He no longer wore those fancy clothes, which was too bad.

I had wanted to study them longer. They had been some kind of strange leather, as if from a very colorful animal.

“We can start tonight, boss,” a young woman said with a salute. The Lord of the Line simply nodded as he gestured to the man next to him to take note.

The young man wrote something down on his clipboard, and I wondered if he was blood-family or just a member of his House.

He had called him his cousin, after all... but they didn't look like each other at all.

Noth didn't have such long hair, or those high cheekbones.

“Yevin, I want you and your people to watch over the loading as close as possible. I doubt anyone will try anything stupid but...” Noth stopped talking as he shrugged, as if he didn't care to continue.

The man he called Yevin was a little older than the rest I've seen so far, but he was by far the most terrifying. Even the way he silently nodded, accepting his Lord's command without a word was scary.

He was far too big to be normal. He towered over even the tallest man, and was huge on top of that.

Most of Noth's men were larger than what I was used to. Not just their height, but their weight. All of the men in the City of Sand were... thinner. The Linesmen were all burly. I knew how heavy a man was from having to help carry them and flip them over when tending wounds... but the thought of having to carry one of the Linesmen was daunting to say the least.

Even the warriors in the city, the ones who should be larger, were smaller than these Linesmen. The obvious reason was the lack of proper food... but something told me it was more than that.

This was a Line. It traveled everywhere.

It was very likely that the Lord of this Line only employed the strongest and fiercest warriors that he found on his travels. It made sense, and it was something I would do if I was in his position.

“Jamthi, I want everyone on shift-call,” Noth said.

“People will work double-shift without even being told,” Jamthi said with a strange smirk.

“I expect that. So make sure people get their proper rest,” Noth said.

“How many slaves do you posses, husband?” I asked.

Of the three men, only the one I had spoken to didn't look at me. He kept his eyes on the groups of people working around us.

“There are no slaves on the Front-Line, young miss,” Jamthi said to me.

I frowned at the young man's answer, and walked closer to him. “Are there not? Who then works for you? All those people call you master, do they not?” I asked, pointing to the many dozens of people nearby.

“He is the Commander,” the scary man said, his deep voice causing me to step back a little. It was the first time I had heard him speak, and now I wasn't sure what to think of him. Maybe he wasn't a man at all, but some kind of beast...

“Don't scare her, Yevin,” Jamthi said, glaring at him, and then he gestured to Noth. “My cousin is the owner of the Front-Line. So in a sense, yes... he is our master. But we are not his slaves. We are employees, family, friends,” he explained for me.

While the young man gave me a smile, explaining so gently, I studied the giant Yevin who had gone silent.

“Are you a warrior?” I asked him.

The giant man finally looked down at me, but he said nothing.

“Yevin is the leader of our security. He's also Noth's only friend,” Jamthi said with his happy voice.

Glancing to Noth, as to verify his cousin's statement, I wasn't too surprised to see the Lord of the Front-Line glare at the young man. “Hear that Yevin? You're my only friend. It's too bad really; I have so much treasure to share with my friends... if only I had more.”

Jamthi's face became pale as he gave off an aghast expression. “Oh my! How could I forget my long lost cousin! Oh how I've missed you! My dearest friend, I fear I have been suffering from such a dreaded bout of amnesia!”

With quite the theatrics, I quickly realized that the young man was simply playing around. It was quite a sight, and he was fascinating to watch. He was very expressive, and wasn't afraid to make a fool of himself.

“We're family,” Yevin's deep voice said to me. His voice, like his body, was great. It somehow made him seem even bigger... Which made his smile all the more stranger. Since it was the tiniest of smiles I've ever seen.

Somehow it made me smile back, even though he still scared me. “So you're all part of the same House then,” I said, understanding.

“Well... no, not really,” Jamthi said, but didn't seem too concerned in describing it further.

“Commander! I've been informed a leader of the House of Hombil will be here soon,” a young woman said, all the while running up to us.

She wore a strange suit, which looked like it gleamed a little in the light... as if it was wet. Maybe it was.

“Thank you. Let Sarley know I'll meet them in my office, have her bring them when they arrive,” Noth said to the woman.

She quickly saluted, then ran off back into the crowd.

“Yevin,” Noth said without looking at the giant of a man. And without saying a word, or asking what his Lord wanted from him... he began to walk away.

Watching him walk, I wondered how he did so with such silence. He was so big... surely he should be making more noise?

When I had been young, there had still been large creatures in the farms. Creatures big enough that even their footsteps could be felt through the ground. He was not as big as some of them, but he was close.

Maybe it was because we were in the Line, and not outside walking on the sand, or stone.

“That didn't take long,” Jamthi said.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“The others will show up soon too, even without being summoned,” I said.

Hopefully the House of Markith will be one of the last to come...

“Don't you just love it when business goes well?” Jamthi asked.

“You call this going well?” Noth asked back, then turned and walked away.

For a moment I was unsure of what he meant, but I quickly understood he had meant me.

He had yet to say anything, but it was clear that the Lord of this Line... This Commander Noth, was upset. And it was because of me.

Or rather, my presence. I don't think he had expected or planned on the elders forcing me upon him. At least not so directly.

His annoyed temperament told me he originally thought he only had to play along with the wedding only at a distance. He probably never even expected to meet me in person.

“For us, yes it is going well. Who cares if it does for you or not?” Jamthi asked, following his Lord.

I quickly followed them, even though it was difficult. They walked quickly... too quickly. I was still dressed in the formal gown, and it was difficult to move in it.

“One of these days you'll all regret being so ungrateful,” Noth said.

Usually such a warning, being spoken by the head of the Household, carried great weight. It made people freeze in their tracks, and become terrified.

