The chamber was elegant and serene. Lucullus, for the first time in a long time, felt a sense of peace as he entered. Along the wide corridor that led to the main area of the chamber were statues on either side. The outfits carved into the marble wonders closely resembled that of Aela’s robes; the trim around the cuffs of the long flowing sleeves were a floral pattern, one that featured roses and lilies. The same trim went around the edge of the hood, which concealed the faces of the statues. The robes had a pattern that resembled a grapevine going down the middle. And looking back at Aela, he could see the robes in their full glory. The robes were mostly pure white, with red to color the trims and patterns. The only notable difference in Aela’s robes compared to the statues was her sash; hers was more subdued, and was nothing more than a simple piece of red fabric fastened around her waist. The statues sported an elaborate sash around their waists, which draped in the center almost down to their knees. The image on that centerpiece was the same depiction of the Savra that Draco had on his wall.
Aela knocked at the chamber door, and waited for it to open. A voice from the other side spoke something in Dasosan. Aela conversed with the voice for a moment before the door opened, and she motioned for Lucullus to follow her inside. The two entered, and were greeted by a man wearing very elaborate robes decorated with many gems and ornate jewelry.
Aela gave a deep bow, urging Lucullus to follow suit, and greeted the man in Dasosan. After speaking for a while in Dasosan, she motioned for Lucullus to come forward. “Lucullus, tell the Arch-Mystic of your mission.”
“I’m on a mission, one which requires the utmost discretion, and it demands that I must travel through the lands of Emporikos. It may even require travel to places beyond that. I will be facing Chaodites in my journey, as the nature of my journey concerns them. You could say that they have caused much grief to my homeland, and are becoming a real nuisance to Cicero’s work within it. His availability for coming here himself was hindered because of his work, thus he sent me. And I must search for something which the Chaodites have stolen, something precious, though I can not reveal what it is.”
The Arch-Mystic stroked his long beard. “Get to the point.”
“It would be of a great benefit for me to have someone who could help me against the Chaodites, as well as with my own lack of knowledge of the land and language of the people. Aela seems, to me, an exceptional individual. Her knowledge and skills would greatly help my mission, and by extension, Cicero.”
“But to send a student, who I have sworn an oath to protect the spiritual well-being of, into such dangers would be stupid of me.”
“The Chaodites have already spread their wicked influence to the most influential courts of Lucium. It is only a matter of time before they have full control of Lucium, and soon spread their influence to Emporikos. They will be on your doorstep any day. How will you answer your students when a pilgrimage to the nearest city becomes too much of a spiritual danger?”
The Arch-Mystic lowered his head. “How can you be so sure that a nation as holy as this one could fall to their influence?”
“They have stirred anti-Emporikos sentiments among my people. The flood of rogue mages across Lucium’s western border has been blamed on Emporikos, more specifically Mystiko users. The Chaodites, of whom the common man in Lucium is ignorant of, use this to trick the people into hating your people. Even though the Chaodites are behind all of it, they remain in the shadows, carefully plotting each move, without anyone noticing. The success of my mission means convincing King Titus of the truth. This could avoid war, a war which would allow the Chaodites to take over both nations.”
The Arch-Mystic stroked his beard in silent contemplation for a while. He sighed. “Very well. I know of the tensions you speak of between our two peoples… I will allow Sister Aela to go with you. I don’t like it, but I do agree that she would be more capable than the other students. She will be a great asset to you.” He formed a spiral of light in the air in front of him, and dispersed it toward Aela and Lucullus with his hands. “May Aeras and the other Savra bless your mission and journey, and bid you a safe return when you are finished.”
They all bowed to each other, with Lucullus and Aela performing a much deeper bow than the Arch-Mystic. The two departed from his chamber, and went to Aela’s chamber so she could pack her things. Her travel bag was packed with books, bottles of mysterious substances, light food rations, and many religious articles.
As the large gates shut behind them, Aela felt a surge of excitement to finally embark on her pilgrimage. Lucullus untied his horse, and walked alongside it as he descended the mountain. At the base, he motioned for Aela to get on the horse.
She twiddled her thumbs for a minute. “I’ve never rode a horse before.”
Lucullus looked at her as if she spoke Dasosan.
“I’ve only ever had to walk or ride in a cart.”
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He sighed. “Then I suppose I’ll need to help you up. This horse was chosen specifically to accommodate a man of my size and stature, the largest breed of horse in all of Lucium.”
She looked up at Lucullus, reminded of how he towered over her. “Seems like I would need a ladder to get on that horse.”
“You do seem a bit shorter than most people I’ve met…” He thought for a moment. “I’ve never had to put someone on a horse before…”
“At least I’m not the only one out of my element.”
