She wandered the building, hugging her cloak tighter. She knew they won’t see her, but she couldn’t shake the vulnerability gripping her chest. It felt like she entered the lion’s den, and she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder. Every smile could hide a threat. Every open hand was capable of harm. What if someone punished Rebekah like they did the Helot upstairs. Any moment her mortal's life could end.

Her heart constricted, like a hand squeezing it too tight. She needed to find Rebekah. She pushed down the corridor, hoping if she saw her face the fear bubbling inside would vanish. She turned a corner; nothing. The world seemed bigger than she ever thought before.

A spicey aroma hit her nose as she stepped into a wide hallway. People with trays and covered plates rushed about, entering, and exiting two double wooden doors. Her stomach gurgled. Inside the clanging of utensils, pots, and dishes thundered. The kitchen, the glorious center of any home. A tasty treat would improve her mood.

Her feet sprung to life, wasting no time to reach the door. As it swung open and a Helot fled with a hot tray, she spied her. Rebekah, stoic and walking with purpose to the kitchen. Praise Papa! She bounced on her toes, ready to meet her with a greeting. But then she remembered the last time they spoke. The coldness in her tone, the taught lips, and the crossed arms. What if she's still mad at me?

Then a thought struck her, Kelani's special gift. Rummaging through her bag, she fumbled with smooth stones, coins, trinkets, and utensils until she felt it. The soft glass with the sand that was cool to the touch. Even in the desert heat, the sand never lost its astral properties. Yanking the relic free, she held it in her hand. Alma, Great Star, help me help her. Then she pressed her thumbs on the diamonds on either side of the sand. As Rebekah approached, she focused on her face, asking her mind to grant her access.

The glass cracked under her fingers and the tiny grains of sand tumbled into the empty vial. It floated into her ears, growing louder and louder until she felt the sand was roaring like a deadly waterfall. The room swayed, almost knocking her off her feet. When she opened her eyes again, she was inside the kitchen. But she wasn't inside her body.

She grew taller and had no issues grabbing cups from the top cabinet. But stranger still, the voice in her mind belonged to someone else. Her body, acting on its own, navigated the bustling kitchen. She maneuvered past prep hands to where they place the Chancellor’s afternoon tea. Putting the ceramic pot and cups on a tray she managed to get out of the kitchen without spilling anything. The worry bubbled inside her, as she gripped the tray harder, hoping her sweaty palms won’t cause her to drop it. Mages liked their tea. And she had spilled enough of the Chancellor’s tea to garner threats of firing multiple times a week.

Of all the Mages she had ever met, she hated the Chancellor most of all. Godfrey was the head of the entire Mage Order, the highest political figure in the land. She was lucky enough to deliver letters and fetch his tea. However, serving the goat farmers would have been better than Godfrey. The banker yelled, the wives shrieked, and the children taunted. But Godfrey did something worse- he ignored her. Regarding her with a cold indifference that made her skin crawl. Not all the Council members were as distant, but Godfrey was the worse.

She balanced the tray, as she counted the passageways to the Chancellor’s chambers. Helots had special access to alternate passageways that most people didn't know existed. She emerged from the cracked stairs to the common areas of the Citadel. Here, the Council members and their associates carried on their day-to-day business. Mages in dress robes passed each other in droves. Assistants pushed and maneuvered through the crowds. While scribes rushed among them to the next meeting. The grand foyer was booming with countless voices, the world seemed to have congregated in the high ceiling marble prison.

She stood in the doorway gathering the courage to cross the front lines. One careful step after another she managed to get by the crowd without anything spilling. Walking her usual path to Godfrey’s office she made it there just in time to see another Mage enter. She faced a dilemma—interrupt the Chancellor or forgo his request for refreshments. In the end she decided to knock on the door. Better to face the scorn of disturbing him than deal with the punishment for being lazy.

“Enter,” came her boss’s voice.

The visitor continued speaking as if she wasn’t there. But Godfrey, sitting behind his polished desk, regarded her with his narrow grey eyes. His silver hair was kept short and neatly trimmed. She never once saw him with facial hair due to his strict grooming routine. He always wore a bored expression, unless, of course, someone was telling him something he disliked. He frowned at her and made a motion with his hand, indicating where to put the tray.

She glanced at the visitor who stood in his formal white Imperial Robes. She knew enough about their clothing to know that those who wore white robes were important people. Also, the ones to avoid at all costs. The young man’s lanky frame and short messy brown hair. He had large round glasses and wore gold chain over his robes. She recognized the voice as Lord Toranis, a junior Council Member. She worked slowly; her curiosity getting the better of her. She heard Godfrey recline into his chair.

“I received word of his presence in the Kingdom.” Toranis said. “What is it you want us to do?”

“We both know what he wants. He is not as clever as he believes he is. I had hoped that after these years he would have accepted the whole mess and moved on.”

“Apparently not, My lord Chancellor. Should I have the guards remove him from the kingdom?”

“Do not be so quick to action Toranis, remember it is his Mage that is no longer welcomed, not him. Although it seems he may be pushing his luck.”

“Then what is the plan? Are we going to let him come back here and cause a disturbance?”

“No, we will wait to see what his next move is. We will force him to show us his hand. Contact Verena, inform her that when he approaches her, she is to report their conversation to us.”

“Is she loyal enough to commit herself and the Academy to your will?”

"It is in her best interest to be agreeable, for her benefit and future employment depend on it."

