CYRDEL SONASSON, heir apparent to the Alkaran Throne, is a budding inventor against the wishes of his father, the King. But when a friend from the Inventor's District needs help, he has to drop everything and come to their aid, even going as far as...
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2410 Crescin 15, Velpa
The air was thick and dry but it wasn't something new to Cyrdel as he walked down the length of the orchard surrounding the hill city of Flaron. Beyond the line of trees stood the hulking shadow of the hump of rock the residential area was built upon. The morning light bathed the horizon with a sheet of white, sending gray spots dancing in Cyrdel's vision. He shielded his eyes, gauging the distance he still needed to crest. He shouldn't have refused the ride when it was offered to him.
He wiped at the sweat on his brow. It was also normal in the heat characteristic of the northern part of Umazure. Before he left Alkara two days before, Master Philine told him she'd have a paddle ready for him when he disembarked in Penleth. Cyrdel insisted he could find his own way. Paddles hurt his rear too much, anyway.
Now, the absence of the pedal-controlled cart known to run on purely cranks, pistons, bands, and switch levers was more apparent. He had been stuck in the rural part of Penleth for a whole day, after all. The differences would have crept out sooner or later.
The hut he had been stashed in by the Custodian the moment he got to Penleth faded in the background of rare chinspice trees and other exotic leaves making up the thickening foliage behind him. His boots slapped the dark soil, noting its fertility. Penleth was greater than Zalgend's agriculture, after all.
It was a shock when the Court of Varis ordered Cyrdel to check on Penleth regarding the decreasing production quotas. Wasn't the territory supposed to be autonomous and not dependent on separate institutions in Alkara? The look Master Philine had given Cyrdel during that briefing was priceless. Cyrdel hadn't found any amusement in it, though, since the adviser proceeded to drill the Penleth Code of Law in his head for a whole two hours.
As it turned out, Penleth wasn't an autonomous territory apart from Alkara. Cyrdel learned the hard way that it was headed by a Custodian elected by the Court of Varis whose job was to oversee each and every matter in the territory and report to Alkara every month. Penleth was what the advisers called the Working Division and its main purpose was to provide to the other fairy territories what Alkara provides for the whole brownie population. It's like the other arm of a sorting machine, if Cyrdel was to be asked.
Going to Penleth was the last thing on Cyrdel's mind considering his latest project was now nearing completion. He hadn't been working on it as much as he wanted to considering the Court of Varis had been hammering him with endless demands claiming they were part of the regular duties of the King. Cyrdel clenched his jaw at the memory flashing in his head. He wouldn't have found himself in this mess had he let Ravalee and Airene deal with their own problem about Ravalee being a thyminka. He would still be in the sweltering heat of his shop, figuring out more ways to piss his father off.
Was it for the better, then? Cyrdel rolled his shoulders as he walked. Who knew?
When he was greeted by the Custodian yesterday, it was a surprise to find the man to be as young as Cyrdel, at least judging from how he looked. His hair was a perfect combination of dark brown and russet, giving it a distinct shade Cyrdel still hasn't figured out now. Which was unusual. Brownies usually could tell what color a specific shade of brown was. It's like a hidden but completely useless branch in their synnavaim. Huh. Weird.
