Could I be anyone other than me? Maybe if I chose a different path, if I ignored cries for help. If I closed my eyes and marched on, focused only on myself.

LoG, 160

"Good Light, mother," Nalina bowed, approaching the Queen.

Gospava laid her cheek for a brief, formal kiss. "And good Light to you, daughter," the Queen of Lagad replied coldly.

Such behaviour stopped making Nalina sad long time ago; as well as the fact that "it's not proper to throw yourself at your mother and hug her." Also, Gospava put into her head that Nalina now must call her "mother" only, not "mom," as she used to do it.

Too pedantic and obsessed with cleanliness, overwhelmed by the irrational fear of various illnesses, the Leader's wife was on the right path to alienate all her children. She developed a more intimate relationship with Miglena and Borna than that was the case with Nalina and Sobik.

The two older ones, as she claimed, "understood better it is necessary to change their behaviour and dressing style from the root. They knew they are the most important family in the city now."

"You are late again. Like every single Light." Gospava underlined each word in the sentence.

"I'm sorry, mother," Nalina apologised, dejected.

"If you were truly sorry, you would not do it with such frequency," was the Queen's icy answer. "I have already found out you were in The Kitchens."

Nalina cast a glance at Miglena who launched a wicked grin at her.

"Yes, your sister told me, and I believe she did well. Some of your habits must be eradicated. Time for The First Meal is there for a reason. I swear, sometimes I have a feeling you are doing it on purpose. Are you truly so presumptuous? Do you really think you are better than others?"

Nalina stood silent, looking at the floor.

"And is that the way to show up at The First Meal? In that simple dress? In those cheap shoes? With no ... Let me repeat ... With no makeup. Soon, people will confuse you with a servant girl. You are a princess and ..."

"I should look and behave appropriately," Nalina murmured to herself in anguish.

"What? What did you say?" Gospava leaned towards her.

"Nothing, mother. Am I allowed to sit down?" Nalina asked politely. Mom is so cold and intolerable. But it's difficult to stand up to her right now.

Gospava gazed at Nalina for a while as if she were sizing her up. Eventually, the Queen waved her hand dismissively and pointed to the table. "Yes, you may sit down. We lost too much time on you, anyway." She gave a sign to the service, and they brought in food in abundance.

There were pies, filled with cheese, ham, cabbage and meat; puff pastry, choux pastry, phyllo pastry. The smell of hot fresh breakfast spread throughout the dining room. More trays came, this time full of bacon, salami, prosciutto and sausages, and the most varied types of cheese, milk, sour milk, coffee, several kinds of teas and juices.

After they brought everything in, the family spoke the words "Glory to The Mind" and "Gratitude to The Fount".

A few jars with jams and hot buns were the last ones to join the party.

Nalina closed her eyes, enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread. It was as if she could see herself again on the stone floor of a small, cramped Namas, number 217. She was eagerly expecting the simple bun made of cheap corn flour. Her mother would bake it in the furnace and then break it into six parts. Kids loved eating it hot.

She was brought back to present when Magda placed an omelette with cheese before her, and eggs with bacon before her mother.

Miglena, as it seemed, already ate her omelette with onions, which left Nalina astonished. I didn't even get to put anything in my mouth yet. I don't know how healthy it is for Miglena to eat so much. She is obese enough, Nalina thought, but she didn't want to offend Miglena. She already knew her thoughts were often inappropriate.

She cleared her throat and tried to break the grave silence, to engage in a conversation.

Servants in beige dresses stood around their heads as motionless figurines.

Nalina spread the peach jam evenly on both sides of the hot bun, swallowed a sip of mint tea and said: "So ... How have you slept?"

"Fine, thank you," Gospava and Miglena rapped out at the same time.

"Where are Borna and Sobik? All this food will go to waste! How come they aren't here to eat it?" Nalina tried to make a joke which, she sensed, was not well received.

