Favourite Attendant

"Daddy, I'm ready."

The little girl's voice was bright, expectant, her eyes enlarged as she pulled at the blanket and moved closer to her father.

Peace had now been restored to the room after the brief sibling argument. With a dramatic sigh, the father leaped upon the bed and embraced the child, arms outstretched.

"Alright, little star."

He said, brushing a curl from her forehead.

"What story shall it be tonight?"

She grinned.

"Oh, tell me again about the land of Forever Ice."

"But this time … the city with the domes!"

"Ah,"

He said, getting comfortable.

"Storm Cloud."

She was nodding enthusiastically already, her eyes sparkling with wonder.

"So"

He said, and his voice dropped into that rhythm he invoked as a traveling storyteller.

"Let me take you there."

***

Far in the frost white cradle of the north, where winter is long and snow never melts, where the wind sings her lullabies of ice, there rose a city like none other. Its name was Storm Cloud, the capital of the Land of Forever Ice.

"Was it always the capital?"

The girl asked, already interrupting.

"No"

The father chuckled.

"It was always the poorest of the three great cities."

"But Storm Cloud had something the others did not, people who refused to be forgotten."

"The Idle outpost became a masterpiece of the north in just three centuries."

"Now they all call it the City of Domes and Storms, and not just for the weather."

"Dominating it was the Tower of Remembrance, a tower 800 feet tall, upon whose surface whirling engravings seem to gleam, like lightning turned to ice. Legend has it that as long as the tower remained, Storm Cloud would never fall."

"Is that true?"

She whispered.

"Some say it's all a tale,"

He added with a wink.

"But some of them…, you know, they've seen some stuff."

"From the tower, the city rolls out in perfect circles, spreading like ripples on the frozen pond. Four great roads radiated from it in the form of a cross, which separate the city into four vast quadrants."

"The distance between them is wide enough for twenty horse-drawn carriages to cross side by side, and the sidewalks are just as wide and are illuminated by crimson light posts that buzzed gently at night."

"The city was constructed in two major rings: the Inner Circle and the Outer Circle. The Inner Circle housed the ruling council, the wealthiest merchants, and the heavenly blessed.

"The Favourite Clans."

"Their houses have high domes of white stone and stained glass, and each is a monument to Renaissance design. Curved bridges, bridged rooftops, and spiral staircases snaked around exteriors like petrified vines."

"Did they wear fancy clothes?"

She said, pulling at her sleeve.

"Oh, the fanciest,"

He replied.

"In the Inner Circle, fashion is a language. Men sported full-length velvet coats with high collars galore and silver embroidery that twinkled like frost."

"Women donned the layered gowns of wide skirts and the fur-lined cloaks, their hair braided with crystal pins and studded with little bells that would chime as they moved."

"And the Outer Circle?"

The little star asked.

"Ah, the heartbeat of the city,"

He replied.

"That's where the craftsmen, scholars, and the middle class live."

"Their houses are smaller, but no less lovely, painted soft blues and whites, domed roofs, and open courtyards."

"The citizens of Storm Cloud are proud and hardworking."

"The language spoken is mainly Alamanani, with more than 40,000 characters."

"Do they have schools?"

"Of course,"

He replied.

"But not just any schools."

"They have academies for mortals, the cursed and favourites."

"For which, mysticism, knowledge, and crimson technology are taught depending on their class."

"Students at those schools study how to draw power from the stars and the mysteries of ancient runes."

She gasped.

"Could they fly?"

"Some of them could."

He said with a grin.

"Only those who can channel crimson energy."

Her eyes widened.

"Crimson energy?"

He nodded solemnly.

"Crimson energy… It's the pulse beneath the soil, the kind only a rare few can sense, let alone command, and those who failed…"

He paused dramatically.

"…had to clean the stables for a year. "

She erupted into laughter.

He tickled her side again before continuing.

"But Storm Cloud isn't solely famed for its beauty or its scholars."

"It is also the city of storms."

"Literally, a city of storms."

He slowly emphasized.

"Every so often, the sky would suddenly get dark, and a huge spiral of clouds would form above the Tower of Remembrance. Lightning would flicker across the domes, and the citizens would gather in the plazas to watch."

"Aren't they scared?"

"No,"

 He replied.

"They believe the storms are a good thing."

"That the heavens are watching."

"That the lightning is a sign of favor."

She looked thoughtful.

"What about the Moons?"

"Ah, yes."

He said, lowering his voice.

"The Moons…"

"The true number has never been known."

"Some nights, only one would come."

"Other nights, two, five, even seven."

"Then there were the Silent Nights, when the sky was blank and the world held its breath."

"Why do they disappear?"

 She asked.

"No one knows,"

He replied.

"But the old tales tell that when the Moons vanish, something ancient stirs."

She pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"Do you want to know what happened the last time they were all gone?"

He asked.

She nodded slowly.

He leaned in, his voice almost a whisper.

"That was the night the Tower of Remembrance cracked."

Her eyes widened.

"It cracked?"

"A little fracture,"

He spoke.

"It was fully repaired by the end of the night."

"But the following morning, the red lights flickered. The bells didn't ring. And the sky … the sky went violet."

"What does it mean?"

She whispered.

"No one knows."

"At least I don't know."

He replied.

"But the Favourite Clans remained mute thereafter. And the storms? They haven't come back."

She looked at him in silence, with great, startled eyes.

"And that."

He said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Is a story for another night."

"But Daddy—!"

"Shhh"

He whispered, tucking her in.

"Sleep now."

"The Tower is watching."

The wind whistled softly outside, and far above, the sky was empty.

Not a single Moon in sight.