CANELIS FRACHDAL's promotion comes with a price and that is to investigate a supply issue in the army. Upon arrival, she is greeted with a renegade camp underneath the Army's nose, a magical anomaly creeping inward from the ocean, and warring sides...
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The soldier she was talking to snapped to attention, pushing past his comrades still in disarray upon their arrival. Canelis didn't care if she bumped against shoulders on her way to follow her current target. Behind her, alarmed dagrine neighs resounded along with all kinds of complaints from the merchants and traders held up in line.
Bricks surrounded her the moment she left the sidewalk flanking the busy trade route and stepped inside hallway punched straight through the fortress walls. The outposts were in the walls themselves? Amazing.
But...why would the Riogener approve of such a risky design? For one, the lack of foundation with the arcs made up a weak spot in the fortress' continuous run. Secondly, despite the metal gates placed at opposite ends of the hole, there was still a risk of it being run-down and Xai-Ren being invaded. It's not that hard to run a gate over.
"Crown General, in here," a voice belonging to the soldier she followed distracted her from figuring out the possible effects of the hole in the wall further. She turned to find the soldier waiting by a set of stairs leading upwards into the dark. Would she go with a complete stranger into a place with virtually no windows or any other ways of escape? Maybe. She'd just hold the badge glinting in the guard of the soldier's sword. Or maybe she'd just kill him before he decided to betray her.
Without a word, Canelis ducked behind the soldier as he disappeared into the stairs. If he had an inclination that he shouldn't trust Canelis, he didn't show it. Showing one's back to an enemy was the most idiotic thing a pixie could do.
The stairs went on for a while. About thirty steps up, enough to bring them to a height of at least ten fairies from the ground. It would be high up to see oncoming attackers coming from Ok-Sa and it's too low to be obvious from an onlooker. Perhaps, there was still salvation on this design. Were they doing the same thing on the southern wall? Was that why it was taking so long and so many soldiers?
The stairs halted to give way to flat ground leading to a set of doors flanking the right side of the corridor. Sunlight was scarce even though it was in the middle of the afternoon. Instead, the same orbs of light powering the ambience in the Royal villa floated in the space, making their shadows dance by their feet as they went. The soldier stopped by a specific door, this one made of sheared wood, and ducked his head once more.
"The Marshal is inside," he said. "We didn't have time to inform her of your arrival so please forgive her shock."
Canelis ducked her head in reply. "Thank you, Officer," she said. "You are dismissed."
She waited until the soldier has vanished down the stairs before turning the knob to the door and swinging it in. The hinges gave a small whine when the door revealed a young woman seated on a desk, scratching her scalp with a graphite stick.
"Sarbe, get me a glass of Virenza when you come back," the woman said, not bothering to look up at Canelis. "Oh, and get Latoris to fill up on the daily quota for dagrine dump. We need those if we are to get the garden in order."
