A walkway was laid out towards a throne at the top of a dozen steps, with three thick red carpets rolled out and laid on top of each other, such that there was a noticeable cushion whenever a man put his foot down.
It felt to Oliver more like a church than a throne room. There was something almost divine about the space. It reeked of ancientness and profundity that extended beyond the likes that a mortal could muster. The sight of the empty throne added to that. Not just because of its grandness, and it was indeed grand, with the golden arms being two tall pegasuses, and their wings intertwining to make both the seat and the backrest.
No, the fact of the throne's emptiness was what made it profound. It was as though the seat was there as a suggestion, rather than a fact. As if it was saying 'will you offer up a man to sit upon it?'
