The house itself was a simple two-story home made of brick, with a small courtyard in front, and brick steps that led up to lilac double doors. Inside, the entryway was also simple, merely a place to take off ones shoes, jackets, and hats. To the left were some couches, with a kitchen and table further back, and to the right a closed door. In front were stairs with uneven steps.
“Did ye find 'em?” Once inside, a woman came into view. She had thick brownish-black wavy hair with bangs that seemed to be cut too short. Her hands were held up and full of soap and water dripping down her elbows. “Oh! Wouldja look at that! I’m Aria, Miguel’s wife. Pleased to meet ya. I’d shake yer hand but, ya know. Soap.” She chuckled at her own joke.
Miguel kissed her on the cheek. “I’m going to show them to their rooms, and give them a little tour. Can you heat up some of those leftovers?”
“Way ahead of ya, dearie. It’s already warmin’ up.”
‘“I love it when you read my mind. Follow me, lads.” Ambassador Miguel led the way upstairs. The floorboard creaked as they stepped over them “I’m afraid I have only one bed to spare. Not a lot of visitors, you see."
Yarro couldn’t help but smirk. “One bed shouldn’t be a problem, don’t worry,” Kael said. Up the stairs, there was one bedroom on each side with the hallway in the center.
“Your room will be on the left.” The Ambassador opened the heavy wooden door. Inside was a plain room, with a 2 person bed centered over a rug, 2 wardrobes, and a chair. The mirror hanging next to it was old and morphed. The window was on the left wall, with a thin white sheet covering it. Rather plain, but Yarro didn’t mind.
“Thank you, Ambassador Miguel. We’re in your debt for rescuing us from that prison.”
“No, the honor is mine, for what is the greatest honor than assisting a Demideity on their mission?” He slightly bowed his head. “Anyways, I’ll go get some spare clothes and toiletries while you two get settled in? My wife will bring up the food when it’s ready. The bathroom is downstairs on your right.”
The second the door closed, Yarro collapsed on the bed. “Finally! A comfy bed!” A sigh of relief escaped his lips. Every bone in his body ached for a place to sleep that wasn’t the dirt or a wooden bench.
Kael lied down next to him with a loud groan as well. “Better than the jail cell floor at least, but I wouldn’t exactly call this comfy.”
Yarro chuckled. “The bed is a bit stiff, I’ll give you that. But we finally made it to Obraria. We’re finally safe.”
“I can’t help but wonder if that's what happened to the spies Queen Illa sent...”
“They definitely would have been killed. You saw how quickly they stopped once they saw me redirect that water after using fire?”
“Maybe they thought you were one of those powerful Demideities and figured they couldn’t take you down?”
“My reputation precedes me, then.”
“Oh yeah?”
“What do you mean by that, huh?” Yarro reached out and tickled Kael. The man crumpled up instantly and laughed. His feet kicked up and he tried to push Yarro away from him. Yarro insisted on continuing to tickle in, and managed to mount the other to combat the resistance he was getting.
In the chaos, one of Kael’s kicks knocked Yarro forward. The man had to catch himself to prevent a headbutt, and the tickling stopped. Kael had a chance to catch his breath as their eyes locked. They moved a few centimeters closer. Kael smiled and ran his fingers through Yarro’s braids then gently pulled him into a gentle peck. Then another. And another. Then a full kiss.
Kael stopped, out of breath and his face flushed. “ How about this,” he began with a low voice, “we explore around tomorrow, and see if we can find a nice quiet place?”
“In public?” Yarro bit his lip. They were on a mission to find a kidnapped girl. They were not on a honeymoon. But on the other hand it sounded like a bit of fun and he has been wanting this for a while. Eventually he gave in with a small nod, and gave the other a peck on the lips. Finally he got off the other. “I’ll wash up first.”
To Yarro's surprise, the entire house had indoor plumbing. The water was cold, unlike the hot public baths back home. It would have to do, though. The food came a bit later, and they both wolfed it down. At this point, anything would have tasted better than the prison food they were sharing. After dinner they were left to their own devices, but they were both too tired to do anything and immediately fell asleep.
