Living Like a Sparrow

Vris worked a more ordinary sort of magic in making me somewhat presentable. My hair was combed and expertly braided, the thick rope of hair resting just past my shoulders. She then washed my face and applied powder to it to remove the dark circles under my eyes and even my skin out.

“You have green eyes,” she commented as she worked. “Is that common where you come from?”

“Not really,” I said. I wondered exactly what percentage of the population had green eyes. My fingers twitched, the urge to grab my phone beginning and dying in a short moment. Never again would I have the cumulative knowledge of every library and archive in the world at my beck and call. But on the other hand, how helpful would it have been? A satellite could never exist here, at least not at the time I was occupying. And even if there had been one, no corner of the internet could have given me a spell to return home, nor explain how I’d gotten here in the first place.

“Well, they are quite beautiful,” she said. “It should actually allow you to fit in here more easily, as many people in Wosurei have green eyes.

I blinked. “Wosurei? Is that where we are?”

She paused and bit her lip. “Ah, yes, that is the name of the world.” She continued putting makeup on me, then paused again. “I… would appreciate it if you didn’t mention that I said that, should anyone ask.”

I managed to keep my face neutral. So, Vris had been sworn to secrecy, to not reveal something as benign as the name of this world.

“Said what?” I said, playing dumb.

She smiled, letting me know she understood. “Nothing at all, my lady.”

Our session was quickly wrapped up. It was time for me to be brought to Seeker Len. Vris led me out into a hallway. The hall had a high ceiling and the same wooden floors as my room. Two guards stood outside, both women. I knew they were guards on sight not only due to the fact that they stood directly outside my door but because they wore armour. It shone a little in the sunlight and was the red of dried blood.

Their heads snapped to me, regarding me with cold expressions. I’d thought this was a cell before, but now this confirmed it.

Vris nodded to the guards before setting off to the left. I hurried behind her.

“Do I need an escort anytime I want to leave my room?” I asked.

Vris smiled tightly. “That I cannot say. You should direct such inquiries to Seeker Len. I am but a mere servant.”

I considered pushing my luck, seeing what sort of things Vris might reveal by accident, but I risked alienating her. She was the closest thing that I had to an ally at the moment, scaring her off or getting her in trouble so soon wouldn’t bode well. I would have to pick and choose what questions to ask and hope for the best.

As we walked I got a better sense of this place. Everything was expertly maintained, no cobweb or mote of dust in sight. In general, the architecture and style of the place couldn’t easily be pinned down. I’d see stone friezes over doorways that reminded me of Greece only to later see artwork that could have been painted by Hokusai, followed by rugs that would have been at home in Morocco. Then of course there were things that were completely foreign, patterns and colour combinations that couldn’t be easily attributed to any place or time in human history.

Vris must have seen my shock. “Where you come from, is it much like this?”

A spark of irritation bloomed. Asking me questions was fine, so long as I didn’t ask any in return, I guessed. I forced it down. Play nice, at least for now. “It both is and isn’t like it.”

Vris nodded and didn’t press. My answer was short, but how could I possibly explain it all? The Industrial Revolution? Cars? Instant noodles? Airplanes? Cell phones? Crop tops? There was a chance they didn’t even have indoor plumbing, I hadn’t yet checked.

We left the building altogether, walking out into the sun. I squirted and looked back. The structure was similar to a pagoda, but rather than the typical red and black palette, it was made of green wood with light brown roof tiles. I counted three stories, putting my room at the very top.

“Is that the palace?” I asked, for surely an Emperor and Empress must live in a palace.

Vris glanced around, then murmured, “No. That is Sparrow Hall. It’s a separate residence to the palace.”

“Does anyone else live there?”

Vris was quiet. I gave up on receiving an answer when she said, “A number of servants live there, as do some guards.”

Hm. A Seer was somehow both someone an Emperor would bow to and someone that would be sent to live in the servants quarters. I filed away that piece of information for later.

Vris led me down a pathway and through a wall of pine trees. The day was warm, not quite hot, despite how sunny it was. The trees kept the air smelling fresh. As we emerged on the other side, I saw a massive structure looming behind a wall of stone that had to be at least three metres high. This then, was the palace.

I was brought to a small gate where three guards lounged. Two were men, one was a woman in the same armour as the guards in Sparrow Hall. The moment they saw us coming, they sprang up, trying to look as though they hadn’t just been lazing around.

“State your business,” one of the men said, folding his arms in a way that was likely meant to be intimidating.

“I am escorting Seer Rin to Seeker Len,” Vris said. She removed a token from her pocket. It was flat like a coin with a sparrow stamped on it.

The guard glanced at me, then quickly away. “Ah, right. All seems to be in order, you may proceed.

The gate swung open and I followed Vris inside.

The palace loomed over us, the sheer size of it making Sparrow Hall look like a shed. I was surprised I hadn’t seen it from my room, but then recalled that my window faced away from the palace entirely.

Vris shot me a quick smile. “Welcome, my lady, to The Palace of Gratitude.”