Chapter 2Vita threw open the double doors. Across the room, an entire wall of windows gave magnificent view to the hills and dales of Wynorian, the capital city of the Queendom of Travéttica. Late-morning sunlight blanketed the lush forests, glittered off the River Izo, and lent a shimmering, golden hue to the varicolored blooms in the palace’s extensive gardens. Hanging low on the horizon, just over the tallest peaks of the Ciddalla Mountain range, the double-moons Nahlia and the smaller Zeta looked like coins of the richest bronze against the majestic blue-green sky.
In the room’s center, directly beneath a skylight made of stained glass, sat a bed on a marble pedestal. The mattress, large enough to accommodate more than a dozen bodies, looked soft and inviting, with pillows galore and
