goddess herself is dressed in a barely-there string of sparkling beads that seem to emphasize her bare breasts