The horses come to a halt as we stop in front of the giant iron gates that tower above us. They are soaring above us; they have to be at least 30 feet tall. The stench of the city slams into my nostrils making my head spin. It's a mixture between dirt, blood, and a sewer. It's awful and I want to lean over my horse but I pull my jacket up and try to breathe normally.
“What is that awful smell?” I whine as the gate slowly creaks open to let us enter. A tiny hobgoblin with cysts growing out of his forehead and green gooey laceration greets us haughtily.
“Greetings.”, he croaks out in a guttural sound.
My mind is whirring and I can feel myself drifting. I can feel it leaving and it's darkening. It's happening. It's going to happen. I try to mumble something but I become paralyzed and the darkness sets in again.
“Dammit!” I shout, as I jump off my horse to catch the princess as she tumbles off her horse.
“What a wimp.” Lucas says between fits of laughter.
“Maybe I should have warned her about the city?” I say, winking at my little brother. I hold Ali tightly in my arms and jump onto my horse.
“Boris. Can you get someone to bring this horse to the palace?” I request.
“Of course, your majesty. Will the girl be alright?” he asks appearing to be deeply concerned.
“She'll be okay. Keep up the good work.” I answer with a salute as we ride past him and into the hustle and bustle of the city.
“I have to do something really fast. Can you take the horse to the palace and Ali with you?” I ask my little brother.
“Yeah.” he responds quickly. He gently grazes the right ear of his horse with his thumb and bright white majestic wings appear on each side. They shine in the darkness like beacons of light. I pull Ali next to my body and I jump off my own horse and place her comfortably in front of my little brother's tiny structure.
“Are you sure that you can hold onto her while the horse is flying?” I ask cautiously.
“Yeah. I'll be fine.” He answers as he wraps his little arms tightly around her waist and the horse starts to descend upwards. I watch for a few moments just to make sure that they are both safe and then I pull the reigns so that my own horse moves forward. We move past the faces of all the creatures living in the city. This city was built for all those creatures that weren't wanted in the mortal world or the flawless world of the Fae and the Elves. Werewolves care a lot less about appearances and morals than the Fae and the Elves, we're all for equality.
We built this city as a safe haven for all the unwanted things in the world. We have warlocks, witches, trolls, zombies, dwarves, vampires, ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and anything else that your mind can conjure up. We move past the restaurants, the bars, the shops all owned by the creatures of the night. I look up at the sign that reads Trolley's Trinkets and Treasures. This is the shop I had wanted to go to and I make the horse halt and tie him up on the rail. I pull a treat out of my pocket and the horse's hoof pats the ground happily as I hold it out in my hand. He slurps it up out of my hand and whinnies.
I open the door and the tiny bell rings in my ear. A large troll with large pointed ears, a pointy chin, purple skin, protruding eyes, and a crooked nose looks up from a book. He scoots his glasses forward so that he can see me clearly.
“Prince Riley!” He shouts with glee and walks towards me. “I wondered what had happened to you. Have you found the girl then?”
“Yes, I found her. How are you Trolley? How's business?” I ask.
“Wonderful! What can I help you with today?” he asks in a serious tone.
“I need a ring for the girl.” I say.
“Oh, a ring? I have just the thing.” He yells as he runs to the farthest corner of the store and digs through one of the many treasure chests holding the trinkets and jewels that the store sells. He pulls out something and puts all the treasure back in the treasure chest quickly. He walks over and opens his hand to reveal a tiny ring. I pick it up from his hand and hold it closely to my face. It's a platinum ring with a pave setting and a big shiny purple diamond in the middle and tiny little ones surrounding it.
“It's perfect!” I say bringing it up to the cash register.
“Will this be going on the tab then?” he asks.
“No. I'll pay cash I don't want father or mother knowing about this yet. So you must keep it secret.” I say.
“Okay. Well that will be 100 Liefs.” he says eyeing the ring thoughtfully. One thing that Trolls hate is parting with their shiny jewelry, but their love for money far surpasses their love for jewels. I pull out two coins each worth 50 Lief. They both have tiny 50's embossed all over on them and I smile up at Trolley and he places my ring in a beautiful white velvet box.
“Thanks again.” I say as I put the white box in my coat pocket.
“It's always a pleasure.” He answers grinning and showing his large white teeth.
I exit the shop to find my horse staring angrily back at me. He's a very needy creature if I ever leave him I have to feed him a dozen sugar cubes and the only other person he lets ride him is my sister Helena. He's a very stubborn animal but I walk up to him and pat him softly on the head, untying him from the post. I jump on and lean into his mane whispering the word, “Fly.” He releases his wings and we start to float upwards. The wind rushes in my ears and I hold on tightly to the reigns as I give my horse complete control. I look down at the city, it's dark and gloomy but the people who occupy the city are bright and cheerful even if they are monsters there's something very lovely about them, I mean they're lovely during the day. Once the sun sets though, it's a different story if you aren't one of them then you better get out of Elacia immediately. We soar high up above the mountain and cliffs that surround the city. I can see the castle in the distance. It's one of those ancient European ones built high upon a cliff overlooking an exceptionally large body of water. Here in our world this sea is known as the Dark Sea, the one thing that separates the Elacians from the inhabitants of Newhollow. It's a deep dark sea full of mad creatures, who live in a dark and lonely pit. A few of the Dark sea creatures have been known to escape our sea and enter into the Mortal world. One of the creatures that have been known to escape through the portals of wizards are the Trenadines. They're an ancient breed that has lived in the Dark Sea far longer than we have lived on their land. They have dark gray leathery skin, and four tiny fins on their sides. Their teeth are razor sharp and their eyes are as soulless and dark as I imagine the depths of hell to be. They're unimaginably fast and very clever even in the Mortal world only one has been spotted. They've even given the monster a name, “Nessie.” I find mortals to be unbearably dull, they have to name every object just to give it some sort of significance.
We land in front of the ancient castle. I take in the scent of the wilderness that surrounds me, the trees, the salty smell of the ocean, and the smell of campfires in the distance. I lick my lips and direct the horse forward to the horse stables. I put him in with the others and feed him a sugar cube, and enter the side door leading into the kitchen. The cooks are hard at work preparing things for dinner. I smile and walk by quietly trying not to distract them, but they all see me and whistle at me. It's their way of saying hello without actually saying it. I whistle back in return and escape into the lavish dining hall, the hall with the giant crystal chandelier and light wooden floors. The room is so large that upon entry it makes my head spin every time. The walls are painted a deep blue and embossed in silver with modern artworks created by a few of the citizens of Elacia. My favorite piece is the one that hangs next to the entry to the kitchen. It's a large painting with streaks of blue, green, and yellow it depicts a field just at sunset but the bushes are painted black like shadows in the distance. I stare trans fixedly at the painting and am startled when someone enters the door next to me.