The next morning, Cass was moved to the Strioi District. Compared to the Sand and the Stone, or even the houses of the Warriors, it was stunning. Paved roads ran straight between large houses and impressive gardens, fountains ran in the clean and orderly squares, and statues and artwork could be found wherever you looked.

Although magic was a hereditary trait, not everyone from a family that had magic in the bloodline manifested it, maybe twenty percent at most turned out to have that potential. Since the Strioi district only housed Strioi and there husbands, wives, and children, the families that the Strioi were born in continued to live in the Caste and District they were born in. However, it was quite common for Strioi to quietly support their family and this was seen as perfectly acceptable.

The end result of that, however, was that much of the Strioi District was empty and the mansions that lined its streets would tend to house several Strioi families, each with their own suites of rooms and the rest of the mansion serving as communal space. Which was how Cass ended up with more room then she knew what to do with.

Her rooms back in Tyine had been more than she knew what to do with… But her quarters dwarfed those, and she had several other rooms besides that were supposed to house her future children. Honestly, Cass felt as if she had been swallowed by the rooms, almost unnerved by the amount of privacy and space she was afforded.

What did catch her eye was the wardrobe. The one back in Tyine had been empty and Cass had been measured for dresses but had never returned to see them, but the style of clothing here did not require the same precise measurements and so it was filled with colors and fabrics forming clothes of all descriptions.

She had an urge to stay here all day and try them all on, but she doubted that she would be given the time to do so and chose a red dress hemmed with white fur. It lacked the intricate patterns of the blue one, but had bands of colors that were very pretty.

It turns out she had made a wise decision, because just as Cass finished changing the bell connected to the entrance to her rooms jingled, signalling that someone was at the door. It turned out to be Elder Klein and another man who was practically identical to him, save that his hair was completely white compared to the still greying Klein.

“Cass, this is Brother Klein,” Elder Klein smiled, “Who is, coincidentally, my older brother.”

“He never gets tired of that joke,” the older brother sighed. “Just call me Cushan, the title is unnecessary.”

“It is nice to meet you Cushan,” Cass greeted him politely and invited them in, admittedly she was just copying the girl from the night before, but she had no experience with this kind of thing. “Forgive me if I am wrong, but would you perhaps be part of the Priest Caste?”

“Indeed I am,” Cushan sat down slowly, a bit more stiff than his younger brother. “My younger brother came to pester me at the crack of dawn this morning to come and meet you, I heard you recently came from Haj?”

“Yes, you could say I was rescued from Haj in some ways.” She wouldn’t say that, but Cass figured that if they knew that she had decided to return they would restrict her freedoms tightly.

“You were a slave, correct?” The priest shook his head with a disgusted scowl, “A terrible practice, to be sure.”

“Some of the things Cass said last night made me feel that she should talk to someone.” Elder Klein was gentle with his phrasing, though Cass wondered if he expected her to have that talk in front of him. Apparently so. “Slavery can be damaging to the mind, and I am worried about her mental state.”

“I assure you,” Cass said smoothly and firmly. “My mental state is just fine.”

“Last night you were missing for many hours,” Elder Klein’s eyes turned steely. “Guards at the checkpoints to the Sand District and the Stone District reported a young Strioi matching your description passing through.”

Shit, they had noticed. Cass wondered how they had, though it could have been something as simple as a servant entering to check on her and finding her missing. Still, she would have to be careful not to underestimate them.

“I’m sorry,” Cass replied casually. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Technically, no.” Klein said that, but did not let her off the hook. “But you have only just awoken, you may not be completely stable after being collared and enslaved. You need to be watched for your own safety.”

“Hmmm, well let me ask you a question then,” Cass would have to reveal a part of her actual reasoning here, but it was not too much of a gamble. “Why should I trust you when a cursory look revealed much of what my guide said to be lies?”

“Anyone who goes looking for trouble will find it,” Klein was unfazed. “Our land may be safer than Tyine, and the Warriors may end most crime and dispute before it even occurs, but if you go looking for the darkness in men’s hearts, you can find it no matter how hard we try to scour it away.”

“I assure you,” Cass pressed the attack. “I didn’t have to look very far. I was attacked twice, once by a group of thugs in the Sand and once by a group of drunks in the Stone. That second one occured on the main road and when I tried to stop them from gang raping a girl even younger than me. So please, you can keep the bullshit to yourself, you are not fooling anyone.”

“Unfortunately,” Cushan raised a hand to stop his brother from retorting. “Despite our best efforts, few in the Sand or Stone follow the Spirits very closely, or any belief for that matter. It is a pity, because without something higher they can be no more than animals.”

“Belief in anything but the spirits would be heresy brother,” Klein frowned.

