Ephemer was not allowed to enter because he refused to give them his weapons. Even if there were reasons to disarm those who proceeded to the city, it was also an extreme measure to control them further. Submitting to the protection of a place that, as contradictory as it sounded, prevented them from defending themselves by their means, nor did it guarantee their safety, made them think that there was more to Kiyeira than what the surface offered them.

It was an hour before, at last, someone from the castle arrived there. It was nothing more than a messenger, the Prime Minister's assistant, the elthean who had been put in place to safeguard the city by the Aurean kingdom. Finnian did not know much about politics, but his friends quickly explained that, although the Aurean were in charge in the Hawell region, this behaviour was far from their usual way of acting.

"They have always been open to dialogue, at least with Ailfryd on the Galya," Aer said.

"Someone here is taking advantage of the instability," Nero said.

"Who knows what else they're hiding!" Rune exclaimed.

They had been asked to accompany them to the castle, where the Prime Minister resided with his family. It was a kind act, although they did not hesitate to remind him that no one else in authority would go out there, not in the broad morning light and even less so in the face of popular discontent. Refusing was no longer an option, so they ended up agreeing to enter the city.

"Weapons?"

"Wow. Now you're talking to me?" Finnian said sarcastically.

The guards' captain wrinkled his face, aware that he had done no good with his previous manners. Finnian brought up his staff with a smile on his lips, the same one he used for support and defence. However, as soon as they attempted to take it, he made it disappear from his hand.

"Oops," Finnian said without a hint of embarrassment, "I think our stuff stays with us."

"Maybe this will take the nonsense out of your heads," Blanche said.

And after shaking hands, they proceeded to do the same thing that elthean did to them: ignore him. There were no warnings or consequences, or not for the moment. A small group of guards acted as escorts, not to ensure their safety but to prevent them from going out of their way.

Kiyeira was not splendorous like Galya, but it was not small. For a city near the coast and near the mountains, anyone would think this gave them a strategic and even economic advantage. The views from the upper levels of the city would take anyone's breath away, or at least if they focused on the exterior. The interior left much to be desired because the population was so tightly controlled, creating a greater tension than the bridge.

"If they knew what awaited them inside," Finnian began.

"They'd probably turn around," Leith said.

"Even I wouldn't look back, not with this place," Nero said.

There was oppression, fear and uncertainty. The same thing they would feel on the outside was settled within those walls because of those in power.

"The Aureans would not allow such a thing, not if they could help it," Aer said.

"What makes you so sure?" Blanche said.

"Because they have visited our home," Rune answered.

Many elthean passed through Galya, and that they knew how they acted was due to Ailfryd. Both Aer and Rune, and even Leith and Nero, doubted everything was simple. Any leader understood that sacrifices had to be made, even by another name. Some elthean watched them silently, but some braver ones taunted at them. Maybe it was the guards, a detail they would not know and could not ask.

"Is it worth it?" Finnian muttered. "To take everything you have from others so you can get rich."

"It depends on who you ask, though this isn't where I'd want to vacation," Blanche said with a shrug.

"Nor any other time," Ark said.

It summed up the city's mood, those words spoken by an elthean who rarely said anything aloud unless he felt it was necessary. Getting to the castle was easy, even when his guards were so protected that even they wouldn't overlook it.

"The walls are thick," Nero said.

"Between the three of us, we would be able to create a way out," Aer said.

They went in there knowing that if the situation had to be twisted, it would be. They could not know how many Elthean would be in the castle, let alone those who would reach the city as a whole. Fighting there would be comparable to the experience in Alder, but even from something like that, they had learned. As soon as the assistant left, instead of making them wait, as they thought, he took them to the throne room itself, a place too cold for anyone to be comfortable. Two rows of guards made way for them, while two more stood between them and the so-called Prime Minister.

"So you are the ones who have caused so much trouble."

