Chapter Four: Walk, Run, Fly, or Crawl

My foray into the world of an ambulatory bird-man was slow going at first but eventually whatever passes for muscle memory in a brand new body started to kick in and I was able to move around the room easily. I eventually pulled the chair out of its makeshift barricade position, feeling more confident now that I could move around and wasn’t naked. After getting a wild hair I even managed to jump up on and off of the bed and chair without breaking my neck or the furniture.

I was feeling pretty good about my progress and was thinking about pulling the cord to see about getting an attendant to show me around. Readying myself to jump down off of the chair for the fifth time in my self assigned set of ten, the door slammed open with no warning. With all the grace of a newborn cow I tried to jump back away from the door and off of the chair at the same time. Shockingly, it did not go well for the chair, my dignity, or my back. I found out that landing hard on folded wings was excruciating.

I heard a young man's voice stammer, "My Lord, I…" before my brief first flight ended unceremoniously on the floor along with the shattered remains of the poor desk chair.

"My Lord are you, are you alright?" The young man asked as he rushed over to me.

I grunted "not exactly," sitting up I winced and let out a hiss of pain as my recently crunched wings shifted.

"My Lord, stay still, I can help." He said in a frantic voice.

To say I was utterly surprised when his help was to take a weird series of breaths then punch me in the chest would be an understatement. I was again surprised when instead of feeling an impact, a soothing warmth emanated out from his fist and where it contacted my chest and rippled out along my whole body and the pain evaporated.

"Ow…and um, I guess thank you." Taking a good look at the kneeling figure in front of me, my first impression was feathers and a rainbow riot of bright colors. I was instantly thrown back to my elementary school days looking at pictures of dinosaurs. If you put a human head on an Archaeopteryx and gave it full arms instead of wings, that would be this kid. His head was covered in green feathers. From the waist to toe and from elbow to fingers were covered in a riot of colorful feathers, with spindly bird legs, a feathered tail and forward leaning posture. I realized I was just staring at him when he coughed nervously and scootched back away from me. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

Jumping back up the kid said, “No! My Lord, I’m sorry, for rushing in.” He bowed, bending almost double.

“Hey, that’s ok, things happen. Leema said someone would be coming, are you?” Before I could finish he jerked back up.

“Zazjek! Er that’s my name. Leema told me to hurry over and serve as your squire.” he exclaimed, taking a determined pose.

“Alright, Zazjek, nice to meet you.” I held out my hand and he just stared at it. “I guess you don’t shake hands here?”

“Shake hands?” he asked.

“It’s where you…” I paused looking at his hands for the first time and realized that he had three taloned fingers and a somewhat thumb-like fourth digit sporting its own fearsome talon. “Well, I guess, here let me see…” I stepped forward and grasped his wrist with my left hand positioning it so that I could grasp it with my right. “It usually works something like this.” I said as I lightly shook his hand. I could tell that he was extremely uncomfortable so I let go. I cleared my throat in embarrassment. “Guess it’s not a thing here, no need to make a thing about it.”

He looked down at his hand and then at mine. “It is much like Avian War-brothers would greet one another.” Stepping forward he lifted my arm and then took hold of my lower forearm wrapping his taloned fingers around it lightly and bowed his head. “You would grasp my arm in turn and place your head against mine.”

It was a bit awkward to make my wrist bend the right way so that I could grasp his arm in an approximation of the same way, I didn’t have the full talons that he did. As I touched my forehead to his he let go of his grasp and stepped back.

“My apologies my Lord, it is wrong of me to be so familiar with you, I, an unblooded child and you, the Prince. Please forgive me.” He again bent nearly double.

“It’s alright, you did nothing wrong, you were just showing me your greeting, the same way I showed you mine.” This is not going well at all, I thought to myself. “I’ve only recently become a Prince and take absolutely no offense. I’m sure it’s Leema’s hope that as my squire you would be able to help teach me this sort of thing. Navigating a whole new worl…Sphere isn’t something a person does every day now is it?”

“Then you will still have me as a squire my Lord?” He snapped up straight again.

“Woah, there kid you're likely to hurt yourself unbending yourself like that! And, yes, one or two awkward interactions isn’t going to make me toss you out, especially when I caused them.” I sighed to myself and thought this is going to suck.

“Wonderful, my Prince, Leema said that you may need assistance with various things. I Zazjek am at your service.” He bowed again but not nearly as severely as he had previously.

