Taft's mouth was hanging open.
The inside of the palace was immense. The ceilings went up for hundreds of feet. There were large decorative pillars that reached all the way up.
The floor was a pattern of interchanging stone, marble, and granite. There were dozens of rugs leading to other areas, as well as lining the base of the walls.
CepjThose same spots with rugs along the walls had padded chairs that looked like they came straight from a fancy hotel. There were beautiful wood framings adorning each and every doorway.
Mandiff led Sairia and Taft, but leaving a gap of a few feet. Right in front of them was a grandiose staircase of white marble. The steps were carpeted in red with gold braiding along the edges. They walked right up those steps, which were steeper than they appeared.
Taft almost tripped as he looked back to see massive banners of the flag of Rey Oben, hanging from the ceiling. There were many other small banners along the walls of the inner palace.
At the top of the steps, there were more sitting areas on the left and right. Directly ahead were a pair of double doors as well as a pair on each side, past the sitting areas.
Taft assumed they were going through the center doors and tried shuffling that way, but Sairia—who still had an arm around him—pulled him to the doors on the right.
Mandiff was ahead of them again and looked like he was still angry about how the rescue went. The guards standing at attention opened the doors, and the three of them walked through.
The next room wasn't a room at all, but in fact a long corridor. The wall on the right was made of interchanging granite and marble, just like the walls in the previous room.
The wall on the left had large wooden lattices, with holes large enough that Taft could barely see through. On the other side, he could just make out a large room with a carpet going right down the middle.
The carpet ran up to a large dais. Before the dais were rows of chairs, and some people filled them. The dais was a wide platform, but not much higher than the floor below. It had a singular throne in the center with someone sitting in it.
When he got closer, Taft could see that it was Jun sitting on the throne, and he was talking to a man in brown clothing. It seemed like Jun was doing most of the talking, which didn't surprise Taft. The man in brown was holding his hat in his hands and was slightly blowing while looking at Jun.
It was some kind of court, where regular people could make requests of The Council. Taft wondered how often they did that. It seemed like a lot of work.
At the end of the corridor was another pair of double doors, but this one had no guards at attention. Mandiff opened the door and left it open. When Taft and Sairia were through, Sairia closed the door behind them.
They walked up a short wooden staircase to the side of the dais that was obscured from the people in the large room. The three of them were, however, within the line of sight of Jun. Mandiff tried to get Jun's attention.
____________________
Sairia watched as Jun eventually turned to see what was in the corner of his eye. When he saw the three of them, and that Taft was safe, he stumbled on his words.
"And t-that w-was… last week—would you give me a moment? Please take a seat," Jun said to the man, gesturing to the row of chairs. Jun got out of the throne and walked quickly to greet them. "The others are waiting in the meeting room behind the dais. Shall we?"
"Yes, we have things to discuss," Mandiff said.
All of them walked a few more feet and Jun opened a singular door on the left. When they entered the room, all of the other members of The Council were seated at a rectangular table, in deep conversation.
The room had more chairs than there were people. Sairia recognized the room from her days on The Council. The room was used for all kinds of meetings, unlike the councilroom in The Heart. The members stood and looked at the four who entered. They all had an expression of relief and awe.
"Thank the Spirit of Oben," Abshak said. "You found him."
"Yes," Mandiff said. "I'm sorry I couldn't send a message to you about the situation. Given the confidentiality, I thought it was best..."
"Yes, yes, General. Thank you. Sit down. Tell us everything."
The members all sat as Mandiff explained everything that happened that night. Sairia lowered Taft into a chair between her and Mandiff. It wasn't usual to have the boy involved in a meeting like this, but he still didn't quite understand what was being said, so it would likely do no harm.
Once Mandiff got to the part about the actual rescue, he left out the fact that Sairia had to save Taft from Mandiff's wild attacks. She wasn't sure if she should bring it up herself. Maybe it was best to just let it be.
"I'm glad he's safe," Abshak said when Mandiff finished the story. "Were you seen on the way to the palace?"
"By goodfolk and soldiers alike, yes," Mandiff said.
"Then it's already out?" Sallion asked. "That the Alma Ni has awakened?"
"There will be rumors," Abshak said. "Only rumors. The hood over the Alma Ni's head should help us to avoid any confirmation. We can still keep the important details a secret. Right?" He asked, looking at Mandiff and Sairia.
