Watch & Sword: The Watch-Hand Stops

"It is easy to tell where one is whilst traveling the length of the capitol; each area has its own distinct feeling. From Coal City, to the docks, the slums, the Market, the Garden, even the through vast in-between where the commoners live... every place is unique unto itself."

---- from a farmer coming to Avindr to sell his harvest for the season

The sun cast out it's morning rays across the sleeping land, the light coming over the western steam stacks of Coal City. Alexandra's eyes opened with the whine of the machinery starting up for the day, reluctantly coming to life with the new day as the factories began their daily toil. She blinked groggily, sitting up and rubbing her arms to get warm. Her breath hung in the air for a few moments before disappearing. The others were still soundly asleep, they had after all only gone to bed a few hours ago. Zooey's eyes were twitching; Alexandra stifled a giggle, she imagined Zooey was probably imagining a great fight that she was winning. She stood as quietly as possible, gently setting her blanket back down so as to not wake her friends.

She was going alone.

An Oonskat traveling into the upper class zones of the city was dangerous enough, but actually going to the Watchers, that was possible suicide. Since the Oonskat were of such a low stature in society, injustice done against them was basically unseen by the rest of the populous. It would not be unheard of, if while on the way, Alexandra simply disappeared. It was entirely possible that the guards would beat her, throw her out, possibly even kill her without anyone saying a word. Going across the city was risky business and she did not want to put her friends in harm's way for her personal quest.

Despite the risks, she had to know about her father, it was tearing her up inside not knowing. It had always bothered her but she had written it off as a mystery never to be solved. Now, there were new developments and her perspective was different suddenly. Now she had to know, now the unsolvable mystery was all that she could think about, occupying her every waking thought.

Her feet hurt against the cold stone underneath them, and it would be still be a long day. Tip-toeing over the sleeping forms of her friends, she made her way gingerly to the door and untied the string holding the flap of moldy fabric over it. She pushed it aside and stepped out into the even-colder morning air. Re-tying the door as best she could, she turned and faced the city, the sun flooding the street with its harsh morning light. A cold light, the warmth of the sun seemed to skip the slums every morning, providing only the light without the hope a brand new day usually brings.

Alexandra stood for a moment alone in the street, getting her bearings. She knew her way around the slums with her eyes closed, but outside of those slums and the Market District she was lost. She had no plan to get to the Watchers. The Base Law that the rest of the nation's laws were based on stated that she could see the Watchers to verify a claim, that was her right as was anyone's, Oonskat or not. The real question was whether the soldiers would let her get that far. No law existed that kept her out, but no law existed that kept her safe either. Picking a direction that seemed right, Alexandra set off down the street, signs of life beginning to appear in the slums as everyone else awoke for another hellish day.

The upper-class districts of Avindr were a place of opulent luxury, rarely seen by the commoners and never seen by the Oonskat. These wealthier districts in the western portion of the capitol, referred to as the Garden by the commoners, was broken up into several distinct areas. The wealthiest of commoner merchants had houses on the periphery, their wealth allowing them access to exclusive portion of the city. Most Noble Houses had estates in this area, luxurious gated palaces inside the city to stay at when they were in town for business, a meeting of the Landskyp, or to simply maintain their image of splendor to anyone who looked their way.

The estates were old buildings, surrounded by sturdy walls of stone, heavy gates blocking access. These estates usually had some small area of grass and trees surrounding them, creating shade and blocking the Nobles from the view of the public. Surrounded by the other buildings and structures of the capitol, the Noble's estates were islands of tranquility and comfort among the hustle and bustle of city life.

In the center of this conglomeration of luxury and wealth sat the Watchers. The Watchers resided and conducted affairs in a large walled complex that also held the Landskyp at its bottom floor. The walls were of a bright metal with a golden sheen, the popular old wives tale with the commoners was that the building actually was made out of gold, though no one from the upper-classes would confirm or deny that fact. Towers shot up from the roofs, stained-glass windows hiding the halls within. Trees and other selective shrubbery lined the outside, the golds and greens mixing in the most pleasant of ways.

The room that the Landskyp was held in was on the ground-level of the imposingly beautiful building, the only area that anyone ever truly saw. The rest of the large complex was believed to be residences and studies, but no one except the Watchers knew for sure, for no one but they were allowed past the ground floor. It was an oddly-shaped building, it seemed to curve around and become taller and lower in certain areas. Since no nearby building was tall enough to get an aerial view of the building, the exact shape was hard to determine, and what might be contained inside was even more of an impossible guess. There was a small contingent of guards stationed on the outside, specially-selected soldiers culled one from each House so that the entire nobility was represented. This was an honor duty, no actual work was ever required. No one except the representatives attending the Landskyp ever approached the building, and the Watchers were never seen outside its walls. Commoners never ventured that far into the area, and Oonskat never got past the soldiers stationed at the gates to the district. There was no law that implicitly stated that the commoners or even the Oonskat could not be there, but the unwritten social taboos kept them out.

A short distance away from the Landskyp building where the Watchers did their mysterious work and studies, just a little further north in the Garden, was another building that was equally shrouded in mystery. This was the structure that held the Winnowing Chamber, the room for verifying Family Names, a large circular building separated by a long narrow stretch that at its end connected with another large rectangular building. This entire complex was at least four stories tall, and that was only above the ground. The tales told that underneath the circular portion of the building, the Winnowing Chamber, were vast underground caves that held impossible machines and secrets from Prydain's past that only the Watchers knew. Just as the Watcher's main complex, this building too was golden to the eye, surrounded by old trees and green growth. Ivy wound up all along the walls and over the ancient roof; stained glass windows here as well obstructing any view from the outside. Two soldiers stood outside to prevent entry to anyone except the Nobles, Watchers, and someone coming to be verified.

Alexandra took her first tentative steps down the street of the slums, a long road that eventually would pass through the districts of the commoners and the shops, eventually all the way to the gates of the Garden. She was anxious: today she might actually have some answers about her father. Answers to why he had let the bad things happen to her and her mother, why he was never there, and why she had a life without him. There was the distinct possibility however that she would not even make to see the Watchers, not even be able to get in the Garden. No Oonskat had been inside the Garden for years or maybe decades, possibly even the last century or so. She was impatient for the answers, but she was also afraid.

"What if he wasn't there because he didn't love me."

Those thoughts beat at her brain, unrelenting waves washing over each other.