“Happy to have you along for the ride Zaz. Now if you could show me around a bit outside of this room it’s getting stuffy in here.” I walked over to the door and had almost stepped out when I realized he wasn’t moving. I turned back to look at him and asked “What did I say or do this time?”

“My Lord?” He cocked his head in a very bird-like manner and asked “Zaz?”

“Zaz, you know, short for Zazjek. Wait, do you not do that? I know it's a very North American thing to do.” I scratch my head.

“No, my Lord, changing or shortening someone's name is not something that is done except by mothers or lovers.” His furrowed brow feathers clashed with his slightly blushing face.

“Well, shit, sorry it’s super common where I came from to shorten people's names in an informal or friendly setting. I will try really hard to remember not to do that. Shit, this is going to be so hard. So, Zazjek, would you be so kind as to give me a tour? I need to practice walking more than a few steps in any one direction.”

“Yes, my Lord!” He sprang past me and out the door.

A super excited teen aged bird kid, Yup this is going to suck so much I thought to myself.

“Zazjek, do you think you could just call me Vet-vek, the ‘my Lord’s and Prince’s’ are getting a bit much. I’ve only just been here a day.” Seeing the terror on his face, “just in private of course in formal settings I know you would need to use a title.”

He looked at me and gave his head a tiny shake. “It would be highly inappropriate and would be seen as a grave offense to be so informal in public but I’ll try, just don’t say any such thing to Leema she’d probably die from shock on the spot.” he gave a little chuckle.

“Noted, and thank you Zazjek.”

Surprisingly the tour took far less time than I expected. The room I’d woken up in was on the third floor and one of only two rooms on the floor, the other being for a servant, Zazjek informed me when I asked. The room I’d woken up in had until today been Leema’s room in the building. Zazjek told me that she rarely if ever used it or even this building at all since she all but lived in her summoning chamber in a different part of the city. She’d been working almost nonstop for the last few years preparing for the ritual. The second floor had the kitchen, dining, and bathing rooms as well as what I guessed was a small and empty study. The first floor was one large room with several folding partitions available to section it off into separate areas at need. The partitions were all folded up against a wall right now, so the room was just a large empty space lacking any furniture or decorations. There were two doors on the floor. Zazjek pointed out the door leading out to Ymata and then took me through the one that led to an internal courtyard. The courtyard, like pretty much the rest of the building, was empty. But at least it gave me a good place to really stretch my legs.

“So, Zazjek, do a lot of people have big empty houses or is it a summoner thing? I asked as I did a few stretching and warm up exercises.

“No, there are few empty buildings in Yamata Prin…Vet-vek, Elder Leema is granted this home as befits her station as the Elder Summoner. It is od…er unusual to have an empty home like this and for a Kobold doubly so but Elder Leema is very dedicated to her work. So it is open for your use.” He said while watching my routine.

“Lucky me,” I said with a big smile, “alright now promise not to laugh if I fall on my ass or well my face.”

“My Prince?” Shock and more than a little bit of horror evident in his voice and on his face.

“Sorry, sorry, just a joke. Trying to lighten the mood a bit. But joking aside I’ve got a whole new body to get used to here so this is probably going to be ugly.” Before he could say anything I started off in my best power walk. After a few minutes of striding about I started throwing in a few hops and jumps. All the while Zazjek just watched me with a confused bird cock to his head.

It took me a little bit to feel up to trying a sprint, the dead weight of the wings on my back played havoc with my sense of balance but I got it figured out just about the time I ran out of steam.

Collapsing into a sprawl on the ground I thought Status to myself and the four bars showed up, the red bar was still at full but the green bar was down to about a third. Green is stamina confirmed. Sitting there puffing and sweating I looked over to Zazjek who now wore an amused smile on his face. “I know, I suck, no way fifteen minutes of moderate exercise should leave me this wiped. Hell, my stamina bar isn’t even empty. Wait, you all have status info that shows up when you think or say status, right?” I looked at Zazjek, hoping that having one was some weird summoned being thing.

“Yes, Vet-vek, since the System came into being everyone has had the status screen and the interface.”

“The System.” I could tell from the way he said it that it was, system with a capital S. “I thought it all came from the Divine Mother?” I asked, wondering if I’d caught Leema in a lie.

“Some few call the System the Divine Mother but it’s not something most do?” He responded.

“Is that so? Why the difference?” I asked.