They both nodded.
"In the meantime, we need to discuss what to do next. It seems The Heart is no longer safe. I suspect a spy is among us there."
"One of The Council, Great Head?" Olek asked.
"No, I don't believe that. I trust everyone in this room," he said. Then he turned to Sallion. "I'm sorry I doubted you earlier, Member Sallion. You were right about the Nasanites, and you were pivotal in bringing the Alma Ni back to us. Thank you." He bowed his head to Sallion.
"Twas my duty, Great Head," Sallion said, also offering a bow.
Sairia eyed Sallion with suspicion. He may have given them that important clue in finding the Alma Ni, but why did it seem like he knew it was the Nasanites?
"Thank you," Abshak repeated. "Now, as I was saying. I trust everyone in this room. I believe it was a servant who leaked the information. I'm just not sure how… I will investigate, but first we must decide what to do with the Alma Ni. Any suggestions?"
"We might take him to the forest temple on the west coast," said Olek. "It has housed many Alma Ni before."
"That may be the reason we don't take him there," Jun said. "We know that Nasanites are trying to kidnap him. What better place to look for him than in another location known to house the Alma Ni?"
"Besides," Abshak said. "I'd like to keep him close to us. I would offer my own estate, but alas, I have many goodfolk living there. Those who lost their homes to the landslide that struck Novanut."
There was a brief silence in the room.
"I have a house in the Colad District," Sallion said. "An old thing, I lived there when my wife was still alive and my son was still a boy. I have so many estates that I don't believe the Nasanites would know about this one."
"Unknown. Close by. I like it," Abshak said. "Any other ideas?"
Sairia wanted to offer something. Anything. She didn't trust Sallion, and being in his house may lead to something bad. Yet she had no other ideas.
Her lands and titles were stripped from her years ago. Those places were likely already given to reprants or sold. She kept her mouth shut. She would just need to be extra careful if they ended up in Sallion's house.
There was silence for a full minute.
"Then the location is decided," Abshak said. "But how can we transport the Alma Ni without drawing suspicion?"
Olek raised his hand. "I once used a vault wagon to transport your father when he wanted to secretly traverse the city. It worked like a charm."
"A vault wagon…," Abshak said. "The ones used to transport our coin, yes? It's enclosed, discreet. I like that idea. Thank you, Olek. Any other ideas?"
No one raised a hand.
"Then we can arrange a vault wagon to meet behind the Treasury where we'll have the Alma Ni. Sallion can enter the front seat and drive the wagon to his house in the Colad District. Will that work?"
"Yes," Jun said. "The vault wagon drivers usually switch off at the Treasury. We would just need to arrange for Sallion to take over when the driver arrives. It is best if he goes in disguise. Every precaution must be taken. We wouldn't want to raise suspicion by having a member of The Council show up in his official robes. I will arrange the necessities, not to worry."
"Thank you, Member Jun," Abshak said. "Anything else."
Mandiff raised his hand. "Yes," he said, clearing his throat. "I believe the boy should learn to defend himself. If the Nasanites were to find him again, at least he would be able to escape quite easily the next time. Everyone knows a Nasanite cannot hold an Obenite kovakir in the realm of shadows."
The members nodded their heads knowingly.
"And well," Mandiff cleared his throat again. "There was almost an incident. The boy has not yet learned Resistance; it would not be beneficial to burn the boy before he's even developed."
"Oh, I see," Abshak said. "What exactly happened?"
"Oh, nothing. The boy is fine. Sairia used Extinguish to keep him safe," he said, gesturing toward her.
Well, it wasn't exactly an admission of Mandiff's guilt, but Sairia knew it was better than nothing. Not that she cared what The Council thought of her. She was only doing her duty.
"Thank you, Sairia. You serve your nation well," Abshak said, bowing in her direction. "As for the training. Yes. I believe he should learn some skills in self-defense. Will you teach him, Sairia?"
"Ah tata," said Jun. "If this will impede his study of Ihmonic, I would advise not to go through with it. I am prepared to test the boy in one month's time and no later. Sairia, will you be able to teach him all of that and still stay on track for our goal? If not then—"
"Ah, let's…," Abshak interrupted, "see what she has to say first."
"I could do it," Sairia said, "but there would be no more time for breaks. I fear his morale may suffer."
"Well… it is only one more month," Mandiff said.