The duo left the house rather late in the morning. Now in daylight, they could see the courtyard out in front clearly. It had lots of foliage, with various vegetables, fruits, and herbs. “Ah, you two are finally awake. I hope you slept well?” Ambassador Miguel rounded the corner. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. “Let me introduce you to Lwain. He is a local and has agreed to be your guide.”
The duo looked at each other, then back at Ambassador Miguel. “Guide?” Lwain arced an open palm in front of his chest as a greeting. “Warm greetings, Demideity. I am not familiar with your language, so I please ask you be kind in any errors I make.” The man had an incredibly thick accent that made it hard to understand him. He spoke like it was all one word and many of the words they did hear had some other unrelated sound along with it.
Yarro nodded along as best he could. “You’re doing fine. I’m Yarro, and this is Kael. Pleased to meet you.” So much for finding a quiet place. Now they had to entertain a guide. A quick glance at Kael showed he also found this an unpleasant turn of events.
“So, where would you like to go in the first place? The festival is almost over, I am highly recommending it before it’s all packed up and done.”
“Ah, sorry. These two are actually looking for a kid that was kidnapped in their home city and was taken over country borders.” Ambassador Miguel interjected.
“Yes, she has bronze skin and black, shoulder length hair split down the middle. I think around 7 or 8 years old,” Yarro said.
Lwain thought for a moment. “There are lots of little girls here that look like how you describe. I am afraid you will have to be more, uh, zpefic.”
They all glanced at each other, unsure. This would be harder than they thought. Of course it could be any little girl with that basic description. “What about the festival?” Yarro asked.
“What about it?”
“Would your guards be there? Or kids?”
“Well I am not knowing what this ‘guard’ is, but everybody will be at this festival, especially last day. Special occasion. It may be sad times, but there is still plenty of special food and toys to purchase.”
“And the Emperor will be there, correct?” Ambassador Miguel asked.
“It is last day, he is obligated to release the souls."
“Let’s go then, please.” Yarro said as he headed towards the exit.
The area for the festival was already set up by the time they arrived. True to his word, plenty of kids ran around screaming and playing with their new toys. Families and couples were eating and enjoying the wares that vendors had set up. Yarro noticed there were lots of animal imagery in the decorations, like bears, deer, and plenty of birds. “Why animals?” Yarro asked.
“What else would we use? These animals are all around us. Have you eaten yet? Tradition for this festival is Cavl. Breaded and fried, an assortment of many berries. Follow.” Lwain led them through a maze of stalls until they found one selling the food as described by him. There were strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and even a few berries he was unfamiliar with. He didn't know what to choose. “Most just order some with all flavors, no worries.”
Yarro nodded. They hadn't had breakfast yet, so they were quite hungry. Lwain and the vendor spoke in their native language and a few minutes later out came a few bowls of mixed breaded berries. It was an explosion in his mouth. The crunchy fried batter covered the sweet, juicy fruit that burst when he bit it in half. Some had more batter than others while others had an abnormally large fruit in the center.
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“Mmmm! This is so sweet! It’s traditional?” Kael said with a mouth full of berries. Yarro could see the man’s tongue was stained purple already.
“Yes, though it is mostly for festivals, and other special occasions. Not every day food.” Lwain popped a berry in his mouth.
Nearby, two guards stood in front of a vendor stall and were shouting rather loudly. They were slowly drawing the attention of the crowd as more and more stopped to watch. Yarro pointed them out and asked for a translation.
“You know the rules. Hand them over and come with us.” Lwain had translated quietly. The stall had many different devices made of metals and glass, with many buttons or levers. Some dipped and bobbed while others twirled. Some even glowed.
“I got this tech fair and square! I even have a permit! You can’t take this from me,” The vendor replied. People were staring now. The crowd around them had become silent now. The two guards wore treated wooden armor. One had a waterskin hanging on his hip, the other weaponless. Possibly air, or earth? The vendor stood tall and proud, his arms crossed.
“So that’s how you want to play it, huh?” The one without a weapon punched, though it never connected. The vendor was sent flying back and crashed into a stall behind him. As the vendor tried to stand up, the other guard used the water from the waterskin to immerse the metal devices and destroy them. The vendor growled and threw himself forward with the momentum he used to stand. Out from his hands came a stream of fire. It was at this point people screamed and scattered.
