From the lack of windows aside from the odd skylight and the increased amount of walking through corridors that he would swear were looping, Omid guessed he was somewhere in the middle of the palace complex. Or at least sufficiently far enough from the outer edges of this ornate labyrinth that would just as easily be described as a gilded cage. Even this small, out of the way hallway that was otherwise unremarkable and unadorned bore the same finely “carved” stone design of the rest of the palace that was free of dust. Omid hadn’t seen any servants doing any amount of dusting or sweeping, and though it was possible he had simply not seen it yet it was far more likely that Sareen would never allow for such untidiness in her own palace.

And it was in the middle of this completely unremarkable hallway that Sareen opened the most unremarkable of doors to lead Omid into a small storage room containing only a few old crates and large clay jars. Omid glanced around the room, looking for whatever hidden passage or artifact it was that he should be paying attention to.

As soon as the door shut, Sareen gave him a smile as she opened it once more to reveal what was decidedly not the hallway. Omid mentally kicked himself for forgetting that trick. “I don’t suppose that’s something you can teach me to do?”

Sareen laughed as she held the door open for him. “Lessons can be taught, skill gained, and will trained. But sheer power and potential? There are limits to humanity, and to even attempt to exceed them would kill you.”

“Like a bag rupturing at the seams from trying to fill it too much?” Omid wasn’t asking so much as confirming as he warily eyed the other side of the door and the large now well lit room just beyond.

“You’re taking those limitations quite well!” She said with a large smile.

Omid grit his teeth before walking into the door at her beckoning. “And here I thought you would like to see me burst.”

“Oh of course! But the fun of that is outweighed by you being quite useless to me afterward.” The smile reached her indigo eyes, glinting as she imagined that sight.

Perhaps it is a good thing he had not rescued Taljir yet, Omid thought. There was a joke to be made among these metaphors that would almost certainly result in one or most likely several deaths. But Omid, phantom Taljir thought, wouldn’t that be worth it? No phantom Taljir it wouldn’t be worth it, Omid thought back to himself as he looked around the vast room of polished marble and other similar fine stone comprising every surface. Directly across from the entrance sat a large alcove that held an equally sized spiral staircase leading up into what looked like a tower from here.

Built into smaller alcoves around the edges of the semi-circle shaped room were black stone pedestals lit by those glowing crystals Omid grew ever more familiar with. Upon the illuminated pedestals stood...objects. There was no word more descriptive for the motley assortment that looked to be treated with utmost care. Some appeared to be ornate artifacts, others aggressively unremarkable. In one alcove rested a regal looking golden owl with sapphires for eyes, and in the very next alcove sat a simple wooden spoon.

The door finally clicked shut, and Omid didn’t flinch when Sareen appeared directly next to him. “These are some of my most treasured possessions. Power and promises given form.” She raised a hand and directed Omid’s attention with a pointing finger. “That makes for a fine addition, don’t you think?”

In the alcove sitting just to the right of the stairwell leading up into some unknown tower, sat Omid’s gift of an indigo rose still looking as fresh as the day it was plucked in its glass jar.

“Lovely color.” Omid said as he forced himself into unclenching his jaw. “It really grabs one’s attention.”

Sareen kept her grin, batting her eyes at Omid several times as gave a hard and resigned swallow and continued this game, looking from her back to the flower. “Manages to grab your attention from anywhere in the room. A beacon whether in barren wastes or among other treasures. Even the jar itself displays a fine glass craftswomanship. Perhaps one day I could behold more glass workings of a similar caliber.”

Her pleased giggle let Omid know he passed, again, as she turned on her heels to stride towards a door bearing a bas-relief at the far left edge in between an unknown yet intricate device made of wood and an ancient looking book bearing text Omid didn’t recognize and a tower on the cover surrounded by four stylized suns.

“I’m surprised there are none of your guards here.” Omid said, noting the odd lack of security here as he looked from treasure to treasure to memorize as many as he could.

“These are my private quarters.” Sareen stated simply. “A place to find solitude and quiet. There are few who could get here to begin with.”

Omid nodded in understanding as Sareen reached that door bearing the bas-relief depicting a fight between a woman wielding a bow and a Rukh. A steel ring served as a handle as Sareen twisted it before pulling the door open.

Hey Omid, phantom Taljir asked once more, has the path here been worth it?

