The gardens were my jail.

I can't complain, it is the most beautiful gaol I've ever seen. Not that I've been in many gaols though.

We had to climb three flights of steps before reaching the top level of the mountain. I was out of puff but the old man barely slowed down and wasn't showing any sign of strain. Clearly it would be a mistake to treat him as a simple old man. He was a former Shield, a Chi user of high level for sure and maybe even a magician.

Not once did he turn to look back and check if I was following him. Either his senses were telling him I was or he was confident he could find me if I was brazen enough to try to run away from him. I wouldn't do it: first I wasn't that stupid, second: meeting him was my goal.

The garden was at the top of the mountain. There were walls surrounding us and even a building at the northern face with its towers rising high above us. It was quite large for an inner garden, at least two football fields wide.

It was a strange mix of carefully nurtured “unkempt” nature to look both wild and harmonious, a bit like English gardens but with some more rigorously worked on parts, more alike French gardens or Korean gardens. Trees and hedges were planted to naturally hide most walls but since it was the heart of winter they couldn't fulfil their job.

A small semi lunar pond with its summer gazebo were at the northern part. The pond was covered in water-lilies that will bloom in a few months.

Despite being winter the temperature was surprisingly mild here, obviously the work of magic. When I lifte my eyes to take a look at the sky I could make out a strange shimmering disturbance, some kind of magic barrier?

The trees were barren and only a few plants were blooming: some white magnolias bushes were still in bloom and there were some sunny edelweiss looking sprouting in a field of rocks and gravels. Although few, they were enough to permeate the air with a light perfume of jasmine.

In the opposite corner of the pond there was a desk with a small open-air working area: a low table, some cushioned stools, an armchair and a small tea stove. That's where we were heading to.

No servants were in sight. Neither did I see guards on watch at the entry of the garden.

The former lord brought me to the working area, he sat in the armchair behind the dark mahogany desk. I didn't dare take a sit until offered to. I could finally meet his eyes. Nutusi had told me he ha green eyes but her description was lacking. This wasn't just simple green eyes, it was as if the forest itself was gazing at you. Not a gentle grove like this garden but a luxuriant and filled with danger jungle.

Just his gaze was enough to make me tremble, I was feeling as threatened and scared as I was when the monster had me in its pincers during the monster tide, one wrong word and my head could roll. This man wasn't a kind grand pa, he was a veteran fighter and his killing intent was seeping out like crazy no matter how calm he looked like.

He opened one of the drawers and took a small bottle and a cup before pouring himself a cup of translucent liquid. The smell reminded me of the fruit wine from the cellar but with a richer scent than the one we used to wash off the kemcha.

“Better stuff than what you are drenched in.” he said while smiling like he almost saw right through my thoughts.

His senses weren't dulled by age but rather Chi enhanced.

While taking a sip he skimmed through the first pages of my textbook, those with ideograms exposing my ideas.

His green eyes were burning with a ferocious curiosity, he was like a cat focusing on a mice, totally immersed in his reading but with an aura of deathly danger clinging around.

“Where did you learn about this?” he finally asked me, “I've travelled the four continents and never saw anything alike.” He confessed in disbelief.

“I'm the one who devised it my lord.” I meekly said while watching my feet, meeting his gaze was a bit too intense for me.

This surprised him. I could sense the doubt growing in his tone: “How old are you? You look no more than eight. Where do you come from, kid?”

I gathered my wits to lift my gaze and meet his. The emeralds were a bit hazy with alcohol but were casting a mix of eagerness and wariness, full of untold threat: I better not lie to him.

I decided there wasn't much to hide from him. We had discussed it beforehand with Nutusi. I could reveal my blessing, the lords of the city were already aware of all blessed ones in the city anyway.

“I'm young indeed. But I'm also a Shinpilo blessed one.” For a brief instant I savoured the bomb I just dropped on him. That was enough to crack his aura for a second and relieve me from the pressure.

His eyes grew to two big balls before quickly closing down to a knowing stare. He whispered to the air near us: “Shizu. Go bring me the report from last year on the blessed residents. He might tell the truth.” Of course I was.

From the thin air came an answer: the distant voice of an obedient woman “At once my lord.”

I could only feel a gust of wind to my side as something moved away from us.

“We'll check your story.” said the plump lord while tapping on my textbook. This was fine with me: the sooner my identity was checked, the sooner I would be believed. “In the meantime explain what was your purpose here today.” he ordered.

* * * * *

I recounted how blade Duarch was extorting my family to push us to servitude to fulfil his quarrel with cardinal Fortmo.

