Magna was starting to get a little nervous after explaining why Brand was now on his way to becoming a mage without Dreyark’s help. Rollo listened to the story without saying a word. He’d just stared at Magna, half his attention still focused on the many spells ready to end him at a moment’s notice. Now, after the telling, he just messaged the bridge of his nose in frustration for what was now becoming an alarmingly long time.

“I have to ask,” Rollo said, the abruptness of the statement making Magna jump slightly.

The death traps in Saint Hilda nearly activated from her surprise. She felt the shudder of Rollo’s magic as he braced himself for an attack. When nothing did, he continued.

“I understand you trying to keep as many children from being trained as possible. From what I know of your experience, it's understandable. But why in the world would you think working for Akram is a better option!”

Rollo's words grew faster and louder as he spoke. It was obvious he was genuinely puzzled and more than a little angry.

After the striker finished talking, Magna heard his words echo throughout the room. He had erected a sound barrier, something to be expected of a veteran like himself but something she was unable to replicate. The matron steeled herself. Some strikers thought their title to be almost holy, an unfortunate consequence of the psychosomatic spells embedded within them.

Choosing her words carefully, Magna answered Rollo's question with a question. “Why would sending someone to be what will most likely become a court mage position be worse than being a striker?”

“Court mage, really, I guess everything will be just fine,” Rollo spat, his anger now on full display.

“Of course he will!” Magna said. “An Akram came for him, in person. That’s how impressed she was by him. Or would he have been better turning out like you or me?” Magna’s voice was now at a fever pitch, turning the discussion into a full-blown argument.

“Yes, it would have been better!” Rollo shouted.

Magna stomped her foot with her shout. Her defenses reacted with her mood. The walls and ceiling where Rollo stood started to slowly enclose around him. Magna quickly calmed herself, annoyed that state of mind controls was all she could use for most of her home’s defenses.

“Why?” she asked after the room had settled back into its original form.

Rollo blinked many times as understanding dawned on him. Slowly, he finally took a seat and gave a great sigh. “I’m sorry, there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m used to people like us knowing of current events. You, however, have not been updated on the going on’s of the world.”

A chill wrapped around Magna’s spine. She now had the feeling that in her haste she had missed a crucial piece of information.

“Clan Akram is not what it once was,” Rollo explained. “Around seven years ago, a war broke out between the 13 most prominent clans. Now, they're down to eight, the rest absorbed or completely wiped out.”

Magna sat down like a falling rock. Her hand's clenched until her nails bit into her skin. The perfect life she imagined for Brand was crumbling but he wouldn't be a soldier to be sacrificed. Magna knew he'd still be safe until Rollo went on.

“Even now the fighting has not stopped. There had been five Akram leaders in the last four years. Each being killed by an assassin from within their own house if not on the battlefield by the other clans they constantly battle with for control. The girl, Azmina in particular, is on her last legs so to speak. Akram is broken, her mother and siblings are dead, and she’s been chased out of the country.” Rollo’s last words were said in a resigned tone. “She came here personally because she has no one left to come in her place.”

****

Brand and Azmina had barely made it past Mur when the city guard leader informed them they'd be taking their leave. As he watched them leave in a tight formation, the slight possibility of his not a princess princess being a liar went from an uncertainty to a guaranteed conclusion.

He didn’t think Azmina would harm or betray him in some way but from the moment she came for him in person he knew she was not telling the whole truth. She most likely had been lying about the standing of her own house or her position within it.

Brand had never heard of Ram, so it was a safe bet that it was far away, so why would she, the head of her house, come all this way to Vellia to learn magic? It could be that Vellia had the best magic around so the chance to learn within the city attracted nobles from all over. If this was the case, however, why did she need city guards for protection?

Brand had seen nobles with guards before, but they always wore colors or standards of their house marking them protectors. Azmina had no guards of her own so she had to convince local guards to help. For someone as important as she made herself out to be, there should be bodyguards from back home to ensure her protection.

Ignoring that, why did she come for him herself instead of sending a servant. It could be that it was not safe to send a mundane servant into the Nulls, but why would she and her brother be the only magi in the group. Maybe she came in person because of how he’d helped her but Brand never assumed anyone had purely good intentions.