Sareen bore a toothy grin as she held the door open, beckoning Omid enter a dark room lit only by a shaft of pale light from a high window. Omid nodded and entered the darkened room, letting his eyes adjust to the low light as Sareen followed behind him. High on the opposite wall sat a circular opaque window letting in that pale shaft of light that shone down into a circular sand pit, even as daytime up here produced no such light. And there on rings of shelves built into the walls themselves of this circular room were tiny gleams that became clearer the longer Omid’s eyes had to adjust. Every single one a small glass figurine bearing a small amount of blood at the center.

“You are certain you wish to have Taljir back? Not someone else?” Sareen said as she browsed the shelves reaching high onto the walls above as Omid stared at the numerous figurines.

Omid’s eyes were wide at the display of the countless people who had crossed Sareen and been cast into a glass prison for their “transgressions”. “No, none others here that I would know…right?”

Sareen plucked a glass figurine from one of the less populated shelves, giving the slightest smile to Omid as she walked to the sand pit. For his own sanity, Omid assumed she was engaged in her usual routine of trying to break him mentally. The Kirzallan tossed the tiny glass Taljir into the center of the pit as Omid nearly fell over trying to grab it out of instinct. It harmlessly collided with the sand pit as Sareen laughed.

“Stand back, wouldn’t want to get things mixed up.” She said in far too casual a tone for what that implied.

Omid scrambled back to avoid a more literal scrambling as Sareen started to chant several words of magic layered over one another as the sands began to swirl about and glow in the pale light until the small glass figurine sank below the surface. She held her hands out, palms up as she beckoned towards her and still chanted her multilayered spell. Keeping the chant going, she abruptly dropped to her knee and reached into the sand vortex to grab at the sands as a tangible thing as she quickly stood and dragged the sand spiral with her. Sounding even more determined in her speech, she released the sands as they took shape from a nebulous spiral into something resembling a human. Finer features took form until the sand was recognizable as Taljir with his clothes and personal effects as intact as when he first turned to sand.

And color returned to him as Taljir blinked several times, looking around in confusion and falling back onto the sand the moment he saw Sareen.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-”

Omid dove to muffle his friend’s screams with his hand. “AHHH yes Taljir there is much work to be done! With you alone qualified to do that work on such short notice!”

“Ahmfmmhmmd? Ahmd?” Taljir’s eyes were still threatening to bulge out of his head, and the sudden actions of Omid talking about something he had been volunteered for gave rise to even more questions in an already horrifying time.

“Yes that’s true! We are lucky to have such a benevolent host!” Omid said as he gestured with his free arm to Sareen, pearly white teeth bared to make Taljir panic even more. “In fact, I believe some thanks are in order before we get you to work!”

Omid shot his friend a tiny pleading look that lasted only a second before removing his hand in hopes that the screaming had stopped. Taljir gulped, eyes still wide as he crawled forward onto one knee and bowed. “A thousand thanks miss-”

“Princess.” Omid quickly whispered.

“....princess-” Talir’s tone showed he was clearly having a hard time processing that one. “Princess...Sareen!...whose name I am unworthy to utter? Thank you Princess!”

Omid stood, eyes darting between Sareen and Taljir and praying to every god listening that his companion had succeeded and was not about to be turned into a red paste.

Sareen’s expression went neutral, almost to the point of uninterest, in a flash as she looked down at Taljir. “Rise.”

Taljir scrambled to his feet, keeping his eyes down as he did so.

“Omid will show you to your assignment. Remember him as your benefactor, and do not disappoint.” Her voice was one of pure business, with the slightest hint of warning in a similar manner to which she addressed her other servants.

“As you command.” Taljir kept his eyes down still, waiting for further instruction.

Omid took a step towards the princess, giving a weak smile. “Thank you, Sareen. I shall ensure that he lives up to my promises.”

Sareen tilted her head, slight smile as she took Omid’s hand in her own and squeezed gently. “Omid, I did say that he is yours. If a craftsman can carve a work of art from the most unlikely marble it is to his glory. He can hardly be blamed if the marble fails him.”

Suddenly many things made sense, which was by most accounts to Omid’s benefit. He would piece together all that it did mean later, but for now he gave the smallest nod as Sareen released his hand and opened the door back into the main artifact hall. Omid quickly pulled Taljir along with a firm arm around his shoulder as Sareen led them to the exit.