"And he will be in a new place. New scenery," Sallion said. "My house is a tad more luxurious than The Heart."
"Then…," Abshak started. "Let's try it. If you see that it is too overbearing for the boy, then you can tell us in the next council meeting."
"Will I be in the council meetings every week?" Sairia asked curiously. "I feel that my presence on the roads to and fro may attract unwanted attention."
"Good point," Abshak said, stroking his chin. "Then you will join us once the month is over and report how it goes. If there is something urgent—"
"I can stop by and check on them regularly," Sallion said suddenly. "It is my house, after all. It should not raise suspicion. But if we're still concerned, then I can go in disguise."
"Very well, but don't overdo it," Abshak advised, then looked to the rest of The Council. "Has it all been decided?"
Sallion spoke again. "Are we sure we want to leave Sairia alone with the Alma Ni? He was taken in the first place because of her negligence."
"It was not her negligence. The blame is on all of us," Abshak said seriously. "And after hearing what she did to protect the Alma Ni during the rescue mission, I'd say she's earned our trust. Don't you?"
Sallion was silent. Mandiff nodded his head. The other members started following suit. Some people's opinions were changing, it seemed.
____________________
Taft listened closely to Sairia as she explained what was said during the meeting. She now led him through narrow tunnels with little light. He knew they were still in the palace somewhere, but he wondered what the tunnels were used for.
He thought back to the meeting; he felt completely useless there. They were all speaking so quickly that he could hardly understand a word. He was only trying to keep from twiddling his thumbs the entire time.
He sure wished he could have understood them. Why did they all have to talk so fast? Was that how he spoke in English and didn't even notice?
"So, we're staying at the creepy dude's house?" Taft asked.
"Creepy? Uh, well, yes. Sallion. You're right to be wary of him. I have a feeling he knew something more about your capture, but didn't want to come out and say it."
"Really?" Taft felt a shiver down his spine. "You couldn't have offered some other ideas of places I could stay?"
"I wanted to, but I don't have anything to offer. I couldn't have said, 'Oh, how about Jun's house?' It wouldn't make any sense. But don't worry; just be careful."
"Well, are you going to tell Abshak about your suspicions?"
"As soon as I get the chance," she said dismissively.
The tunnels led to a dead end and Sairia shifted a few stones along the edges. The whole wall seemed to move after that, revealing a wide room. The two of them crossed the newly-formed doorway and into the room.
There were less lights around—just a few torches on the far wall—but it was enough to see where they were walking. There was a much wider tunnel at one end of the room that seemed like an exit.
Apparently this was where they were supposed to wait. At least until Sallion met up with them. They waited for about ten minutes and then heard footsteps approaching.
Sallion walked in through the tunnels behind them. He was dressed in dark clothing. It seemed to have a tint of red, but it was hard to see it in the low light.
"Hello," was all Taft could make out from him before he lost track of the words again. But he thought he heard the word "hide" at one point.
Sairia translated. "Okay he wants us to hide behind those crates over there until the wagon pulls up and the driver is gone."
"Okay, I almost understood that," Taft lied.
They went behind the crates and waited a bit longer until they heard the creaking wheels and the snorting of horses.
After that, Taft could hear Sallion talking to another voice. More footsteps. Then the sound of scraping stone.
"That was it," Sairia said. She motioned for Taft to follow her out from behind the crates.
Taft followed Sairia and saw Sallion motioning for them to get into a wagon. The wagon was black and looked like it had metal plates all over the outside.
Taft didn't see any windows on the wagon, which he supposed made sense considering it was a vault wagon. Money didn't need windows.
Taft waited for Sairia and then got in after her. When the door closed it was completely dark. It actually gave him a small heart attack. He thought he could feel someone grab his collar, but he was just jumpy. A moment later, the wagon started rumbling as it moved along the stone.
"This is just like when the Nasanites kidnapped me. It was dark like this," Taft said. "I could feel myself being dragged by the collar." He rubbed at his neck.
"That was the realm of shadows," Sairia said. "Nasanites have the power to enter that realm from any natural shade. They can use it to travel undetected and sneak into places they otherwise couldn't go. It's a realm where light cannot exist, even a spark of light would release you from the shadow."
"Are you kidding me? So if I had known just a little bit of kovak I would be fine?"
"Sorry, kid. It wasn't really the plan for you to get kidnapped by elite Nasanite kovakirs. We couldn't have known."
