The Aeterna Empire

Book 2.28 - The Third Dawn

The Emperor's thoughts and meditation was interrupted by an intruder.

Said intruder climbed onto the peak, panting, dropped a bucket of dirt in front of him, and collapsed on his hands and knees. Jyesthra stepped between him and the Aeterna, protectively, but didn't approach. Adam raised an eyebrow, but otherwise contented himself to observe.

The intruder gave them a glance, nodded respectfully in greeting, and continued. He stood to his feet, took up his bucket once more, and dumped it into the dormant volcano. He then entered the cabin and, a few moments later, Adam heard hammering.

Adam approached. He circled the house to find the door was open and the intruder was sitting on a chair fixing the ladder up to the second bed.

"What are you doing?" Adam asked.

The man jumped in fright, dropping the hammer and nails fell from his lips. "Are you trying to kill me!? I could have swallowed that!" The man turned on Adam angrily, but just as quickly stopped and turned pale. His eyes fell on the gauntlet of the Aeterna Emperor. He fell on his face and bowed to the ground. "Oh, holy Ancestors, I-I am so sorry! Please don't have mercy for my angry words!"

The begging was already getting old. He couldn't care less if someone snapped or acted insolent, but wasting his time with unproductive nonsense was annoying. More so being ignored when asking a question.

Third reminded him that there was a certain irony in an immortal having his time wasted.

"Stop groveling." Adam ordered. "I asked you to explain what you are doing, not to give me mouth vomit."

"I-I-Yes! I was just here, sitting in this chair you see, and um- I was taking this hammer and these nails -ow!-" He clumsily, hastily reached for the nails on the floor and just as quickly stuck a freshly pricked finger in his mouth. "And I was taking this ladder and I was trying to fix a squeaky hold on it! That is what I was doing, my lord Eternal Emperor, highness!"

Adam breathed. Jyesthra said, with a clearly heard smug grin, "Are you getting used to the publicity, yet?"

"Just fine. I might kill someone before the night is over." Adam replied. Then to the intruder, he said, "So you are fixing a ladder. Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes."

"Why, why?"

Adam hesitated, unbelieving what he was hearing, "Pardon?"

"I mean!" The other man stopped and corrected himself, "What is it about me fixing a ladder here that concerns you, my lord? Surely the Emperor of the world has more important things than being here, at Death's Gate, wondering why a lonesome stranger is doing housework?"

He had a point.

"Because this is not your house. This is the home of the Warden."

"Is there a new warden?" The man asked, his eyes lit fearfully like he was intruding suddenly. He looked around Adam to Jyesthra. "Are you it?"

"No, there is no new Warden. The Warden is..." Adam stopped. The Warden was dead. His wife was dead. What was he doing arguing over the legal ownership rights of a place that had no owner? He had left this place long ago and taken ownership of the rest of the world, save this place. Ref was a land without much in the way of legalities anyway, so if he wanted to move in and make a claim, that was the way of things.

Adam felt an uncomfortable clench in his chest. He had not been in the house before. Not since he left everything behind to be Emperor. He saw the hammock hanging between the ceiling and a post on the second bed. He saw a hole in the ceiling just above the second bed, seemingly purposeful in design.