He was a soft-spoken man dressed in a green and brown robe with gold embroidery. His hands were hidden by his sleeves, though they must have been clasped together. His face showed almond-shaped, yellow eyes and a moustache so prominent that he would have to comb it every day. The rest of his head, on the other hand, had no hair at all, although two horns protruded from that man who looked like a mixture of goat and snake.

"Do you have a name?" Blanche said.

"Of course," replied the Prime Minister, nodding slowly, "and I know every one of yours."

"Do you want us to give you a reward?" Finnian said.

"Mind your manners, Signer," one of the guards next to Lizard Dude replied.

"Then don't interrupt conversations that don't concern you," Aer said.

"Calm down, calm down."

The Prime Minister clapped his hands, seeking to maintain order even there. None of them replied must have pleased him, though they were far from agreement. That elthean did not excite him in the least.

"My name is Cinder. What brings you to my city? From what I understand, your enemies are not near."

"A fortuitous chance," Leith said.

"A promising one, actually," Finnian added. "We avoided trouble at the entrance to the city."

"But we can't stop it from happening again," Nero said.

"We'll take care of it. We've been doing it since the Lord of Calamity made his appearance," Cinder smiled. "If you are interested, I will grant you access to the Cloud Road. It is highly wanted under the circumstances, but anyone would be willing to facilitate your passage to wherever you are headed.

I did not know their objective, which gave them an advantage—a small one, but one nonetheless.

"Are you so eager to get us out of your sight?" Nero said.

"Nero, right?" Cinder said. "Braunah's pack defeat at Alder is something many have regretted, even if they are recovering well."

The mention of his mother made the wolf tense up, but he kept his cool. This was not a normal conversation but a clash in which each was trying to outdo the other.

"So that's why you brought us here, is it?" Aer said.

"You invite us to your castle, offer us exclusive access to the Clouds Road," Rune said.

"All so we can stop giving you trouble," Leith said.

"We wondered what Queen Aurean would think if she found out about all this," Ead said.

Maybe they didn't know them, but that didn't stop them from bluffing as big as that castle. Cinder stopped smiling at them, though he kept up appearances and remained calm for what was good for him. Whatever activities he was doing in Kiyeira must be a lot bigger than they expected, even if they didn't know what that spawn was doing.

"Your mission is more important than anything else," Cinder said.

"That's where you're wrong," Finnian said. "We are here to restore balance to Elthea, not to look the other way. Did you think we would let you continue to rule this city with an iron fist?"

Cinder then tensed, the guards reacting to that, keeping their distance for a possible confrontation. However, such a possibility did not frighten him, and it was not because the others were on his side but because they knew what they had to do.

"I'm sorry, but we won't take you up on your offer," Finnian said. "Let others use the Cloud Road. Those who need it most, or who choose to kiss your ass."

"Your insolence will be your undoing," Cinder said, holding his breath and the rage within him, though he had pulled his hands out of his sleeves, revealing fingernails too long to be just an ornament.

"It's possible, but greed will be yours. As soon as Aurean finds out about this, which they will, your days as Prime Minister will be over," Finnian said.

"This city belongs to me, and I will do whatever I want to keep it," Cinder said.

"By Titanus, how boring you are," Aer snorted. "Did you think we would come here without a plan?"

Finnian then touched one of his djinn gems, which he had spelt to capture the conversation. Cinder's last words were amplified by the room's echo, causing the ruler's skin colour to change to full green. Letting out a roar, fighting him would have been an exciting outcome, though it didn't come to that.

"Enjoy your last days here," Leith said.

"Even if you don't make yourself comfortable," Rune said.

"Before you know it, someone will come to relieve you and set things right around here," Nero said.

"We'll make sure of it, we promise," Ead said.

Maybe Cinder was not going to leave them alone. They didn't care about that, although they wouldn't trust anyone like him, not even if it made things easier for them. After all, they were more than used to going the hard way, so why take a shortcut that didn't suit them?