Empire

Chapter Six

September 2, 1887

"Why did you feel that it was necessary to do this?" Thalayna closed her fingers around Airel's wrist, confusion clouding her eyes. 

"You may not have been as vocal about it, but both of us know that your desire to leave the township always matched mine," Airel smiled as the two of them dismounted his horse, standing for the first time under the open, starry sky. 

"But I didn't want it to happen like this," Thalayna sighed. "We are outcasts now. We can never go back. I have disgraced my family." 

"There are things in this world that are greater than your family, Thalayna." 

"Such as..." 

"We are about to see, now, aren't we?" Airel harnessed his horse to the front of Crescel's wagon and helped Thalayna and Sakarus up into it. They didn't have to ride long before they came across a sprawling valley spread out before them, dotted with homely cottages. 

"It's a village!" Airel grinned. "Perhaps we can find a place there to stay the night." Crescel, Lianna, Airel, and Thalayna exited the wagon, a sleeping Sakarus in Thalayna's arms. Crescel and Airel tied their horses to the nearest tree, and the four of them began to descend the small hill into the valley. 

"Excuse me," Airel approached a man meandering down the cobblestone streets of the little village. "Could you direct us to the nearest inn?" 

"Travelers? Come to our settlement of Khaina?" The man laughed, a horrible, wheezing sound ensuing from his lips. "There is nothing here for you to see." 

"We come from the township of Glaisse-Altair," Crescel stepped in. "For our entire lives, we were forbidden from leaving it. This place is as good a place as any to us." 

"Glaisse-Altair?" The man squinted. "Would that be the walled city on top of Khaina Hill?" He pointed in the direction of the township. 

"Yes, sir," Crescel replied. 

"Oh! You must see our Magistrate at once!" The man smiled gleefully. "Our leaders have been itching to know what lies within those walls for generations! The Magistrate will be there," he gestured to a home that was slightly larger than the others in the center of the valley. 

"Thank you," Airel nodded, leading his party across the unlit streets to the Magistrate's home. Arriving at the doorstep, he tapped softly on the door. Seconds later, it was opened by a man dressed smartly in a long coat and slacks. 

"We are here to see the Magistrate," Crescel pronounced. 

"With what business?"

"We are from the township atop that hill," Airel explained. "We were directed here." 

"Ah, I see," the man smiled weakly. "Please, come in." 

Although it was smaller than the residence of the Magistrate of Glaisse-Altair, the interior decoration of the home of the Khainan Magistrate greatly surpassed that of the DeGlanns' mansion. Airel and Thalayna silently marveled at the rich carpets, chandeliers, and glossy wooden floors. They had never seen anything so fine. 

"The Magistrate is in her office," the man directed the travelers to a large set of double doors. "She is unoccupied at the moment. You may go in." 

"She?" Airel frowned. "Your leader is...a woman?" 

"Yes. But if you so much as hint at a comment on her gender, she'll claw your eyes out," the man warned. "My sister is one heck of a woman." 

Airel nodded, still awed, as he entered the room. Glaisse-Altair would never accept a female Magistrate. 

The surprisingly young Magistrate of Khaina sat at a large desk in the center of her spacious office, her head turned downward as she studied a stack of documents before her. Her jet black hair barely reached her ears, and she wore a silky red top and black pants. 

A female Magistrate who could read, had short hair, and wore pants? 

Now, this left Airel completely dumbfounded. His township-conditioned mind could barely wrap around the traditions of the rest of the world. 

"Good evening, Your Excellency," Airel smiled, approaching the Magistrate. He ignored the awkward feeling in his pit of his stomach when he addressed a woman by such a title. 

"Good evening," the Magistrate smiled thinly, shaking Airel's hand. "I am Alisha Valior, Magistrate of Khaina." 

"I'm Airel Arystenn, and this is my wife, Thalayna, and my son, Sakarus."

"I'm Crescel Myers, Aurologist, and this is my assistant, Lianna Soren." 

"The women have mouths," Alisha said coldly. "They can introduce themselves." 

"Oh, um..." Airel trailed off. 

"I understand," the Magistrate smiled condescendingly. "Not every culture is as advanced as ours. Anyway, I am not one to waste time. Let's get to the reason why I instructed everyone in my settlement to direct any travelers from your township to me."

"Why?" Thalayna asked. 

"There is a legend in these parts. They say that one will come from the walled city on the hill with Aural power greater than anything we have ever seen. They say that person will unite us and lead us to greatness- they will form for us an Empire greater even than the Rhenan Kingdom of the Shealands." 

"What is the Shealands?" Airel frowned. 

"They truly tell you nothing in that township, don't they?" Alisha sighed. "Do you see those dots in the sky, that sometimes appear among the stars?"

"Yes," Thalayna smiled. "They are messages from Lumys." 

"No," Alisha rolled her eyes. "They are planets. Other worlds, just like Lessaenes!" 

Airel's eyes widened with shock. He couldn't imagine the existence of another planet, let alone a whole other world...He had just entered his own world!

"The closest of those worlds are Kilaenas and Rhena. Kilaenas is very similar to Lessaenes, divided into small settlements and townships, each ruled by a Magistrate. But on Rhena exists a great Kingdom that encompasses the whole planet! It is called the Shealands, and is ruled by King Laddyn Voertstedd- perhaps the most powerful person in the universe." 

"See, Thalayna? You said that Kings and Queens only exist in fairytales!"

"Voertstedd is real alright," Alisha nodded. "Do you know anyone with an unusually powerful Aura from your township?" 

"That's our friend right here!" Crescel grinned, placing a pudgy hand on Airel's shoulder. 

"What!?" Airel gasped. "How do you know I'm the one she's talking about?" 

"Look at his Aura," Crescel beamed, ignoring Airel. "Do you see the silver at its edges?" 

"Yes!" Alisha's eyes glinted with greed. "You are a gift from Lumys! You bear her silver mark! It is you the legends speak of." 

"Excellent!" Airel raised his arms in jubilation. 

"What are we waiting for?" Alisha flashed a charming smile. "We have a planet to conquer! My settlement is at your service, King Airel."