Inside the forest, plumes of mist rolled toward us like lost spirits seeking solace in the living. Had I not glimpsed the smoke machine earlier, I would have been paralyzed with fear.
The scene resembled an ancient temple nestled within a mystical forest. I marvelled at how the air sparkled with fleeting light and held out a hand to try to catch a falling fragment. I wonder how they got the air to sparkle like this? Whoever was tasked with cleaning up all this glitter would surely be irate.
Somewhere, incense burned its fragrance, both pleasant and refreshing.
A cloaked figure stood at the temple's gates. Even from a distance, I sensed an unwelcoming aura.
Several figures scurried about. Their movements were chaotic, as though they feared our arrival.
"Excuse me?" I called out, recognizing one of the performers from another part of the palace. My voice fell into the void, unanswered. Unnoticed. Curious.
The man dismounted the horse, eyes cast downward. "You shouldn't have come."
"And you shouldn't have let your-" I paused, noticing the unnatural gleam in his eyes. "What has been set in motion now cannot be undone without consequence. You must accompany me."
I began to back away.
"Uh, just an observer. I can't. Really." I swallowed hard, gaze flitting to the path we had travelled.
"I think you lack understanding."
"Yes. How am I supposed to help you here? That's why you should let me go." I forced a smile, feeling a knot tighten in my throat. My foot was already poised to flee.
"If you run, you will die."
I gulped, recalling the scars and blood on his body. If he was willing to endure such torment, what else was he capable of."
"Not trying to ruin the scene, but aren't we a bit off script?"
"Script? I do not know this word."
I laughed uneasily. Wondering at the sanity of this particular actor.
A mysterious figure beckoned without words, granting us passage into the temple.
"Do as they instruct. Dress as they provide. Speak little. We will be separated. Look closely at their garments. That alone should be enough to stop your inane chatter." With his final words, I was led one way and he another.
The underlying meaning behind his words shook me, and for once, I did as instructed. My gaze wandered to the figure shrouded in robes. The whispers of silk parting as they walked meditatively. At least until I looked more carefully.
Dear lord. It looked like the garment is stitched with the fine gauze of a thousand souls. In what appeared a twinkling of an eye, the serenity of the figure melted away to a spectre of impossibility Was that a f-dragon!? I clapped my hand over my mouth for even thinking the vulgar word, a shiver coursing through me.
"What in Hades had I gotten myself into?"
I followed to an antechamber, where lush gardens surrounded a pool filled with natural plant life beckoned with serenity. "Wanghu Mama, please disrobe and enter the cleansing bath."
I blinked. What in the actual f- I stopped myself short again, slapping my mouth another time. What was it about this place that made me want to curse a blue streak?
The insistent voice of the wounded man rose from memory. "Do as they instruct. Dress as they provide. Speak little."
I wish they wouldn't stare at me so. My eyes began to form tears as I began to peel off the taut gown. Someone had better not be filming this. I glanced around, as I got down to my underthings.
"You must be laid bare and enter the pool." Instructed a woman's voice.
With one arm across my generous bosom, the other discarded the last bit of fabric between me and my dignity.
"Hurry woman," her voice rose with a tense urgency.
Bare now, I hurried toward the steps of the mirror like pool and submerged myself.