“Well, it’s quite simple how you mount a horse… at least, normally it is.” He stared at the horse, hoping for a solution. “I suppose I should mount first.” He hoisted himself onto the horse in one smooth motion, and held out his hand. “Grab my arm with both hands, and I’ll give you a boost. You can use me for further support once you’re up so you don’t slide off.”
Aela did as he instructed, and he lifted her off the ground, allowing her to more easily swing her leg over the horse and get situated. Once atop the horse, she held onto Lucullus with all her strength.
He chuckled. “You act as if you’re going to fall off. We haven’t even started moving yet.”
“Try to remember that I’ve never ridden a horse before.”
He commanded his horse forward, and rode west to the nearest town. But after many long hours there were still more to go, and seeing that the sun was soon setting, they agreed to stop for the evening just a few miles from the nearest town. Lucullus made haste gathering firewood while Aela arranged their shelter and supplies. The spot was near a small stream of water, which Aela led the horse to so it could drink, and she could collect water.
Lucullus soon returned to their camp with a large load of wood, and started a fire. While Aela cooked a stew over the fire, Lucullus reclined onto the grass with his sheathed sword and his shield by his side.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had to camp,” Aela admitted as she stirred the pot.
“When was that?”
She paused to think for a moment. “Probably when I was no older than ten.” She acted as if she wanted to say more, but cut herself off, instead choosing to concentrate on the stew. After a few minutes, she dipped some out into two bowls. “The stew is ready.” She handed Lucullus one of the bowls.
“I’ve experienced my share of camping. I had to do quite a lot of that when I worked the farm.”
She stared down at her stew. “You act differently from other farmers.”
He chuckled. “What does that mean?”
“Well, most of the farmers in Emporikos can’t read at all. But somehow, you seem to know a bit of Dasosan, even if it isn’t much. And you showed at least some indication that you could read those texts, or at least the maps.”
He shook his head. “I used to know someone in my home village who was Acredo. His family held strong to their Dasosan half. Over time, you can start to pick up on some things. Of course, they spoke a northern dialect; it was nothing like what I’ve heard since I arrived here.”
She politely sipped her stew. “How did you learn to read?”
He chuckled to himself. “If you mean Dasosan, or languages similar to that, it comes from a friend of mine, Decimus. He would sometimes show me things from his travels.” He closed his eyes for a moment, holding back the painful memories. “He was a good friend.”
“He taught you how to read Dasosan?”
He nodded. “Decimus showed me a few things. What I learned was enough that I could interpret a few bits and pieces, but never enough to make me claim that I could read Dasosan.” He took several big gulps of stew.
“One thing that you do have in common with the farmers is how you eat.”
He smirked. “I don’t eat with that much gusto all the time. I’m just really hungry.”
She took another sip of her stew. “May I ask what specifically Cicero sent you on a mission for? I know you said something about research and Chaodites, but I just keep thinking back to what you told the Arch-Mystic; the Chaodites stole something… What exactly did they steal?”
He gulped down the last of his stew. “You’re quite interested in this. If it helps you sleep tonight: they stole a person. I don’t wish to say anything further on it right now.” He got up, and went under the shelter to pray.
She hurried to finish her stew, and followed him. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I just —”
He halted his prayers for a moment. “You weren’t. I just need some time to myself to pray.”
Tullius walked into the court of the Duke of Praelia, with a mix of excitement and sadness taking turns at filling his thoughts. Every honor he earned felt hollow, but he knew that something was missing; someone was missing. He knelt before the duke, and bowed his head. “You sent for me?”
Duke Ignatius stood up from his seat. “I did.” He walked over to Tullius. “I heard about what happened at Agros. What you did is worthy of the highest praise, young Tullius.”
Tullius lifted his head. “What did you hear?”
“You and Marquis Pontius bravely led your respective men into battle, and drove out the marauding band of Insidiators that fell upon it. And when confronted with your childhood friend leading the attack, you showed no hesitation in taking him down. You should feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. Seldom is it that a village holds its own against the Insidiators; even more rare is a village that can drive them out.”
“I only did what I had to do.”
Ignatius chuckled and smiled with great satisfaction. “I admire your humility. Moreover, I admire your bravery and dedication to upholding Lucium’s law.” He took a ceremonial sword from one of his servants, and unsheathed it. “And for your service within the lands of House Praelia, I hereby bestow you with the title of knight.” He took the sword, as he spoke those words, and lowered it on either side of Tullius’s head. “I must also ask of you one more thing.”
“Whatever you need, my liege.”
“Unfortunately, many of the Insidiators managed to escape in the chaos that ensued during the battle. I would like for you to hunt and destroy the remaining brigands that have dug into my lands. I will give you any resources you need: men, horses, weapons, or anything else.”
“Of course. Anyone who threatens the peace in Lucium can not be allowed to remain. You need not worry; they will be dealt with swiftly.”
Ignatius nodded. “Then I shall leave you to it. You are dismissed, Sir Tullius.”