"Borna is still asleep," her mother informed her. "He needs to rest. You know he stays with The Vigils in The Arena until late, even during The Dark. He oversees their practice, takes part in the selection of The Apprentices. He observes War Dog Training and War Dog Fighting ... It is a rather demanding job. He maintains our army in good condition. As his father did before him," her lower lip trembled as she spoke of Milen.

So she allows him to sleep as long as he wants, Nalina thought.

A tall, slender, raven-haired young man, with a dark complexion and small charcoal-eyes, came to her mind. Borna. As he used to be. Posh, arrogant and somewhat cruel, her older brother did everything he wished and took what he wanted.

Nalina remembered the day he threw out Miglena, Sobik and her from Namas to bring his mistress in when their parents weren't home. They were eighteen, fourteen and twelve Big Ones old. They had to wander around the Inns while he had a bed only for himself. They never said anything to Mom and Dad.

Dad was already fighting in The First Water War, and mom was cleaning neighbours' houses to feed them. Borna forced them to keep it a secret. Nalina remembered Borna also used to be the member of a gang of water smugglers.

She hoped that her older brother left all of this behind him now that father entrusted him with the control over The Vigils, the army of Lagad.

She knew nothing about his life, though. They almost didn't even see each other. Borna would wake up late and go to bed late, so they didn't meet much. They were never close because he often mocked her readiness to be kind to others. The fact that they were the prince and princess of Lagad made them even more distant.

Borna adored his new life and popularity among the girls. Nalina wanted everything to be the same as it was before. She was under the impression that her brother and her family were ashamed of her.

Everyone except Sobik.

No wonder, because I give, and they like to take, she thought, chewing on the rest of her bun.

Borna's words continued to resound in her head. "Hey, sis, life is short enough to make other people feel nice. Try making yourself feel nice for a change. Doing favours to others is dull. I'll fill my stomach and satisfy my cock until they hang me in that Glass Coffin or whatever they call it. Because death waits for us all. You're cute and kind, and it's all well and good, but you're too calm and boring."

Sobik was completely different. Tall and fair-skinned, he had brown hair and eyes just like hers. He was peaceful and incredibly obedient. When he was quite small, during the siege of The City of Lagad, the huge stone thrown from the catapult fell near him. It caused an explosion that ruined his eardrums. Since then, he was entirely deaf. Nalina was patient with him and taught him how to speak. He liked her the best, trusted her the most. As children, Sobik and she spent a lot of time together.

It must be difficult, not being able to hear anything at all. All those people around you opening and closing their mouths like the fish. There is no song of birds, the sound of steps, no intimate banging of dishes that suggests a meal is underway, no pleasant crackling of the fire in a stone furnace. No voices of loved ones. How does he speak? How does he shape words, when he can't hear his own voice? I can't even imagine, Nalina thought sadly.

The lectures were progressing, and Sobik, at his twenty-two Big Ones could now pronounce shorter, more straightforward sentences. He expressed himself in words. "Nalina," "sister," "Gospava," "mom," "I hungry," "I thirsty," "Paper," were things he often talked about. Since he became The Prince of Lagad, Sobik spent most of his time in the library, making paper figurines.

Mother, however much she loved him and worried about him before, was ashamed of him now. As far as she is concerned, the less he appears in public, the better, Nalina frowned. "Sobik won't come down to The First Meal?" She inquired with caution.

Gospava tightened her wooden fork until her knuckles grew white. "No," she stuttered. "Sobik woke up early and demanded that his meal is brought to his bedchamber. That is how it was done."

"Too bad," Nalina replied, dispirited. "Okay," she added, forcing her voice to sound bright, "when I come back from visiting father, I will see Sobik in his room."

Her mother and sister stiffened at those words. "Are you going to see your father today?" Gospava asked.

"Yes, I was thinking about going right now, actually," Nalina got up, and then sat back with haste.

