“Believe me, my princess,” I said, “I am happier than anyone to have been able to help her.”
“You’re a very brave female,” Surkah said. “I do not know if I would have been able to do what you did. You have my gratitude forevermore.”
My cheeks burned. “Thank you, my princess.”
“Oh, no titles or formalities. Calling me Surkah is just fine.”
Before I could choke out my refusal, a deep chuckle rumbled behind me.
“Good luck with that request, sister.”
I looked over my shoulder at Ezah, and his grin deepened when he saw how I scowled at him. I turned back around when we reached the top of the steps and entered through the largest doors I had ever seen. I was pretty sure they were solid gold, like the rest of the palace’s exterior. When we entered the palace, I was greeted with the most magnificent foyer I had ever laid eyes upon. I had seen fancy houses in picture files that Master kept for all his clients, but none of the foyers within those mansions came close to being so grand.
“Holy … how is this place real?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Surkah beamed at my obvious expression of wonder. “The exterior is made of solid gold and the interior is of white marble with gold flooring. Both were available on Earth, but on Ealra, our minerals are richer, purer.”
Of that, I had no doubt.
“How do you not get lost, my princess?”
Hallways darted off in every direction, and the palace had to have at least seven floors from what I could tell on the outside.
“I do sometimes when I forget which level I am on, but mostly, you just get used to it.” Surkah shrugged. “Besides, I normally stick to the same floor plan. I spend time in my wing, my parents’ wing, Kol and Nova’s wing, the royal feast hall, my fabric chamber, and the lounge chambers when I’m in the mood to see my brothers. I’ve never even been to most of the palace. It is too big.”
I could have swallowed my tongue.
“Where are we going now, my princess?”
“To the royal feast hall. We have many food halls, but this one is the only one in the palace that we all seem to gravitate to. That is where tonight’s feast is planned.”
I nodded as we walked, and every so often, I checked over my shoulder to make sure Ezah was still there. Surkah talked and talked, and I found that I liked listening to her voice, so I never interrupted her and only spoke when she asked me a question that required an answer. We had been walking for many minutes when I brought us to a sudden halt. On either side of the hallway we were in were dark marble stands that lined the white marble walls and upon those stands were something that made my mouth drop open. I reached out to one, and when my hand went through it, I gasped.
“Holograms,” I whispered. “I’ve never seen a hologram in person before.”
They looked so lifelike that if the beings I saw weren’t miniaturised, I would have thought them real.
“This hologram is of my five eldest brothers. They are away in space right now. They left when I was very young, just four years old. I have no memories of them, but we have dozens of recorded holograms we send back and forth, and that is how we communicate. They tell me stories of times before I was born, and they tell me of the places they’ve been, and the things they’ve seen whilst they’ve been away.”
“I’ve heard of the five princes who are away in space. You must miss them.”
“Dearly.” Surkah nodded as we began to walk again. “But they’re journeying home, so I will see them soon.”
I squeezed the princess’s hand instinctively when we passed through large double doors and into a large hall that was just as spectacular as the rest of what I had seen of the palace. The largest table I had ever seen in my life was at the hall’s centre, it must have seated at least one-hundred people. The room reminded me much of being in Master’s old greenhouse. There were fountains, trees, and plants everywhere. The colours were all different but blended together beautifully.
“This is stunning,” I whispered. “So beautiful.”
Before Surkah could say a word, movement to my left caught my attention, and when my eyes landed on Princess Linsah, I felt a lump form in my throat. She was smiling as she walked my way. Her skin glowed, and she looked as healthy as could be.
“My princess.” I placed my hand over my chest and bowed my head to her. “I am so happy you’re okay.”
I looked up as she smiled.
“Thanks to you.” She reached out and placed her hands on my shoulders. “I don’t remember much of that day, but I remember how scared you looked during a moment of consciousness. I saw your fear, but your determination to help me overrode it. You’re a very brave female.”