Rose stayed behind to tidy up, ushering us out and excitedly gushing about how much I was going to love the city.
Now that I was registered and officially had access to the underground city, Cove offered to take me on a tour, explaining the different facilities and what I had access to. The key provided access to the elevators and the portals, and certain other government buildings, such as the registration office and the portals, used both keys and registration tags in tandem to allow entry.
My registration tag alone would grant me access to other buildings, though Cove explained it wouldn’t take effect until Monday. “Most people are done working for the week, though, and the system has to be updated manually on the government side, so you won’t have access until Monday morning. The tags are imprinted with your magic. The data from the test is used to key your tag into different buildings, like an access card. Unlike an access card, you don’t have to take your tag out and hold it in front of a scanner or anything–the doors will open as soon as you step close enough.”
A pleasant breeze brushed the hair from my face as we walked through the streets. Cove pointed out various features and landmarks of the government sector. “Except for our public gardens and parks, we try to keep like clustered with like. For convenience's sake, all our government buildings are clustered together in the center. Past the government buildings, you have publicly funded places such as schools, libraries, and training grounds. Then there are private businesses, followed by the residential areas.
“Our parks and gardens, meanwhile, are spread throughout the city. The largest is the Babylon Garden growing on the city's outer wall. As you might have guessed, it was partially inspired by the city of Babylon. A river babbles-on through the garden's center, used for peaceful boat rides.” The pun was so smooth and unexpected that I didn’t catch it at first. When it finally registered, I stopped in my tracks and leveled Cove with an unimpressed look. His lips swung up in a satisfied smirk, and he continued explaining. “There are additional parks through the tunnels on the outer edge.”
We strode past the jail, the justice center, and a couple more buildings before Cove stopped before a four-story building with a domed roof, the entrance guarded by columns. “This is our police station and is where my father and I work, though we both have other duties as well.” He chewed on his lip before elaborating. “Some things happened a while ago, and my father ended up being forced to take over and become both the Mayor and the police chief. I was actually intending to visit him…”
“Ani and l will wait out here.” I offered.
With a side glance, he said, “Actually, it’s probably better if you come with.”
And with that, we headed in, Cove unlocking and swinging open the massive stone doors for our entry. A dull murmur of noise and life struck my ears as we walked in, my shoes landing on a cheap carpet.
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“It helps with the noise,” Cove explained.
Unlike the registration office, a few people were milling about here and there, going about their usual business. Most wore a black police uniform, much like the world above. The police badge sat proudly on their chests, adorned with a single, undecorated circle. Their tags hung openly around their neck or off their uniform; each person’s clearly visible. Some other people in off-white robes hovered around, chatting with the officers.
Cove led me past the bustling cubicles, down another padded hallway, and past open doors into a large office. The office furniture mainly consisted of stone creations, with a massive table in the front of the room and a stone desk in front of the shelf-lined far wall.
Behind the desk, sitting on an oversized, comfortable-looking black leather chair, was a fit, young-looking man. His blonde hair was cut short, and his eyes were a deep ocean blue matching Cove’s own. Unlike the other law enforcement officers, he wore no uniform, instead preferring to let pure white robes drape over his frame. Like the law enforcement officers, however, his tag hung over his outfit, settling in the nape of his neck.
As we walked in, Cove’s father slammed the journal he was writing in shut, pushing it off to the side. “You’re late,” he stated, looking up. I met his cool eyes briefly before his gaze moved past me to land on Cove. “And who is this?”
Cove moved further into the room, indicating for me to follow. “‘This’ is the reason I was late.”I stepped up next to Cove in front of the man’s desk, letting him give me a second lookover.
Cove said, “His name’s Hayden; I found him wandering the streets of Chicago. He was the one I encountered in Heirs.” A spark of interest flared on his father’s face, and he leaned forward curiously on the desk.
He reached his right hand out, palm up, in my direction. “May I see your registration?”
After a quick check with Cove for reassurance, I removed the coin from my wallet and placed it carefully into his hand. His fingers trailed over the etched information. His voice filled with wonder; he said, “With magic levels like these, even with his specialization, he shouldn’t have had enough power to end up there.”
Cove nodded emphatically. “Exactly. Do you think she–”
“Perhaps.” Abruptly, Cove’s father stopped his ministrations, offering my registration back to me. Feeling exposed, I took it gladly, tucking it back away. When I looked back up, the cold look was gone. He gave me a warm and friendly smile as he turned his palm to the side. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hayden. I’m Jacob Doyle, the head of Law Enforcement down here. You can call me Jacob.”
I shook his hand, matching his firm grip with one of my own. “Nice to meet you.”
“Have you had any contact with a mage before this, Hayden?” It was a similar question to one Cove had asked earlier.
“Not here. I met a few in Heirs, though.”
“Well, I’m sure Cove here has been doing a splendid job introducing you to our world.”
Politely, I said, “He’s been informative.”
“I’m glad.”
Pleasantries out of the way, Jacob went into full business mode. “Why don’t you two pull up a chair.”
We each grabbed one of the comfortable office chairs from the table behind us, rolling them up to Jacob’s desk and settling into the cold leather. Ani leaped into my lap, then stood on his hind legs to place his front paws on Jacob’s desk, overseeing the area.
Jacob continued to look at me intently as if he could discover everything about me through his eyes alone. It made me nervous, and I found myself fumbling with my earring.