Chapter285: The Thing in the Castle

*Ella* My world spins, then settles. I suck in a breath and open my eyes, blinking into midmorning sunlight streaming through massive, cathedral style stained glass windows of the brightest purples, silvers, and blues.  The mosaic floor beneath my feet shimmers in the flecks of multicolored light dancing over the tiles and the toes of my boots. I feel like I’m on a boat, like the floor is shifting side to side, but then my body catches up with my mind. I suck in a breath in surprise as my vision fully clears, and the room I’m now standing in comes into sharp clarity. The domed stained glass ceiling seems impossible high. The spires and columns of pure obsidian seem like they’ve been pulled here from a place lost to time. This place is… incredible. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before.  I slowly turn my head and realize Amanda is standing beside me, looking just as shocked as I am. Her golden eyes are locked on the ceiling, her lips slightly parted as she blinks into the sunlight.  But th