She soon reached the bottom of the stairs and found herself in a second room made of quartz.
The sounds of voices came from an open door at the far end of the chamber and warm sunlight streamed in to warm the flagstones. Feeling apprehensive, she headed to the doorway and peered out.
An open-air arcaded courtyard greeted her, where people who looked similar to humans and dressed in buckskin outfits went about their business. Simone supposed these were the Mystic Folk of whom Storm Kar was one of.
Looking round, she spotted Grazing Elk Woman sitting at the far end of the courtyard, talking and laughing with a small group of men and women. They were engaged in the process of weaving baskets, while other members of the Mystic Folk made clothing or jewellery.
As Simone started to walk gingerly across the courtyard, she gazed around at yet more Mystic Folk who were playing music on drums and flutes, or were sitting motionless on mats in Yogic poses with their eyes closed and appeared to be meditating.
In a partitioned part of the courtyard, a group of younger men and women were training in combat with bizarre looking weapons carved from born that flared with spectral light when they made contact with each other. They fought with a savagery and grace that sent a shudder through Simone, and she decided she would like to get on the bad side of these guys.
As she passed all this activity, most of the Mystic Folk did not acknowledge her or make any move to speak or stop her. As she reached Grazing Elk Woman and her group, the elderly woman looked up from her work and smiled sardonically.
“You look better in the daylight,” the Chieftess said bluntly.
Simone frowned, unsure how to respond. A couple of the Mystic Folk sniggered and she started to bristle. “Storm Kar sent me a little love letter,” she said in a caustic tone.
Grazing Elk Woman nodded. “That one was always better with written words than with his tongue. You consent to his terms?”
Simone shrugged. “Do I have a choice?”
“More than you will ever know,” the older woman replied and a sad expression stole across her face.
Simone shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. “Whatever,” she said gruffly, feeling defensive. “I think I can survive a month at any rate. So, where is he then?”
Grazing Elk Woman pointed to an archway at the end of the part of the arcade closet to him. “Go through there and it will take you out to the meadow, he’s waiting there,” she said with a knowing smile. “Play nicely with him.”
This elicited ribald laughter from the nearby Mystic Folk and Simone blushed furiously. Deliberately ignoring the sly remark, Simone marched toward the archway, glad to be able to get out of the courtyard.
Going through a covered walkway, she emerged outside again, this time in a wide, lush meadow of long blue grass. Maroon colored flowers studded the alien landscape and the rich scent of jasmine filled the air. The warm sunshine draped over her neck and shoulders and she started to feel better in herself.
A rough trail wound its way through the grasses, and Simone started to walk down it. Up ahead was a cluster of what looked like weeping willows, though they were orange in color, and from their direction, she heard the sound of children laughing.
Moving towards the sound, she came to a stream of diamond bright water, where several little boys and girls were running around and playing.
Storm Kar was with them, leaping about and roaring, chasing the children and making them laugh. Simone stopped walking and watched the scene, pleasantly surprised at how playful the fierce and intense Storm Kar could be. He homed in on one giggling little girl and scooped her up in his arms and swung her round, making her shriek hysterically.
Despite being mad and suspicious of him, Simone felt a grin spreading across her face. The scene of innocent joy reminded her of the summers