Fear gripped her: not fear of being denied entrance to the Garden, not fear of the beating she may receive for trying, but fear of why she was alone. She also of course had a healthy fear of the soldiers as they might beat her or kill her. Despite that, she brushed those concerns aside, finding out what the pendant her father gave her was the most important thing. She had to know or else the questions would haunt her forever.

At best maybe the Watchers could tell her who her father was, why he gave such an expensive thing to an infant, and then she could discover where he was, if he was even alive. At worst the Watchers would say it is nothing but a child's trinket and eject her from the Garden and back to her purposeless life.

She held the pendant tightly as she walked, as if she let go it would fall away and vanish forever. It had always been her most treasured possession, but now it truly was the key to her past. It maybe held the answers to where she came from, and how she got where she was now. Her steps became hurried, almost tripping over a rock in the street. She had to get the Garden, she had to get to the Watchers. Everything depended on her pendant being shown to the enigmatic and impossible to reach those guardians of secrets.

If she could not get in, she did not know what she would do. Would she try to fight?

The soldiers would kill her in minutes.

Could she sneak into the Garden? Maybe, but she would surely be seen and thrown out, and then possibly killed still. She had no disguise, the rags she wore as clothes betrayed her as an Oonskat. Could she steal a disguise? No, she never stole anything, her mother taught her that stealing was wrong, even for the spit-upon such as they. Just because others looked down on them did not mean that the moral codes ignored by others did not apply to them as well. Just because others hurt them and wronged them, her mother taught her that those facts did not lessen who they were, they had to still be respectable in their way or else those that looked down on them would be right.

Left with no disguise and no plan, Alexandra's feet propelled her towards the Garden, her need to shed light on her past firing her onward despite the fear. The street like a great river stretched out before her, her destination so far away that it was still unseen in the distance. It was a long way across Avindr to the Garden from the slums.

POP!

The small pebble struck the ground in front of Alexandra causing her to come to a stumbling stop. Breath ragged, she had been running for quite a ways and had not realize it. Whipping her head around she looked for the source of the stone that had been forcibly thrown in her path. It now dawned on her that she did not have a weapon of any kind, nothing to defend herself with. She braced her foot on the ground and shook her hands.

"You!" a voice echoed the air, probably from the same source of the rock, "didn't you hear? There's a toll for going this way."

"Who's there?" Alexandra shot her gaze around the street, shadows moved from behind barrels and boxes on all sides.

Suddenly a large boy around Alexandra's age jumped out from behind a box, a long piece of wood gripped tightly in his hand, "you gotta pay the toll. This is our street."

Others came into view and Alexandra realized she had walked straight into a trap. Gangs taking over portions of roads and demanding money to pass was not uncommon in the slums, it was quite normal actually. The residents of the slums who had lived there long could usually avoid these pitfalls but Alexandra had been moving quickly and not watching where she was going. The lack of other people on the road, even at this early hour, was a give-away that there was something wrong. An abnormal amount the boxes on the side of the road in one area was usually a good sign that multiple people were waiting behind them. Consumed with her thoughts, Alexandra had missed all the warning signs and was now surrounded and very much alone.

"It's two silver pieces today," the lead boy chuckled as he flexed his arm holding the improvised pole-arm.

"I don't have any silver," Alexandra had never had that much money at once, "all I have is three pennies, please take them and let me on my way."

Alexandra quickly patted herself down, she had left what meagerly amount of money she had left in their community hiding spot in their hut. Keeping only a few pennies for emergencies, unfortunately they were not enough for this particular emergency.

"Listen love," he was getting closer to Alexandra as the others slowly were circling in. "I'll drop it down to just one silver piece, on account of how merciful I am."

"I told you," she was looking for a way to escape but her space was quickly being cut down by the advancing gang of seven boys who had their fists already balled, "all I have are these pennies, these pennies that I worked hard for, doing honest labor."

One of the other boys laughed "I bet!"

Alexandra did not make a face, she refused to let them know she was scared.

She knew how to fight: growing up a young girl in the slums, she had to learn. Here she was heavily outnumbered and weaponless. Alexandra's main weapon was usually her words, she certainly had a gift in talking with others. Zooey always joked that Alexandra should just argue people into giving them money, but here that was useless as this gang before her now did not seem like the most reasonable group of minds ever assembled or in the mood to talk.

Nevertheless, she tried to reason with the belligerent leader. "Look, I don't have much money but I'll give you what I have and move on. That's all I can do."

"The going rate for passing is a silver," the head boy retorted, "so you're outta luck if you don't have it!"

He raised the wooden pole above his head, about to bring it down on her head.

"Is that any way to talk to a girl?!" another boy's voice rang out, a voice Alexandra recognized this time.

Spinning around to look down the street behind her, she saw the most welcome sight she had ever seen: her friends hurrying towards them. Luca was at the forefront, a determined and rock-steady expression on his face. His pocketknife was in his hand and pointed at the gang. Behind him was Zooey, her dagger also raised, her expression equally spoiling for a fight. In the back was Sophia, unarmed of course, but doing her best to keep up.

"Seven against one isn't fair," Zooey laughed, all her energy focused. "Of course, you all against me isn't fair for you, but that sounds more fun for me! I wanted to beat up a little toad yesterday but they wouldn't let me, you all are fair game."

The gang leader waved his weapon. "Get out of here you three! We'll let you go, free of charge, today's special only!"

"I'd listen to them if I were you," Alexandra folded her arms defiantly, "sounds like they're ready to fight and trust me, when Zooey's just woken up she feels she can beat anything, and it's usually been proven she can."

"Uh, boss, they're not leaving," one of the gang members started backing off.

"Yeah man, they've got blades," another one threw down the small stick he had been holding.

Zooey's grip on her dagger tightened further, she turned it slowly in her hand, keeping her stare on the leader.

"You're lucky," the leader held his wooden stake to Alexandra's nose.

she smiled. "I am." The image of her friends in her mind.

The boss threw down his stick and booked it fast down the street, his gang members two just steps behind until they vanished down the back-alleys.

Alexandra wiped the sweat dripping down her brow, she could finally exhale, her heart beating fast in her chest.

"And just where do you think you're going little lady?" Zooey now demanded of Alexandra as they met each other in the street.

"Looks like she's trying to go to the Watchers alone," Luca put on an air of smugness, folding his arms.

Zooey sheathed her dagger. "Now why would she do something like that?"

"Look guys," Alexandra tried to explain, "thanks for helping me. I appreciate it, really I do. It's just that it could be dangerous. This is my issue, I need to find out what this pendant is. I can't ask you all to come along when it's not your problem. I don't want anyone getting hurt."

