It took the flying horses almost three hours to reach the capital. I tried looking out the window at the passing landscape of Jontun on the way, but the rolling fields and trees made me feel a little sick. Hellene suggested I keep my head in the carriage so the wind wouldn't ruin my hair, so I sat back and listened to her talk on and on about everything that the Nikones did for the country.

According to the betrothed of the crown prince, Nikone City had three main roles. The first was simply to serve as the head of governing. The king made the decisions from his throne and arbitrators were trained to learn the laws of the land and serve as judges when disputes got out of hand. She claimed that there were only a handful of true arbitrators, but most golden guards could interpret the laws as well.

The second role was Nikone City was a garrison. Every giant born into the house learned to serve. Some were sent out as a police force for the giant nobility. Others stayed to protect the royal family and train the next generation. Sir Tomyris was one of the guards assigned to the royal family because of her skill and high ranking in training.

"The last role of the city, though, is more complicated," Hellene said. "The reason that Nikone City is so big isn't because the Nikone house itself is large. In fact, the Nikones are one of the smaller houses as a whole. The true reason that the city is so big is that it serves as the trading hub for the entire continent. The nobles each bring the good their house makes to Nikone City and the king and his arbitrators divide the resources evenly and keep the excess."

"Many of the buildings in the capital are warehouses that are filled with supplies," Moreno said. "Every good in Jontun goes through the capital."

The city itself didn't look too impressive. All the buildings were made of silvery metal. Most of them had flat roofs except for a massive, spiked building with turrets that shot into the air like needles. The entire city itself was surrounded by a massive and thick wall that was made of stone and looked to be at least ten feet thick.

Soldiers ran up and down the wall. As I looked closer, I realized they were all no older than my younger brothers. Each was dressed in a white tunic with a golden sash, and all of them had shaved heads regardless of gender. A few soldiers in golden armor shouted drills for the children like some sort of boot camp.

"The Nikones are always training the next generation," Moreno said. "They start even younger than the halfants. I think the starting age here is eight. Then, they train about ten years before they are actually given assignments, unless a child proves exceptional. Doc always thought taking away the lives of young children was unfair, so she won't let any halfants start training until fourteen."

Sir Tomyris snorted in her seat beside Moreno. "That's why our border guard is woefully under-prepared. You are not true soldiers."

"You want to go a few rounds in the ring?" Moreno asked.

He'd been hesitant to let the golden guard come with us. Hellene had finally reminded him that it was for the best since Tomyris knew the city even better than she did. Moreno had been glaring daggers at the golden guard the entire ride and Hellene kicked him to break his death stare.

"No one is fighting today," Hellene said. "We need to stay calm and collected."

The carriage pulled up to the massive metal gates of the city. The Nikone crest of the eye was emblazoned in the center. Six guards eyed our carriage, and a seventh walked up to our window.

"Lady Hellene," the golden guard raised his visor. "Sir Tomyris, welcome to Nikone City. Though I thought you were sent to the halfants to look after..."

His eyes fell on me, and he turned as pale as a snowman. I didn't blame him. After all, I was a problem child, but I handed him my invitation, which seemed to make him quake in his boots as he read the words and saw the insignia.

"Princess Theresa?" He sounded like he very much did not want me to be the halfant princess.

"That's her," Moreno's grin seemed wolffish. "And I'm Lord Jordan Ethesis."

The giant looked at him like Moreno might jump out of the carriage and attack him. The two of us together was a powerful statement. Moreno and I were something dangerous and volatile that even the Nikone giants feared.

"The queen asked to see me," I took the invitation back from his shaking hand.

"Very well," the giant looked like we'd forced him to swallow a kettle of stinky fish.

"If you could escort us inside," Hellene gave him a sweet smile. "If that isn't too much trouble."

"T-Transport is forbidden in the city," the giant's voice quaked.

"Yes, of course," Hellene smiled. "We'll get out."

She led us out of the carriage. Then she did something I wasn't expecting. Hellene took down what looked like three bronze serving platters down from the back of the carriage. Moreno looked at her with wide eyes and shook his head.

"I know it's tradition, but you're not serious," he said.

