Chapter 8: Chapter 7 – Palace of Bones

"People from outside always claim that our good lives were mere propaganda. They be fools, I say. Look around you, at the village we live in. Look how happy everyone is. We haven't had anyone die of starvation for generations here, which was far more common even when I lived in Elmaiya. Lost an aunt to starvation when we had a bad drought there, even.

 

Here in Ptolodecca? On bad years when we had droughts or floods they waived our taxes! Never even seen a brigand ever since I moved here decades ago, nor seen a child lost to wild animals. It scared me at first to see armed skeletons at nearly every intersection, but these days? They're old friends. I call that one Robert, he's a good listener for when you need an ear for your troubles, I tell you." - Andrei Ojoshvka, Village Elder in the Lichdom of Ptolodecca and former Immigrant.

A week after the crossed the border into Ptolodecca, Aideen finally saw Tohrmutgent, the capital city, its name in the old language meaning "Altar of Tohrmut", on the horizon.

 

The city itself was grand, the walls tall, and decorated generously with onyx and obsidian, which made it give an eerie dark shine from a distance. Once they drew closer Aideen saw that the walls were heavily decorated, with murals that depicted battles and other grand scenes pieced together using pieces of obsidian along its length. She also saw stone gargoyles, carved to look like skeletons with great craftsmanship jut out from beyond every crenellation.

 

Even the grand gate was heavily decorated, and people moved to the sides of the street and bowed in respect when they saw the black carriage pulled by four bone monsters pass them by. Even the skeletons on guard bowed in unison, both those by the gates, and those atop the walls.

 

Inside the walls of the grand city, Aideen saw the neat rows of houses and buildings, and the spotlessly clean streets, kept constantly clean by a crew of skeletons that tirelessly worked without pause, be it day or night, rain or shine.

 

They went straight to the center of the city, where the grand citadel stood. The citadel itself was a fortified building, yet at the same time, grandly built and decorated. The building served as the Bone Lord's seat of power, his home, as well as the greatest cathedral to Tohrmut in all of Ur-Teros. Even as they passed through the citadel's gates Aideen saw many worshippers who flocked to worship the Deity of Death.

 

"Welcome to my humble abode, kids," said the Bone Lord grandly with his arms spread out as he welcomed Aideen and Diarmuid to the Palace of Bones, as the place was named. "Come on in and make yourselves at home! Aoife, dear, show them around will you? I'll handle some business first and see you at dinnertime."

 

During their secret meetings they usually met with the Bone Lord in one of the smaller cities near the border, so this was the first time both of them walked into the Palace of Bones. Diarmuid and Aideen couldn't help but gawk at the architecture and decoration of the grand citadel. On the other hand, Aoife just gave her surroundings a nostalgic look, for she grew up in the place after all.

 

The grand citadel lived up to its name. The Palace of Bones incorporated the same onyx and obsidians as the wall decorations, but also commonly found along the walls were giant murals, where every sort of scene was depicted, using bones set in crystal clear, transparent resin as the medium. On one wall was depicted a hunt, where skeletons with bows and spears - with dog skeletons in running poses by their feet - chased after the skeleton of a large beast that resembled a flightless wyvern.

 

"Welcome back, holiness," greeted a tall, gaunt elven man in a neat suit with tanned skin and long platinum blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Aideen was quite surprised to see an elf act so civilized, but figured it was nothing strange considering it was grandpa Aarin's doing. "And welcome home, lady Mac Lir, it has been a while."

 

"Good to see you again, Drietven," said Aoife. She then introduced Aideen and Diarmuid to the elf. "These two are my children."

 

"You remember little Mimia, kids?" She then asked them in turn, to which Aideen and Diarmuid nodded. The little adorable girl had quickly stolen the hearts of everyone in the household after she moved in as a "hostage". "Drietven here is her grandfather, and butler to your grandpa as well for the past… how many centuries has it been now?"

 

"This will be the fourth century since Master Aarin has shown me the way, lady Mac Lir," said the elf as he caressed his long, thin beard. "I owe him everything for showing me that there were better ways of living than what our elders preached."

 

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"Has any more of your kin responded to your call in the time I've been gone?" Asked Aoife calmly.

 

"We have had another five arrivals in the last three decades, thankfully. It is a slow process, but maybe with time we could teach my people that civilization is a better option to savagery."

 

"It pleases me to hear that," Aoife said as she nodded sagely. "Can you please have the bath prepared? We've been through a long trip, and could use some refreshments as well."

 

"But of course, lady Mac Lir, we shall have the bath drawn and heated within fifteen minutes."

 

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"Okay, one more thing to confirm, mom," said Aideen as she gave a satisfied sigh while she leaned backwards against the bath's curved walls. "A good hot bath still feels very good even now~"

 

"That's good to hear, dear," replied Aoife from where she also leaned against the wall a short distance from Aideen. The bath the three of them lounged in was a shallow circular pool large enough to have fitted in fifty people, built right in the middle of an open courtyard in a section of the cathedral. The blue skies above them clearly visible, as the area was unroofed.

 

They lounged in the bath while clad only in a wide strip of cloth wrapped around their torsos - or waist, in Diarmuid's case - and allowed the hot water, scented and steeped with several kinds of dried aromatic herbs and flowers, to massage them with its warmth.

 

"Some refreshments, milady?" Asked Drietven as he arrived soundlessly and lowered a wide tray onto the water next to Aoife. Atop the tray were several kinds of small cakes, as well as low, wide glasses filled with cold lemon juice, diluted with water and sweetened with sugar, with a few ice cubes to keep it cold.

 

The tray floated stably on the water, and Aoife tenderly picked up one of the small, decorated cakes and popped it into her mouth, chewed, then gave a satisfied nod.

 

"Your baking has improved again, Drietven. My compliments," she said as she took a sip from the cold beverage and gently pushed the tray so it floated Aideen's way.

 

"Why, thank you, milady," said the elven butler as he bowed. "I strive to better myself with each day."

 

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