I walked out of the portal prepared, not stumbling, and quickly took in my surroundings. The Duke’s horses were being led away in an opening in a wall to the right. We were in a box-shaped stone pit about forty feet across. On each side of the thirty-foot stone wall were six archers and a person in mage robes. The archers had steel legion armor reflecting in the sun. The Displacement Mage was behind us by the portal arc we had exited in the pit and had a dozen legionaries around him.
Konstantin broke my gawking, “You four get to the East Legion Hall. Find a healer. I am going to the Magistrates Hall. Do not leave the Legion Hall no matter what. I will find you there later.” Konstantin hurried off, not explaining any further.
“Does anyone know how to get to the lower East Legion Hall?” I asked. My companions had boots in their arms and bloody bare feet or bloodied socks.
Linus spoke, wincing as he put on his socks, “The city was designed to be easy to navigate. I have been there before.”
Paval groaned, “I know where it is, too. Probably almost a mile walk from here.” He did not want to wear his socks and boots again but started doing so.
Benito noted, “It is the smallest of the three Legion Halls in the Telha. The Imperial Legion Hall houses the Emperor’s personal guard. It is actually close by,” he indicated the passage the horses were led into. “The Western Legion Hall is outside of the western walls and near the Perfectus Legionis. That is where they train the men who volunteer for the Legion.”
“Brutus mentioned that. He trained there,” I added as we began to walk. I was the only one not struggling with each step. We did over eighty miles in about 18 hours. It probably would not have been as bad for them if Mage Larita had not healed their feet. The newly healed skin could not take the abuse of the march. I had learned on the march how to heal my feet and not lose the calluses as they built up again.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})“That is where the loyalist legionaries train,” Linus muttered. “They get paid as soon as they start and spend twice as long training as us conscripts.”
“Not twice as long, just a full year, but better training, too,” Paval painfully grunted out between steps. “I think Adrian was a volunteer, but I don’t know how he got assigned to our company.”
We reached the top of the ramp, and the city spread before us. The roads were made from immaculate large granite pavers. The buildings all looked uniform and neatly arranged along the road. Everything was made from a white stone with highlights using black marble. Arches and columns were used heavily in the construction. It was beautiful. The most impressive feat was the height of the stone buildings. Some had ten floors when I counted the windows. The windows were also massive, easily ten feet tall and half that in width.
The men and women walking the road wore thin, colorful fabrics in dozens of styles. We reached an intersection, and I paused. The road we entered was the main thoroughfare for the capital. I could tell because to our left was a massive structure, easily five hundred feet in height, a shining white and silver beacon in the late afternoon sun. “Never seen the Emperor’s Palace, Eryk? It boggles the mind. Something so big for just one man to live in,” Linus said.
Paval looked and noted, “There are probably a thousand men of the Legion inside and another thousand in the building to the right. It is the Imperial Legion Hall, and the Emperor has what? A hundred consorts and hundreds of servants? I am sure the palace is full.” His tone was indifferent.
“How many consorts?” I asked, imagining a massive harem. “Does he have hundreds of children as well?” I added.
“It is seven consorts,” Linus scoffed at Paval’s misinformation. “And he can only name seven of his children First Citizens by law. The rest he marries off of sending them abroad.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Paval gripped quietly, “I doubt he limits himself to his seven wives. He is known for taking what he wants.”
We turned away from the palace and started walking in the opposite direction. The wide road was busy as evening was approaching. Pairs of legionaries patrolled in metal armor. It felt like we were the scrubs with just auroch leather armor. But I guess leather armor was lighter, cheaper to make, and easier to maintain. I would hate to have to spend every evening polishing my metal chest piece. My helmet took enough effort to keep the rust at bay.
We finally encountered food carts, and I bought everyone skewered meat. The vendor called it pork, but it tasted like spicy chicken to me. The pause in our walk was short, and we were on the move. Everyone was eager to get the healing. We tossed the skewers into a trash barrel on a corner. The city was extremely clean, and sanitation was much higher here than in my previous stays. The civilians got thicker and thicker on the street as we went further and further from the palace.
Some intersections had large fountains with mural mosaics tiled in the bottoms of the pools. We did not stop to look, but it looked like legionaries battling various beasts.
My head snapped around, and my jaw fell open. A leopard man was being led by a cable with a collar around his neck.
“That is a Tabaxi, one of the catfolk.” Linus seemed confused, “I thought they were common in the jungles near Tsinga?”
I scrambled to think of a response, “It was not the catfolk but the fact it was collared like a pet.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})He nodded sadly, “The beast races are not allowed freedom in the Empire. They are a rare sight and usually too feral to tame.” I watched as the catfolk disappeared on its leash in the crowd.
“What are the beast races?” I asked, looking for more in the crowd of humans.
Linus was willing to answer, “There is a zoo in the upper city. I went once. Let me see…minotaurs are the bullmen. Tabaxi are the catfolk. Satyrs are the goatmen. Centaurs are the horse men. Aarakocra are the birdmen. Yuan-ti are the snake men….there was one more,” he said, trying to think of it.
