Ro looked at the ground and swallowed hard. A fall from this height would kill her or at least break every bone in her body before she died. Alexi's arms tightened around her and for once she felt grateful for his proximity.
"Relax." He breathed into her ear. "I won't drop you."
"If you did, it would make bringing me here completely pointless." Ro forced a weak laugh. She decided to focus on something other than the ground. Returning her attention to the buildings she saw that most had grass and flowers growing on their roofs like gardens. It was actually quite beautiful to look at, she realized.
"This is the market district and the travelling grounds." Alexi told her as he began to fly her west over the town. They flew fast and rapidly entered another district with similar buildings. There were less people around these. "This is the west residential district. It goes all the way up to the castle. That is the school." He said pointing to a rambling two story building. Ro frantically clutched at his arm, trying to pull it back to her waist. She felt the rumble in Alexi's chest as he chuckled. He gently slid his arm around her again. "You like it when I hold you like this?" He softly mocked in her ear. Ro didn't reply. She just looked at the building he pointed out. The rooftop garden was a lawn of beautifully maintained grass. Ro could just make out the shape of children playing across it.
"Did you go to school there?"
"Nope."
"Well do you live around here?"
"Not really." Ro didn't like his uninformative answers. His short answers were only making her more suspicious about who he really was. Alexi flew lazily west and north now. The houses became taller and the gardens more magnificent as they got closer to the castle. The houses began to spread out becoming sparser as they flew. Soon there were long stretches of meadows between them.
"Where are we going?" Ro asked as they passed over what she assumed was the last house on the west side of the village. The meadow behind it backed up to a dense forest signaling the end of the town. "I thought you had to meet the clan leaders."
"I am showing you around while I am giving the servants time to bring you clothes. And it's not just me meeting the clan leaders, it's us." Ro felt her face pale. She definitely didn't want to meet such important people. "Just do what I tell you, and you'll be fine." Alexi told her as if he sensed her nervousness.
"Right." Ro said sarcastically. They flew in silence for a few more minutes. Ro admired the lush forests covering the mountain side. From the flora Ro was relatively certain that they were still in the Northern hemisphere but where exactly she had no idea. They were passing the castle on their right when Alexi pointed out a small lake. The waters were crystalline blue and all along its edges were sandy beaches.
"That is where we will swim." He said pointing to it. "It's a private lake fed from hot springs, so it is always warm. And before you ask there is a larger lake that everyone else can use on the other side of town."
"Alexi, please hold on to me." Ro requested trying to sound patient rather than frantic like she was feeling. He quickly replaced his arm and tightened his grip around her, pulling her hard against his chest. He bent his head to her neck, and she could feel his smile against her skin.
"It took you long enough to say that." He told her softly, his voice a deep rumble in his chest. Ro fought the urge to pull away from him. She knew that if she did, he may very well start loosening his hold on her and she wasn't sure that she wanted that. After a few moments Alexi did sigh and lift his head. Ro felt relieved. "To home then." He said and began flying straight for the castle. Ro felt uneasy again
"Tell me your family just lives close to the castle.".
"Nope." A jolt of fear stabbed through Ro.
"Well then are you distant relatives of the head family or long-term guests?"
"You'll find out when we get there." Ro was fairly certain she didn't want to find out. She fell silent as they approached the castle.
Alexi veered for the top of the nearest of the tall stone towers. As they neared the top Ro could see a stone railing around an extra wide, encircling balcony. Alexi brought them to this and slowly lowered them onto the balcony. He reluctantly released her, and she took a few steps forward. Ro could now see that the walls of the tower were all glass French doors. Through the doors she recognized the king sized, black and red draped bed and tall engraved dresser. She couldn't see the desk, but she was sure it was there. The room she was looking at was the same as the one she had seen in Alexi's mind when they had partnered up for the meditation practice.