Lisa slept a deep sleep full of dreams about dark shapes beneath the ocean. She was flying forever in circles, surrounded by strangely moving clouds. She woke to semi-darkness in a small bamboo hut lit only by small candles that had been attached to the walls. A female sky lord stepped into the hut carrying more food and water as soon as she stirred on her bunk.
'I'm still full,' Lisa said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 'I don't think I can eat anymore.'
'Drink then, your hunger will return before you know it.'
'What's your name?'
'I am Jailin, Julius's daughter.'
'He has a daughter?' Lisa said, blurting out the words before she had time to consider what she was saying.
'He looks young, doesn't he?'
Lisa nodded.
'Would it surprise you to know that he's over a eight hundred years old?'
Lisa nodded numbly again. She was only six. The whole world seemed suddenly ridiculous.
'Drink,' Jailin said, offering the cup once more.
She was beautiful in her own way. Her long blonde hair hung down to her shoulders in endless curls and her lips were full. Her figure would be considered alluring to most men. Lisa had a more athletic body. She couldn't help wondering what it might be like to have such curves.
She took the cup and drank deeply, surprised to find that her hunger returned much sooner than she had anticipated. 'I don't know why I'm getting hungry again. I was full a minute ago.'
'You've been sleeping all day,' Jailin said.
Lisa frowned, realising that it must be night outside. She hadn't really thought about it. Her mind was still fuzzy after her long sleep.
'It's quite common for people to sleep a long time when they first arrive,' Jailin said. 'The journey is arduous. It wares on the soul.'
Lisa shook her head, wondering what had happened to her. 'I didn't mean to sleep so long. I shouldn't be resting like this.'
'Eat quickly. It'll help you recover your strength. I'm here to take you to the palace when you are ready.'
Lisa sat up on her bunk, taking the tray from Jailin and examining its contents. There was a small bowl containing coconut mixed with fruit and some kind of spicy paste. It tasted of so many things. She couldn't identify most of them but she knew it was delicious all the same. It wasn't long before her stomach stopped rumbling and she felt her energy returning once more. She washed it all down with more water and then washed her face in a small wooden bowl that Jailin had placed beside her bunk.
'Come,' Jailin said. 'We must go now.'
Lisa climbed to her feet, stretching her arms into the air before touching her toes and flexing her wings behind her. She felt much better than before but she still felt like she could climb back in her bunk and sleep for another twenty hours. There was no time for all that. She had rested too long already. When she noticed Jailin glancing towards the door with her eyebrows raised, she followed her outside.
* * * * *
It was darker than she had imagined. A million stars dotted across a clear night sky. Lisa couldn't help staring at them. They walked for maybe half an hour at a leisurely pace, passing through a beautiful rain forest that smelt of sweet flowers and moist foliage. The forest was lit by small white globes mounted on the ends of poles that had been dug into the ground.
'What are those?' Lisa said.
Jailin paused, glancing around to see what she was talking about.
'The lights,' Lisa said, tilting her head in their direction. 'What powers them?'
Jailin smiled. 'Why, the Lasrecon, of course. They provide all our power on the island.'
Lisa nodded. It made sense in a way.
They encountered many small pools of cool, refreshing water as they travelled through the forest, and Jailin pointed out any hanging fruit that might be safe to eat. One small purple fruit was particularly delicious. Lisa ate more and more of it until Jailin cautioned her that it might make her head spin for a while.
She didn't eat any more of it after that. Something churned in her stomach but it settled as they walked. In time they came to a wide clearing that was home to a small settlement with a large lake on either side of it. Rocky hills rose up behind it and twin waterfalls sent white water cascading into the lakes below. Lisa stared with wide eyes, in awe of everything around her. The Lasrecon seemed to hang in the air, casting a pale blue light around them. Everything about the island was beautiful. The sky lords must have been so happy living here. Mist hung around the edges of the lakes, glowing in the light of the Lasrecon.
'It's so beautiful,' Lisa said.
Jailin nodded. 'It's our home.'