"Your permission to step away from the table, Mother," Nalina recited in a singsong voice.

"You have my permission. Don't think I didn't notice you didn't put almost anything in your mouth," Queen replied, standing up herself. "I'll go to the Court Etcher Chambers to ask them how their work on the Fast Travel Etching is progressing. It's high time for them to show advancement on that project. And I need to ponder about how the City will celebrate the holiday. The day your father became The Leader," Gospava sighed.

Nalina thought it would be amazing if Etchers discovered an Etching for teleportation. They had already given the public two useful Etched Objects.

One was The ViewStone, that told time. The other one was The ViewWall, that enabled people to talk to each other even if they weren't physically close. Long distance instantaneous travelling might be next. Nalina couldn't hide her excitement.

"See you later, mother," both daughters echoed, rising from the table.

"And, Nalina," Gospava added, "you will go in a chariot," she said, implacable.

Nalina looked at her, her hands bent in a beseeching position.

"No. You can't walk. It isn't fitting for the Princess of Lagad to roam around the City on foot."

"All right, Mother," Nalina accepted her faith listlessly.

"Don't forget that we have a diplomatic meeting with Leader of Begi after The Second Meal. Even if you don't make it to The Second Meal, I do expect you to be present at the meeting," Gospava finished her speech, and finally stepped out to the side door followed by the servants.

The sisters remained alone in The Dining Room.

"Miglena, wait!" Nalina stopped her for the moment with a whisper. "This is from Miro."

Miglena took the paper. She split it into several parts, without having read what Miro wrote on it.

Nalina stared at her openmouthed.

"What?" Miglena put up a proverbial shield. "It's been over for a long time. I mean, can you imagine me, the Princess of Lagad, with the son of a simple cook? Me, the one who can choose now, and marry the Prince of Begi?"

"But ... You used to be together. You planned a common future," Nalina lowered her head .

"Everything's changed, kid. And we all understand and accept it, except for you. I can find someone much better than him, and that's the whole point."

"As you wish," Nalina shrugged. She didn't want to interfere, and she already knew how Miglena would react.

The two sisters separated at the doorway of The Dining Room. Nalina turned left, clutching her notebook under her armpit, while Miglena went right.

We always did walk different life paths, Nalina thought melancholically. Now ... Where was the Escalator?

The Waterfront was always called Mushroom. It looked like a giant grey champignon. It comprised of the upper oval stone part sprinkled with various chambers and rooms. The Escalator was shaped like a mushroom stalk. The Leaders would use it for the triumphant descent from the castle. The gathered crowd waited for them below to pay their respect. Nobody could climb upstairs unless they had an appointment.

Nalina waited patiently next to the wooden elevator until the Escalator-Master turned to her, bowing all the way down to the floor:

"Your Majesty. Do you want to go down the Escalator?"

"Yes, thank you. I thought I would go to The Curatory and visit my father, Milen," Nalina added.

"If you please, Your Majesty," he said, and Nalina stepped on a wooden pad covered with velvety red carpet. The contraption clasped around her. The Escalator then gradually descended from a thirty-metre height.

In front of Nalina's almond-shaped eyes, the entire Lagad appeared.

There were Omnibus towers, Willow Gardens, the always bustling Market Square and Inns; The House of Credo, gloomy grey walls of The Orphanage, and white Curatory in the distance. The Arena surrounded The Waterfort, and the more The Escalator approached to the ground, the more human faces and bodies she could see. They littered The Training Grounds, and Nalina was able to hear joyful barks from The Kennels and Vigils' shouts from The Barracks.

The city lived and breathed, its lungs alternately expanding and constricting. This hustle and bustle were what Nalina was missing in her solitary room on top of The Waterfort.

The life at The Mushroom was mostly quiet and dull, without events that would make her day.

Sometimes, truthfully, she was grateful for it, since she liked to read and write in silence and loneliness. Yet, at other times, Nalina simply wanted to be reminded of how it was to live among people. She especially missed someone she could talk to.

