***The following is an excerpt from Raina's Story **** 
Sure, Raina
thought to herself sardonically. I’m
flying through the air inside a giant tree located in a completely different
realm.
Feeling completely overwhelmed by her ever-increasing
accumulation of questions, and having evidently fulfilled her lifetime quota of
surprise, confusion, and fear combined, Raina forced herself to accept what she
was experiencing. She looked around in
wonder as they whizzed past floor after floor of similar corridors. She determined that this “Royal Cypress,” as
Bartle had called it, must be at least 100 stories high. It’s like, the King of trees.
About 10 floors into their flight, Raina saw one of the
corridor doors open. A beautiful auburn-haired woman stepped out with two small
children in tow. Two floors later, a man
in a three-piece moss-colored suit jumped over the banister on his level, and
soared diagonally downward. As they climbed higher and higher similarly dressed
men began to appear walking hurriedly between doors, and fluttering across the
vast diameter. The more men they saw the louder it became. Soon the space began
to murmur with whispering tones akin to those Raina had heard from adults in
hospital waiting rooms and courthouse hearings. There was an imperative yet
clandestine quality to the sound.
Finally, one of the men caught sight of them. He nodded at Bartle, and aimed a quizzical
smirk in Raina’s direction. Not sure how to respond, she looked down at her
feet. Unprepared for the sight of a
thousand feet below her, Raina gasped with surprise and jerked in Bartle’s
arms. He squeezed her tighter.
“Careful Love,” he advised. “We’re nearly there.”
She felt their pace slowing, and looked to see a ceiling
cover of brilliant needled leaves. Her body shifted as Bartle hovered
horizontally. Raina tiled her head back down. Just ahead of her she saw a
beautiful russet set of arched double doors chiseled with an ornate crown
resting atop two folded wings. On either side, sat two incredibly life-like owl
statues, each armed with purple shields and silver swords.
“Wow!” she breathed in as they touched ground.
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