“I’ve, well,” he hesitated, “I’ve been told that when the System first took over there was an announcement and that it spoke into the minds of everyone and ahhh it was a female voice that had the feel and power of the voice of a God. At least that’s what is said, now though there’s only the chime and an occasional System Message well except for when you reach Tier one, I haven’t heard it myself yet but they say the voice congratulates you and has a small message for you but no one shares the message with anyone else or at least no one would tell me.” He hung his head a little at the last bit.

“Ok well I guess that makes sense.” I’m going to have to find something to write on and with. I need to start making lists. I called up my status again and saw that my stamina was back almost to full. “Alright back to work, I seriously need to get some conditioning in!” I said trying to leap to my feet, I almost made it, with a grunt and rubbing a bruised knee I more gingerly climbed to my feet and started jogging again.

While jogging around the courtyard I commented to Zazjek. “I’m relieved but kind of surprised at how few people there are around here. I half expected to be surrounded by guards, servants and other hangers on.”

“Until you are formally presented my…Vet-vek, you don't have any official station and can’t have the Royal guard’s deployed yet.”

“That’s unexpected, and what if someone doesn’t have the best of intentions for me?” I asked, actually feeling real concern for my safety for the first time.

“The Royal guards cannot be posted but as an Avian the Owl’s felt it right to provide temporary security.”

“I haven’t seen anyone on guard.” I said looking around the courtyard.

“With the Owl’s you won’t. They are well known for their skills at remaining unseen, unheard, and unknown. While still being some of if not the very best protection to those who can afford the price.”

The Courtyard door opened and Leema shuffled in looking around and then firmly closing the door behind her. “My Prince, it is good to see you up and moving around so well. You and Zazjek also seem to be getting along well. This is also good. Though I do have to bear some news, there has been a change in the timing of your formal presentation ceremony. Instead of tomorrow evening They are calling to meet you tonight in just three hours.” She wrinkled her leathery brow. “I feel it is unbefitting to rush this ceremony, but my voice was not heard in this matter. So tonight it shall be.”

“Zazjek, run back up to the private quarters and bring back all the Prince’s clothes we need to make the Prince presentable for the ceremony.” She clapped her hands and Zazjek jumped to his feet and took off in a dead sprint. As soon as he was gone and the door closed behind him, she turned to me. “He’s still a bit too young to be burdened with the politics we will face tonight so I shall spare him as long as I can.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“I take it that it’s a bad thing for them to change the time then?”

“It is very much against what an event of this magnitude should involve. I would go so far as to say it is in bad form on their parts as this should be a public ceremony much as the summoning was where you should be presented to as much of the Clan as possible. To restrict it to just the Elders I feel bodes ill for their intentions.” She gave herself a small shake. “Though given the publicity and mass witness of your summoning, they cannot simply deny your arrival to the people.”

“And if, say, it hadn't been public?” I asked, suspecting I wouldn't like the answer.

“Had it not been public we would not be entertaining the Elders in three hours and perhaps we would entertain no one ever again.” She gave me a concerned look. “But I made sure that would not happen but this ceremony is outside my control.”

“I was afraid I wasn’t going to like where this was going. So I guess I need to ask do we or really I even go? I don’t really like the idea of having a birthday and deathday the same day.”

“Thanks to the Owl’s Court’s guardianship and protection I feel no need to worry about your safety to that degree.” She made a bowing motion to what appeared to be empty air. “But we will need to make you as Princely as possible. When I found out the change of time I called in a favor with the Seraphim to come help with your wings as neither I nor Zazjek will be of assistance and I've only seen wings like yours on the Seraphim.”

“And what is a…” A flash of light filled the courtyard followed by a massive thunder wave of rapidly displaced air that threw me to the floor in a heap.

Scrambling towards Leema and the door I tried to find what sort of attack was coming our way. “Leema what’s going on, are we under attack?” I caught her eyes and saw her looking up and behind me. Turning my head and almost throwing myself into a somersault I saw what she was looking at. An angel was descending from the ceiling of the court yard or at least that was my first thought. The woman looked like she was bathed in blue-white flames as she floated down and towards us.