Nalina sighed and sent away those thoughts.

The Escalator arrived at the foot of The Waterfort.

Her entourage already stood there, waiting for her. They bowed. "Her Majesty, Princess Nalina!" They all pushed around her to come closer to her and fulfil any desire of hers as soon as possible. "The carriage is ready, Your Majesty," the lackey who was standing right beside Nalina said.

The man pointed towards a small coach whittled out of light-coloured wood, adorned with drawings of flowers and herbs.

Nalina smiled. She liked the design.

"Now let's harness Grogmog," he added, and four large men rolled a huge polished barrel, huffing and puffing.

Nalina swallowed. She never saw Grogmog, but she was secretly afraid of him, because of the stories she heard about him when she was little.

Another lackey approached, carrying a wooden cage with four rats. The tiny animals were squealing and twisting terribly.

Nalina closed her eyes. She knew the ritual was necessary but hated it from the bottom of her soul. She wasn't keen on rats, but she didn't like to look at them as the lackeys ended their lives in such a way.

One after the other, small brown bodies were inserted through the hole at the top of the barrel. Shouting and hissing were heard, and then everything settled down. Lackeys lifted the lid from the cask.

At first glance, there was only water in it. A moment later, that water came out, swirling in the air and taking on an oblong form of a translucent huge thick snake with wings.

Rats were now nowhere to be seen.

Lackeys harnessed the serpent to the chariot.

Nalina felt a mix of admiration and repulsion for the magnificent aquatic animal, along with a shred of fear. She knew Grogmog was one of The Reka, captured in The First Water War, on the banks of River Tebesum. He was brought to Lagad as an exceptionally rare specimen, to pull the carriage of the Leader and his descendants.

She didn't even know how long this winged snake was obliged to serve. Only that his servitude involved some kind of blackmail regarding The Reka.

Nalina felt sorry for the snake. She thought that he probably spent most of The Light, and The Dark, being detained in the barrel. She stretched her hand to caress him. Her fingers merely went through the water, without resting on the smooth, silvery surface of his skin.

Grogmog spun his head towards her and hissed threateningly. The lackey smacked him once with a whip as a punishment. The snake stumbled and squealed, but after a while, he proudly stood up again.

"Don't hit him, please!" Nalina cried out. She grew silent a moment later, realising that they were all giving her "the looks" that Magda warned her of.

The lackey helped her climb into the chariot and handed her the whip. "Just tell him where you want to go, Your Majesty, and he will take you there," her entourage recited, and then they all stepped away, bowing to her.

When she was left alone with Grogmog, Nalina smiled confusedly.

If the winged water snake stood still, it seemed that nothing was pulling the carriage. Grogmog was that transparent.

It was her first time using him, and she whispered: "The Curatory."

The snake didn't move.

Maybe he didn't hear me.

Nalina cleared her throat and repeated the words, with a more precise, crystalline tone: "The Curatory," and added, insecurely: "Please."

She heard a hiss that resembled laughter, as Grogmog stood upright. He turned back, staring into Nalina's eyes. The girl and the snake looked at each other for a long time.

The position of Grogmog's body seemed to be telling her: "Am I supposed to listen to you, you fragile, tiny being?" Or at least that was what Nalina imagined he was saying.

His gaze fell on the leather whip in her hand, and his slithery form shook. Nalina placed the whip under her legs. "Don't worry, I won't use it," she promised, convinced that Grogmog somehow understood her.

The serpent snorted and tugged the chariot forward without warning. He sped up, gliding faster and faster along the sandy surface, leaving a damp trail behind his gargantuan body. When he seemed to have reached an impossible speed, Grogmog flew upwards taking the carriage along with him.

The air almost burst out from Nalina's lungs. Her hair was now dishevelled, but she couldn't care less about it.

She cheered with pure joy.