Sachihiro

‘’Do you need further assistant with anything my lady?’’ I ask my guest politely with my arms clasp behind my back and my head leaning forward towards her.

‘’No thank you, you have been most helpful,’’ she says with a stern nod and walks out of the foyer with her two guards in tow. I shake my head at the entire situation.

‘’How long do you think she will last in the city?’’ I ask without looking at Soal who has become my helper at the library.

‘’Not more than two months. The guard on the right will die in his first arena match, too cocky to take it seriously enough to not piss off Adrea when she tests him. The other one doesn’t seem to have considered it much and the woman clearly thinks herself exempted from being challenged and fight or thrown out of the city, one of the posh aristocratic dignitaries from the neighbouring kingdom I’m guessing.‘’

‘’Yes,’’ I say looking at him with a smile. ‘’You are getting better at analysing people, I’m impressed.’’

‘’Yea well it’s hard not to eventually notice such things whilst spending so much time with you.’’ Soal says collecting the books from the reading table and walking to the wall shelves to find the correct spots to shelve them.

I’ve been running this library in the sprouting outer city since we came back here years ago and it has been a refuge for my peace of mind. Giving me access and time to actually spend in study reading about various topics of interest to me, broadening my mind. The library is currently still small and not often visited but it has been a perfect dead drop, message deport and last resort safe house for a number of Shadow Conclave agents since its establishment years back when we got here.

I haven’t been home in over a hundred hours dealing with another agent that Siege has funnelled towards me to hide and help smuggle out of Sandaria quickly without drawing any eyes or attention, a difficult task with the Sandersonian Ministry of Information snooping into everything but thankfully I’ve built up connections through the years and most people I deal with don’t even questions when I say I need something done.

‘’How did Stout’s people react to the burden we placed them with?’’ I ask Soal getting ready to close the place for several hours.

‘’They were curious but didn’t ask any questions as per the course. I think some are still weary of an outsider’ being aware of their smuggling networks but the half dwarf seems to have loyal people still.’’

‘’Good, I will need to go see him in person again one these days, Aurora misses the crass bastard.’’ And she really does every single one of the former slaves that met her back in Sandoria in that cabin all those years ago love and dot on her like they are under some spell.

The former slaves have been smuggling and hiding other slaves from their Sandorian, Maori and other masters. Of course my association with them doesn’t go unnoticed by the Seers at the Council Chambers, and my friendships with slaves and men not strong enough to fight to the death is unappreciated by the more traditional Council Chiefs.

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‘’Going home?’’ Soal asks after I find myself sighing without the conscious thought to do so.

I shake my head at his silence and the huge blind spot in my skill. As the years progressed I’ve realised that certain people become a blind spot to my awareness if I’m not paying attention to them. I always know who is around me doing what because I can see it at all times all around with my most vocal Awakening ability dimensional awareness . But my mates, my children and most of my extended family can surprise me with how close they get before I’m aware of their presence when I don’t pay attention.

Somehow Soal has become one of those people but I’m glad he doesn’t yet realise it, I may like the man but I don’t really fully trust him. He has taught me a lot about espionage and general sneakiness through the years though as the crash course I did with Phera and Anastasia was helpful in learning the most basic things about spy-craft but certainly not enough to be of any major use in the role of a spy for anyone.

‘’Yes I’m going home, Saya is back home so you should probably find someplace else to lurk when I’m home again.’’

He grunts but says nothing as he keeps collecting and pilling books onto his tray, the grunting an infectious habit he picked up from Om. The man is older than me and has great knowledge and worldly wisdom on many things I have no particular experience in. So I send him to a Sandersorian city with one of my children every year to teach them about life in a human city and street smarts in modern day Pangaean cities. Saya and Soal haven’t gotten along since her 20 th birthday when they went to Sydney together.

I nod and am out the door with a happy sigh now. One of my girls is back and she has been mad at me since I went to Tiba without her all those years ago.

*

I leave the library and walk slowly as I look at the vast wonder that is Paradisum and the diverse beings that walk it’s streets. The place is a forest of colour as trees and grass fill the view before me as far as the eye can see. There are trees, shrubs and vines growing up the sides of the buildings already constructed. The portare tree vines imported here by the sidhe grow along buildings stabilising them enough to not be able to withstand a direct hammer blow from an Awakened warrior without the need for enchanting every single stone built or wooden board used to construct the buildings this side of the city.

I’m greeted none verbally by the few people that actually know me from the various circles I sometimes frequent and am acknowledged in. The stone paths are busier this side of the wall than they are on inner Paradisum where the fae and some other hoofed beings like to reside.

It’s been about 30 years since the city was birthed and it has yet to stop growing. There are no outer walls on this part of the city by design as many a Barbarian has soon felt the need to wonder the Tundra and even other lands after spending several years cooped up inside the confides of a stone wall, even one as majestic as ours. I smile as I watch a group of young children being chased by a swarm of razor butterflies protecting their nectar fruit from the young ambitious humanoids.

The buildings are some distance away from each other and of different design on libero, what this side of the city is sometimes referred to. But everything newly constructed is still under the careful supervision of the master builders and designers still, man and women whose deeds with remain immortalised as long as Paradisum remains on Gaia. The fae oversee Maudlin will especially always be remembers as a genius even though the city is what it is because of the different viewpoints and inspiration of the diverse team of overseers.