They walked together towards a great white palace with a golden dome-shaped roof.
Lisa smiled. 'Is this Julius's palace?'
Jailin laughed like a delicate chime. 'No building belongs to anyone here. The island belongs to everyone - the huts, the lakes, and the palace.'
Lisa could see so many sky lords walking around the settlement. Some sat by the lakes while others stood among the trees watching as she walked by. She could see others preparing food in the huts and still more relaxing near the waterfalls.
They seemed to be living a peaceful existence, far from the devastation of the world outside. Part of her was happy for them but another part was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the fact that they could live in such comfort while others suffered and died outside. The island was like the Dome Shield in many ways, insulating them from everything they didn't want to look at.
She saw Julius standing nearby with his dual sets of wings hanging loose by his side.
'Speak with him if you wish,' Jailin said. 'It's clear that you like him.'
Lisa blushed, giving Jailin a sideways glance but she was already walking towards the nearest huts. Was it that obvious? She would have to be more careful about her facial expressions.
'Lisa,' Julius said in greeting as she walked towards him. 'I trust you slept well.'
Lisa blushed again. 'I didn't mean to rest for so long.'
'Everyone is tired when they come to the island.'
'So I heard, but I really shouldn't be resting for so long.'
Lisa turned to see where Jailin had gone but she had disappeared into the forest, taking the opportunity to unburden herself.
'Come,' Julius said. 'I'll show you inside.
Following him into the palace, she marvelled at the intricately carved ceiling above their heads. It was made from white marble, contrasting with the grey marble floor that was shot through with black and orange veins. Pale marble statues completed the effect, forming two neat lines along the interior walls. The entire palace glowed in a diffused white light, lit by the ever-present Lasrecon. It was a beautiful place but there was something appalling about it too.
Lisa paused mid-step, shaking her head. 'How can you live in luxury like this while the people suffer and die outside?'
Julius turned, a frown forming on his face. 'You've been here barely a day, Lisa. Don't assume you know us and our ways.'
'Did you fight in the Iridium Wars?'
'Not I. My father fought and died.'
Lisa looked away from his hurt gaze, choosing to watch small birds hopping between the branches of a nearby tree rather than to witness the consequences of her own words. Perhaps she had been a little heavy handed but she couldn't understand how he could keep himself so apart from reality.
'You know Malkor is still out there?' she said.
Julius nodded. 'He's been quiet for a long while. We try to stay out of the wars if we can.'
'Why?'
'We were once revered on the mainland - welcome wherever we went. The people rushed out to greet us, offering food and shelter as we travelled throughout the land. Some even built lakes in our honour, providing havens for the Lasrecon so we could bathe and recoup our strength.'
'Like Los Verion.'
Julius nodded but there was a distant look in his eyes. 'We're not welcome there anymore. Their lake is closed to us.'
'Because of Ibex.'
Julius glanced around to see if anyone was listening. 'Don't mention that name here.'
'She betrayed you, didn't she?'
'It's more than that. We were trusted - revered. Don't you understand? She changed all that, turning the people against us.'
'Is that it? Is that why you gave up on the world - because you weren't made welcome enough?'
Julius' cheeks flushed red, his nostrils flaring in annoyance. 'How easy it is to cast judgement on our actions when you weren't there to experience those things yourself. You were born in the domed city, nurtured like a child by the incumbent lords.'
'I was a child!' Lisa said. 'I'm still only six years old.'
Julius smiled. 'And so you are, but age is as much in the mind as the body. The quickening propels us to adulthood before we are ready. You're a woman now. Don't hide behind a number.'
It was Lisa's turn to blush. Turning away, she gazed down at the floor, wondering why he had to say things like that.
Julius walked towards a nearby statue, stroking the hem of its robe with his fingers as his wings fluttered behind him. 'Ibex broke her promise. She killed Lord Henson, our only hope, and in so doing brought a curse upon us all.'
'Eleanor was my grandmother.'
Julius paused, looking into her eyes with concern. 'I didn't know that. Did you know her well?'