Strangely, here on the Line... it was only met with laughter.

“Oh those days come and go all the time!” Jamthi laughed.

As we went deeper into the Line, more and more things became fascinating. Somehow every hallway and room was lit up evenly, yet there didn't seem to be any torches or fire catalysts illuminating them.

Although everything was made of a hard and thick metal, there was also a certain homely design to it. Every hallway had little etchings, painted scenes that were... well, exotic.

Slowing my pace a little to stare at the strange doors and hallways that we were passing, I startled when I noticed that the men had drawn far enough away that I couldn't hear them speaking anymore.

Hurrying after them wasn't that difficult, even with the confining dress, but it was annoying. I could tell that if this kept up I was going to tear the dress, and that might cause problems for me later on.

As I rushed to catch up, the young man had turned around and noticed that I was a distance behind them. He paused, and with a gentle smile waited for me to catch up.

“You alright?” Jamthi asked.

“Sorry,” I apologized, and gave him a small bow as I tried to focus. I couldn't allow myself to get distracted like that.

At least not right now.

“You need not apologize. It's Noth's fault. Quite a jerk, not paying attention to his pace and leaving his wife behind!” Jamthi said, his voice growing louder with each word. He was obviously trying to catch Noth's attention, but the man simply kept walking as if he had suddenly lost his hearing.

“Hmph. Typical. Come, who needs him?” Jamthi said, returning to walking... but at a much slower pace. One that I could keep up with, even in this dress.

“Do you not need to assist him?” I asked.

“He can wait. And he is more than capable, though he doesn't look it.”

Choosing to follow the rest of the way in silence, I was glad that the young man kept his back to me. I didn't want him to see me smiling at his words.

Capable? I knew he was. After all, he had to be to own such a powerful Line.

And that was why I was so excited.

Thanks to the young man keeping to a slow pace, I didn't get left behind, and I was able to better observe the things we passed.

Hallways became more hallways. Rooms seemed to be randomly placed everywhere, and every so often a stairwell would appear... leading both upward and down.

When we had entered the Line not too long ago, I had wondered what it was going to be like inside... but I honestly didn't expect such confined spaces.

The Line was massive. Bigger than any building in the city... so I had expected it to be large and open inside, like the bathhouses or cathedrals.

Granted, maybe there were rooms like it and I just haven't seen them yet.

“Jamthi,” a young woman smiled and greeted the young man as we passed her. She also smiled and waved to me, and I noticed that she did so pleasantly and not out of duty.

“Your wife?” I asked.

“Huh?” Jamthi paused, coming to an abrupt stop.

“That woman,” I said, gesturing behind us.

“No... She wasn't. Why would you think that?” he asked.

For a small moment I was embarrassed. I had misread the woman's tone and greeting... “She had warmly greeted you, and me,” I explained.

The young man stared at me with an odd look, and then smiled. “Well, I am a lovable person. So it's to be expected,” he said, pleased with himself.

His humble voice didn't match his words at all, and it made me wonder if he was teasing me.

I decided to remain silent the rest of the way, even when other people passed us and similarly greeted us in strange ways.

Maybe it was just their culture... Or maybe it was because he held a certain level of respect and status. He seemed to work directly under the Lord, and was supposedly related to him as well...

He didn't really look it though. He looked younger than me, only a few years after reaching manhood. If he had been a son of Derri, he would still be unmarried at his age. To already be so prominent a figure was quite interesting.

Chances were there was more to him than it seemed.

I didn't get to study the young man for very long. He came to a stop as he entered one of the random rooms.

“Close the door behind you,” Lord Noth ordered from within the room.

Unsure if I was allowed to enter or not, I realized I was going to be able to when Jamthi stood at the door and waited for me.

He closed the door behind me after I entered, and the heavy metal made a strange sound as it shut.

“Sit wherever you like,” Jamthi said to me as he went deeper into the room, heading for his own seat.

The room wasn't a large one... but it made up for its lack of size with the abundance of odd things within it.

Each wall, even the one with the door, had large shelves that were full. They were lined with glass, and went all the way to the ceiling. Why they were so large was beyond me... they'd need that giant man, Yevin's help, to reach the top shelves.

There weren’t just rows of books on them. There was glassware, and magical catalysts. There was even a skull of some strange animal in one of the shelves to my right, and a small tree looking plant in another.

The ceiling was the only part of the room that wasn't covered in something... Its plain appearance was almost the strangest part of the room, when one noticed it.

At least the floor had pretty rugs covering it.

A prominent desk sat across from the door, and behind it sat Noth. He was writing something, and had probably reached the room some time ago. He looked focused, and didn't even glance up at me as I approached the desk.

There were plenty of chairs to choose from, and even large ones that I could lay down on... but I chose to instead study the desk he sat at. It was rather large, coming to a stop at my waist, and it was covered with papers and small tools.

This was the office of one of the most powerful men in the world, and oddly... it looked it.

Although… I had expected it to be larger, and more extravagant. There was a clear distinction of wealth, since the carpet and furniture looked and felt special, but there was a severe lack of...

Of what? What had I expected?

The office looked like many in the House of Derri, especially of the elders. The only difference was most of the stuff in here was of queer origin, it was stuff I had no idea about, nor ever seen.

For some reason I had expected treasures to showcase his wealth, or great arms displaying his power.

Maybe such things were elsewhere.

Noth finished writing, and slid the paper across the desk towards me.

For me? I reached out and picked it up, but I could not read the strange symbols upon the paper. They looked somewhat similar to letters that I was familiar with, but there was a strange and haphazard method to them... making them unreadable.

“Give it to Jamthi,” Noth then said… his annoyance plainly noticeable.

Oh. I was meant to hand it off.