As she landed in front of Leema and myself the fiery effect diminished and I could see that she was dressed all in white, her top looked like some sort of scarf draped around her neck down the front of her chest covering her breasts but leaving bear her sides back, throat and the hollow between her breasts down to her navel, and somehow defying physics as it stayed perfectly in place as it flowed down past her knees, her voluminous pleated white pants cinched tightly at her waist and ankles creating an almost cloud like appearance and finally she wore a pair of what I’d call Roman style sandals in dyed blue leather. Combined with her light blue hair with white roots and marble white skin she was a vision. I was dumb struck.

“She is a Seraphim.” Leema said with a wry smile seeing my dumb struck look. “Lady Hezxia, I welcome you to my home.” Leema gave a slight bow.

“Elder Summoner.” Lady Hezxia nodded her head the barest in response. “So this is the Summoned Prince.” She looked at me with a cold examining eye and made a spinning motion with her hand. When I did not move she said, “Turn around, I would see the wings Leema says so resembles one of our fledglings.” her voice contained not even the faintest hint of warmth, just cold command.

I reacted without thought to the command in her voice, turning around so she could see the wings. “I’d almost forgotten about them, truthfully, they just kind of hang there.” I shrugged my shoulders feeling the weight. Turning back around to face her, the look of disgust on her face was almost visceral.

“For the Wing-born our wings are home, health, and life. Speak such blasphemy never again!” The vehemence in her voice was enough to make me flinch.

“I didn't mean to offend, I didn't have wings until today.” My first reaction was to grovel at this marble angel's feet to try and placate her anger but something kept me standing.

“Perhaps the System is playing a cruel joke making you, the Summoned Prince, a Wing-born when you have no appreciation or understanding of what that means. Were you not the Summoned Price and did I not owe Elder Summoner Leema a debt I would strike you down. But as I do and you are, I will teach you to use your wings so that you may represent the Wing-born as you should.” If looks could kill I'd have been smote on the spot.

“I shall leave the two of you to it then.” Leema said. “Hopefully you can make something of him in the next two hours. Sadly, we do not have the time to take the time that should be spent.”

“He will not be a true Wing-born in that time but he will at least know that he has wings and hopefully will not disgrace the Wing-born.”

The next hour and a half was one of the worst experiences of my life. The cold marble angel became the worst, most sadistic drill sergeant I’d ever seen in a movie or read about in a book. But instead of those poor schmucks having to endure or break under the brutal abuse it was me, I was the schmuck. However, in fairness to the sadistic angel I did learn how to use my wings.

“First fledgling you will need to unfold the wings a Seraphim would have done so on instinct within minutes of birth but you did not. But I heard that you passed out almost immediately after your birth into this world so perhaps this caused them to freeze.” The angel said as she walked around me inspecting me like I was some kind of prize horse or dog that wasn’t living up to its expected potential. “Since they have not unfurled on their own we shall have to force them, brace yourself fledgling, this will hurt.”

I had no chance to do any such thing as she sprang at me from behind, grabbed a hold of each wing and planted a sandaled foot in the small of my back and flexed her arms out and pushed her leg straight. I was lifted off my feet and thrust away from her all the while feeling as if I was being torn into at least three pieces. The vibration of cracking cartilage and grinding bone had to have been audible but then again I was screaming in pain so I couldn’t say for sure but I certainly thought I was feeling the wings being torn off.

I’m not sure how long it took for her to forcibly unfurl my wings in reality but I swear it was hours of grinding bone tearing flesh and massive amounts of blood.

“It is good Leema called in her favor as soon as she did, much longer and you would have been completely crippled fledgling. She said as she let go of my wings and I fell to my feet and then directly to hands and knees. Out of my peripheral vision I saw my wings for the first time as they fell around me in a black waterfall. “Spread your wings fledgling!” the angel snapped. I had no idea how to make that happen, as I was about to tell her that. I saw blue sandals appear before my eyes and then a vice gripped my head and lifted me up until I was eye to eye with her. “I said spread your wings fledgling!” she screamed in my face the blue-white flames wreathing her once more, so I pushed and my wings spread. It was glorious for all of about three seconds until she spread her own wings and with a tiny jump and a massive flap she propelled herself and pulled me by my head across the courtyard until she was just a body length from the courtyard’s wall than with an incredibly athletic motion she spun herself around as well as somehow pulling me up over her head while spinning me around so my head was pointed at the opposite wall and then she flung me head first at said wall.

“Fly fledgling! Fly or your head will burst like an overripe melon!”

“But I don’t know how to fly!” I screamed as I shot away from her like a malformed javelin. My first flight was short, ungainly and ended in a heap of tears but my head remained unburst.