Sophia took Alexandra's hand in hers, "you are not going to have to do this alone."

"We're in," Luca piped in.

"But, the soldiers," protested Alexandra, "they might... what if they..."

A hundred terrible outcomes flashed through her imagination.

"You're not going to get rid of us. Besides, you'll have a better chance with any soldiers with all of us than alone."

"Please Zooey," Alexandra pleaded, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, please just go home and I'll be back tonight and we'll have a great laugh about all this, I promise."

"You're not having all the fun without us Alex," Zooey patted her friend on the shoulder as if to say 'that is that'.

"But what if there's trouble," Alexandra tried pleading, "the Nobles or soldiers could not be too kind, I could get in real serious trouble for this. I can't bring that down on you."

"It's not your decision Alexandra," Sophia smiled, "we're your friends and we're here for you

"Basically you're stuck with us."

"Thanks Luca," Alexandra realized she was not going to be able to go on without her friends accompanying her.

She couldn't help but smile a little as well, her heart feeling warmed despite the cold morning.

"We're together," Sophia added, "no matter what."

"It's a long way to the Garden and you've already needed our help." She was irritated by the fact, but Luca was spot on. "Besides, you'll need people to talk to you on the way there."

"We're wasting the day." Zooey was being impatient, as usual. "I'm hungry. I'm sure there will be plenty of good food in the Garden."

"If they let us in," Luca reminded.

"Yeah yeah," she waved him off, "we'll worry about that when it happens. Right now it's a long walk there and I'm starving."

This was it, the start of a new adventure, though how large a one they could have no way of possibly knowing.

"Okay," Alexandra felt part of the weight she had been feeling lifted, her friends by her side once more. "Let's get going! We have to get there before they kick us out anyway."

"That's the spirit!" Zooey began striding down the street, "c'mon slow pokes!"

Sophia let out a yawn, she was the least athletic in the group and the morning had already been an exciting one. "How can she be this energetic so early?"

"I often ask myself," Alexandra laughed as she watched Zooey bound down the street with indomitable energy, "but thinking about it just makes me tired."

The rest of the group followed, albeit at a slightly more leisurely pace. It was a long walk to the Garden, this would not be less than a full day all told. As they walked, the buildings were becoming less decrepit the closer they drew to the border of the slums. Soon enough they would be in the city proper where the 'civilized' folk lived.

"What do you think your pendant really is?" Sophia inquired as they made their way, "why do you think it scared that man so much?"

"Maybe she's like a lost queen or something!" Luca's mind was filled with castles and treasures with that idea.

"I don't know," shrugged Alexandra, "I wouldn't trust a thing that noble said. But, I do come from a Noble House, House Benham. Maybe it's just some random item from there, from my father"

"He might have been a noble," Sophia reasoned, "how else would he have given you such a beautiful pendant?"

"Or he stole it," Alexandra was desperate to find out who her father was but did not harbor any great love for him because of his absence. "Probably stole it from a House and gave it to my mother to impress her. Maybe that's why she was exiled, she had been with a criminal."

"Alex, don't think like that. Don't make any snap judgments until you know, and we will know soon." Sophia gently cautioned her.

"Unless they won't let us in," Luca said without thinking.

Sophia flicked him on the ear like a mother would a child, eliciting a yelp.

"They don't have any right to not let you in," she continued. "The Watchers have to see you."

Alexandra still saw only patterns on her pendant, no words on it anywhere. "But this isn't a name relic, they only look at name relics."

Fear flashed up inside Alexandra, tears starting to escape her eyes as the troubles she felt threatened to spill out.

"They'll look." Sophia's voice was as calm as a summer breeze. "It's something special, that's been proven already."

For his part, Luca thought lying seemed like an easy way in. "Just tell them it's a name relic."

"I won't lie," Alexandra resolved. "We're probably going to be in enough trouble as is, I don't want to add to it."

A shout from slightly up ahead interrupted them.

"You guys are slow!" Zooey's playfully-taunting voice echoed back down the street at them.

"You're too fast!" Luca called back.

"Slow!" came the laughing response.

Alexandra couldn't help but chuckle as she turned to Sophia. "We'd better hurry or she'll get there before us."

"Yes, she'll get everything sorted by herself if we don't catch up."

"I'm not sure we want that," Luca was imagining Zooey causing all sorts problems with her brash nature, "she'll probably pick a fight with the first soldier she sees!"

"Exactly," Alexandra picked up her pace, "this is going to one interesting day."

The sun was inching higher in the sky, clearing the steam stacks of Coal City. Large plumes of thick steam stretched high into the sky before being blown away by unseen winds. The slums were coming alive with activity, the beggars emerging from their alleys, the other residents of the slums opening the windows to their hovels. The shops were open for business, selling their stale and stolen wares to the destitute inhabitants of the area. During the day, the slums proper were not a scary place by any means, as long as one watched their step. Many people lived in the slums from men to woman and children, entire families sometimes even.

Many of the Oonskat were making their way north east towards the Market District, a morning ritual that Alexandra and her friends were well-acquainted with. The noise from the Market could be heard this far away already, the merchants loudly hawking their wares. Even so, they still had a long way to walk before they even reached the Garden.

Between the slums and the Garden there was the large expanse of commoner housing and shops. While the Market District was the main center of commerce in the entire nation, other shops could be found on almost every street of Avindr, catering to those unable to make it to the Market District, or those who simply wanted something a little quieter, less of an overwhelming crowd while they pursued the items for sale. These 'corner stores' were usually a little less pricey than those in the Market District and easier to access for the very same reason. The Oonskat begged in the Market District but were usually able to find one of the smaller stores that would sell to them. Because these stores were outside the main shopping area, they could not afford to be as snooty and choosy with their customers. It was in one of these little stores that Zooey had been able to purchase her rusty dagger from several years ago for the large sum of twenty-five pennies; all her money for an entire month's worth of begging and doing odd jobs.

The ragtag group trudged on through the slums towards the Gardens, the slums becoming less and less decayed the closer they got closer to the rest of the city. It was only an hour later when they crossed over the invisible line that demarcated the slums on one side, and the rest of Avindr on the other. The buildings were better kept, actual green from plants in windows and growing along the side of the road gave a welcome color to the city view. Stepping across the threshold, they were now strangers in a strange land, enemies in their own city even. It was not uncommon for the Oonskat in the slums to leave the slums to travel to other parts in the city, but they normally did not travel very far with the Market District being the usual destination.

