My Offer to You, Your Highness

Mihd was thoroughly confused. A trip that far could take them until the following day to arrive, a luxury of time that Azu simply didn’t have.

“We’re better off hunting down Akari,” he attempted to reason, but with his mind set, Azu claimed straightforwardly, “I have no choice.”

“No, you have no time,”Mihd argued, but as Azu leapt into the carriage he turned to Mihd with a waft of confidence to his words.

“I have a solution to that.”

After his conversation with Norin back at the pasture, the retired Scytale had anticipated that Azu would need a way to move around undetected in order to avoid the Mu clan and Coordinator General. With his remaining years numbered due to his old age, he deemed it finally the time to pass his greatest trick as a Scytale over to those that would remain after him. His Scytale tunnel network.

Though Azu himself lacked the ability to navigate through the tunnels himself, his quick decision to rely on Mihd’s unique ability to sense aura proved to be enough. With Mihd’s guidance, the labyrinth of tunnels yielded to their passage, allowing them to make the trip in less than half a day.

Upon entering through the gates of the Imperial House, Mihd begged to understand what it was that Azu expected to accomplish.

Azu rebuffed Mihd’s question, arguing that he had not the time nor the reason to explain himself. “Just keep your senses open and make sure no one’s coming after us.”

He then marched straight to the concierge where he made his presence known to the Head Secretariat, requesting an audience with the Sovereign.

The secretariat nearly tumbled over in laughter, finding his demands not only unreasonable, but outright absurd. “Why would you ever get to see the Sovereign?” she mocked, denying his request outright.

As he felt the tick of time drifting by, Azu found his patience wearing thin.

“I am the acting Ayur of the royal family. Certainly, a conversation with the Sovereign is not too much to ask?”

“Ayur’s are not first rank officials,” she rejected, “there is no need for you to communicate directly by any request other than that of the royal family itself. If it’s dire, we can take a message and report it.”

As Azu teetered on the edge of frustration, Mihd suddenly took control of the conversation.

“I’ve sensed what the Sovereign’s eyes cannot see.”

With three simple words, the arrogant smirk on the secretariat’s face withered away. She glared at Mihd, watching his eyes hold still as she tilted from side to side.

“What is it?” another employee asked, but the secretariat held her hand up, halting the employee from speaking any further. “There’s no need for you to know,” she stated before marching down the hallway. “Follow me,” she then ordered Mihd and Azu.

Azu was left speechless by the sudden shift in circumstances, the question of just how deep Mihd’s involvement with the Empire ran swirling in his head.

They were soon directed to an annex of the Imperial House, a place Azu had never set foot in, his interactions with the Sovereign largely confined to the Medical Research Quarters. The building he now found himself in, however, remained out of sight, obscured by the surrounding forest of trees at the rear of the Imperial House. It was clear that there were some things the royal family clearly chose to keep beyond the public’s reach. Though not entirely surprising, now finding himself in the depths of that hidden reality, an ominous sensation began to claw at his skin.

Upon entering an unassuming room, they were ordered by the secretariat to pay their respects to the presence of the Sovereign. The two men placed one knee firmly down on the ground, their heads lowered as the Sovereign could be heard making his entrance. With their voices held strong, they announced their loyalty to the royal family. “In the name of the Eyrie Empire, we forfeit ourselves before you, Your Highness.”

The Sovereign quickly wavered conduct, claiming, “My time is not without limit. Speak!”

Briefly glancing at Mihd, who returned a subtle nod, Azu then took his final opportunity at stopping Sir Didact.

“If you were presented with the opportunity to expose yourself to the unseen, would you take it, Your Highness?”

The secretariat, still standing off to the side, chided Azu’s indirect phrasing, but the Sovereign drew a grin of intrigue. Having found Azu’s dance of words to be like a riddle. “At what cost?” he probed.

“Potentially losing the war.”

The Sovereign was soon turned off by the conversation, but still forgiving, he further indulged Azu.

“And what would this unseen that you speak of present to me in return?”

“What lay beyond this world of ours.”

The Sovereign leaned in ever so slightly towards Azu, he and Mihd still facing the floor. “You may speak candidly.”

Azu then slowly lifted his gaze, finally meeting eye to eye with the Sovereign. He was a rather young-looking man, with blond hair and oval shaped eyes. His face was angular with a chin that sloped into a point. He donned a bronze-colored robe that shimmered like glass, with rings of pure urumar crystal clasped around his neck.

“Your Coordinator General has orchestrated the capture of the sole survivor of the incident that plagued the Village of Plastos. The survivor that is believed to have risen from the black scrawl.”

Mihd was surprised by what he was hearing, having, up until then, known nothing about Akari’s connection with the incident.

“The incident site has been commandeered by the Eyrie Empire, anything that originates from it is the property of the royal family,” the Sovereign bestowed.

“Yet your Coordinator General seeks to keep her for himself, with help of Sir Didact,” Azu stated.

“And why are you so invested in ensuring that the Empire obtains what it has claim to?”

Azu paused, an eerie silence dancing throughout the room. He then shuffled his hand into his pocket, pulling out Akari’s beaded bracelet and presenting it to the Sovereign. A guard took the bracelet directly to the Sovereign, who looked at it with eyes of glass.

“Summon the Coordinator General,” the Sovereign abruptly ordered to the secretariat. Azu, seeing that he was successful in convincing the Sovereign to act against Sir Didact and the Coordinator General, looked to insert himself further.

“She was taken from the Village of Iama. Her last known location was within the Solemn Chapel.”

The Sovereign held his hand up, stopping Azu from speaking further. “Thinking lightly of the Empire’s capabilities is an insult to the royal family, Ayur. You’re dismissed.”

Azu was irritated by the impotence of the Sovereign but knew he had no right to challenge his authority. Nodding his head quietly, Azu and Mihd stood to their feet and escorted themselves back towards the main building.

“The Empire has Scytales that keep track of high-ranking officials,” Mihd whispered to Azu as they trotted down the hall, “in case they intend to commit treason against the Empire.”

“How do we find Akari, then? They won’t share that information with us,” Azu expressed.

“What exactly was your plan?” Mihd probed, “Even before Akari was taken, you planned on coming here, didn’t you?”

Realizing that Mihd was more useful being informed than aimlessly hanging off to the side, Azu decided to feed his craving for answers.

“Sir Didact was looking for members of a tribe; when Akari heard the name… Futamata… she desperately went in search of it. A former Scytale I know happened to know something about this elusive tribe,” slowing his walk, he turned to face Mihd, “The savior…they worshiped someone they claimed to be the savior.”

Mihd still felt disconnected, having failed to understand how any of what he was hearing could cause Azu to brazenly demand the presence of the royal family, asking, “And that lead you to the Sovereign because?”

“Not the Sovereign,” Azu challenged, “the Imperial House. The House Library should hold the information regarding the Futamata tribe. Information that has been in the possession of the royal family for generations. There’s been rumors that the tribe would only present themselves through messengers. I planned on presenting Akari as one of these messengers, hopefully gaining access to the protected records.”

“And you expected such a falsehood to work?”

Now standing in the open lobby, the expansive surrounding echoing the grandiose conviction emanating from Azu, he made his words clear.

“I never said it was a lie.”