"Ugh, I was in that place for hours! I couldn't see anything, I couldn't touch anything, I couldn't hear anything. I don't know how those kidnappers can be in that place."
"Well, the realm is their own. They can see in the dark, as well as move and touch."
"They can see in the dark? That kovak sounds really useful. I wish we could do that."
"Well, we can't quite see in the dark, but we do have Sight. Which, in some ways, is even better."
"Sight?"
"It's one of the skills available to Obenite kovakirs. With Sight, you can see the world in a spectrum of hot and cold. Hot things are red and cold things are blue—to the point of transparency. The things in between are yellow, or orange, or purple, depending on how hot they are. Using Sight, you can even see through walls."
"Wait, like thermal vision? We have thermal vision!"
"Yeah, like thermal vision, I suppose. It's one of the most useful skills Obenite kovakirs have. But it does have a downside."
"What's that?"
Taft still couldn't see anything in the dark wagon as he listened to Sairia's breathing, but suddenly he saw two glowing red eyes in the darkness. They were staring at him.
"Holy— That's scary," Taft said.
"Well, not just that," Sairia said, before her eyes disappeared again. "It's obvious. People know when you're using Sight; the glowing eyes give you away."
"Yeah, but still. Am I going to learn that?"
"Yes, but not for a while. It's a fairly advanced skill. We need to start with the basics."
"Wait, what do you mean? You mean you're going to teach me kovak? I'm going to learn magic?"
"Not magic, but yes. The Council decided you need to learn to defend yourself in case of another… problem."
Taft was thrilled. "Yes yes yes! I'm gonna cast some fireballs, and smoke me some Nasanite butt!"
"Chill out, kid! We're supposed to be quiet."
Taft covered his mouth and paused. He could hear and feel the wagon bumping along. "Sorry," he whispered.
"And anyway," Sairia said in a low voice, "I'm going to teach you some defensive and tactical moves. Non-lethal. So don't get too excited."
"What— How am I supposed to defend myself with non-lethal kovak? Did The Council even say I was only allowed to learn defensive moves?" He asked doubtfully.
"Yes. They said you need to learn to defend yourself. So those are the kinds of skills I'll teach you," Sairia said firmly.
"Sometimes I think you're the one who doesn't want me to learn," Taft said, moping.
Sairia gave no reply.
The rest of the ride was in silence. The wagon creaked back and forth and collided with an occasional stone, causing the wagon to lurch. Not much could be heard outside. There might be people around or there might not be.
Taft still wanted to see the city, but he was willing to wait a bit longer. Although, he wanted his training to be over already. He folded his arms and leaned against the side of the wagon.
When they arrived at their destination, the door swung open and there was Sallion, in his dark red uniform. It was strange to see him in anything other than his fancy robes. He bowed as if he were an actual chauffeur.
Taft wasn't sure if it was a joke or serious. He stepped out of the wagon.
The area he was in now reminded Taft of a Victorian estate. There was a looping gravel road, which he was standing on. Between the road's curves there was a well-kept lawn.
He thought the place would have been abandoned and dilapidated, but this place looked like it still had servants working at it. The entire estate was enclosed within walls about eight feet high. A single iron gate was the only way in or out.
Taft walked a few feet toward the gate and then looked back. There was a big mansion made of brick behind him. It had large wooden beams poking through to the outside, which made it look more rustic.
It was two stories tall and the roof was inclined up for a few feet and flat on the top. The blue tiles of the roof looked like clay discs. There were at least a dozen large windows with black metal frames. The manor looked like it cost a fortune.
Sallion spoke. "Welcome to" and "home" were all that Taft could pick up, but it was enough to understand what he was saying. Sallion walked and Sairia followed, so Taft did the same.
Sairia was saying something to Sallion very quickly. It looked like he was trying to reassure her. Maybe it was about the apparent work of servants.
Surely Sairia was concerned about that, too. From what she told Taft, this house was no longer used by Sallion. So why would he keep it this nice? Was someone else living here? Was he lying?
The first room right at the entrance was very spacious. Directly ahead, there was a grand staircase that split off into two directions as it reached the back wall. There was a hanging chandelier in the middle of the space. Taft wondered if it provided light. It didn't look like it.
To the left, there was some furniture for sitting and a strange object with crisscrossing strings. There was a fireplace to the right and just over that was a giant portrait.