“The lizardfolk,” Paval supplied. “But all the beast races are about as welcome in the Telhian Empire as elves and dwarves.”
“Where do the orcs fit in?” I asked.
Linus answered, “They group them with the goblinoid races, but do not ever call them a goblinoid if you meet an orc. They are as intelligent as you are me. Well, maybe not Benito.” Linus waited for Benito to remark on the jab, but he walked on oblivious. Linus continued, smirking at Benito, “The goblinoids are the bugbears, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, gnolls, ogres, and trolls.”
Paval grunted as he stepped, “I am no scholar, but that is a very general classification. I have never met an orc before, but if you call him a goblin, I would not be surprised if he swore a blood oath to kill you for it on the spot.”
We took a left turn, and the city buildings off the main road were not as opulent. They were still stone constructions, but instead of being homogeneous, it became a mixture of various stones. Also, the buildings were only three stories tall now. We were within sight of the outer wall, at least I think it was the outer wall, as it was twice the height of the buildings when Linus said, “We are here.”
Linus was walking down a side street that lacked a heavy flow of people. A small park with trees was at the end of the road, and a large black stone building was beyond. The large entrance had a pair of legion guards on either side in leather armor. The building looked like an imposing structure with a single large statue on top. Paval sighed in relief at having arrived.
Linus said, “We are in the old city. This building was built by and used by the First Legion. Now, it is not as impressive as the Imperial Legion Hall or the Western Legion Hall, but it is the nicest Legion Hall you are likely to see in your service as a volunteer.”
The black archway entrance was guarded by two men in leather legionnaire armor and led to a courtyard with an open sky above. Legionaries in the courtyard were in and out of leather armor, milled about on stone benches. They looked up at us as we entered. We were still a mess. Linus stepped forward, “Is there a Healing Mage on duty?”
One of the men in leather armor stood and approached, “You four look like you just came out of the arse of an ogre.” He introduced himself, “I am Severus, the baths are over there,” he pointed to an archway to our left, “I will go and bring a healer. We use the healer from the clinic down the street. The only company Healing Mage we had is off to the assault on Macha.”
We gratefully made our way into the baths. The stone inside was the same onyx black as the building, but the space was well-lit with glowstones. Four boys came and took our clothes and armor as we stripped. We entered the showers with brushes and fresh soap. As we washed, Paval noted, “Damn, Eryk, your feet do not look bad at all.”
“Yeah, Larita did not heal them. I still had my calluses, and my socks dried in the sun,” I responded calmly. He just huffed and did comment again. I was in the heated bath first. This bath was actually a lot nicer than the upper baths in Macha. The seating under the water formed to your ass, and the water was hotter.
I waited almost half an hour for the others. They had waited for the healer to arrive before joining me in the soaking pool. Linus asked, “Do you want the healer, Eryk?” I shook my head no, and he waved off the man in the other room. He settled into the pool, “He only had a spell form, but he was good. Paval is digging through his pack to tip him some coin.”
Benito came and just jumped into the pool like a kid, causing a splash and waves of water. The center of the pool was much deeper, and he appeared to know that in advance. When he came up, he laughed, “Damn, this almost makes me forget the last three days.”
He joined us, and then a happy Paval joined us as well. His feet were pink with new skin, but the bone was no longer exposed. We soaked in silence, and Benito started snoring. It was an hour before a naked and clean Konstantin joined us in the pool. He sighed as he entered and kicked Benito awake.
With all our attention, he started, “The Tribunal starts tomorrow. We were lucky we made it before the Displacement Mage opened the portal. It is going to be at least a week before it will open again.”
Linus asked, “So what do you need us to do?”
Konstantin nodded, “I was at the Magistrate’s Hall where the Tribunal will be held. Tonight, we will all head back and give statements to the Truthseekers. They will use the transcript for the trial in the morning in defense of Castile. We will wait outside and may be called to clarify our statements.”
“Did Castile get a good Advocate?” Paval asked.
Konstantin shrugged, “I do not know who is counseling her. The Tribunal is Duchess Veronica, Duke Octavian, and Duke Vito. I do not know Vito other than he was visiting the Emperor from his province. The only good news is the Emperor did not appoint the Duke that Octavian had wanted as the third.”
Konstantin stood, having only been in the pool for ten minutes, “We will go and get fresh clothes and sandals from the Legion Hall quartermaster while our clothes are being cleaned. The sooner we talk to the Truthseekers, the better.” I was left in no position to object. I noted a little sourly the cost of the linens and sandals was being added to my legion debt. Even Benito was smart enough to see we were being charged twice what they were worth.
We soon walked in the fading sun and followed Konstantin to the Magistrate’s Hall. Konstantin had us leave our weapons behind. I was extremely nervous as I had no idea what this encounter with the Truthseekers would entail, but I had no other choice.