'She died before I ever had chance to know her.'
'Shame,' he said. 'She was a great woman - full of strength and character. Things were never the same after her death. None of us were able to hold our heads up high again. Do you know how it feels to be looked down upon by your own people?'
'Who cares about admiration and vanity? What about obligation, honour and duty?'
'Don't speak to me like that. You're our guest here. We have done nothing to deserve your scorn. I don't want you stirring up bad feelings amongst the others. Mendulosa is a refuge - a safe place for the sky lords, far from the madness of the world you have known. The children play in peace and happiness, in a place where they can grow to love each other and reach their full potential as sky lords.'
'Are there any people here?'
Julius frowned. 'What do you mean?'
'Is there anyone here who isn't a sky lord?'
'No.'
'It's not right, living in isolation like this. You're living in denial, closing your eyes to the suffering outside. Why didn't you bring people here? You could have saved them too.'
'Who doesn't deserve a happy childhood?' What good comes of endless war and death? It only serves to bring suffering and destroy our peace of mind. This is a small island. It suits our purposes but it isn't big enough for all the people. They have their own world and we have ours.'
'If one child can be happy then why not another? Quality of life shouldn't be governed by where you were born or whether you were blessed with wings.'
Julius turned, staring up at a statue of a woman with long flowing hair. 'You come from a bubble, don't you? What part of your life has been spent addressing the problems that you describe?'
'I was born in Cinnamon City, a place shielded from reality by Lord Hades. The people lived in ignorance. They knew nothing of Lord Malkor or what was happening in the world outside. I'm trying to change all that, but first I need to stop Malkor before it's too late.'
'We're no different, you and I. We're both trying to save our own people.'
'No,' Lisa said, shaking her head. 'The people of Cinnamon City failed to act because they didn't know what was really going on. The sky lords knew what was happening, and still they did nothing to prevent it. Don't you see what that makes you?'
'Prevent it?' Julius said with a strange look in his eyes. 'You speak as though we could stop Lord Malkor by clapping our hands. You should study the history of the Iridium Wars before you lecture me on action and inaction. There you will find tales of death and savagery beyond your imagination. There you will find bravery and honour crushed into the ground by war lords with a blood lust, whole races stamped out and forgotten because they had different ideas - different beliefs that couldn't be aligned. How soon you form your opinions, at the same time knowing nothing at all. How quickly you condemn your brethren for crimes unproven in an imperfect land.'
Lisa fluttered her wings behind her, staring at the obscene beauty all around her. 'My home won't stand unless you help us. The Dome Shield will fall. Every one of us will die.'
Julius regarded her with a passive expression, all anger gone from his eyes. 'Our help won't change the course of history. The path is already foretold. Lord Hades built a dome to protect you but it could never last. He knew that. Didn't he speak of the Third Black Day?'
Lisa stared down into her hands. Was it really so inevitable? Did they have to accept it because it had been foretold? 'It doesn't have to be like that,' she said. 'Malkor knows I'm a sky lord. He knows Lord Hades is dead too. He will try to break the Dome Shield. Do you really expect us to sit quietly and wait to die?'
'We're not part of this history,' Julius said with a resigned expression.
'So you choose to live in your fine palaces while the people suffer and die outside?'
'Stop saying that. Nobody knows the truth of this world. If you hadn't challenged Malkor, perhaps he would be quiet even now.'
'I didn't challenge him.'
'You sang your song, Lisa - so loud, so perfect. You brought this on yourself. The course of history hangs on your shoulders, not mine.'
Lisa felt a deep pain forming in her chest. Tears formed in her eyes but she wouldn't let them stain her cheeks. Part of her believed him. Maybe she was responsible for everything that was happening, but part of her wanted to push his words away and deny them until the end of time. She didn't want to let Julius' words make her angry but she could already feel the Lasrecon gathering inside her.
'I've seen a vision,' she said.
Julius raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his athletic chest. 'So you claim to be a prophet now too?'
Lisa shook her head. 'I just see things sometimes.'