There was a crowd of Oonskat leaving the slums the same time as them, but they were moving north easterly towards the markets. Alexandra looked ahead to the east, the direction of the Garden. They stood for a moment at the mouth of the slums, the rest of the city stretching out before them as an unknown land. No one wanted to take the first step forward, the first real step towards the Garden and to possible danger. Oonskat and commoners shuffled all around them, going about their morning routines, the sounds of a vast city coming alive ringing in the air.

Alexandra took in a deep breath and stepped forward, the other leg shakily following.

"You guys can still go back home," she turned to her three companions.

"We're with you," Luca affirmed.

Zooey sighed, "no chance. I'm not going to let you go off and have this grand old adventure without me."

"I'm in too," Sophia nodded.

"You guys are incredible," Alexandra shook her head, "and a little crazy."

"Yeah he is," Zooey tapped Luca on the head.

He tried to hit her back on the arm."Look who's talking!"

"We'd better get going or else this will just get worse," Sophia cocked her head towards the two fighting almost-siblings.

"Okay then," Alexandra turned back around to face the city. "Here we go!"

Step by step they moved farther away from the dilapidated familiar and into the up-scale unknown. The slums began falling behind as the rest of the city rose higher and higher, stretching out for miles before them. Each foot forward brought them farther out into a world quite unlike their own, a world previously that seemed so far away. They were exiles re-entering their original land, a land in which they were not welcome in.

As they traveled through the commoner area of Avindr, which comprised most of the city, it struck Alexandra how different the lives were of the people who lived in this respectable area. Self-igniting steam-powered lanterns lined the streets at regular intervals, the cobblestone of the streets was smooth and easy to walk on. The buildings on either side of the large sunny roads were well-maintained, flower pots sitting in open windows, the smell of food coming from many of the homes. They were astonished at how the other half lived; this was an area that felt safe, that felt warm.

It was a contrast of night and day from stepping out of the ignored slums into the real areas of the city. Even though they were was could be considered a 'middle-class' area, the commoners, it was the most luxury they had ever seen. Just by social status, the commoners here were infinitely better off than the Oonskat. The people moving around them were not criminals or the destitute, they were farmers and housewives tradesmen and soldiers. The ceilings sliding by were free of holes and decay, copper pipes sticking out of them, some small and some large, all releasing gentle puffs of steam.

On every block was also a large cylindrical pipe that jutted three feet out of the ground, had grated holes near the top on the sides, and a curved copper lid. These were connected under the ground to the great network of steam pipes that ran under most of the city like a labyrinthine serpent.

One of the modern marvels of Prydanian engineering and imagination was the providing of steam power to almost every house in the capitol. Pipes ran under the city from large engines in Coal City to the rest of Avindr bringing steam power to the shops and homes. These large pipes on the street corners were to vent the pressure in case production outweighed demand at any given moment. It is a brilliant design that is hailed as ahead of its time, which is ironic because the actual design was created centuries before. It is said that the design that the inventors at the capitol's college used to create this impressive and useful creation was based on a document discovered in an ancient vault of texts.

It is also rumored that this old text came from Fru Alstad, and was included in one of the last courier shipments from that mythical lost city of inventions to the capitol. Denied by the college, the rumors and gossip still persist but have died down as everyone has taken the provided steam for granted.

No more do people have to have dangerous fires in their homes to create the necessary energy to perform tasks or live comfortably, it is now piped to them at a consistent and never-failing basis. This steam that was brought to every home or shop was used for any need the inhabitants needed, from cooking to recreation. Once the steam was at any particular building, it was siphoned off into numerous smaller pipes that fed all manner of items and gadgets. It was used to heat stoves, warm baths, provide heat on cold days, and also to propel everything from toys to keeping rocking chairs rocking.

The steam network was the greatest public works project in memory: it revolutionized Avindr and brought a whole new level of comfort and ease to the city. With almost every building in Avindr being provided with this daily necessity, there are those who have purposefully been neglected: the Oonskat in the slums and Dark District. The slums because it was deemed that they were not worth the time or comfort, and the Dark District because the workers refused to enter that insidious zone.

Sophia jumped back as they passed one of the larger corner pipes as it let off a gust of steam, catching her unawares and blowing her hair all around her.

"You okay there?" Alexandra caught her friend before she fell backwards completely.

"I am," she panted for breath, "I just... it's so different from when I was here as a child, everything's nicer."

"Oh yeah," Luca recalled Sophia's upbringing, "you were a commoner at first. Did you live in this area?"

"No," she looked around the unfamiliar streets. "I think I was born farther south, down closer by the docks."

"When you were adopted into House Bradana," Zooey slowed her step slightly so she'd be closer to the others, ""did you live on a country estate or here in the city still?"

"Mostly here," she smiled at the thought of happier times. "House Bradana likes to be seen at social events and by commoners and, well us, the Oonskat. They're really a small family, not a lot of soldiers or wealth anymore. They just mostly have their old estates and land, plus their titles. So we mostly were here in the city so we could attend every ball, every event, but we went to the country estate sometimes whenever Lady Bradana would become tired of the crowds."

The memories of of childhood came rushing back as a torrent.

"Oh it's so beautiful there, I wish I could take you all. It's one of the oldest country estates besides maybe House Archdeacon's, but that's been abandoned nowof course, so I guess that makes the Bradana estate the best. The actual building has huge pillars, tall ceilings, and the most wonderful engravings everywhere. Warm fireplaces and thick carpets you could just fall asleep on. I wish we could live there, I wish I could be there with you all."

"Wow, I've never heard you talk so much about House Bradana." Alexandra was amazed at the sudden outpouring, Sophia was usually very quiet about her past, it was something that shamed her despite none if it being her fault.

"It was so peaceful," Sophia couldn't stop, the images of her happier past flashing before her eyes. "I'd run in the fields around the estate all day then fall asleep in front of the fire on the rug, reading any book I wanted, they had so many books! It was heaven every day, something I didn't deserve."

"You did," Alexandra gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before Sophia could dwell on the negative too much, "and they were wrong for taking it away from you, and..."

"Sounds stuffy," Zooey tried to make it sound like she didn't care. "I'd be bored to tears."

"Yeah, you'd probably go stir crazy there!" Sophia finally laughed.

"Besides, our place has a skylight so you can see the stars at night," Alexandra playfully referenced the large hole that existed in the roof of their hovel which let in rain and wind all the time.