System Message: Racial Skill unlocked Winged Flight (common)

It wasn’t pretty and I had no idea how it had worked but according to the System at least I could fly. I looked up from the heap I was lying in after the message had faded away and found that I was maybe six inches from the wall and had a very impressive set of road rash from the top of my forehead down my chest. I ground and stood slowly. I looked around to see where my flight instructor was but did not see her until she kicked me in the back of the head sending flipping head over heels knocking the breath from my chest as my back and wings struck the hard packed dirt of the courtyard floor.

“Up, fledgling you must learn to look up.” Her voice was cool once again. “You will be dead long before being worthy of being called Wing-born if you do not learn to look up, down and all around you. You are not the ground-bound who only but rarely look up and down stubbornly fixed on what’s in front of you. In the air danger can come from any direction and you in turn can be dangerous from any direction. Now stand up, fledgling, there is much to teach you and not near enough time to do so. Stand up, fledgling or you will be stood up!” She was back to shouting.

I stood up of course well I was mostly upright. “Yes, sergeant.” I said half halfheartedly with a piss poor excuse for a salute. It was a mistake, knew it when I did it but knew it for absolute certainty when the flames burst back into existence around her and she teleported directly in front of me and hauled me to my feet once again by a vice-like grip around my head.

“I am Lord Commander of the Heaven’s Blade, fledgling! If you wish to be instructed as an egg then so be it!” she then lazily flipped me away from her. “Stand at attention, egg!”

I tried, I failed but I tried. But I did not, even try to apologize, I knew it was pointless, I had stepped in it so deep I knew I was dead. I tried but I failed. It seems that seeing soldiers in movies and on TV was inadequate in the extreme.

“Eyes forward! Back straight! Knees and talons together! Arms to body! Fists clenched! Wings furled! Now egg!” she shouted directions at me and when I was inevitably too slow or out of position she produced a switch of blue fire and adjusted my position. Then it got worse as for the next eternity she put me through the paces. The Heaven’s Blade did not march instead they flew exactly seven inches above the ground holding their bodies at strict attention as their wings performed an intricate dance to keep them exactly seven inches above the ground at rest, at a walk, at a jog, at a run, and finally at maneuver speed. Every time I failed to model her at any of those things with or without direction the switch came out.

The Lord Commander Lady Hezxia’s time with me came to an end and I praised God, the System and every other authority in my old life when she said, “You are sufficient egg, not proficient, and not yet worthy but sufficient.” Her cold commanding voice was back and at a normal volume. The System also agreed that I was sufficient.

*Chime* Skill earned Heaven’s Blade Maneuvers (basic) (common)

*Chime* Physical attribute(s) increased: Dexterity +1 and Stamina +1

“Thank you, Lord Commander, I have much left to learn but I thank you greatly for taking time to fulfill Elder Summoner Leema’s request personally, I’m confident I would not have made the progress I have under anyone else's hand.” I meant every word, I hurt and was beyond exhausted but under any lesser teacher there is no way I could have progressed so far and despite her methods or maybe because of them I had learned the lessons at a bone deep level.

“You may refer to me as Lady Hezxia, unless or until you should choose to present yourself for selection in the Heaven’s Blade. It is rare for the Heaven’s Blade to accept Wing-born other than Seraphim and such individuals must be the very best their people have but there is a chance you could be chosen should you advance beyond the basics.” There was the briefest flash of a smile or at least I choose to believe that I saw it flash across her face as she said that last bit.

I gave her the most meticulously correct salute I could manage as she had instructed, bringing my left arm to my chest, hand palm down with finger tips touching my right shoulder and since I was grounded I also brought my left wing up over my shoulder with pinion feathers pointed directly forward. She did not respond in kind but did nod her head while maintaining eye contact.

“I leave you here, fledgling the Elder Summoner and the crippled child wait impatiently to make you look like a prince.” Her distaste when she said the crippled child was evident but before I could say anything she teleported away and this time I stayed upright on my own two feet when she did so.

Just moments after Lady Hezxia teleported away, the courtyard door opened and Zazjek stormed through arms filled with clothing. “About time she left, uppity witch.” Zazjek huffed, running his hands along his heavily feathered arms.