The air guard dodged by jumping through the stall and rolling into a crouched position. The water guard behind him caught the fire and with a wave of his element it evaporated into smoke and mist. The vendor threw a fire ball, which was also caught. This time the air guard pumped a current into the vendor’s chest and knocked the wind out of him. The vendor stumbled back a bit as he coughed.
Before the vendor had a chance to breathe, water was wrapped around his head. Bubbles escaped his lips in surprise. After a moment of attempting to fight back, he raised his hands in defeat and fell to his knees. The water retreated back into the waterskin and the fight was over in less than 30 seconds.
Upon realizing they had a few spectators, the guards shooed the group away. Once they were all a safe enough distance from the guards, Yarro spoke up. “What was that about? Why’d they fight a harmless vendor?”
“Tech like his is forbidden. The Deities hate such things that harm our land.” Lwain motioned to all around them. “The trees, the mountains, the water. All of nature must be protected, lest we feel their wrath. It is etched into all our temples since the beginning of times.” He nodded to himself, clearly proud of his explanation.
“We don’t have that belief in Listhua,” Kael said as he narrowed his eyes.
Lwain’s own eyes widened. His mouth dropped like he just said the most horrible curse. “Your Queen hides the deities’ wishes from her people? No wonder They were upset.”
“How do you know they’re upset?” Yarro asked.
“If you listen, you can hear it. Feel it. Sense it. Nature talks, just as you or I.”
“Maybe that’s why they sent Master Elementals after us. It was the only way the Queen would listen if she had been ignoring everything else,” Kael said with a hand to his chin as he thought.
“Master Elementals? They awakened?” Lwain looked ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
“Don’t worry, Yarro already put them back to sleep.”
The guide looked to Yarro, completely bewildered. “Interesting,” was all he said.
Over the course of the day, the trio had split up and explored the area of the festival. Ambassador Miguel chatted with a few different people, trying to find information on the Emperor or Seila. With Lwains help, the duo tried asking the guards and other locals about Seila. Predictably, no one knew anything. They never spotted the Lord Chancellor. He must have been too busy with other work to be here.
The sun went below the tree line and the city became enveloped in shadow. What was once the humid sun beating down on their necks turned to a cold wind that made them shiver. The street lanterns came out and were lit.
“Emperor Sopros will be speaking soon. Follow me.” Near the center of the festival grounds, a stage had been set up. A copper cylinder sat in the center, as tall as a human, and green from age. From what Yarro could see, it was engraved in geometric shapes and lines in a repeating pattern. Different from the usual animal print seen around the city. It must have been ancient. “That is the soul container,” Lwain said.
“Looks rather small for all the souls for a year…” Kael mumbled.
“We follow the Deities’ teachings, and heed their warnings. Therefore, we are blessed.”
“If only our Queen was just as religious. I bet the dwindling elementalists are connected to that as well. Tell me, Lwain: How often is someone born without the ability to control an element?”
“Never.”
The duo snapped their heads to look at him. “Never?” they repeated incredulously.
“Never. Like I said, we follow the Deities’ teachings and blessings. To listen to nature and preserve it. Are there people in your country who cannot use an element?”
“To the point where it’s becoming a problem,” Yarro said with a nod.
A hush came over the crowd that had gathered. Footsteps echoed against the stone stage, and Emperor Sopros came into view. Yarro could make out his tanned skin and black hair half tied in a bun, then flowed straight down to his lower back. He had a mask of a deer covering his face and antlers that looked too heavy for his head to hold up. A wooden mantle covered his torso, and wooden arm guards decorated with vines and tufts of fur. He began what sounded like a rehearsed speech.
Lwain began to silently summarize. “He is thanking us for coming to the last day of the festival. And making a point about life being short so we must live for those who couldn’t?”
That didn’t sound right and even Lwain didn’t sound too convinced either. He must have gone off script. The Emperor moved to the copper cylinder and touched it gently. He bowed his head and spoke again. “He says… he’s saying our prayer for the dead now. Bow your head.” He did as he was told, as did Kael. Through glancing eyes, Yarro noticed the rest of the crowd had also bowed their heads. Lwain didn’t translate this part.