"How far is the Bradana estate from here?" inquired Luca.

"It's quite a few miles," Sophia tried to picture the long carriage rides from years before, "north a bit I think. It would a good day's travel to get there from the city. We'd leave early in the morning and arrive by sundown, the servants preparing baths and our rooms for us."

The locations of the country estates of the Noble Houses were not commonly known by the general population to prevent commoners from gawking or tourists. The merchants and nomads who traveled the byways of the nation of course knew where they were, but to the average city folk, they were far away and unknown. The Nobles liked their secluded retreats, they enjoyed being free from the public eye when they were not politely fighting each other to be recognized in the public eye more.

House Bradana's estate was one of the most opulent and luxurious, built when the family was a powerful and wealthy one. It was only bested in wonder by the estate of House Archdeacon, the former leading house of the nation. The Archdeacon estate was the site of the shocking attack that slaughtered the family and left Prydain in disarray. Since that fateful day that destabilized the nation until House Cornelius stepped in to control the country lest it fall to complete chaos, the estate has been avoided, a dark mark on the map.

Blamed on land pirates, the attack was unprecedented: no one could understand how pirates overcame Archdeacon's elite soldiers, and why even did they attack? Was it for Archdeacon's substantial treasures? Was it part of a rebellion that never happened? No one knew, and no one was likely to know; it was a paralyzing moment for the country and one they wanted to move on from and not look back. Since then, no other estates had been attacked. There was of course always the dangers of thieves, but nothing even coming close to what happened that night at the Archdeacon Estate.

House Bradana's estate was south of the Archdeacon estate, but north of the capitol. The old and comfort-loving leaders of House Bradana disdained travel and preferred to not embark on a journey longer than a day. The Bradana Estate was built on the ancient site of a township that existed when Arkland united the land of Brithwyr, when a man with the last name of Bradana was the town's leader and was then chosen as a regional governor by Arkland.

The rest from there is history as House Bradana became very powerful and retained its position was other Houses fell apart and new ones were created. Finally the Houses as they exist today in structure and number solidified and House Bradana's leaders took it easy. Lax control and over-spending led to a drastic reduction in the House's influence until it dwindled to what it is today: a figurehead, a monument to times long past.

"Watch where you're going pig!" the merchant barked at Zooey who had accidentally bumped into the cart of produce he was pushing.

"Hey, you want to..." Zooey was beginning to posture when Alexandra jumped in.

"We're very sorry sir, please forgive the transgression. I hope none of your food is any worse off from the bump."

"Oonskat swine!" The man spit on the ground and marched off angrily with his cart.

Luca let out his breath he had been holding. "Whew, "that went well."

"I'm surprised we haven't had more trouble so far," Alexandra looked around at the glares they were receiving the crowd of commoners all around them, "we definitely are not welcome here."

Zooey was giving her own mean looks back to the crowd. "They don't have any right to send us back to the slums."

"There's nothing saying they can't kick us out either," Alexandra whispered.

"They certainly are staring." Luca felt uncomfortable being the center of unwanted attention.

"Some of these people have probably never seen one of us outside of the Market." Alexandra was of course referring to the Oonskat, the unwanted.

Sophia tried to reign her friend in. "Don't be mean to them Zooey. These people haven't done anything to you. We're different and they're curious."

"They hate us."

The venom was evident in Zooey's voice.

"Let them," Alexandra said firmly, "don't hate back, just be better than them."

"Why? They don't see us as anything but dirt! Animals!" Zooey railed.

"Don't prove them right," Alexandra put her hand on Zooey's, the one that was on the hilt of her dagger, "don't give the soldiers any reason to get involved. We're just ordinary people moving through the city."

"Okay, I'm fine," Zooey took in a deep breath to calm down, moving her hand away from her blade.

"We are drawing quite the crowd," observed Sophia, "perhaps we should move on quickly."

She was correct, their presence here had attracted much attention as word quickly was spread that there were Oonskat this far away from the slums. People came from nearby streets to look at the outcasts, to see what dredges of society looked like, a morbid curiosity compelled to see why the Oonskat were there in their midst. It was surprising though how many people were gathering to see them.

"We have a long way to go," Luca figured they were not even halfway to the Garden yet, "it'll take another few hours just to get there"

"We'll be more of a spectacle the closer we to the Garden, we should try to go as unnoticeable as possible. Sophia gave them caution.

"It'll be hard with everyone standing around staring. It's like they've never seen a person before!" Zooey said the last part especially loudly, giving a side-eye to still-growing crowd of onlookers.

Alexandra quieted her down, "keep it cool, we can't be thrown out or else I'll never find out about my pendant. Please don't provoke anyone or get the soldiers interested in us. Let's just get to the Watchers as quickly as possible."

"You're going to the Watchers?" a refined woman's voice broke suddenly into their circle.

Alexandra spun around to see where this new voice was coming from. Standing a few feet away from there, a leather bag of groceries in her satin-glove covered hands, stood a woman in a beautiful ankle-length dress. Her brunette hair was done up in a series of intricate bows, her blue dress adorned with gold lace sewn into the material in delicate crisscrossing patterns. Her skin was fair and soft-looking, not a blemish on it. She looked to be just under six feet tall, her deep hazel eyes looking at the four of them intently. Just by her appearance, Alexandra could tell that this woman was important, not an ordinary commoner, for she carried herself in a regal manner.

"I'm sorry ma'am?" Alexandra could not believe that such a beautiful and obviously wealthy woman would deem to engage in conversation with a group of Oonskat, she affected the most deferential tone she could, not wanting to stir more trouble.

"I was listening just now," the woman replied, "it's odd to see a group of your kind here this far in the city. I wonder what brings you out from your dilapidated district and hovels to bravely walk these streets of everyone else?"

Letting the slight provocation slide past, Alexandra answered truthfully.

"We are heading to the Garden."

"The Garden? Now this is an oddity indeed," the woman was still smiling despite the usually-shocking news she had just been told, "I don't think there's ever been an Oonskat inside the Garden. Now I ask myself, what is it that would draw four Oonskat away from the shadows of the slums to venture out here, a place they are usually not seen in? You have of coursed notice the attention you're drawing by just being here, does that bother you at all?"

"Not really," it did bother Alexandra a little but she tried to ignore the feelings of being stared at by so many, "kind of used to it actually by now, every time we're in the Market."