Hellene smiled and stood on one of the metal plates. Then it rose into the air just barely so her feet didn't touch the ground. She glared at him until he stood on the next plate and levitated it and Moreno. He looked uneasy, but even if he fell, he wouldn't hurt more than his ego.

"Hop on Terri, we don't have all day and I wasn't in the mood to travel with a large entourage today," she said.

I eyed the metal serving platter dubiously. "Can't I walk?"

"Nobility doesn't let their feet touch the bare ground except in the palace or the temple," she said. "It's an old silly rule, but this is the most modern interpretation. Not to mention I'm the only person in Jontun who can pull it off."

I stepped on the platter, being sure to keep my feet apart for balance. Hellene moved the metal slowly and kept it hovering. She smiled placidly, but I could see a bead of sweat pooling at her temple. I could tell this wasn't as easy as she was making it out to be for her.

The gates of the city opened slowly, and we waited, hovering a handsbreadth off the stone-cobbled ground. Then once the gates were completely open, Hellene moved us forward and into the city slowly. I kept my feet steady and allowed Hellene to control the metal like some sort of slow amusement park ride.

Once we were inside, I could see rows of teenagers doing jumping jacks and pushups. Some of them stopped and stared at us. I didn't blame them. My dress was a golden statement gleaming in the blazing sunlight. Then an instructor started yelling at the teenagers to get back to work.

The next tier of guards was moving sacks of grain. As we passed, they all stood at attention and saluted Hellene and bowed to me. Hellene raised her hand delicately, like a princess waving at a crowd, and they went back to their duties.

There was a simple beauty to Hellene's grace. She seemed well respected by the golden guards. Maybe it was because she was such a frequent visitor to the castle. Or simply because she was so well-liked.

We passed a few more training groups and soldiers doing duties. Finally, we approached a green stretch of grass. It was the brightest pop of color I'd seen in the metallic-toned city. It was outside a building inlaid with hand-painted tile pictures and a white dome-shaped roof. Outside, a fountain sprayed water into the air.

Hellene lowered us to the ground on the grass. She immediately took off her shoes and wiped the sheen of sweat from her face on her hand. Then she washed her hands and feet in the fountain. Moreno removed his shoes, and I remembered how picky the giants were about footwear. I followed suit, but was surprised to see Moreno also dip his feet into the fountain to wash them.

"It's a purification ritual," he said. "They won't let you in the temple unless you wash your feet with the blessed water."

The icy chill of the water was like ice on my feet. I was curious how they got it this cold. I scrubbed my feet with my hands like Hellene trying to do by best to follow her example.

Even Sir Tomyris, who'd followed us all the way to the temple, removed her shoes and armor until she only wore a white tunic and gold sash. I supposed they didn't allow armor in a temple. She even washed her arms and legs until she was dripping. Then I spotted two giants in white exit the temple. One carried big fluffy towels and the other a pitcher.

The giant with the towels dried our feet and helped Sir Tomyris pat herself dry. Then the other giant poured a drop of oil from his pitcher on each of our heads and then another drop on each foot.

"May Tusi guide you," he murmured as the oil dripped on my feet.

A sweet fragrance I couldn't identify came from the oil. Hellene smiled and thanked the giants. They retreated into the temple like rats trying to hide. I didn't blame them. It didn't seem like any of the giants wanted to associate with me.

Hellene washed her hands one more time and let them dry in the sun. I looked at Moreno and he just shrugged. I guessed this was just another piece of the strange puzzle that was this day. Hellene didn't have to explain herself. This was something she'd learned as a child, and it was all natural to her.

"You'll want to keep quiet as we enter," Hellene said. "Keep your eyes on the floor and walk up to the main emblem. Then look up and light incense before it. Then follow my lead. We can send someone for our shoes after we find the queen."

She took a deep steadying breath and stretched to her full tall height. Then the lady of Ethesis turned her eyes to the ground and led the way into the temple. I followed her example, walking towards a god I didn't know and another Nikone that I wasn't sure wouldn't end me right on the spot. 

Hey friends!! I've been really busy lately, but I'm still working on this book one chapter at a time. We are six chapters from the end. Be sure to let me know what you think, and as always, follow the beautiful banner below. Until next time!!