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ELLA followed the stone path, wondering how long she would need to journey until something appeared to break the monotonous landscape. She was surprised when, almost immediately, a series of hazy buildings appeared on both sides of the road. The silhouettes appeared decayed and broken, and Ella decided to stay on the path, reminding herself that if it ended at the stone arch, the road must lead somewhere.
Ella thought she saw flickering shadows swirling around the tops of the distant structures. She pulled the hood of her dress over her head, feeling comforted by the extra protection.
Ella continued walking, and after a while the distant clusters of buildings vanished behind her. It was difficult to gain a sense of time in this place. The faded sun hadn't moved, and the strange twilight had neither lightened nor darkened. Ella felt neither cold nor warm, yet the bleak sky weighed on her oppressively. She wanted nothing more than to get out of this place and return home.
Ella stopped. There was another cluster of shattered buildings ahead, to the left of the road, but they were much closer this time. She continued walking, and as she grew closer she saw piles of rubble and remnants of walls, fallen towers and paved squares.
Ella decided to investigate.
Leaving the road, she saw that many of the structures were still standing, and the architecture was strange, unlike anything she'd ever seen. The majority of the buildings followed a pyramid-like design, and some were tall, as high as the Imperial Palace in Seranthia.
Ella reached a pyramid and looked up. She could see no means of gaining entry, nor a way of climbing the stepped levels. Whoever had built these structures had possessed some other means of reaching the heights.
They were made of a dark stone Ella didn't recognise, and passing a half-toppled wall, Ella stopped and stared.
There was a mosaic on the wall. It depicted strange creatures flying in the sky and standing in groups on the ground. The bird-like beings had wings and webbed limbs, but Ella could see they were nimble, with claw-like hands. One of the creatures in the picture held a scroll, and appeared to be reading to those clustered around him.
Continuing to explore, Ella saw more of the mosaics, and came to believe these creatures were the builders of the pyramids and had once occupied this place. Where were they now?
The city was abandoned and broken, and Ella decided to return to the road.
A sudden rumble came from overhead, and Ella saw the sky had developed a pinkish hue. Patches of the haze had formed brown and black clouds, and Ella wondered if she was seeing the beginnings of what this world called a storm. She watched the boiling clouds in fear, but there was no rain, and the rumbling slowly diminished.
The road had developed a slope, and Ella felt the muscles in her legs burning as she felt the incline grow steeper. There was something ahead, another pyramid, standing solitary and much larger than the others. It lay directly in front of her.
The object became clearer with every step, and Ella suddenly gasped as she realised what it was.
It wasn't a pyramid, it was a small mountain. The splitting image of…
"Stonewater," Ella breathed.
Yet as her footsteps took her closer Ella saw it was a pale imitation of the great mountain in Aynar, barely a tenth of the size.
The road opened onto steps, and Ella climbed, realising she was being led up the mountain. There was something too perfect about it. This Stonewater had been constructed, Ella realised. It wasn't a natural mountain at all. Blocks had been placed one on top of the other, in a deliberate mockery of nature's work, creating uneven slopes and irregularities just like the real Stonewater.
The steps continued, and Ella continued to climb.
There was only one path to follow, and near the summit of the mountain Ella saw an opening. The path levelled, and with trepidation Ella placed one foot in front of the other, with no idea what she would find.
She stood outside the dark opening to the chamber willing herself to go forward. The interior was as black as pitch.
Ella took her wand out of the pocket of her dress. She rehearsed the words in her mind that would send a bolt of energy flying from the prism on its tip.
Ella took a step into the chamber.
As she did, a soft yellow glow welled up from the floor, the ceiling and the walls, with no obvious origin. Ella could suddenly see, but what she saw was nothing she could have imagined.
Dozens of clear shells lined the walls of the chamber like upright tombs. Each shell contained the body of a man.
Some were tall, others shorter, but all had their eyes closed as if sleeping, their hands clasped on their breasts. However long they'd been here, they were unmarked by the ravages of time, but each bore the same cruel lines on the corners of his mouth, the same marks of condescension in the twisting of his brows.