As they grow nearer and nearer to the gate, the glimmering spirits begin to dart around in a frantic motion. Their lights blink rapidly and they seem to be reacting to the excitement that is building inside the city.
It might also be noticed that the land grows greener and lusher (a big difference from the wasteland they landed in at first) as it draws closer to the great walls. The spirits are greater in number here also. While the warriors walk, the pale-colored ghosts rise up in walls on either side of the long parade of living. They form a dizzying transparent tunnel over the armies, staying just far enough away from them to not touch. Yet, the closer the spirit is to a living breathing person, the brighter and more various its color pattern as it blinks.
The moon is now shining brightly in its half hid glory, making the armor of the Upper Umbra army glow with a pale ivory light. They follow behind the guests, the general in the lead. He motions one of the soldiers forward as Jihon asks for clothing, and the soldier brings forward a dark blue uniform with a blue flame over its heart. Without a word, the soldier removes his own shining armor (exposing his own dark blue uniform) and waits for Jihon to take the polished metal also.
The spirits flare outwards as the general and his men pass through the tunnel, almost like they are afraid of them. They seem to like the guest army, however, hugging so close to them that it might be suffocating if they were not immaterial beings.

The spirits cloud around in front of the gate right before the parade reaches it. When they do, the cloud disperses like a school of fish, darting away from the gate with tails of light following them.

Once they are all in the city, the noise is deafening. People crowd along the sides of the main road that leads to the palace. All of them are dressed so colorfully, the rainbow of the crowd jumping out against the slate gray of the buildings they stand near. They are a dark-skinned race, most of them with dark hair…though there are a few exceptions.
Some of them weave through the long line of warriors, touching them timidly and speaking a foreign language to them. The young women and men sway and dance to the music played by the drums and horns, laughing and clapping their hands. Some of the dancers approach the guests, flirting with sensuous movements and smiles. They don’t stay close long as they see the Upper Umbra army following, knowing that there is important business when they are involved. The people are celebrating something and the guest army seems to be part of it.

Above the street water blue and fire orange orbs float, lighting the shadowed city. The palace draws nigh and the same blue orbs hover at different points around it, casting the entire building in a steely blue glow. Lights make some of the windows glow yellow, but most of them are dark.

Spirits are still present here, but the hovering lights block them out and only a glimmer here and there can be seen of them. They remain above the roofs of the buildings though, never daring to venture below where the citizens live…the sense that they are afraid is still present when it comes to the natives of the new Upper.

The street takes a hill and as they reach the top…the steps leading up to the large doors of the palace can be seen…

The music fades into the background as the group climbs the marble stairs. All the citizens lower their voices to mere murmurs and stand facing the stairs patiently. The blue orbs located in various places around the palace lower slightly to brighten the large courtyard of marble at the top of the stairs.

From the open doors of the palace, an entourage of finely dressed figures filters out. They move across the courtyard as if they were one being moving together. Most are garbed in shades of blue and all are dressed in expensive-looking materials. This noble group has more of a variety of skin colors than the common citizen, some almost as pale as the moon.

The ladies’ faces are painted to bring their natural appearances in tune with the extravagance of their garb. Black lines their eyes, drawn out into a cat-like point towards their temples. Dark purples and royal blues shimmer on their lids and are painted upon their unsmiling lips. Gray dusts the hollows beneath their cheeks, making their bone structure look more pointed and exotic. Black feathers, looking as if they grew there naturally, enhance their eyelashes into full thickness and sweep the apples of their cheeks each time they blink. Midnight through blond, their hair is swept up on top of their heads or left down in long ringlets of curls. Ribbons, circlets, and chains are weaved in that hair…again bringing everything into place so it matches the costume.
The outfits are Victorian in structure. Hoops skirts, bodices and elbow-length gloves all done up in silks, gauzes, and satins. Bows, jewels and ruffles litter the skirts and corsets, all of them dyed blue shades or picked for their blue shades. Many of the ladies carry lace fans, with their unusually long-finger nailed hands wrapped around the handles. The scent of sweet perfume rolls off of them, a lovely scent that caresses the senses.

The men are just as well dressed and primped with their long-tailed coats and embroidered vests. Their eyes are also made cat-like with the black liner that draws to a point just before it reaches the temples. Polished boots and slicked back hair in neat tails, they seem very haughty. However, it should not be assumed that they are not dangerous because of their fancy looks. Most of them are well muscled beneath their ruffled white shirts and their faces are more than unsmiling; they hold expressions of caution and eyes that are constantly aware.

The party stops and parts, all turning their heads to look over their shoulders…

A woman in scarlet steps forward, her pale gold curls bound on top of her head and cascading down the back to land just above her shoulders. Rubies glitter in that mess of ringlets, a chain of them coming across her forehead with one large teardrop shaped gem settling just in the middle. Black liner is drawn neatly around her eyes and pulls into points to her temples. Gray shadow is spread across her lids, a few small red gems stuck in a line just below her brows. Red feathers sweep her cheeks each time she blinks, looking so natural just like the ladies standing around her. Blood red lips pull back in a warm smile, which makes her blue eyes dance.
The choker around her neck is a string of red jewels, smaller strands hanging down from the larger in a glittering fringe until they reach the top of her chest. Her shoulders are bared, only a gauzy black wrap covering a small portion of her pale, pale arms. A tight bodice pushes everything she has up. Vines of ebony embroidery trickle down the front of the scarlet bodice and become sparser as they travel down the satin skirt. Polished black boots poke out from beneath the full skirts, high heels giving her more height than usual.

“Gods, it has been so long,” Tamrissa opens her hands and looks out over the warriors. “It has been so long.”

Her eyes glisten and she steps closer to them, holding her arms out and waiting for them to come closer.