It took us two days to reach the outskirts of the League’s capitol, the city of Abydos. Now we were marching on stone instead of dirt roads. Villages and towns didn’t appear as poor as their Porosian counterparts. The houses were made either of wood or stone, and seemed well made. The people appeared better dressed than Porosians. When passing these settlements they observed us with unkind expressions. No childish provocations though.

When I first took a glimpse of the city I was quite impressed. It was enormous. With the population of three hundred thousand people it was by far the largest city in Helena. It was located on an endless plain, next to a large river. Forests and mountains were visible in the distance. High, thick walls of light orange color went all around the city. From what I could tell from the distance, most of the buildings were white, except for the one. The largest construction, the pyramid palace, was of light blue color. Three aqueducts supplied the city with fresh water.

“Impressive, in its way,” said Julia.

“We’ll see,” answered Tiberius. We descended the hill from which we observed the city and headed towards the south city-gates. It was the only entrance to the city that wasn’t surrounded by villages or markets, only wheat fields. When we came near the gates we encountered a line of still-standing soldiers. Their commander, mounted on a white stallion, waited idly for us to come closer.

The soldiers were well equipped, far better than anything I'd seen in Porosia. They wore a helmet that covered their skull, ears, nose and partly their face. A chain mail protected their bodies, and a small, round shield was strapped to their left hand. In their right hand they held a long spear, the longest I'd ever seen in my life. The swords at their waists were short, similar length of the stabbing sword of our legions. The tunic under the chain-mail was of dark red color, as well as their short cape on their backs. They all wore leather boots that appeared well made.

I glanced towards the pole from which hung the League’s flag, a green rooster on a yellow background. Their commander greeted us with a cheerful voice that echoed through the air:

“Greetings, Vetulonians. I am Eneas Taros, commander of the south city watch. I hope you traveled well.”

“Well enough,” answered Tiberius and then introduced us.

“Our chancellor had the south avenue cleaned of traffic. He awaits us at the Great Pyramid. Now, if you please,” he invited Tiberius to join him, which he did. We followed behind. We passed the gates and the sounds of trumpets invaded the silence around us. It felt they were coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. I concluded the trumpeters must be hiding on the flat roofs of the buildings, staying out of clear sight. A rather vain attempt to add to the whole grand mystique of our arrival. The avenue to the palace was wide, with public buildings on each side. The buildings were of white marble rock and not very tall or impressive or memorable. But they appeared well maintained. Curious people watched us from their wide open windows while we passed by. They seemed oddly indifferent.

It didn’t take us long to reach the pyramid. It was a huge walled compound. A city within a city! The surrounding walls were of light blue stone I had never seen before. Inside we were met by lush green gardens, filled with flowers, bushes and trees of all kinds. Man-made creeks ran all around, forming islands and peninsulas. They were connected by oak bridges with some of the most beautiful wood carvings I had ever seen. The commander guided us through this small slice of paradise with a slow pace. He wanted to make sure we take notice of every detail.

We exited the gardens and came below a colossal step pyramid made of light blue stone. On both sides of the wide staircase stood motionless soldiers. The entrance to the building was somewhere in the mid-levels. Each level of the pyramid was a terrace embellished with plants and small fruit trees. Even small creeks ran down the building, forming waterfalls with each drop. It seemed as if the pyramid itself is one big garden growing into the heavens. It was quite a beautiful sight.

At the bottom of the staircase we were met by four people dressed in fine clothes. They wore black togas with the League’s sigil, a rooster, embroidered on their chests. A man, who seemed to be of Tiberius’s age, stepped forward and introduced himself. He had thick black curvy hair and deep, dark brown eyes. He was clean shaved, had a straight nose and full lips. He was tall, with broad shoulders and quite muscular.

“Greetings Vetulonians! I am chancellor Alec Barosa. I hope you traveled well?”

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“Well enough,” Tiberius repeated a now already infamous line. Some young boys ran towards us and we dismounted. The horses and our donkey carts were then taken to the stables. A couple of our legionaries followed them, to make sure our supplies wouldn't get tampered with.