Taljir’s wandering eye around the hall at all it held and his slack jawed awe were abated by Omid whispering a harsh “Not yet, eyes down.”

The two scouts followed Sareen to that unassuming door, and into the storage room as she joined them before closing the door behind her. She beamed at Omid. “Your servant will find a room in the stables. I trust you to deal with any problems he may present, my apprentice.”

Though Taljir’s eyes were still on the floor, they went wide at that last line but Omid’s hand trying to crush his shoulder in it’s grip quashed any questions for the moment.

Sareen opened the door once more into the unassuming hall as Omid strong armed Taljir through it followed by himself. The Kirzallan gave a nod of approval. “Your lessons shall continue tomorrow, let no one dare to prevent that. Now, I must see to a few clothing repairs while I find what is taking them so long with your clothes.”

And with that, she was striding off down the hall as her footsteps echoed through the palace. Omid and Taljir were left to navigate their way out of this labyrinth, though Omid saw it as a kind of trust that he could manage the palace’s twists and turns while also likely being a source of amusement in the event that he did get lost.

The two young men stood there for a time until Taljir cleared his throat once he no longer heard footsteps. Omid responded by pulling him into a hug, which he warrily returned.

“It is good to have you back, Taljir.”

Taljir gave a more earnest hug. “It’s good to be...back?I have a great many questions.”

“Not here.” Omid said, patting Taljir on the back before pulling away. He gave a pained smile. “Not...not ever I would hope. But not here.”

Taljir looked around his strange surroundings, seeing sconces bearing no flame but a white light in pale stone halls to match. He bore a toothy grimace as he looked back at his friend. “Alright, but I don’t have to call you...sir or...master or...Prince?”

“No.” Omid said through grit teeth in a smile. “Just follow me, we’ll talk more when its safe. But...just Omid, alright?”

Taljir let out a deep sigh of relief, posture easing greatly. “Good, I was starting to think this was the underworld. Still on Kir!” He said with a quiet cheer as he pumped his fist into the air.

Omid’s pained smile dissolved into a pained wince as Taljir’s arm fell limp to his side as his own look of triumph turned to worried horror. “...no?”

“So you see…” Omid started walking down the hall rather than face his friend.

“...go on?”

“You see...we are on the greater moon. I think. One of the moons.” Omid failed to think of a way to carefully deliver that revelation and just let it all out at once.

Taljir followed closely, steps somewhat wobbly as he looked around at his surroundings. Finding the simple hall transition into a much grander hall replete with tapestries. “So I am dead then.”

“No! Sareen was very specific about you not being dead. Just...altered!” Omid said, leading on as he recalled the directions taken here.

“Now you said no to questions, but-”

“That is correct I did!” Omid held up finger, still desperate to end this inquiry.

Taljir got a syllable into trying for an unwanted followup but paused as the two rounded the corner to find themselves in front of a window up on what had to be at least the fourth floor. It gave a clear view of the surrounding landscape of pale white sands under an unfamiliar sky that was even a different color from the only one Taljir had ever known.

“By the gods you were serious.” He muttered while taking a few steps to the crystal clear window to survey the land, leaning against it for support.

Omid sighed, leaning in and speaking low. “I’m working with Aiz to remedy this situation. I actually have a lesson with him later tonight...through a magical glass. He’s still on Kir as far as I’m aware.”

Taljir stared out the window in silence, head pressed against the glass. “You know I don’t know if this makes us the greatest winners or the greatest losers in the history of all scouting missions in The Great Desert.”

“Pretty sure it counts as both.” Omid leaned his back against the window.

“That to me sounds like a victory all its own. Worthy of stories passing into legend.” He said before looking over to his friend.

Omid gave a small nod as he leaned against the glass, liking the sound of that. “Well we did want something better than that stuck up underground kingdom.”

“You seem to have the fierce warrior princess claimed up here.” Taljir teased as Omid grimaced with a full body shiver. “Did you find any cute and bookish librarians to spare?”

Omid had been dealing with so much up here that he had yet to think of the likelihood of a grand library of some sort existing within the palace. “I have not, but you know we might be here a while so there is still hope.”

Taljir chuckled, pushing himself off of the window to stand once more. “I still have a thousand and one questions, but thank you Omid.”

“Wait until I’ve answered more questions before you thank me, Taljir.” Omid said with a wan smile, and led the two onward to the stables.