As the lock filled and the river boat rose higher, Kiera saw for the first time the Imperial capital city of Grael Nydia. The city was built on top of ethersteel stilts over a lake at the bottom of an enormous sink-hole. The large opening of the sink-hole was large enough to shine sunlight on the palace in the center of the city, but most of the city was lit by artificial lights, lamps and ethermancy lights of various colors. The city was crisscrossed by countless canals in a carefully-planned pattern of squares.

Kiera had seen paintings of the city before. An impractical city, to be sure. Not exactly the perfect place to build a capital city. However, the city was entrenched in thousands of years of history. The ancient Varelion clan had built the foundations of the city in this natural formation because of it's beauty and because of it's proximity to Spire Nydia. She had plans to see the Spire, after her errand in the city was complete.

The gates to the lock opened slowly and the ethermancers below decks created power in the engines. The river boat lurched forward over the dark water. Kiera lined up near the loading platform. The people who saw her immediately moved aside, making way for her to reach the edge of the platform. She was the first one off the ship after it docked.

A knight waited for her at the end of the walkway. He had short military-style hair in the color she instantly recognized as belonging to the Imperial family, somewhere between light brown and salmon. His armor reflected the lights the ship.

"Heritor Kiera," he said as he bowed to her slightly.

She ran forward, forgetting herself for a moment. "Sir Zachary!" she cried as she leapt up into his embrace. "Thank you for coming to fetch me, I have never been to the capital before. I would have been completely lost."

"Did you come alone?" He asked.

"I did." She said. "I did not wish to burden Father's servants with my business."

"You could have hired a local guide."

"Then I would have to hire an oculomancer to vet them, and besides," she said, giggling. "Why bother when I can summon the sworn knight of the Empress to protect me?"

"You are lazy and spoiled," He said. "I tried to warn Sullivan against spoiling his daughters."

"I do have business though," She said. "And I wish to be done with it right away. Can you show me the way to the bank?"

"Also impatient," Zachary added.

He led her through the city along ornately paved roads. Long, narrow craft zipped along far below it the lake, disappearing into gaps between the stilts, sometimes directly under buildings. They passed cute little cafes with people dining on little chairs overlooking the water, towering glass gardens reinforced with glowing ethersteel, and finally grand estates for the city's nobility. They arrived at a section of the city built on rock near the center. The Imperial palace loomed overhead, tall and imposing vertical lines and artificial blue-green light. Shadows.

"Here," Zachary said as they arrived at a set of gently ascending steps with an ancient stone building at the top. There was a pair of stiff guards at the summit of the steps, their rifles held across their chests. "I will wait for you until you return."

Both guards bowed as she passed, saying nothing. She entered into a stately foyer filled with golden light. The rugs on the floor were blue and silver. A dozen dark blue banners were featured prominently in the space, reaching from the ceiling almost to the floor.

"Heritor-Princess Kiera of House Blaine, daughter of King Sullivan of Cloudsea!" The herald at the door announced.

A well-dressed man waited for her in the center of the chamber. "Princess Kiera, welcome to Grael Nydia. I hope that your flight was not too exciting."

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"Not exciting, Chairman Fredrick." Keira said. "But beautiful. I did manage to see the blue sky, and the fog far below. The world looks so different from the sky."

"And for how long can we enjoy your company Kiera?" Fredrick asked. "Will you be returning to Cloudsea?"

"I hope to meet the Empress after my business here is done," She replied. "I am afraid she will not allow me to leave her side once I meet her, however. Who knows? In a year I might find myself on the front lines of some terrible battlefield."

"If that is the case, I am sure you will be caring for the wounded soldiers. If you do remain in the city, send for me. I shall take you to the best cafes."

"I would be pleased to dine with you Chairman, if your schedule allows it."

"Here, Heritor Kiera, this room." They arrived at an alcove furnished with two lavish chairs, mostly hidden behind soft white drapes. "I am afraid I am a poor host, but I am a very busy man. An oculomancer will be here shortly to help you with your business."

"Go in peace, Chairman," She said.

When the oculomancer arrived she took one look at Kiera and then here face betrayed... horror? She quickly mastered her reaction and said, "Yes, Heritor Keira. My name is Lissa, certified by Spire Nydia to provide banking services for Heritors. What business do you have with us?"

"I have an aura." Kiera said.

"Yes, it is common for Heritors to have auras." The woman replied.

"I am seventh in line to the royal throne of Cloudsea." Kiera said. "My Father never gave me an aura. And also, my aura seems to be quite large, even for a Heritor."

"That cannot be true." The oculomancer said.

"Do not try my patience," Kiera snapped. "You are an oculomancer, you can see when a person speaks truth. You have careful records of which Heritors have auras and how much sien is stored in those auras. The Empress is said to be at the thirty-eighth harmonic, and my aura has that much sien twice over!"

"I'm sorry Heritor, I did not intend to imply that you were lying. Why are you here? What do you want me to do about your aura?"

"I want to deposit my aura in the bank," Kiera said. "And I want to donate any proceeds from leasing the aura... to a charity of my choice."

"That is not possible," the oculomancer said.

"Why not?"

"Your aura cannot be removed."

"Again, why not?"

"Any attempt to remove that aura," she said, shuttering, "will instantly kill the person who would otherwise receive it."

Kiera was astonished. "Does this happen often?"

"This is the first time I have ever seen such a thing," the oculomancer said. "There is a message written on your aura as well. That is more common, for example when the aura comes with restrictions."

"Well, what does it say?"

"It says something like, 'By order of Fiona of the Morning Mist, this aura is not to be removed from the individual. Limit interactions with the individual. Contact Fiona through emergency channels if the aura has changed size.'"

"That is," Kiera said, "complete nonsense. Fiona of the Morning Mist?"

She had heard the term "morning mist" before, however the natural phenomenon had not occurred anywhere in the world in over a thousand years, not since the climate changed and the fog started. With a name like that, it must have been a person that lived a thousand years ago, before the war.

"Wait," Kiera said. "Is there somebody in your order named Fiona of the Morning Mist right now?"

"Yes, Heritor."

"Can I speak with her?"

"That might be possible, I can send a message through standard channels and she might contact you. However, Fiona has very important duties that occupy her time, I cannot promise that your request will even reach her."

"It can't be helped. And there is nothing you can do about my aura?"

"Nothing," the oculomancer said.

Kiera stood up and promptly left the alcove. The guards bowed to her once again as she left the building.

"Well?" Zachary asked.

"Somebody named 'Fiona of the Morning Mist' gave me this aura." Kiera said. "The oculomancers refused to remove it."

Sir Zachary stopped dead. He looked horrified. "Fiona gave you an aura?" He asked.

"You know her?"

"Of course I know that name," he said. "I met her once when I was a child. She is the right hand of the Elder Saint, an ancient witch from the time of the Charlatan King. She is Vjiskaldi, her tribe was almost exterminated during the war. And..." he added, "I will never forget that blue hair of hers."

He said nothing for a long time as they walked toward the palace.

"Do you remember your Heritor oaths?" he finally asked.

"Of course," Kiera replied.

"That woman, Fiona. Her role is to enforce those rules. It's rare, but sometimes she is forced to kill Heritors. She also enforces the final oath for everyone else, not just Heritors."

"We and our descendants shall craft no machine in the likeness of a bird," Kiera recited.

"Yeah. Young men, idiots that think they can invent the flying machine, will eventually get a surprise visit from that woman."

"That makes a lot of sense," Kiera said. But what does that have to do with me? Why would she give me an aura?