Secrets of Kolini

Chapter 6 -- Toh

TOH LET HIS legs lead him through the winding streets of Abelore. No matter how many times he came here, he never got over the magnificent white walls of the city. This was the city surrounding the Seat of Power. It was a bright beacon of pearly white where all roads winded straight to the center where the Seat of Power was. A city surrounding a city. Or perhaps, the outermost and less prestigious sector of the Seat.

He approached the end of one of the winding roads to face a smooth open plane of pure white.

How do they keep it so white?

He didn't know the answer to that. Neither did anyone he knew. Day, night, weekday, weekend, there were no workers in sight. Yet, against all odds, the pure white of the Seat of Power stayed white.

Toh hailed a cartman to take him the rest of the way. The Seat of Power was now in full view. A city for the elite and the polished. It made his skin crawl.

Toh was not a politician or waverman. Neither was he a magi nor a scholar. He was not of noble blood nor educated nor wealthy. More importantly, his skin was not as pale as the road he was travelling on. It was the Seat of Power — where everyone was someone important — that reminded him of the difference.

In Puth, pale skin was a sign of status. To protect this asset, the major families would make agreements to keep their children within arms reach of each other. Not that they would be so crass as to arrange marital relations.

He wasn't over the terrible timing of the messenger. It annoyed him because they knew where he was. Always. They were not tracking him. They did not have to. They had ways. It was how they kept track of all their citizens.

Any promising child could be taken to the Academy and then the University, to better serve their country. How they kept track of every rural village bastard and upper city stiff was beyond him. Whether they only kept track of the Puth or of everyone in Kolini was not public knowledge. The suggestions of the rumor mill made people uneasy, but also made ambitious warlords think twice, thrice, then think better of attacking.

"We're here, lad," the cartman said waiting for Toh to get off.

"Aye," he said staying put. He was staring at the white gates which opened during the day and closed at night. Taller than ten men, with each rod as thick as his head. And as his da liked to say, ''ere wa'n't nothin' thicker 'en 'at lad's dinker.'

Toh sighed and got off the cart, thanking the cartman. He paid his fair and tipped for the cartman's patience.

He was summoned to the Seat of Power often enough for him to know the way to the main citadel, where the summons came from.

The Seat of Power was big enough to house the main governance buildings, the families of government mensch, and a whole slew of wavermensch. The Seat of Power also held the royal palace.

The monarchs were monarchs in name alone. Mere figureheads for the people of Puth to gather around in times of celebration and trouble. The Council was in charge of the decisions of the country. A group of ten old, old mensch who knew a lot of nonsense and had light enough skin to earn respect. Toh's tan complexion and curly brown locks would not ever make the cut. His da told him he got it from his mum. A lady from Qa'be.

Lady of the night, Toh assumed.

The buildings in the Seat, apart from being a luminescent white, were unremarkable. They were straight white walls built with very little ornamentation or architectural flair. Toh had been told the palace was different but he never took the time to go there. He left the Seat at earliest convenience and never looked back.

The most interesting thing to look at in the sharta forsaken city were the magi. Material shadows against the backdrop of lightness.

The magi wore long robes with deep hoods. The robes hid their entire form from head to toe. They were of different colors to identify their respective guilds, but they were all dark. From black to dark blue, dark green, even dark red.