They were in a huge hall now, one that Liya didn't clearly remember seeing before. The ceiling rose high above them, supported on gigantic wooden pillars that rose out of the seamless blue marble floors. The walls were washed blue as well, punctuated by painted murals.

They'd emerged beside a wide, sweeping staircase; at its head three flags hung, only one of which Liya recognized as the flag of Aetheri, and at its foot an array of inlaid gold circles stretched across the floor. On the bannisters of the staircase perched two statues of the same slim deer-like creature she'd seen on the mural in the previous room, their long tails wrapped around their pedestals.

What made her mouth fall open, however, were the people milling about in the hall. A lot of them looked human--dressed in brightly patterned clothes, faces carefully somber--but others were anything but. She watched with bemusement as two people ran past frantically: one, dark-grey-skinned with dark hair wrapped in white strips of cloth, and the other a large hairless cat trotting along on its hind legs. They jostled a tall, furry-looking insect-like person who was struggling to hold a ball of black fur in its six arms. All of them wore the same grey-purple uniform.

"I really am on a whole 'nother planet, huh?" Liya murmured, twisting her hands together subconsciously.

"It must be quite a shock," Helly said conversationally, leading her across the hall. Liya kept at their elbow.

"A-are all these people spirits?" she asked nervously as they passed a group of people who were consulting a map in the shadow of one of the wood pillars. "I thought only spirits lived in Aetheri."

"Goodness, no!" Helly replied. "Aetheri's become much more diverse recently."

At the foot of the stairs a brown dog wearing a purple-grey uniform was speaking politely to a huge red bull with a man's face; the bull was draped in an undyed linen cloak, and was bowing its head to the dog diplomatically.

"Especially the capital," Helly went on. "Escalus is home to all sorts now."

On the stairs, someone caught Liya's eye. She was human-shaped, at least, as if that guaranteed anything, and carried herself like royalty. She wore a cream shirt with wide sleeves, a wide red belt, and a long emerald cloth around her waist that was pattered with paler spots. The cloth swept up over her front and pinned to her shoulder. Green and gold beads were threaded into her dark hair. It struck Liya that she might actually be very old; she was using a straight cane to get up the stairs, though she didn't really seem to need it.

As Liya looked, the person turned towards her, framed in the light coming through the tall windows. Her amber eyes bore right through Liya--her face held no real expression to speak of, but something about it unnerved Liya. She kept close to Helly's elbow and went quiet.