"Of course," the woman laughed a little, though it seemed not a cynical laugh though. "I forgot, that would likely be the case, you are right. You're a bit of an unusual item for everyone here, you can't blame them for being curious about the other half."

"The other half they help create and maintain every day," Alexandra blurted out, realizing just a little too late she might have overstepped the bounds of polite conversation, she took a breath, gathering herself. "I'm sorry ma'am, it's not my place to judge."

The woman was indeed impressed with these young ones, eyeing the group with more than interest, as if trying to discern something.

"Right you are, everyone here in the city maintains the social strata as they are. And since you are part of the system, you have every right to judge. Are you bitter?"

"I'm sorry?" Alexandra could not believe she was being questioned by this woman, and for what reason?

"Are you bitter? Are you angry at me and everyone else who does nothing to help you but maybe in fact keep you where you are in your miserable place?"

Luca, Zooey, and Sophia were not sure what was going on; Zooey heightened her senses in case there was an ambush or a sudden rush of soldiers.

Alexandra was puzzled, the woman's voice was not malicious, she was not conveying disgust, but she could not understand the meaning behind her questions.

"What point is there in being angry? It stinks, it's a bad life, but I'm alive and I have my friends. I'm sad maybe, sad at the way people look down on us and treat us because of nothing we've done. My friend's don't deserve the life they have."

This strange woman was impressed with the answers she was receiving, Alexandra always spoke eloquently, a voice and reason that was born to another place. Hey eyes searched for something deeper.

"Your friend's don't deserve it you say, then what about you?"

"I can't say," the woman seemed surprised by this answer, but not displeased by it, "it's hard, but since I was given to this life before I could walk or talk, I can't speak to the reasons behind it."

"Your words are years beyond you, you seem more reasonable than most around here," Alexandra was taken aback by the compliment, but this stranger continued without pausing, "now, you said you were going to see the Watchers, yes?"

"We are," nodded Alexandra, the others staying quiet, not knowing what to say to someone of such obviously high social stature as this, "only they can answer an important question I have."

"The Watchers do not usually entertain guests, especially not to answer questions from the Oonskat, in fact never," the woman said flatly, her gaze steely. "How important is this question you have?"

Alexandra's eyes burned with determination.

"It's about my father"

The woman looked at her for a moment, looked into her eyes, then her expression finally softened once more. "I believe you. My, it does sound terribly important. And who are these people with you, your friends, they too have important questions?"

"We're her friends and we're with her," Luca stepped forward and declared, the woman smiled.

"You have good friends... er, I am sorry, I do not know what to call you."

"How about Oonskat," Zooey muttered under her breath, fearing the woman's insults were inevitably coming soon.

"Zooey," Alexandra elbowed her in the ribs, "ma'am, this is Zooey, Sophia, and Luca. I'm Alexandra."

"Alexandra?" the woman thought about the name. "So it is. Let me not be rude, my name is Elita, Lady Elita Divorna."

"The Noble House Divorna!" Sophia whispered to Alexandra with alarm.

This was a Named Noble before them, one at the heights of society. This person could have them imprisoned or killed on a whim and just with a word.

"Ma'am," was all Alexandra could say, shocked at who this woman was before them, she quickly bowed her head.

Lady Elita Divorna was the powerful wife of the head of Noble House of the Family Divorna. House Divorna was not one of the older Houses, but was brought into being several centuries after Arkland united the land of Brithwyr into the nation of Prydain. At the time, a tradesman named Richard Divorna helped tame a particularly unruly region that sat near the mysterious planes Distansera.

Through establishing trade and encouraging economy, Richard Divorna helped stabilize the region and in gratitude towards the tradesman, the Landskyp proclaimed his family a Noble House, and added his last name to the Watcher's list of noble families. Since then, House Divorna has maintained a respected position in the Landskyp and with the commoners as well.

One of the few voices to argue against the recent taxation and trade restrictions imposed by House Cornelius in the Landskyp, House Divorna is seen as fair and a friend to the ordinary citizens of Prydain. Because of its background in the trades business, House Divorna has also built up an enviable fortune, one certainly to make it a voice to be reckoned with in high society.

Alexandra could barely speak: why was this noble woman speaking with a group of lowly Oonskat? Why was she being nice? It was unexpected and Alexandra did not know quite what to do, she had readied herself for only hostility from anyone they met on their way to see the Watchers but not this kind of encounter.

"You four look exhausted from walking all this way," Lady Divorna's description of their fatigue was not an exaggeration, "and there's still such a long way to the Garden from here. Come along, you four follow along with me now."

She turned and began walking down a side street to the right of the road they were on that led to another large thoroughfare as if the matter was decided. Without protest or remark but with quite a lot of bewilderment, Alexandra and her friends did begin to follow after her. Alexandra was not sure why, but this woman was kind to them and it seemed best to not anger a member of a powerful and well-liked Noble House, their lives quite literally could hang on her words.

Replaying the conversation in her head, it was a mystery to Alexandra. She could not work out what this woman wanted. Maybe she was leading them into a trap? Maybe she was delaying them just to be cruel? Whatever the reason was, they were following the Lady Divorna towards another even busier street than the one they were previously on. Their feet hurt, Sophia had to stop several times because of cuts in her feet.

The walking was starting to get to Alexandra too, her legs felt like they were on fire, protesting every step they were forced to take. People were still watching them; now that the group was comprised of a Named noble woman and four Oonskat, they were even more of an impossible group and object of curiosity. Leaning out of doors and windows on both sides of the street, the commoners stopped what they were doing to watch them walk past, talking to each other in soft whispered tones Alexandra could not make out. People were pointing, whispering, looking very surprised naturally. Alexandra chalked that up to the fact that a noble woman was willingly being seen with four Oonskat who were already ridiculously out of place. Whatever the reasons Lady Divorna had, they followed her until they reached the largest street they had ever seen.

Hundreds of people were moving past the road, shops and stalls lining each side of the street. Archways and huge multi-story stone buildings towered above their heads. Some carriages pulled by horses were making their way through the mess of people. It looked even busier than the Market District, more people then Alexandra had ever though could be assembled in one place. Homes, shops, restaurants lined the streets in large and well-kept buildings, not a hint of soot on them anywhere. The windows were clean, and the rest of the buildings looked the same, free of the commonplace decay and rot you would find in the slums.

Workman went about their way, some emerging from shops, others traveling to and from home from Coal City. Tradesmen here hawked all manner of items, from the established storefronts or the stalls setup on the sides of the road. This was one of the five main roads of the capitol that stretched all the way from the Garden to Coal City, one of the major arteries of trade and travel within the magnificent capitol.