The, “my brother is trying to kill you,” excuse had holes in it too. Rohaan had no idea where Brand lived so he was safe if Azmina stayed away. After some time, she could send for him after her brother calmed down unless she truly had no power over him, which meant there would be blows the second they met again.

Akram was probably a shit hole of a clan. If not, Azmina was the black sheep of the family and needed someone like Brand to help her. Either way, he didn’t really care. As long As Azmina was mostly telling the truth, he’d play his part in her schemes. A destitute noble was still leagues better than the most powerful slumlord. Brand just didn’t like being sold on lies. He decided to only confront her about it when he had a firm grip on whatever power she gave him.

“The guards aren't coming with us?” Brand asked, acting surprised as they left.

“Don't worry,” Azmina reassured him. “There’s no need for them once we're inside the better areas of the city.” Azmina’s voice then grew a tad bit angrier. “And I'll deal with Rohaan myself when we see him.” With that said Brand decided to just follow while taking in the sites around him.

Brand never thought he'd get a chance to visit this part of the city. The rumors surrounding it did it justice in some aspects and failed in many others. The streets and houses were indeed well built with liberal use of white and softer colors putting the drab dark browns of the Nulls’s wooden homes to shame. As a matter of fact, Brand saw almost no wood used in any of the building’s construction. Instead, stones and brick seemed to be fused together, forgoing the need for adhesives.

The streets were made of what looked like one large stone. There was no clear separation noticeable in the white marble which resulted in Brand leaving dark footprints as he walked. It seemed mages had some way of preventing such things. Also, unlike the thoroughfare Brand was used to, there was an area in the middle of the road that no one walked in.

Occasionally, brightly colored carts rolled down a road that looked to be made of a single slab of stone. The beast of burden were larger than any of the carts on the Null Road. Some of the strange things didn't even have wheels, instead, relying on some force that made a steady humming noise as it moved past him.

The beasts of burden being used to move the huge and obviously heavy carts were alien to Brand as well. Once he saw what looked like a bear with the green scales of a snake drudge on by. It was thrice as large as any horse Brand had ever seen. The damned thing shook the ground as it walked leaving cracks in the pavement that reformed seconds after being made.

What disappointed Brand in the face of all this wonder were the people that had evidently created it. The smell he hated on Hoder permeated the air and grew worse when someone walked close by. The perfume was tangy with a concentrated odor of sweet flowers. In small doses, the aroma may even have been pleasant, but its overabundance only left an itchy feeling in Brand’s throat.

What also bothered Brand was the clothing on some of the people currently staring at him. Many wore long robes with pointed hats. Some hats had more than one point and symbols on them. None of these nobles had visited the pits, Brand would have remembered such ridiculous outfits.

At least these folk looked the part of fancy high-born snobs unlike most. Brand realized the impression he had of the people within the inner wall had been very wrong. All around were normal-looking people doing normal things. They had generally better-looking clothing but not as good as a few ostentatious nobles walking in groups or riding upon carts or that one on an actual fucking unicorn.

These people were busy lifting heavy loads, manning surprisingly quaint shops that sold things like flowers and butchered meats, and some even swept the road clean. Even so, these simple folks still glared at Brand like the rest.

They seemed even more taken aback by his presence than the better-dressed gawkers. To the fancy folk, he was a curiosity to be talked about during an idle conversation, but to commoners, he seemed more of an interloper. At least that's how Brand felt as he observed his new surroundings.

“So, are you liking your first look inside the real Vellia?” Azmina asked, breaking the silence that had come between them for the last few minutes.

Brand scoffed. “What do you mean by real? Does not having a ridiculous pointy hat make me from somewhere else?” Brand’s words were said in jest but he was surprised by Azmina’s answers.

“In the ways that matter, it does,” She said with a bit of cheer leaving her voice. “It would seem that anything outside the walls of the city and the roads that encompass most of the continent is considered foreign land.”

“What do you mean foreign land,” Brand said incredulously. “And what roads?”