Rebekah left the room before he asked her too. A lesson she had learned the hard way. She was to be invisible and efficient. With her dark hair and pale plain features, she blended in with the marble decorations. She was always good at becoming another face in the crowd. Efficient on the other hand, was something she needed to work on. She was already behind on her chores.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

She slipped into the narrow passageway behind a statue and descended a long dark stairwell. Emerging on the other side she entered the room across from her. Narrow windows near the top of the wall, allowed the sunlight to beam in. Under the piles of shopping baskets, and parchment wrapped packages was a rickety table. Chairs lined the walls. Partially blocked by a stack of broken chairs was an unlit fireplace.

It had everything the Helots needed to keep their Council members days running smoothly. Calendars with important dates and schedules pinned to the walls. Piles of shirts that needed mending, boots that needed cleaning. A cabinet of office supplies. And another cabinet for the Helots themselves, usually stocked with a spare robe if something spills. On one wall was a row of brass bells which connect to various rooms above.

The only other soul inside was her roommate Naomi. She sat by the window mending a shirt. Her eyes squinted as her fingers fumbled with the delicate fabric. She glanced at the pile of expensive clothes; one shirt had tiny gems sewn into the stitching. A thought struck her, followed by Mrs. Knaggs cackling laugh. How much would this get her? Was it enough for a ticket?

“Rebekah, were you to the market today?"

"No, the Chancellor needed me here. Why?"

"Another boy went missing. I'm worried."

"Children go missing all the time, I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere."

"Why do you always sound so cold? Like you don't care about any of us."

"I didn't mean.... I'm sorry."

"Have you seen Sam recently?"

She paused. On any day she saw him at least once, usually in passing, and he always smiled. Sam was kind. He spent a lot of time with Naomi and her friend Mary during their off hours. But as she thought harder, it had been a few days since she saw him at the Citadel.

"No, actually I haven't..."

“Mary is worried, apparently Sam hasn’t showed up to work lately. It’s like he just vanished. Do you think something happened to him? So many of us are going missing."

“Don’t worry, whatever is going on he’ll turn up soon.” This time she smiled, and it seemed to put Naomi at ease.

The truth was the whole situation was concerning. Innocents didn’t leave the kingdom, not without consent. They’re owned by the kingdom and can only roam or exist within the commands of their employer. How would they vanish anyway? She spent enough time plotting her escape to know that every plan resulted in either imprisonment or death.

The bell above them rang, and Naomi shot from the chair. Reading the label under it, she knew it was her turn to rush upstairs, leaving Rebekah alone with her thoughts. She had been collecting items for months. Painstakingly hiding and concealing her plans from everyone. She was the only one responsible for her future. Only she could grant herself the freedom she deserved. She grabbed the shirt, running her fingers over the jewels.

A glass cracking exploded in Osana's ears. The image before her eyes deteriorated and crumbled like grains of sand, piling to the floor in neat nests. A tingle prickles the inside of her head and climbs over her limbs. When her vision returns, she's in the hallway outside the kitchen. In her hands was the relic. The first bar of sand had run out. Who and what she was, returned in pieces. Images and sensations crawled over her mind like a fat slug on a leaf.

She saw the black hair girl in the cramped room. She's important, said a voice in her head. Rebekah! Her mission flooded back. Her mortal was about to get herself in trouble. Tugging at her magic, she teleported to the statue. To the narrow passageway and then to the door.

“How did you get in here?” Rebekah's sharp tone brought her attention behind her. Her mortal stood a few steps above her with a bundle of napkins in her arms. “Are you following me?”

“I know you don’t know me, but I know what you’re going to do, and I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“What do you mean?” she whispered and took a few calculated steps towards her. “What do you think I’m going to do?”

There was a danger in her eyes, something Osana didn’t plan. She was about to explain, but Rebekah shoved her hand over her mouth. An iron grip clamped over her upper arm and before she thought about it, the mortal pushed her into a closet. She felt Rebekah’s breath on her cheek.

“Are you a spy? I knew there was something weird about you yesterday. Why are you following me?”

“I want to help,” she mumbled.

“Help me? How?”

“Please, I can’t go back home until I help someone achieve what their heart desires most.”

“Heart desires?’ You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Is it that obvious?” She heard the air escape her nose and pictured Rebekah’s brief smile. “My name is Osana. If you trust me, I can help you. But I admit I don’t understand this world. You’re the first Innocent I met, and I don’t know what’s going on here.”

“Are you a Mage then?”

“No not exactly.”

“Then how can you help me?”

“What do you want the most?”

“My freedom.”

“What do you mean?"

“You really don't understand? The Mages own me. Owns most of us. Unless you’re born here, then you’re fine. But I’m not.”

“No, that’s not right. Mages are supposed to look after Innocents.”

“Oh, they look after us alright, dictate everything we do. Because they feel like they know best.”

“And they won’t let you leave?”

“The Crims keep eyes on us. Then there’s the soldiers outside the kingdom that will kill us on sight. Listen, I get this isn’t what you expected. The Mages on the outside don’t know what’s happening here. But you need to keep your mouth shut. If you want to help me, you won’t say a word to anyone.”

Osana didn’t understand secrets, but she didn’t like them. It somehow made her feel deceitful. A tight ball formed at the bottom of her stomach. Everything she said, contradicted what Kelani told her. Why are the Mages disobeying Papa? Nothing made sense. But her goal was to help her friend, and nothing else mattered. She reached into the bag at her hip and pulled out a smooth gem. A dazzling amethyst glowed in her palm.

“Is this enough for you to get away?”

“Where did you get that? Never mind, it might be best if I don’t know.”

“Take it, if this is what you want, then I’ll help.” She felt Rebekah’s hesitation. “No strings attached, here. Now go and get that ticket or whatever and have a chance at a better life.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I told you, I’m here to help someone and I chose you. It’s that simple.”