One of the things on this busy road that instantly caught Alexandra's eye was what looked like a kind of horseless carriage on the side of the road. Between the sidewalks and the actual street were small open trenches in the ground that ran the length of the street. Occasionally, extending out of these trenches was a gold-colored metal pole that became a 't' shape a foot or so off of the ground and supported seven padded chairs on its crossbeam. Once people were sitting in these chairs, steam would shoot out from the trench and the hole apparatus would shoot along at a good speed down the street. It was the most incredible invention Alexandra had ever seen, it was almost magic, nothing like this existed in the slums.

She was truly shocked if this level of comfort and ease was available to everyone else in the city, it seemed like a whole different land entirely. The trenches these devices moved along also extended down the larger side streets as well allowing a greater range of conveyance and also allowed multiple of these people movers to operate in close proximity at the same time. Luca stood still, taking in the wonder he saw before them, trying to wrap his brain around the technological achievement he was seeing for the first time.

Lady Divorna walked up to an unoccupied row of seats and turned to them.

"Come on," she patted the soft padding, "have a seat."

"I've never seen..." Alexandra' words trailed as she stood in awe as another row of seats bearing people past by them, puffs of steam in their wake.

"Oh of course, I do apologize," Lady Divorna laughed, "you would never see anything like this normally. My, the things we take for granted here that is spectacular to you. They're called a flytter; they help immensely with all the foot traffic, helps people get about faster and easier. I don't know what state my shoes would be in if these weren't around."

Lady Divorna instantly regretted that comment, looking at Alexandra's bare and swollen feet, and those of her friends. Lady Divorna's own feet were comfortably encased in gold-encrusted high-heels with satin on the interior, just a typical item of clothing for the nobility and something she would never think twice about.

Alexandra looked about the huge and busy street. "This is amazing."

"Come on," Lady Divorna motioned once more at the empty seats, "come sit down with me."

"Are we allowed to ma'am?" Sophia finally spoke up, fearfully looking around to see if someone would yell at them for sitting on the flytter.

"I say come on," authority rang in Lady Divorna's words and Alexandra followed by her friends quickly made their way over and hopped onto the cushioned seats without further protest.

"Ma'am!" a man in worker's clothes suddenly bounded over, he was an engineer that helped keep the flytter moving quickly and without bumps or slowdowns.

"A problem my good workman?" Lady Divorna's voice was soft as the man nervously bowed his head to his better, removing his sweat-stained cap.

"Ma'am, these..." her looked at Alexandra, Zooey, Sophia, and Luca. "These are Oonskat, just look at them. Filthy little monsters. Ma'am, it is not becoming for someone as noble as yourself to be seen with them, and to have them on a flytter.. It's just insanity my lady."

"Sir," Alexandra was surprised that this woman of great power was still calling a simple workman 'sir', "are you telling me who I should be seen with? You tell the Lady of a Noble House her business and her intents?"

Her voice was still soft and polite, but an unmistakable edge had crept into it, one that broached no reproach.

The man realized he had grossly overstepped his place. "No ma'am, I'm sorry, it's just, they..."

"They are traveling with me," she cut him off, "and that is the end to it. Or sir, would you eject me from the flytter"

"Never! No ma'am, I would never..." the man was sweating, the blood draining from his face at the mere thought.

"Then let us be done with this talk, please do not impede me further."

"Of course your ladyship! I...I meant no offense!" The man kept his head bowed and took a few quick nervous steps back away from the flytter.

This exchange had drawn an even larger crowd of onlookers. Audibly wondering too each other why Lady Elita Divorna was being seen with and conversing with four dirty little Oonskat. The looks on the people's faces around were not so much disgust as Alexandra would have expected, but those of curiosity, surprise, and utter bewilderment.

"Luca, it was my dear?" Lady Divorna leaned forward to see Luca who was seated at the opposite end of the flytter.

"Yes ma'am!" Luca replied with great exuberance sitting ramrod straight, proud that a noble woman such as Lady Divorna would speak with him and knew his name.

"Please be a sweetheart and pull the lever that's on the side next to your seat."

Luca leaned over the hand-rest to find a large level jutting out from the crossbar next to him. He gripped it firmly and pulled it back. A gust of steam shot out from the trench under their seats and they suddenly began moving! Starting slowly at first at the pace of a leisurely walk, they picked up speed and were very soon jetting along the side of the large street at the speed of a good run.

Lady Divorna laughed to herself as she saw her four new companions each gripping their handrails with a white knuckles, fearful to let go, lest they be flung off. Alexandra's heart was beating oh so fast, partly because of this incredible contraption they were now riding on, but also because each second brought them closer to the Garden and to the Watchers, to the answers about her father and past.

The cool morning breeze was refreshing as the sights and sounds of the city flew past all around them; they could almost imagine they were flying. Even Zooey was smiling unashamedly, loving every second of this wonderful and new experience.

"Lady Divorna ma'am?" Alexandra, who was seated next to the noblewoman, leaned over. "May I ask you something?"

Lady Divorna looked at her, seemed to be studying her face for a moment before snapping out of her thoughts, "yes of course dear. What is you would know of me?"

"Why?"

"Why what exactly? Why is the sky blue? Why are trees green? Why is a very big question with very specific answers."

It was now Zooey's turn to elbow Alexandra, "don't blow a good thing!"

"It's quite alright," Lady Divorna held of up her hand, "I know what you are asking. I was just playing with you and I apologize. What it is you are wondering is why myself, a Named Lady of House Divorna would help or even speak with four Oonskat? Is that the question?"

"Well yes ma'am," Alexandra nodded. "I didn't expect anyone to show us any kindness here, in fact I was expecting to already have been set upon by people who are offended to see me and my friends here. I don't understand why you lower yourself to be seen with us?"

"Truthfully," Lady Divorna leaned closer to Alexandra as well, "it is your look. You remind me of someone I knew in what seems like ages ago."

"Who do I remind you of?"

"It's not important," Lady Divorna waived off the question, sitting back in her seat. "But I knew I had to help you. Besides, I already know you're going to see the Watchers about a certain pendant you have on your neck this very moment."

Alexandra' hand flew up to her chest and she gripped the pendant through her raggedy and dirty blouse.

Zooey's hand equally had moved to her dagger, her eyes now wholly fixed on the stranger in the

"Don't worry," Lady Divorna added quickly sensing the sudden chilling of the mood. "I do not mean to steal it from you or anything such as that. That would be a tragedy."

