Chapter Six

Blossom Castle

The dawn found Cloud Castle City hovering above the high cobbled road outside the bound timber gate of Blossom Castle. Six craggers with their spidery arms and hands busied ‘emselves at the cranks, lowering ladder stairs from the bottom of the city until the sturdy steps softly bounced to settle on the high cobbled road.

“Why this ridiculous walking down stairs? Why don’t I just fly in?” muttered Nimble Missst, leader of the procession, over her shoulder to Dabber of the West, second in line.

“The Quing and the Quang would consider it rude,” whispered her grampa in reply.

“Ridiculous,” said Nimble Missst, and she took a reluctant step down the stairway.

Dressed in the ordered celebration finery of azure slippers, silken azure pantaloons and tunic, she frowned her way down the ladder stairs, leading her Royal family parade. Old Dabber in azure followed next. After him came Rindle Mer, savagely glowering, deeply unhappy in neat azure gown. (Her badly stitched tunic she wore underneath.) Jay Dot of Orrun stepped lightly, azure ribbons on his azure cap. Lastly, the Lady May of Cloud Castle City, barely able to contain the fluttering frenzy of her excitement, stepped trembling in the place of honor. Nimble Missst, on reaching the cobbled road, advanced to the bound timber gate and knocked one, two -pause -three, four -pause -five times so such by ritual rule, all the while silently shouting inside ‘Ridiculous!’ over and over again.

Blossom Castle thrust from the ground in a great circle of towers joined by high walls. Towers and walls crawled with thick twining riots of rainbow ivy. The bound timber gate was carven with fanciful leaves and flowers. It creaked as it opened to reveal the inner terraces. Circular gardens in tiers rose up, up, up to the Gemstudded Pod. Perfume of nectar filled the air. Flowers raged in hordes of the fiercest colors. Ripe orange. Rash pink. Blinding white. Zagger red. Sunyolk yellow. A twining path from the bound timber gate led up the terraces to neatly joined stone steps, which in their turn made the final climb to the door of the Gemstudded Pod. The Pod was truly studded with gems. Such was so. Stars, moons, and sky were depicted in emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires. Spelled out in ruby runes above its door was ‘Blossom Castle’. Water flowed from terrace to terrace in tiny falls and from the gaping mouths of Carven Dragon Fountains with flashing jewel eyes.

Nimble Missst marched straight through the gathered masses of fleckrunners, stonejagglers, nester musicians, leaftrimmers, soilsweeps, waterdrippers, tenders and weeders of every sort. She knew what her duty was, and she did it. Up the twining path she moved, up the neatly joined stone steps. She turned at the door of the Gemstudded Pod and waited for her parents and grandparents to take their ritual positions, one each to the left of the four Carven Dragon Fountains there on the topmost terrace. She looked at the crowd below and raised her smoke ash green arms.

“I am here,” she announced flatly before adding under her breath, “Ridiculous.”

All eyes turned at once to the bluest door in the tallest tower. The door opened. In haughty refinement out slowly sailed the Quing and the Quang of Blossom Castle, both of ‘em resplendent in exquisitely battered and finely pummeled silver and gold. Seemingly motionless, they somehow made the ascent to greet Nimble Missst.

“My heart leaps. I laugh with joy. I sing blossoms of praise,” droned the Quing, barely moving the flat thin line of her lips.

“I, too, am joyed beyond the peak of ecstasy,” monotoned the Quang dully from his stonily frozen face.

“Fetch forth Zootch,” droned the Quing, making the slightest motion of the index finger on her pale, plump, and soft blue right hand.

All eyes save those of Nimble Missst swiveled to gaze at the reddest door in the thinnest tower. Nimble Missst rolled her startling violet eyes as she thought what you know she was thinking. A long minute passed. A longer one. The longest one yet. Finally the reddest door opened, and a single fleckrunner emerged. Clad in customary red hat, green scarf, purple tunic, yellow pantaloons and buffed to high shine purple boots, he peered around through half-closed eyes and raised an ash green hand to stifle a yawn.

“He ran off,” announced the fleckrunner with a careless shrug.