I explained how my grandmother got sick with the current hardships and this brought a hint of sorrow in his jade eyes, the man was sympathizing somehow with my troubles.

Finally I told the truth: me and some friends managed to enter the castle in order to meet with him and have me close a deal with him to have the first blade back off.

He sighed in somewhat admiration. “How brazen of you. Stupid and courageous!” he laughed heartily and drank a cup to celebrate that, his smile was warm but his eyes were still coldly gauging me, “I like you kid. You also have two good friends to risk so much to help you.”

Wait? Only two?

“Euh, my lord. There were three of my comrades with me. May I ask who was found yet? I'd rather not have any of my friends get needlessly hurt.” I worriedly voiced my concern for my allies.

He shrugged. “I don't know much. I know that some kid made trouble in the kitchen and I know that guards were moving around but we'll have to wait for Shizu for more ample informations.”

he drank yet another cup. “In the meantime, explain me what is this alphabet useful for?”

I barely started explaining my idea of writing down sounds instead of words that Shizu was back. I felt a move of air like a gentle breeze before a woman appeared out of thin air next to the Lord.

She was down to one knee next to him, handing him a small book. She had short bob cut black hair and grey eyes. She was looking no more than forty and could have been a beauty if it wasn't for the burn scar on the left side of her face. It wasn't a simple burn but looked more like a chemical burn, white and with circular patterns on it. She didn't even spare a look at me and just stood obediently near her lord.

The old man opened the hefty book and went to the last pages while humming some light tune. “Ah, there,” he said with his finger pointing at the info he was looking for “Yes, I remember the report. A young kid of four springs that got a blessing of Shinpilo last year.” He raised his mossy eyes to ask me “What's your name?”

“I am Telerios, my lord. Son of Jocriss and Melcas. I live in the eastern disctrict and work for the temple as an acolyte.” He was checking the report on me at the same time and nodded in approval. “Yes, this looks true. Still, Shizu, go fetch a divine crystal so that we can check his claim.” he gently asked his aid.

“Here, I thought you might ask for one my lord.” She handed him a small marble like the one Fortmo used on me.

The old man laughed, his belly shaking and getting wine stains on his robe. “Always on point, Shizu. Very good.” He complimented her. “You, prove your claim.” He tossed the marble at me.

To my embarrassment I missed it and had to grab it from the grass. I felt the same jolt as the last time. Something called for my blessing and the blessing answered, sending something back that lighted the marble up with a deep blue light.

Seeing the signature of the blessing of Shinpilo the old man nodded while his aide was stunned silly.

“You are who you claim to be. So this knowledge came from the god? How did you manage to get his blessing exactly?” he further enquired while the nearby Shizu was still trying to process the information.

“In fact I got the blessing precisely because of this alphabet that I created but more knowledge came with the blessing. I'm still struggling to figure it out for the most part thought.” I lied to the former lord, hoping his green gaze won't see through my thoughts.

He was skimming through the first pages of my textbook again for a while before something struck him. “Shizu. Tea please.” He lifted his head to look at me, pondering on something, “The green leaves with mota should do.” Shizu silently vanished in the air like dust dispersing in the wind. “Come, take a sit.” he pointed at the tea table nearby and at one of the cushioned stools.

He joined me on the other side of the low table. I must admit the crafting was excellent, the black wood was finely carved with kirins flying amidst clouds.

I was still worried about my comrades and felt this was a good moment to care about their whereabouts: “My lord. Forgive me for asking but could you please make sure my friends aren't too roughly treated? I would feel guilty if something was to happen to them when they just volunteered to help me.”

Instead of answering me he took a long stare at me, his emerald eyes carrying guilt and sorrow but also a cruel resolution. “You should have thought of that before bringing them into danger. Any leader is always responsible for his men.” he was pointing an accusative finger while lecturing me. He then took a gentler tone “But you are just a kid. Mistakes are bound to happen. Just remember that lesson for the next time. Your two friends should be in detention now, we'll ask Shizu, she should know about it.”

“Euh... The problem is that there were three of them that came with me...” I hesitantly blurted.

“WHAT?! Just how did so many kids got into the castle? You'll have to reveal how you broke through our security.” He looked really annoyed “Shizu! Shizu!” he called.

The woman appeared beside him, with a platter carrying a teapot and snacks. She bowed “My lord?”

“The kid says there were three others that were with him, what can you tell us about that?” he inquired.

“Well. There is a boy and a girl that got caught and are in custody in the western guard post.” She said.

“Did anything happen to them?” I anxiously asked.

The woman in leather armour turned to the lord, waiting for his approval before answering. “They aren't harmed yet. The boy did puke after binge eating and will be punished though. The girl also made grave accusations that are under investigation.”