As the prayer finished, Emperor Sopros removed his hand and bowed to the cylinder. He opened the top, and bowed completely to the ground, until his forehead touched the stage floor. Nothing came out of the cylinder that Yarro could see. All was quiet while they presumably waited for the souls to leave. The Emperor turned to the crowd and said the prayer again. After he was done, he placed his hand once again on the cylinder and spoke.
“He said the souls have left,” Lwain said.
“How can he tell?” Yarro asked.
“He is the Emperor. The Emperor is in tune with all, of course. Emperor Sopros is also naturally gifted, even in such matters of souls and living beings. He can even tell when dangerous animals are close.” Which explained the lack of walls, despite living in the middle of the jungle. It all made sense now.
Applause rippled across the crowd. They turned to the stage to see the Emperor had began to do a dance. “This is a traditional dance, made for the departed. Our last gift to them. Only the Emperor must do this, as he is the one, since he is the one most missing them.”
Yarro was mesmerized. The motions were fluid, and well blended together. It was mostly slow, mixed in with a few sudden yanks of his limbs. Each pose a new meaning. There were no props, or interacting with his environment. At the end was one large, sweeping motion from the cylinder to the sky.
Another round of applause erupted from the crowd snapped Yarro out of it, and he took a bow. Ambassador Miguel was already over to the stage stairs where he would exit, attempting to yell over the crown in the Obrarian language to him. All Yarro could make out was Rylin and Seila. Kael ushered the group closer and tried to maneuver their way through the dispersing crowd.
The Ambassador and Emperor Sopros chatted for a few brief minutes. He pointed towards the group and the Emperor glanced their way, then back to the Ambassador. He made a “follow me” motion and left behind the stage. It was covered by green curtains embroidered in red, which he pulled away to reveal a seated area, sunk into the ground. A man waited there, half naked and spread across the seats. Upon realization there would be guests, he gasped and sat up. Emperor Sopros spoke some words and the man left behind another curtain.
“Sit,” Emperor Sopros said, and motioned to the seats across from him.
“You speak our language?” Yarro asked.
“Of course. I would be a poor Emperor if I could not speak the language of my neighbors.” The accent seemed similar to Lwain, except more refined.
“Even if that neighbor is accusing you of kidnapping a child?” Kael said. Yarro nudged him hard.
“Especially so. As I was telling your Ambassador here, I have no such knowledge of such horrendous activities,” Emperor Sopros said. As he spoke, the man from before came in with a tray of drinks. Simple green tea. “I have not ordered my generals to devise such a plan, nor my spies to commit such an action. Not to mention, my citizens would have rioted against me if I were to even think of suggesting something so abhorrent.”
“You’re so open, mentioning spies and their values.” Kael eyed the Emperor suspiciously. It was a likely story. The duo were of one mind in this.
“Of course. Not only do I want you to trust in my lack of knowledge of Seila, I firmly believe kidnapping a child is something psychopaths would do. Now, tell me more about this child.”
“Seila is about 7 years old. Long black hair and tan skin—like yours, I suppose. She is the daughter of our Secretary of State,” Ambassador Miguel said.
“And this Secretary of State. What kind of position is it?”
Ambassador Miguel paused for a moment, and spoke his next words carefully. “It is a highly respected position. One that has a direct line of communication and influence with Queen Illa.”
“Hmm. I heard Queen Illa keeps a small team around her. The Secretary of State doesn’t sound as influential as the General, or Economist I heard is with her. So I don’t see why we would take his child.”
“We have a letter,” Yarro interrupted. All eyes turned to him as he pulled out a paper, folded multiple times and water stained. The Emperor carefully read over the letter before handing it to the man who had the drinks. They whispered to each other for a moment.
“Descre said he doesn’t recognize this handwriting. May I keep this for a bit?” Yarro nodded. “How about this—Since this is a terrible place to have this conversation, I invite you all to my palace tonight. And I will ask around to see who went behind my back to order this. Maybe even get started on sending out a search for Seila. Come. Follow me.”
Just as quick as they had sat, Emperor Sopros stood from his seat and led the way out. Things were moving at such a fast pace that Yarro had trouble keeping up.