“The king’s road,” Azmina said as if it were obvious. “Vellia is the central hub of a massive roadway spanning across all of Europia.” Azmina then moved her finger through the air leaving a blue light as it drew a circle with lines leading away from it in all directions. “Some of these roads lead into tears in space left by the great war of gods. These roads lead into other worlds like Alfheim, and even Jotunheim.” Azmina let out a huff of frustration after having a hard time pronouncing the names for other worlds in Brand's language. “I hate saying those words. There’re so, um, thorny on my throat. Anyway, in a few more years Vellia may be the first empire spanning more than one world.”

“What a minute,” Brand said in confusion. “You're saying Vellie is a country that is really a giant road that considered anything not on its road as what, shrubbery?”

Azmina shook her head in the affirmative. “There are whole countries that are surrounded by it but are in no way part of it. Worse!” she spat. “Even if you're trapped by the roads that double as an infinitely long fortress, you still have to pay to pass through it. This ridiculous country is just made up of borders and has no actual land to speak of!”

Bringing his hand through his hair, Brand thought back to everything he knew of his home. “Where are these roads? I’ve only ever seen the one giant wall.”

“That’s because you’re on the opposite side of the city. Your home can’t be seen from the roads,” Azmina explained. “I saw many such towns just outside the King’s Road on my way here, but none were visible as I entered a city like this one.”

“Wow,” Brand pondered while continuing to walk. “That’s a lot to take in. But to answer your earlier question, it's pretty but the people could smell better.”

Azmina scrunched her nose for a brief second. “So true,” she said with a laugh. “We do not use such things back home. I hold my breath when talking to some people, especially women.”

She stopped at a home painted in a darker red than what seemed appropriate from the light colors of its neighbors. The color was about the same red as her and Rohaan’s own clothing signifying their claim on the property by way of matching colors.

The house was built strangely, even when compared to the others surrounding it. Most had rigid edges and tight corners but Azmina’s house had a curvy feel to it. Were an edge would be, instead sprouted into many sharp looking designs reminiscent of flowers. On the roof was not a crown-like balcony but a smooth puffy pillow.

“How do you like my home?” Azmina asked, waiting for praises to be sent her way.

Brand peeled his gaze away from the home and once again ceremoniously moved his hand through his hair when he needed to think. He wondered if he should lie to the girl but decided the truth would make for a good test. “It's not that I don't like how it looks, but you shouldn't have built something like that here.”

Azmina managed to keep the hurt from her eyes but not from her voice. “What’s wrong with it then?”

“This was made recently with magic right? I don't know a damned thing about building, but this looks newer than its neighbors and you've only arrived recently, right?” Brand asked. Azmina nodded in response.

“You're not from here,” he continued. “So, you should try your best to not stand out unless you hold so much power there's no need to blend in.”

“You think I’m weak,” Azmina admonished.

“No,” Brand answered quickly, not wanting to anger his new patron. “It's that you're... that we're alone in a city that doesn’t like outsiders. If anyone meant you harm, they'd know exactly where to find you. The strangeness of the place,” Brand gestured to the home. “Is also an invitation of challenge.”

“I can meet any challenge made,” Azmina rebuked, insulted by her implied weakness.

“I doubt that,” Brand teased with a friendly smile. “You're here to get the power needed for confidence. I can't let you get killed because some pale-faced Vellian wants to prove how much better he is than you.”

“I see your point,” Azmina said, walking to the door and opening it. Before she went inside, she spoke once more. “That was some impressive insight. Are you not some fallen noble trying to find his way back into court?”

“Nothing noble about me princess,” Brand said. “I just know how some people think and how to stay alive when lots of people get in the way of that.”

With that said, Azmina entered her home with Brand following behind.

Brand was happy with their little conversation. He’d been carefully testing Azmina, making small jabs at her in order to see how prideful or quick to anger she was. She hadn’t only listened to him, but also mulled over his words and considered them. She was more resealable than he'd expected. There was still the problem of her brother. Brand hoped he was not about to meet the fool as he closed the door on one part of his life, opening the door to his new one.