"If I may ask," Alexandra relaxed her grip on the pendant and giving a quick nod to Zooey, "how do you know about that? I have not breathed a word of it to anyone save my friends, and certainly no one here would talk with us."

"A little runt by the name of Lerrick Cornelius." Lady Divorna suddenly spoke the name none of them were expecting to ever hear again.

Sophia quickly put her arms around herself and looked down at the fast-moving ground beneath, shivering, the memories of the terrible night before rising up in her mind. Zooey put her hand firmly on Sophia's shoulder, snapping her back to the present.

Lady Divorna continued with her story, "little Lerrick apparently got his just deserts doing something not spoken of in polite company. The rumor among the Houses is that he was in the Dark District indulging in sinful fare. He came stumbling from the directions of the slums, running as fast as he could to House Cornelius' estate in the Garden, the whole time yelling at the top of his lungs. He seemed quite disturbed, screaming something about an Oonskat girl, a pendant, relics, and how it was impossible. I'm not sure what it all means, it is kind of a confusing mess, but it was quite the commotion. It awoke many of the Nobles in their homes in the Garden. It must have been something important though, the lights were on at the Cornelius estate in the Garden all night with messengers coming and going. It's been all the talk this morning among the Landskyp, it's quite juicy gossip. I dare say the commoners have also caught wind of it. Well why wouldn't they given the way he ran all the way across the city yelling at the top of his lungs. When I saw four Oonskat this far away from the slums heading in the direction of the Garden, I could only assume that you were the one that Lerrick Cornelius was so upset about."

"So everyone knows?" Alexandra suddenly realized why there were always crowds watching them, much more than there should have been for just a group of out-of-place outcasts.

"Yes, that's probably why you've been of such interest to everyone."

"But," frowned Alexandra, "that still doesn't explain why you're helping us."

"You remind me of someone," Lady Divorna was concise and short, "and I think something wonderful is about to happen. Now no more questions, just enjoy your first ride on a flytter; we'll be at the Garden in no time at all."

It was all just blur. Houses, stores, people... it was all just a blur to Alexandra as they flew past before her eyes. The sounds of the giant city and even the sound of the flytter she was sitting on faded away until there was nothing but the beating of her heart. The pounding in her ears, the relentless drumming from inside her chest, it was all she could hear.

Even the blur before her eyes slowly lost colour and became simply a gray motion, undefined shapes just moving past. She could see out of the corner of her the eye that Luca and Sophia were talking; it looked liked Zooey was trying to tell a joke to Lady Elita Divorna, probably an not one for polite society one she had picked up in the slums. But even so, Alexandra could hear none of it. While the city fell past at speed, it seemed her friends were in slow motion, everything was almost standing still on the flytter, at least for her. Questions barged their way into the waking mind, out of the shadows of the subconscious, blowing past all other thoughts in their way.

Did he love me?

She thought of her father, the paternal figure she had never known. Only half-told stories from her mother, who always seemed to be reluctant to talk about it. It had infuriated Alexandra when she was younger, she had never gotten a straight answer on the subject. Even on her mother's deathbed, she denied answering the question.

Was he ashamed of me?

Even though she was exiled just at birth, the fact that her and her mother's banishment was her fault was never far from her thoughts. A baby could not do anything shameful, but maybe it was the fact she was born was shameful enough. Who could he be? Only theories and speculations existed in the space where that knowledge should lie.

"Why did he give me this?" she felt her hand tighten its grip on her pendant as she whispered to no one, "why did he not give me any time with him. He didn't share a life with me, but he gave me this."

Her mother had only told her one thing about her father: the pendant was a gift from him to her. When pressed for more information, her mother, Eloise Benham, would become quiet and simply say "it's not important now," or "it's for the best this way". This had caused Alexandra on more than one occasion when she was younger to scream at her mother, feeling betrayed that her father was being kept from her. She felt guilty about those times now that her mother was gone. She wished she had been nicer, maybe tried to understand things from her mother's point of view; something she had never done as a child.

"Where was he?" the question flooded her mind again, followed by it's even worse brother: "where was he when they hurt me?"

Her hand slipped over her shoulder and onto her back where the tattoo of the 'Benham' name was burned in.

She winced a little as her fingers touched it through the think material of her blouse; because of the metals used when giving her the tattoo, the skin there was always sore. Where was her father when they took a baby and gave it a horrific metal tattoo, where was he? Alexandra could not understand how anyone could do that to a child. Her mother had never even told her why they were exiled, why she was tattooed, why her father did not stop it.

Alexandra imagined what it would be like to meet her father, she imagined what kind of man he might be. Would he have red hair like hers? She was angry, bitter that he had never revealed himself to her, but the prospect of finding out some real answers for the first time outweighed any darker thoughts on the matter. She was trying to picture him in her head, just like she had done as a child, trying to scrape together an image of what he might look like. Her mother had deep brown hair, the red must have come from her father. Would he be tall short? Would he be a gentleman or a bum, would he be rich or a pauper.

Would he love her?

The sight of their flytter must have certainly turned every head it passed: four dirt-covered Oonskat and one of the most respected noblewomen of the nation sitting and talking together. It was a sight witnessed never, a mixing of the classes that simply did not occur. The Oonskat never traveled very far into the city outside of the slums, and the nobility would never lower themselves to be seen with or talk with an outcast.

Word of mouth news and gossip grew even louder concerning the mysterious Oonskat girl that had sent young Lerrick Cornelius into such an uncontrollable frenzy the night before. He had traversed half the city yelling his incoherent thoughts, enough people had been woken up by it to verify the truth in the rumor. Now suddenly four Oonskat, including a girl such as Lerrick was supposed to have described, were riding on a flytter towards the Garden accompanied by the Lady of a Noble House!

The fires of the gossip ignited even hotter and spread quickly throughout the city. Merchants talked about it with their customers, commoners passing each other on flytters spread the news, soldiers even talked about it as they overlapped each other on patrol. Avindr was a hotbed of news and gossip and right now at the moment, it was all focused on a lone Oonskat girl.

Despite an official statement from House Cornelius posted in the busiest areas of the city stating that Lerrick had taken ill and was under the terrors of the illness when he made the scene the previous night, the rumor-mill refused to die down but in fact was working overtime. Given the sighting of the Oonskat with Lady Divorna on a flytter near the Garden, it only furthered to confirm the gossip and ignite greater interest.