The gates were tall, built from stone that had been cut and set precisely, looking like it definitely took generations to develop.
Two thick columns flanked the entrance, torches burning in iron brackets mounted at intervals up their height, the flame steady despite the open air around them.
Beyond the gatehouse, the kingdom extended in layers, structures built upward into the elevated terrain behind the walls.
A figure stood just outside the gate.
"There you are!" Hagrid called out, raising one arm in greeting. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming. Nearly gave up on you."
Eli stopped walking.
King registered the pause and glanced sideways at him.
Eli was looking at Hagrid like he was trying to decide between confusion and something more unsettled. He looked back down the path they had come from, the direction of the swamp, and then back at Hagrid, who was now brushing imaginary dust from his jacket as if he had been waiting long enough to be bathed in them.