“This is Damalis Perocles, the chief general of our armed forces.”

Damalis seemed younger than his chancellor. He had sharp green eyes and straight brown short hair. He radiated extreme confidence. We bowed our heads to acknowledge his introduction. He returned the gesture.

“And this is Plato Canarea, our chief priest.” Plato was older than both men, bald, with long white beard. His eyes were blue and his nose crooked. He looked at us with contempt that I felt he tried to conceal. Or not. Again, the bowing of heads…

“And of course you already know your ambassador, Cornelius! Hah!” He pointed to a middle-aged man, balding, with a serene expression.” He smiled at us, but did not bow. There was no need for formalities among Vetulonians.

“Now, let me show you to your chambers. You’ll freshen up, eat something, and come evening we’ll talk business. Your rooms are in the third level of the pyramid from which you’ll have a grand view of the city bellow. I’m afraid your legionaries will have to share a room though. I was told you’ll be having an entourage of fifty soldiers. With sincerity I ask your, and of course their, forgiveness.”

“No need, chancellor. They’ve been sleeping under the stairs and on the hard ground for over a month now. A warm room will be a welcomed, luxurious change,” answered Tiberius and both men smiled at each other.

We climbed the steps, passing by motionless soldiers. The entrance to the building was embellished with a peculiar stone. It shined with different colors from different angles. I wondered if this gem was the same as the one used for the statue we found on the island.

We entered the building and stepped into a large square hall with high ceilings. The air inside was cool, but not cold. The only source of light in this grand hall came from windows above the entrance. The hall was cluttered with statues and enormous paintings that hung on walls. Most of motives were from their revolution. In the center of the area stood a large stone fountain decorated with carved roses. At the top of this fountain was a statue of a rooster in a fighting posture. Mosaic floor bellow our feet depicted a detailed map of Helena. There were a few people in the hall, talking to each other, not paying much attention to us.

Another grand staircase, located left of the fountain led to the upper level. We climbed those stairs as well and found ourselves in a yet another spacious hall.

Chancellor Alec then turned his head to his general and spoke:

“General Damalis, would you be so kind to escort the Vetulonian commander and his soldiers to their quarters?”

“Of course, chancellor,” he answered rather awkwardly, nodding his head. I suspected he wasn’t accustomed to addressing Alec with such formality. He gestured our commander and legionaries to follow him. They disappeared through a wide, tacky door on the left.

“Now, let’s take care of the Vetulonian administration! Let me show you to your quarters,” Alec smiled, putting his charm on. But to me he appeared detached, even creepy. At one point he stared directly into my eyes and I sensed I was standing before a trickster thirsty for pure power.

We followed our host through the door on the right and entered into a dark hallway, lit with torches. The hallway seemed to go all around the pyramid and it was crammed with countless doors. We came to the corner of the hall and Alec stopped:

“Here are your rooms. Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine and fifty.

They’re of the same comfort. The hygiene facilities are around the corner at the end of the hall, door number sixty-six.”

“Thank you, chancellor,” said Tiberius with a genuine voice, which seem to make Alec happy.

“In the rooms you’ll find food, fresh clothes and a hot bath. Rest and in the afternoon we’ll talk business.”

The League was very practical in conducting their affairs. No unnecessary pomp, no vane ceremonies, yet cordial and to the point. After Porosia I found their approach quite refreshing. Again, Tiberius thanked him. Alec smiled, raising his eyebrows and left, while we entered our rooms. I claimed room forty-six.

The room was spacious with an enormous glass outer wall. Next to this glass wall was a door that led to the terrace that encircled the entire pyramid. The room had a comfortable bed and a large bathtub, filled with steaming water. The fireplace was decorated with horse carvings. The table, filled with all sorts of food, was surrounded by four chairs. A shelf full of books and scrolls was on the opposite side of the glass wall. I glanced through them, but most of it was the League’s propaganda. I pranced around for a bit, then took a bath, ate and went to bed.