“Does that mean all the booze, drugs, and sex you find in Temit are illegal in Mrtyu?” Drayce interjected. There was a soft smack, and Eno had to clench his teeth to keep from laughing at Rayne’s decisive reaction to attempt to silence Drayce.
Santoshi giggled softly and shook her head. “Oh, no. Definitely not. We enjoy the celebration of life as much as the people of Temit. We’ve just found that we don’t need to pursue the same extremes. In fact, we’ve found that it interferes with our deeper reflection and observance of the Dead God.”
“A life of moderation and quiet contemplation sounds very peaceful,” Rayne said.
The white-robed woman nodded. “It is.”
Peaceful, and maybe a touch boring. Eno gazed about as they walked down the sidewalk, taking in the clean appearance of everything, even the alleys between the buildings. The people seemed friendly enough, though few in number. They waved and nodded as they passed, smiling at Santoshi and the newcomers. They might have stared a little, but it was easy to guess that Mrtyu probably didn’t see a lot of visitors.
At the next corner they turned and Caelan suddenly stopped, his eyes locked on a massive glass-and-steel structure with elegant arches and curves. The glass was largely fogged and frosted over, but inside there was an abundance of purple flowers.
“Is that where the Zastrad Blue Poppy is grown?” Caelan inquired.
Santoshi stopped and turned toward the glass conservatory Caelan was facing. A happy sigh slipped from her as she nodded. “It is one of the many greenhouses we have around Mrtyu. The flower requires the high altitude and year-round cool temperatures to bloom. Mount Langbo is one of the few places it can be found. Though I have heard that it can be found wild on a couple of other mountain tops, just peeking through the snow during the summer months.”
“Would I be able to go inside one of the greenhouses to see the flowers?”
She tilted her head to the side as she thought about this request. “The High Luminance would need to approve your visit, but I don’t think that should be a problem. If the High Luminance agrees, I can take you on a tour tomorrow after your meeting.”
They resumed their walk. Eno threw one last glance at the purple-filled glass building. The Blue Poppy was the key to making Kiss of Death. Eno would prefer to see all the flowers burned, but it was hard to think of such a beautiful building right in the middle of the city holding such a deadly thing.
Santoshi finally led them into a tall town house that was directly across the street from an even larger structure with numerous round columns. The walls were intricately painted with images of the Blue Poppy woven through with ribbons of gold. It was set back against the mountain that loomed over them. The structure appeared to be the tallest in all of the small city and looked out over the rest of the mountain and the valley below where Temit sat.
With a wave of her hand, she motioned toward the building. “That is the residence of the High Luminance. I will come fetch you tomorrow morning at eleven.” She opened the door to the town house without a key and led them inside. While austerely decorated, the place was comfortable and warm after walking around in the cold. The mountain had protected them from the whipping wind, but the air had still been bitterly cold and thin. “An evening meal has been laid out for you. Another will be brought in the morning.” She turned to Caelan and smiled. “If you have need of anything in the night, feel free to come across to the High Luminance’s residence. Any of the attendants will be happy to assist you.”
“Santoshi, thank you for your warm welcome,” Calean said with a small bow of his head. “I look forward to speaking with the High Luminance tomorrow.”
The slender woman bounced on the balls of her feet with her joy and bowed again to Caelan. She then turned to each of them and bowed. Eno tried to return it, but the motion felt awkward with his hands pressed together rather than having one fist over his heart as was the Erya salute.
“It was a pleasure to meet you all. Have a wonderful rest.”
Eno followed her out and discovered there was in fact no lock on the door. Wonderful. While crime was clearly not a problem in Mrtyu, it did not mean he was going to sleep easy while they were in this city. He had a king to protect. If he had to stand outside Caelan’s bedroom door all night, that was what he was going to do.
“Dude,” Drayce drawled as Eno returned to the main living space where his companions were still gathered. “This is the creepiest city we’ve been in yet.”