Mark Anthony Tierno here with another Snippet from Maldene.

Early in the story we learn of a mysterious King who is gathering to himself all who may oppose the villainous Miro, including our intrepid heroes.  The first time Sabu and his companions lay eyes on the King’s castle– Thïr Glomdäitaÿor– is something of a marvel, as I present to you another Snippet From Maldene…

The hill came closer into view, its actual shape coming more into focus for them to see. As it did so, they could see that it was indeed a large castle, its walls reflecting gold off in the distance.

“Sabu,” Eldar turned to his friend, “I want to get an aerial view of this thing.”

As Sabu nodded, Eldar began to float up off the ground.

“You’ve got to teach me that spell,” Eldar said as he soared up high into the sky.

They saw Eldar fly high up and hover for a while, not moving.

“Well,” Sabu shouted, “what do you see?”

Finally, Eldar came back down, eyes wide with excitement.

“That thing is huge; it must be a mile across. It’s shaped like a six-pointed star, with two gates opposite each other. It’s got so many towers that an invading army would get stuck in a cross fire no matter where they came at it from. Its outer walls are just like that boat back there. You’ve got to see that place. Those walls must be just under a thousand feet high!”

“No castle is that big,” Kilinir sighed. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“No,” Mauklo said slowly, looking up in front of them, “I don’t think that he is.”

The castle was in full view now as they walked towards it. Its tall walls were of the same gold color as the hull of the Invincible, complete with occasional colored flashes, and towers that reached even higher. The castle looked like it indeed was shaped like some sort of a star, with hundred-foot diameter towers at each of the points and vertices of the star. In front of them, at the base of a wide vertex was a large double gate, made of the same stuff as the outer walls, now open with many people traveling back and forth across the entrance. Nowhere could they see any seam in the stone, appearing to be all of a single cut of material. All around the outside of the great castle was a moat, deep and wide, castle walls meeting sheer with the moat’s edge. A bridge of white stone connected the castle gates to the other side of the moat, with twin towers standing on either side of the entrance to the bridge.

“Now that’s what I call a castle!” Eldar exclaimed.

“It just can’t be real,” Starke shook his head.

“It does seem all rather dream-like,” Lindel said to Starke.