view.
I nod. ‘Breathtaking’ doesn’t do it justice.
To our right is a beach that stretches for miles, but that’s not what caught my attention. The white sand and the clear blue water—all these things are amazing in a ‘perfect vacation postcard’ sort of way, especially frozen as they are in the Mind Dimension. But I’ve seen the surf and the white clouds frozen like this during my visit to the Cayman Islands.
The large village to the right is alsonot it, though under different circumstances, the strange and colorful homes would be fascinating. Again, you can witness something like this in some European countryside, as I have.
It’s not even the variety of plant life—the palm trees by the beach, the giant pine trees that make up the forest east of the village, or the tropical flora to the west. Though I’ve never seen this combo in one placebefore, I have seen these things in isolation.
No, what Frederick’s talking about is the castle. Except it’s not really a castle.
‘Castle’ is just the first word to come to mind.
This thing looks as though someone asked a fancy modern architect to build a medieval castle. Think about those cool buildings all over New York, like the place I plan to move into on 8 Spruce Street. Now imagine aDisney castle built in that style. The towers are done using some warped geometry. Some of the walls are glass, while others are made of some sort of futuristic-looking bricks. Other parts are made of different-sized metal plates that fit together like an eccentric jigsaw puzzle. The more I stare at it, the more mesmerized I become.
Realizing Frederick is waiting for me to comment, I say, “I’mrarely at a loss for words.”
“This place is sacred. That’s all there is to it,” Kate says, her often-teasing tone reverent.
“It’s meant to impress,” George says, “and that it does.”
“Make sure you all tell Gustav how impressed you are,” Frederick says, that sneaky smile touching his eyes again. “It will give him pleasure.”
“An Elder built this?” I ask.
“Yes. In the same sense as the pharaohsbuilt the pyramids.” Without further explanation, he hurries down the dirt path that leads to the castle.
“Does this thing have a name?” I ask, fighting my awe.
“Outside the Island, we call it the Elders’ Keep,” George says. “But here, it’s just the Castle.”
Kate follows Frederick, and George gestures for me to follow her.
I take a mental snapshot of the place as I hurry down to the valleybelow.
As I get closer, the sheer size of the structure hits me. The Castle dwarfs some of the skyscrapers we have in Tribeca.
“George,” I say over my shoulder, “how can this place be secret?”
“The Elders have their ways,” he says, sounding almost mischievous.
I’m not sure what impresses me more: the architectural achievement or the Elders’ ability to keep such a thing secret.
Standing rightunder the Castle, I feel small and insignificant, and I wonder whether that’s the intended effect. The gates are wide open, so I follow everyone inside.
The fountain in the center of the courtyard is frozen in the middle of a majestic water display. In general, splashing water looks very cool when stopped mid-air. In this fountain, the effect is emphasized, making the droplets look like multifaceteddiamonds.
Surrounding the fountain are over a dozen familiar-looking people. Some are sitting on the edges of the marble fountain border, while others are just standing around. I recognize them from the statues I saw earlier.
They must be the Elders.
Every one of their ancient eyes is on me, staring so intently that I fleetingly wonder whether they have powers I haven’t yet dreamed of, likeX-ray vision. After what I’ve seen, I’d be only mildly surprised.
“George, Kate, feel free to pull in any friends you’ve missed since your last visit,” Frederick says, clearly dismissing them.
Silently, my companions leave.
The stares continue
I nod. ‘Breathtaking’ doesn’t do it justice.
To our right is a beach that stretches for miles, but that’s not what caught my attention. The white sand and the clear blue water—all these things are amazing in a ‘perfect vacation postcard’ sort of way, especially frozen as they are in the Mind Dimension. But I’ve seen the surf and the white clouds frozen like this during my visit to the Cayman Islands.
The large village to the right is alsonot it, though under different circumstances, the strange and colorful homes would be fascinating. Again, you can witness something like this in some European countryside, as I have.
It’s not even the variety of plant life—the palm trees by the beach, the giant pine trees that make up the forest east of the village, or the tropical flora to the west. Though I’ve never seen this combo in one placebefore, I have seen these things in isolation.
No, what Frederick’s talking about is the castle. Except it’s not really a castle.
‘Castle’ is just the first word to come to mind.
This thing looks as though someone asked a fancy modern architect to build a medieval castle. Think about those cool buildings all over New York, like the place I plan to move into on 8 Spruce Street. Now imagine aDisney castle built in that style. The towers are done using some warped geometry. Some of the walls are glass, while others are made of some sort of futuristic-looking bricks. Other parts are made of different-sized metal plates that fit together like an eccentric jigsaw puzzle. The more I stare at it, the more mesmerized I become.
Realizing Frederick is waiting for me to comment, I say, “I’mrarely at a loss for words.”
“This place is sacred. That’s all there is to it,” Kate says, her often-teasing tone reverent.
“It’s meant to impress,” George says, “and that it does.”
“Make sure you all tell Gustav how impressed you are,” Frederick says, that sneaky smile touching his eyes again. “It will give him pleasure.”
“An Elder built this?” I ask.
“Yes. In the same sense as the pharaohsbuilt the pyramids.” Without further explanation, he hurries down the dirt path that leads to the castle.
“Does this thing have a name?” I ask, fighting my awe.
“Outside the Island, we call it the Elders’ Keep,” George says. “But here, it’s just the Castle.”
Kate follows Frederick, and George gestures for me to follow her.
I take a mental snapshot of the place as I hurry down to the valleybelow.
As I get closer, the sheer size of the structure hits me. The Castle dwarfs some of the skyscrapers we have in Tribeca.
“George,” I say over my shoulder, “how can this place be secret?”
“The Elders have their ways,” he says, sounding almost mischievous.
I’m not sure what impresses me more: the architectural achievement or the Elders’ ability to keep such a thing secret.
Standing rightunder the Castle, I feel small and insignificant, and I wonder whether that’s the intended effect. The gates are wide open, so I follow everyone inside.
The fountain in the center of the courtyard is frozen in the middle of a majestic water display. In general, splashing water looks very cool when stopped mid-air. In this fountain, the effect is emphasized, making the droplets look like multifaceteddiamonds.
Surrounding the fountain are over a dozen familiar-looking people. Some are sitting on the edges of the marble fountain border, while others are just standing around. I recognize them from the statues I saw earlier.
They must be the Elders.
Every one of their ancient eyes is on me, staring so intently that I fleetingly wonder whether they have powers I haven’t yet dreamed of, likeX-ray vision. After what I’ve seen, I’d be only mildly surprised.
“George, Kate, feel free to pull in any friends you’ve missed since your last visit,” Frederick says, clearly dismissing them.
Silently, my companions leave.
The stares continue
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