Book Two: Chapter 138

Naia. Why was Naia here as a statue, and not as a game piece? He had seen her as a game piece before, but why the fountain, why not wander the house in his mind and dig through its many rooms?

The sparkling lights returned, surrounding him.

“You’re trying to tell me something, aren’t you?”

The home’s laughter filled the garden, the lights bobbing up and down in wave like patterns that made him think of ripples. This made him look at the fountain once more. The Architect had met Naia and built this home on top of her hot spring, locking the home to her. Naia was, in a way, an extension of the house, but the house was also separate.

The lights rippled around him again, then again. They all turned blue and green, softly changing colors.

The house. The fountain. They were tied to each other. Sticking his hand in the water, he half expected to pull the emerald out, but his hand closed on nothing. Spinning on his ass, he planted his feet in the water, contemp