Her feet walked along carpets, yellow, then red, then blue. Her eyes recognized these patterns, the gold and silver outline, the brilliant blue. The colours of the Primals.
She looked up from her bare feet and saw that she was at the end of the hallway. Her eyes narrowed at the eerie scene before her. With silent steps she walked into the Primal's temple.
When she'd been there before it had been on the day of the Union, it had been so bright and colourful. Now all the colours were faded and no brightness existed as though there was an eternal night.
The glass mosaic floor was cracked and its mandala patterning was scattered into oblivion. The large chamber that had once been so lively with its murals and statues was desolate; the statues were destroyed and their ruins were strewn across the broken floors. The frescoes along with the tiled murals were mauled as though with an axe. Her eyes left the damaged entrance chamber and landed on the far end of the temple.
She observed the scarred and scratched alter. It's gold and silver embellishments were tarnished and chipped. The bowl that stood atop it that was supposed to be filled with the holy water of Samadur, was filled with a red liquid. A liquid that she could only assume was blood.
The three statues that stood behind it were destroyed beyond recognition. Each of their heads were absolutely gone, their hands that usually held their emblems were turned to dust at her feet. Behind them had been a beautiful painting, now it was stained with blood.
She heard a loud rush of voices, all of them chanting a phrase that she could not make out. Feeling a burning heat behind her she turned and her eyes widened in horror at the sight.
She sat up, the dark curtains that surrounded the bed causing her to panic briefly. But she quickly came to her senses and threw the covers off. She walked to the door and opened it, then she flew down the walkway and to the door that the Sovereign was supposed to be behind.
After taking a breath to collect herself she knocked on the door. She could hear the male voices inside cease and then continue in a hushed tone.
"Enter." The beckon finally sounded. She opened the door and saw the Sovereign and the Premier seated by the fire. Both looked surprised to see her standing there.
"Your majesty," The Premier said and she fought the urge to shiver with unease, "What are you doing up at such an hour?"
"I must speak to the Sovereign, alone." She said meeting his brown eyes.
He held them for a few seconds then looked to the Premier, "If you do not mind, I would like a moment of privacy to speak with my Queen."
The Premier stood and bowed his head slightly, then he walked past Hydrangea and left the room. Her shoulders nearly sagged with relief at his being gone.
The Sovereign stood and walked to her, only being illuminated by the fire, "Hydrangea?" He asked, "What is it?"
She swallowed and hugged herself, she then realized that she was standing practically naked in just the shift. Her face changed to a flustered red and the Sovereign noticed this. He removed the warm coat from around his shoulders and placed it around hers.
She mumbled a thank you and he led her to sit by the fire. He waited patiently for her to speak. She cleared her throat, "I had a dream."
He sat down and watched her with interest, "What did you see?"
"I-It started in the palace, you remember the Union day, that hallway that we walked down to get to the Primals temple?" She asked.
His eyes became distant but he nodded.
She started again. Once she'd explained the details of how she'd seen the temple destroyed and the bowl filled with blood, along with the bloodstained mural, the Sovereign wore a grim expression.
"What does it all mean?" He muttered.
She nodded in agreement, she had no idea what it could possibly mean, but she had yet to tell him of the most troubling part.
"After this I turned and saw fire. All of Cadarama lay beneath me and fire etched every surface. A loud chanting was pounding in my ears and sounds of screams and swords meeting was all I could hear." She said, her troubled eyes gazing into the fireplace.
"Hydrangea…" He started, "I fear that Mathuba may attempt to burn Cadarama to the ground."
She nodded, recalling what he'd said after speaking to that shop owner. Mathuba and Cadarama were attempting to make an alliance.
"Did you see anything else?" He asked after they'd sat in silence for a few moments.
She shook her head, her expression glum. She hadn't seen anything, but she had heard the voice of Ratri-kar, "Forgive him." It had whispered. The scary thing was, is that she didn't feel as angry as before.
"Well, there is also something that I need to speak to you about."
She looked up at his tense tone, only to see his wholeself taut with worry.
"Yes?" She asked.
"You remember in all of those children's books about beasts and the beast wars?" He asked.
She nodded, "Of course, the giant leviathan and the tusked bear." She said listing two the came to mind.
He nodded, "They were real."
She blinked, "That's impossible, how have I never seen evidence of them?"
"You have, the bridge that we crossed, the one shaped like a bear. Many carvings and statues have been defaced though. The tenth Sovereign did not want these beasts terrorizing this country with its then growing population. So he had them hunted and killed. Over the hundreds of years they have been hunted to extinction and not a single beast dwells in Cadarama."
She shook her head, "Why have I never learnt this?" She couldn't understand not having ever heard of such an integral part of history.
"The twelfth Sovereign decided that the destruction of the beasts was a shameful act and he destroyed all texts and knowledge of them ever having been. Not many in Cadarama know of their existence, only a few that dwell on the island, and the merchants that must trade and cross the borders frequently know of them." He cleared his throat and Hydrangea was still stunned.
"I am telling you this because, Viskogorny is riddled with beasts. It is dangerous and the Premier is willing to either harbour you or send you to your home."
Hydrangea stared at him in silence for a few moments. How could she leave when they had come so far? They were so close. No. She would not leave. Hadok's last wish had been for her to save this country, and she would.
"No. I will cross into Viskogorny, no matter what dangers await." She answered in a level voice.
The Sovereign nodded and bud her goodnight.
She walked back to her room and began to feel drowsy. Crawling beneath the covers once more she fell fast asleep and missed the Sovereign following her to bed.