nice as this.”
Reuben smiled. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Before Omar left he handed Myles a book. “It’s a journal. Please write in it.”
Myles immediately wrote in the information about the Raphad. “Sure, Doc. No problem. It might help me to remember all the info that I’m being bombarded with.”
“Please be careful, Myles. I’ll hurry back as soon as I can.” Omar climbed into the glass cage. Reuben threw the rope attached to the cage up to the exterior of the bubble and an ’Am Mayim female caught the rope and began swimming upward with it.
It wasn’t long before Omar reached the surface and one of the ’Am Mayim gave him directions to city hall. He walked back down the alley they’d entered through and turned left, heading down the street toward the fountain. As he passed by the fountain and the café on his left, he thought about how their grand introduction to this world had taken place. It wasn’t how Omar had envisioned it, but Myles had definitely won them an initial acceptance. He smiled for a moment as he thought about how Myles had told him he knew how to work a crowd and that they might even get a hero’s welcome. But attacking the Kalat wasn’t how either of them had pictured it.
The city hall was the second building on the right after the fountain, so it was easy to find. As he approached, Omar looked up at the three-story building and saw steps leading up to the entrance and several columns that stood about 23 feet tall on either side in front of the entrance . Omar entered between the columns and through the arched doorway. In a grand lobby, twenty statues stood around the hall; seven to his left and thirteen to his right. One of the seven statues to his left was Ischus. All were from different species. But all the thirteen statues on his right were human, and each one had an eight-digit tattoo on the left arm.
Ischus approached Omar. “Ah yes, the elders. We do miss them. They helped us to gain vision and direction. Then one day they found a way out of the maze and left the rest of us behind. I see that you got your friend to a safe place. I think that Sebastian chose well with the ’Am Mayim. He’ll be well taken care of by them and he’ll be safe.”
Omar inquired, “Was it a Nepsah or a Haspen that followed us there?”
Ischus’ face turned sour. “The Council of Seven would never employ the services of a Haspen. After all, we wouldn’t want anyone to be poisoned or pickpocketed. We just needed to know that you were not going too far. However, you did and now not even I could reach your friend Myles. We weren’t aware that there was a passage to Takeleth within our own city. I’m hoping that you will provide me with enough information about what happened to the Kalat, so I won’t need to challenge King Kludon Thalassa. Takeleth is his Barony, you see. Come, sit with me and have some tea. We’ll talk.”
Omar followed Ischus to a magnificent library with several tables and chairs in the middle of the room. Once Omar was seated, Ischus strategically sat down across from him. They exchanged light conversation as a Gabad servant came over to the table, set down two cups and saucers, and poured their tea. Once the servant had left the room, however, Ischus began to talk again while Omar sipped the tea.
Noticing how marvelous it tasted, his thoughts drifted to where all of their supplies came from. Where would one get tea or real food in a world made of brick tunnels? Or was there more to this world that he had yet to see? He was counting on that being the case.
Ischus broke through Omar’s abstraction. “Omar, I need to ask you a few prying questions.”
“Please, ask away.” Omar braced himself to reveal as little as possible.
Ischus smiled. “I’ve noticed several things which have brought me to a startling conclusion. You’re not from Musterion or Soterion, are you? First, one can always tell the look of a person who doesn’t know where they
Reuben smiled. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Before Omar left he handed Myles a book. “It’s a journal. Please write in it.”
Myles immediately wrote in the information about the Raphad. “Sure, Doc. No problem. It might help me to remember all the info that I’m being bombarded with.”
“Please be careful, Myles. I’ll hurry back as soon as I can.” Omar climbed into the glass cage. Reuben threw the rope attached to the cage up to the exterior of the bubble and an ’Am Mayim female caught the rope and began swimming upward with it.
It wasn’t long before Omar reached the surface and one of the ’Am Mayim gave him directions to city hall. He walked back down the alley they’d entered through and turned left, heading down the street toward the fountain. As he passed by the fountain and the café on his left, he thought about how their grand introduction to this world had taken place. It wasn’t how Omar had envisioned it, but Myles had definitely won them an initial acceptance. He smiled for a moment as he thought about how Myles had told him he knew how to work a crowd and that they might even get a hero’s welcome. But attacking the Kalat wasn’t how either of them had pictured it.
The city hall was the second building on the right after the fountain, so it was easy to find. As he approached, Omar looked up at the three-story building and saw steps leading up to the entrance and several columns that stood about 23 feet tall on either side in front of the entrance . Omar entered between the columns and through the arched doorway. In a grand lobby, twenty statues stood around the hall; seven to his left and thirteen to his right. One of the seven statues to his left was Ischus. All were from different species. But all the thirteen statues on his right were human, and each one had an eight-digit tattoo on the left arm.
Ischus approached Omar. “Ah yes, the elders. We do miss them. They helped us to gain vision and direction. Then one day they found a way out of the maze and left the rest of us behind. I see that you got your friend to a safe place. I think that Sebastian chose well with the ’Am Mayim. He’ll be well taken care of by them and he’ll be safe.”
Omar inquired, “Was it a Nepsah or a Haspen that followed us there?”
Ischus’ face turned sour. “The Council of Seven would never employ the services of a Haspen. After all, we wouldn’t want anyone to be poisoned or pickpocketed. We just needed to know that you were not going too far. However, you did and now not even I could reach your friend Myles. We weren’t aware that there was a passage to Takeleth within our own city. I’m hoping that you will provide me with enough information about what happened to the Kalat, so I won’t need to challenge King Kludon Thalassa. Takeleth is his Barony, you see. Come, sit with me and have some tea. We’ll talk.”
Omar followed Ischus to a magnificent library with several tables and chairs in the middle of the room. Once Omar was seated, Ischus strategically sat down across from him. They exchanged light conversation as a Gabad servant came over to the table, set down two cups and saucers, and poured their tea. Once the servant had left the room, however, Ischus began to talk again while Omar sipped the tea.
Noticing how marvelous it tasted, his thoughts drifted to where all of their supplies came from. Where would one get tea or real food in a world made of brick tunnels? Or was there more to this world that he had yet to see? He was counting on that being the case.
Ischus broke through Omar’s abstraction. “Omar, I need to ask you a few prying questions.”
“Please, ask away.” Omar braced himself to reveal as little as possible.
Ischus smiled. “I’ve noticed several things which have brought me to a startling conclusion. You’re not from Musterion or Soterion, are you? First, one can always tell the look of a person who doesn’t know where they
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