I could tell he had either heard Hezxia’s comment about him being crippled or had heard it previously. I didn’t like what she’d said, from her comments on the Wing-born I understood her perspective, but didn’t make her any less of a bitch for saying it. “Yes, she is, don’t need to worry about her holier than thou attitude anymore. Off topic but, I don’t suppose I could get another one of those healing fists?” I asked as I collapsed in a heap sheer will power no longer able to keep me up with the Lord Commander's presence no longer there to force me to meet her standards.

“My Prince,” both Leema and Zazjek shouted, dropping the garments they had in hand and running over to me.

Leema, despite being much older, was faster on the draw and threw out some sort of healing spell on me that for some inexplicable reason summoned butterflies to drop glittery, sparkly dust all over me. The glitter didn’t stick around and it felt so good that I wasn’t about to complain. “Mistakes were made and I was not prepared so in case it ever comes up again, please, remind me not to sass that Lady. Also, thank you Leema for both the heals and for using up a favor on my behalf, can’t say I’m a fan of her methods but can’t argue with her results.” I groaned out of habit and expectation rather than from real pain as I stood up, the butterflies had done good work.

“My duty and my honor, my Prince.” Leema replied. “But though she did produce results I’m afraid she took longer than expected with her…instruction. So now we must hurry more than I would like. No time for a proper bath so we will have to make due with a magical washing. Making a series of motions with her hands, Leema caused a magical circle to appear around me and then I was encased in a torrent of agitated water. It lasted only a few moments but the water was cold and I was completely startled by its appearance.

“Now I know what my clothes felt like in the wash.” I gasped as the water disappeared just as suddenly as it had arrived. “Maybe warn me next time, I’m sure my sinuses and stomach are now very clean but I could have done without the water forced up my nose and down my throat.”

“Apologies my Prince but time is short and that spell is effective if not comfortable.” She gave me a differential nod that was slightly betrayed by the little smirk that flashed across her lips.

“Sure, sure.” I played along. Now I guess from the clothes you were both carrying that I'm going to have to look fancy for this presentation, so what do we have?” What we had was apparently lots of layers and no time to waste in getting them on me. With no warning or regard for modesty I was stripped to bare skin. I tried to cover myself but Leema slapped my hands away.

“No time for that my Prince, besides I’ve seen it before, and I’m no young thing to flush at the sight. Now just stand there, legs slightly spread and arms held out from your sides.” Leema said in a no nonsense motherly tone that booked no argument.

So I stood there as directed as they dressed me. Thankfully, the first thing was a new pair of side laced underwear. Next came a pair of cream colored leather pants that had laces that were tied up on the outer side of each leg in a fancy pattern, unlike the modern pants I was used to, these cinched at my true waist instead of resting on my hips. Next came some sort of weird collar and belt combo with a heavy leather strap connecting the two in midnight blue leather. The heavy leather strap they laid between my now unfurled wings. Next came what I seemed to recall being called a waistcoat from a wedding I’d been in years ago. It was made of the same heavy midnight blue leather as the other thing I didn't know what to call and tied to it with more laces. Connected to that combination was a pair of white frilly sleeves giving the illusion of me wearing a full shirt. Next was a sort of long stole scarf thing in gray that they wove in a loose drape around my neck then down in a cross around my chest then around behind my back under my wings and then back around to the front where a pair of decorative cross pins and a gold chain kept it all in place while the ends hung about half way down my thighs. A black battle skirt with gold stitching tucked up under those ends. The last article of clothing was what looked to me like a pair of slimmed down shoulder pads a football player would wear that had been covered in black velvet and had an exaggerated collar with gold stitching to match the battle skirt. Of course, they didn’t stop with just clothing, no, then there had to be jewelry. I got engraved gold cuffs at both wrists, gold rings with rubies on my fingers, and about a dozen gold bangles on both legs. Thankfully, there was no hat and I outright refused the multiple ear and nose rings. I’m sure I looked good by someone's standards and the way it was all layered it wasn’t hard to move in but it wasn’t comfortable and I felt gaudy and tacky. I wasn’t the only one who had gotten a wardrobe makeover Zazjek, had dawned many bangles and torques as well as a stylized porcelain raptor mask.

“That will have to do my Prince.” Leema said, taking a long appraising look at my appearance. “The Elders are unaccustomed to waiting and are even more unaccustomed to someone of greater importance than they, so we must arrive on time putting you forth on the best foot. Now we must make our way to the Elder’s Chapel, making sure you are seen by the Yamakai along the way, letting them know that their Prince has arrived.”