Ismene reveled in the clean, finely jointed halls and the strange lighting. The atmosphere wasn''t unnerving to her at all; or, more precisely, she loved that quality. She had a never-ending feeling of being a child here; a little one in a shelter that was always available as a refuge. Where everything was just a little magical (or very magical, in the Castle''s case), and any place might hold unknown secrets. It was only a fantasy; she couldn''t stay, and she had a job to do back home; but Ismene loved the Castle all the same.


    Then, ahead of them, one of the Castle Hands appeared.


    They did not look quite human. Their features were too fine and uniform; their eyes were glassy. They were too spindly for their tallish height, and they moved with a strange precision coupled with a faint jerkiness.


    "Oh!" Eryx exclaimed behind her. She couldn''t tell where the figure had come from.


    Ismene was too used to their appearing act to be surprised. "Hello," she greeted; smiling brightly, if tiredly, at them. "We''ve come in today. Can you help us put the horses up?" she asked.


    They nodded, and more Hands filed out of nowhere to claim each horse. "Thank you," Ismene said to the one who helped her. They led the horses off, and Ismene followed.


    "Whoa," Eryx muttered. "Thank you?" she said. "Ismene?" She followed Ismene closely.


    "They live here," Ismene explained quietly.


    "Are they... people?" Eryx asked, even more quietly.


    "Of course," Ismene insisted. "...maybe, not human," she allowed. She''d seen a Hand get injured, once, by a fractious horse. The bloodless sight of splintered metal and torn fibers of not-really-muscle had been quite unexpected—and the Hand had shown no signs of pain. Other Hands had appeared immediately, as if alerted somehow to the injured one''s needs. Ismene was happy that the Castle''s workers were so cared for, and fascinated by what she had seen. But as far as Ismene was concerned, they must still be people. "They''re fairly private, so I don''t really know much about them, and that''s all right."


    "Hmm," Eryx said.


    In a few moments, the Hands brought them into a long room that was undeniably a stables. It was still tall-ceilinged, made of stone, but it was fitted up with wooden stalls, hay, feed, and all the other trappings of animal husbandry. The floor was even dirt, instead of dark stone. Light came down through more of those deep-cut windows. It was unaccountably warm, smelling of farmland, and had none of the chill mountain air. A few animals were there already; they must belong to visitors, she thought. Beyond the stable, there was a wide doorway that lead to a grassy, walled pasture.


    The Hands were already briskly unloading things from the horses. "Will you take your texts to the Library?" one asked Ismene. Their voice was cool and uninflected.


    Ismene shook her head. "I''ll take them with me, thank you." She would have to get into the Library before night, but she really wanted to rest her legs for a while. She''d keep the books safe with her. Harmonia wouldn''t know she''d put the job off, if she was careful.


    Once unloaded, the Hand turned the two cases of documents dutifully over to Ismene. The rest of their luggage was carried off by other Hands. Eryx looked uncertainly after it.


    "It''ll be in our rooms," Ismene told her. "You get your own room here. I know Harmonia credited the Prytane, but the Castle treats everyone well. You''ll have a room as nice as Harmonia has, and as I do."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Oh," Eryx said. She sounded a bit taken aback.


    When she''d first come here, Ismene had been uncomfortable at the idea, too. Harmonia had commented before on how it spoiled her. Fortunately, Harmonia had no say in the matter—and had never penalized her account.


    "Dinner will be available shortly in your rooms. Do you have need of a guide?" the remaining Hand asked them.


    Accustomed to the formulaic offer, Ismene almost answered no; then she realized she wasn''t alone. But she was very tired, so it took her a moment to come to the conclusion that she''d be walking up with Eryx and could guide her. "Thank you, but we''ll be fine," she said. "May I have our room assignments?"


    "The chrysoberyl owl, for Eryx," the Hand said. "Harmonia has the ruby shorebird, and you, the sapphire phoenix." It wasn''t strange for them to have the answer quick at hand. All Hands seemed to know things all at once. Ismene had long gotten used to that.


    "Thank you. I''m grateful for your hospitality." She wanted to say more; that she looked forward to the invariably excellent dinner, that she was glad to be back, that she hoped they were well. She held that back, though. She''d never been able to rope any of the Hands into a conversation, and it felt like pushing too hard might be rude. Ismene never had been good at being sociable. "And thanks for helping me. Let me know if I can do anything."


    She received only a nod, and, duly answered, went her way. Eryx was close behind her.


    Before getting back to the entrance hall, Ismene turned down a different hallway, where the dark outer-wall stone turned to a pale veined marble. The hall was unlit, and Eryx made a doubtful sound.


    "Watch," Ismene said, grinning. There were unlit lamps on their intended path, too; and as she stepped into the dark hall, they lit around her.


    "Oh," Eryx said behind her.


    They kept moving; the hall lamps lit in sequence, turning on as they advanced, dimming afterwards, tracing their path from one hallway to another. If Eryx hadn''t been there, Ismene might have thanked them aloud, following only her own whimsy. Given the company, she chose to act somewhat sociably.


    She navigated the turns and ramps of the Castle with a familiarity born of many visits. There were lifts, not the rattling contraptions of a factory, but motionlessly smooth, and those made her trip shorter. Ismene was glad she had only two book cases to carry, but she was still looking forward to a rest.


    She passed a great tall double set of doors. "Those are never open," she commented. "At least, I''ve never seen them."


    "Uh-huh," Eryx replied.


    They didn''t encounter any other visitors. Ismene and Eryx emerged from the many passages to a great, lit hallway; a twilit sky was visible past improbably figured skylights. "This is the main hall," she said to Eryx, who looked around with more comfort than before. The great hall was the main hub of the comfortable, more humanly residential places in the Castle. It was where guests stayed, and connected the Library with the guest rooms. Wood panels replaced stone walls there, and warm chandeliers replaced the pale hall lamps. Arches led to other hallways on each side.


    "That big arch at the far end is the Library; the guest rooms are this way," Ismene indicated a smaller archway. She started trudging towards it, with Eryx at her side.


    More flameless lamps lit the way in the guest halls. At intervals, the walls were interrupted by doors made of a wood so dark it seemed black. The grain was faintly visible, and Ismene knew it was not painted, but she didn''t know what sort of wood it was. Each door had its own decorative carving to differentiate it. Most of them there animals, carved and inlaid expertly, and set with jewels to distinguish their eyes.


    "Look for a door with an owl carved on it. Its eyes will be those yellow-green cat''s-eye jewels. That room''s going to be yours."


    Eryx nodded. "All right, then. Thanks for taking me up here." She looked across the hallway. "This section is nicer, though," she commented. "It''s very expensive, but at least it looks like something people might have made."


    The owl door was next, and Ismene paused there. "Here you are," she said. "Will you be all right?"


    "I think so," Eryx said. She reached out and turned the lever-shaped knob, raising her eyebrows at the room beyond.


    "Not so bad?" Ismene grinned. "There''s a bell if you want something; but the Hands keep good track of us. That dinner will be along soon. The food''s good. I''ve got work to do, so I''ll see you later."


    "All right," Eryx said. "Can I find you later?"


    "Sure." Ismene thought she would be all right. She left Eryx to explore her accommodations, and kept herself moving down the hall. Soon she found a door with a great phoenix-bird on it, bearing a blue jewel for its eye. She entered, tired but happy.