The lord decided to rule about this: “Find the third one then bring them all here. I want to question them too.” He then faced me “Do you know where your third friend could be?” He asked with concern.

I didn't hesitate to answer. Their part was done so no need to take any more risk. “She should be near the stables of the western courtyard, trying to free the flying beasts.” Both of them gasped in surprise.

“You'll really need to tell me how you planned this. This is a major break of our security. Anything else that could help Shizu find her before a guard might hurt her?” He threatened me.

“She's a catkin, grey fur, flat face. My age. Not much more. Ah, she might smell of fruit wine.”

The old man looked taken aback, opened his mouth to query more details but renounced in the end, he'll get to know soon enough. “Go Shizu, find her!”

“At once my Lord” said the air around us as she vanished before the old man could finish his order.

The former lord rose from his chair to brew the tea. A flame came out of his hand to light up the small nearby stove, there was a nice fruity smell coming from his kettle “While this is brewing tell me more about your writing thing.”

I spent a good half an hour explaining the alphabet, the syllables and how anyone could learn it easily. Meaning literacy could be widely spread and used for various improvements in daily management of the Shieldom. I could see that he took the bait. The old man was really infatuated with the technique and understood how it could be used.

“Are you sure anyone can learn it? Is it really that simple? People need years to learn to read and write a sufficient amount of ideograms.” He was still voicing some concerns.

“Yes I am. My three friends are commoners yet they can already read and write using this system.” I asserted with pride in my comrades prowess.

“You mean that if I have you write something now they'll be able to read it when they arrive?” He dared me.

I nodded. The old man got to his desk to fetch some paper and a pen. The paper was real paper: white, smooth and delicate to the touch. A real luxury, one page could pay for Duarch's monthly taxes.

He then read out something in a foreign tongue I've never heard before while I had to write it down. I somehow managed to write it in syllabic after making him repeat a few time. Maybe my alphabet wasn't enough for all the strange guttural sounds he made but my students should be able to roughly read it well enough.

We then had a cup of the peach-like perfumed tea while he was probing what other use my writing system could have in the future. I was explaining about school, diffusion of knowledge among artisans and civil management but kept quiet about cyphers and other pertaining things. This was for Nutusi to decide what I could reveal or not.

Shizu came back, this time by walking through the garden's gate followed by my friends in shackles, Melodi was even tied up with a rope. Otherwise they all looked unarmed.

“What took you so long Shizu?” Asked the old man “The tea is almost lukewarm now.” He jokingly complained.

Shizu looked a bit strained and ashamed while answering “The cat girl was a bit hard to find.” she admitted “It's been a while since someone hid so well from me.” she shamefully confessed. “And she wasn't cooperative.” she showed a claw mark on her hand.

This elicited a good laugh from the old man. “Shizu, the fierce Shizu wounded by a six springs old girl. Ah ah, now I can say I'm old enough to have seen it all.” He facetiously added before his gaze turned harsh again: “Kid, have your friends read our prose.”

I chose to have Gel read it first. She was my best student and the one I spend the most time with. She knew me best and ha read the most, she should be able to understand what I wrote the best.

She read it slowly and with a raised eyebrow: this meant nothing. Sometimes she was hesitating on how to pronounce the foreign words, some sounds weren't correct but we got 80% of it I would say.

The fat lord was definitively impressed, he even started clapping. “Very impressive. Shizu, untie them so that they can join us. I think I'll have an interesting story to hear from them.”

The bodyguard untied them all. There was a spark of tension when she released Melodi but both knew better than to start a fight.

We quickly whispered to one another, making sure everyone was fine. When all were poured a cup of steaming tea, the old lord looked hard at all of them. To the point that it was disturbing for my comrades, his green eyes were full of trained authority and self confidence and could upset children easily.

Gel was trying to avoid meeting eyes with him, Balout was blushing and Mel was staring back in defiance though I could tell she was still scared by our situation, her fur was slightly bristling in anguish.

The smile on the old man's face grew wider and wider. His wrinkly head then started to shake in silent laughter, his fat cheeks were waving like undulating Jello. "This is getting better and better. Where did you find this bunch? A fatty, a kitty and even a young Akolaï touched one?" he asked with amused disbelief.

I can't confess him much. They are simply my neighbours and none of them is that out of the ordinary except for Gelcaria and her eyes. So I simply shrugged without explanations to provide. At least the [kitty] did prove a worthy recruit against his aid and all my other companions did fulfill their assignements.

“Now let's talk seriously.” he said with his eyes sobering up in an instant.