The portrait depicted Sallion—complete with his thin mustache—standing next to a woman. There was a young boy sitting on a chair in front of them. The woman had a blank stare on her face and half her hair was gray. The boy looked to be dressed in some kind of uniform. Or maybe that was just this world's type of fancy clothing. It looked expensive either way.
The three of the figures in the painting had red eyes. Each of them also carried a singular piece of red cloth—about the size of a bath towel—over their right arm.
It took a while for Taft to notice that Sallion had started speaking again. He went on for a bit, and Taft could understand some of the words, but not enough to grasp everything. It sounded like he was explaining the rules of the house. When Sallion finished speaking and started leading them to another room, Taft tugged at Sairia's sleeve.
She spoke to him in a low tone. "He said that we will be responsible for the cooking and cleaning, since no servants are allowed here during our stay. I asked him earlier why the place looked so nice, he said that he kept it maintained to sell it when the market was right. I'm not sure I believe that."
"Why?"
"The place looks too lived-in. Plus he told us not to go upstairs, since he still had his personal effects up there."
"It doesn't look too lived-in to me," Taft said.
"There are a few details if you pay close attention… but also, why would he try to sell a house that still has a giant portrait of his family? I don't know. Seems odd."
They kept walking and listening to Sallion as he gave the tour. The rest seemed to be pretty obvious even without understanding the words. At some point he explained the cooking, but Taft was going to leave that to Sairia.
Then they went to another bedroom on the first floor. Sallion was gesturing to Taft, so it must've been the room he was going to sleep in.
There was a peculiar innocence about the room. The furniture was a bit smaller and there were pieces—like chests and wardrobes—that were painted with bright colors. Taft realized it looked like a child's bedroom.
Could this have been the room of Sallion's son? Near the window there were a few spots where the paint was chipped. The rug in the room also had some faded stains. Maybe Sairia was right in saying the place looked too lived-in. He hadn't noticed until he started paying closer attention to details like that.
The three of them walked to another bedroom on the first floor. It seemed like this one would be Sairia's. Taft didn't see much of it, but the bed was much bigger—made for two people. The last place they went was through a door in the kitchen. It led to the back yard.
There was plenty of grass, except for one large rectangular area that was all dirt. In that dirt area there was one long, wooden post in the middle with spokes poking out at random intervals. At the top of the post was a small circular platform.
"What's that?" Taft whispered.
"It's a dafka court. An old sport of Rey Oben. It's evolved over the years, this court here is much simpler than what they have at official competitions. Although, nowadays I hear that the competitions have been cancelled. I don't know if people still play it."
"What are the rules?"
"I'll tell you later."
Taft looked at Sallion who was pointing to a smaller building nearby. It looked like a shed. He explained everything in words that went over Taft's head, though Taft was sure he definitely heard the word "training".
What kind of training? Probably not Ihmonic training if it required a shed. Sallion finished.
"What's in there?" Taft asked.
"Training equipment. For swordplay."
"Swords? Are you going to teach me how to use swords?"
"Yes. It's a good discipline."
Taft pumped his fist.
The three of them went back inside the mansion and into the main room. Sallion was talking again. Taft struggled to pay attention. He was still wondering when they would start practicing with swords and kovak.
He hoped he would learn it just as quickly as he was learning the language. That way, when his training was complete, he could enter the world as an unstoppable force. Taft could already imagine it. Leading armies and conquering lands. Discovering mysteries.
Sallion was leaving. He gave a small bow to each of them and then left through the front door. Taft went up to the window to see Sallion getting in the cart and whipping the horses forward.
They cantered along the gravel road and stopped just outside the iron gate. It was tall and had sharp points at the top. Sallion got out to open the gate. Once the wagon was through, he closed it and locked it with a large key.
"The guy has a nice place," Taft said. "The Council must pay well."
Sairia joined him to look out the window. "Most of his money doesn't come from his job on The Council. He owns a shipping company. It takes goods all over the country and makes sure stores can stay open. His network of clients is enormous, from what I hear. Even world-wide… before The Embargo."
"What's that?"
"The Embargo? It's the Ep Liam blockade surrounding Rey Oben and preventing ships from entering or leaving the country. It's stopped trade and communication and travel. We're, essentially, all prisoners in our own nation."
Taft turned to Sairia with his mouth ajar.