Legends of Ancient Astillia: The Sephian

Chapter 4

After that incident, I remembered why I didn't visit Maple outside of work. Since we would probably get word back from the human-kind sometime on the morrow, I decided I'd had enough excitement for one day, and headed home.

If you haven't realised, the districts are the occupied regions of the forest, and they have names. The Order of the Guards isn't considered military, and the trees grow big and weird enough that if one so wanted, you could drive horse carts atop them. With the trees, sentient casted magic might have something to do with that. While a lot of jumping and acrobatics was required for the residents to get around, you didn't have to be particularly limber to visit.

I arrived in Acorn on the market level during the busiest time of day. Just my luck. People crowded around me, wanting to get a word in with the resident councillor. I hated to, but I ignored most of them. I said my hellos to a few merchants I had met with upon their entry, and some family friends. Eventually, as I got to the third floor, the throng started to dwindle. When I came within sight of the Salix Maximus, city guards had to hold the remaining crowd off. It wasn't that I didn't care or couldn't be bothered to talk to them, it was that if I did, I wouldn't have made it home by high moon, and close friends of mine tended to break in and help themselves around that time.

The vine wall parted for me to enter. Someone had been over while I was gone, there was a nip of sweet juniper and sage, like incense had been burning recently. I wasn't all too concerned, whoever was here knew the place well, and only me and close friends could navigate my organisation system, or lack thereof.

The day was weak, the sunlight beginning to fade. With nothing to do, I watered the plants that needed watering, sorted some mail, read the important letters, and put everything else away. However, there was still time before I would usually head to my sleeping chamber. I went through my bookshelf, finding no entertaining books I hadn't already read. I picked up one of Fathers old tomes. It was titled "The Terror of Marsaudia" and was lightly read. It was an informational book on the nation of Marsaudia, before it became an empire. I settled in my chair and spent the rest of the evening that way.