The waiting room was huge.

It wasn’t really a waiting room, but I didn’t know what else to call it. It was a large, well-decorated room that the council made people wait in until they were ready to receive them.

I showed my letter to the apprentice at the door. He gestured for me to take a seat and then walked into a side room, all without saying a word.

I sat down on a plush couch and tried not to stare. In all of my years as an apprentice, I had never been assigned to the Council Hall.

The walls were covered in paintings. Every one of them was of scenes I didn’t recognize. Many I doubted were of real places, or at least, places that hadn’t looked like that in a long time. The pictures were too green, the water was too clean, and there were animals, some of which I had never seen before. Though I hadn’t seen many animals in my life. Bokor made most living things uneasy, so interacting with animals was kept to a minimum. Since any animal could become infected with the Touched plague, eating meat was something reserved for only the very rich. Only those who could afford to pay to ensure that the animal was properly conditioned and raised.

Even the plants by the edge of the couch were foreign to me. I had thought I was well-traveled since Master Bran had taken me to every corner of the ward, but clearly, I hadn’t seen enough.

I was so entranced by the new items around me that I didn’t hear my name called. It wasn’t until the apprentice that I had talked to earlier began walking over to me that I noticed there was another person in the room. I silently berated myself for not staying aware of my surroundings.

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I stood up and faced the apprentice. I was at least three years older than the ruddy-faced boy, but something about the way he carried himself exuded authority. It was like I was in the presence of a Master. I wondered what it must be like to be an apprentice to the council. If it instilled this type of presence in such a young apprentice, it had to be intense.

“They will see you now.” The apprentice locked eyes with me. There was something in his gaze that ordered me not to speak.

I nodded and began walking towards the big doors. Two white staircases wrapped around them, leading to what I assumed were the living quarters upstairs. There were more paintings on the stairs, these were of Bokor. I recognized their marks, but I didn’t recognize any of their faces. There were little gold plates at the bottom of the paintings, but they were too far away for me to read. I didn’t detour from my path to the doors. There would be time to read such things when I was a Master. Until then, I needed to follow my orders.

The doors to the council room were red wood that I couldn’t place. I was used to the few trees that we had in the Ward, but those were mainly tropical, and there weren’t that many. These doors had been made from wood from one of the other wards.

I wasn’t surprised by the luxury here. These were the council members after all. They watched over the whole ward and protected everyone from the zombies. It was only natural that the people with the most important job to receive the best.

My stomach tied itself in a knot that any apprentice would have been proud of as I grasped the door knob. It was time to receive my first mission.