“Cassan, the girl in front of you comes from Haj.” Cushan laughed, “She has stiffened up slightly every time I have mentioned the spirits, and has been wary of me since I was introduced. Undoubtedly she follows the Church of Light, and while I have strong disagreements with the Church, it does try to teach its followers to do good, which is far better than nothing.”

Cass was not so sure about that. Some of the kinder people she had met believed in no gods or spirits at all. Church believers would often give charity out of duty, but those without duty gave because of their own feelings and values. That said, she loved the Church dearly, and it was only because of it that she was alive now.

“You are correct,” Cass thought it would be best to tell the truth here. “The Church of Light saved me from death and insanity, and even taught me how to speak properly and clearly. I do believe in their message and teachings, though I have to confess that I do not always follow them as well as I would like.”

Elder Klein was looking at her with a mixture of disgust and horror, but his brother was simply nodding calmly.

“I expected as much,” Cashan sighed. “Brother, there is not much I can do here. Though Cass, I do hope you will drop by our temple sometime, you may find our beliefs and yours have more in common than you think.”

“Thank you for the invitation and your kindness,” Cass had to admit, Cashan reminded her of a priestess from long ago. She rather liked the old man. “I promise I will take you up on that once I have settled down a bit and am thinking more clearly.”

Cashan smiled and went to get up, seeing him struggle, Cass got up to help the old man stand. Elder Klein needed no such help, and seemed unsure of how to react to the conversation that had happened, which was precisely how Cass had wanted him to be. However nice this priest was, even if he reminded Cass of that priestess, he could never match her generosity or the kindness of someone like Maurice. She was not interested in hearing about his beliefs as a result, she was deeply loyal to the Church. However, Cass’s words had left an impression that she was open to conversion and would seek out the priests to learn more soon.

Before they left, Elder Klein turned and handed Cass a small sack. To her utter shock, it was filled with golden coins!

“Forty Golden Voni,” he said. “The salary of all Strioi in Beergmutar. Even if you don’t feel part of the kingdom yet, and even if you don’t trust us enough to fully explain your glyphs, the things that you have explained are more than worth that paltry sum. It is yours to spend as you see fit.”

“Th- Thank you.” Cass stuttered, she had never held so much money! Hell, she had rarely held any money at all! She did not know precisely how much forty Golden Voni would be worth in terms of goods or services, but they were gold, and she could hardly imagine spending them.

After the brothers left, Odal came by, a serous look on his face.

“So I heard you went for a bit of a walk last night.” He said in lieu of a greeting.

Is there anyone who didn’t know she had left? Cass thought in exasperation, at the very least she had not been followed or they would have cut off her head for treason!

“Yes I did.” Cass replied calmly, even as she fumed inside.

“In that case you know that pretty much everything I said was not precisely true.” Odal looked down at the floor.

“That is what is one way to say it,” Cass laughed. “I am not too surprised to be honest, and I know Elder Klein told you to.”

“H- How did you-?” He stumbled back, stunned.

“I didn’t actually.” Cass said amusedly, “But you just told me.”

Odal really was easy to outmaneuver, Cass almost felt sorry for him really. It did make her life easier though… The real question was why Klein would want to do so… She had barely awoken before they had tried to trick her and cajole her, Cass did not think her glyphs by themselves were worth this much. That said, she had a sack of gold coins in her hands, so perhaps she just didn’t understand the value.

“Here,” Cass said cheerfully. “You can make it up to me, how much is this worth? I am not familiar with your currency.”

She held up one of the Gold Voni and examined the designs on it. Mountains on one side, the face of some royal or another on the flip side.

“I don’t know…” Odal was confused by the change of subject, “One Gold Voni is a Warriors monthly salary, and it could probably feed a Stone family for half a year if used sparingly…”

“Wait. You are telling me that I was just casually handed enough to live on for twenty years?” Cass was sure she misheard.

“Well… Yes. You are Strioi after all.”

What the hell would she even do with that much money? This was a monthly salary for mages? There is something wrong with the way this country worked, Cass was starting to feel uncomfortable in the kingdom…

“Well Odal,” Cass decided to explore a bit more to clear her head. “Would you be so kind as to guide me to the Silver District?”

“You still want me to guide you…?” Odal had been confused by this entire conversation, “even after I lied to you?”

“Why should I blame you for what Klein told you to do?” Cass said while briefly fantasizing about breaking Odal’s jaw. Her real reason was that Odal was pretty much an idiot and he might be useful later. If she rejected him, another would be assigned who was just as much in Klein’s pocket and would probably be smarter…

“So come on,” Cass smiled. “I have never had a chance to go shopping, maybe I will enjoy it.”