Lost Identity: Eloria Series Book 1 | ✓

21: Martin's Hunch

7/6/3028

The soldiers escorted us back to the fifth floor. They apologized for using force, but explained it was necessary that I be removed from the healing pool immediately for Elossai's sake. I had only stepped in the pool for a few seconds and it was enough to make Elossai convulse. What would have happened if I'd fallen in?

The soldiers didn't lock us in our rooms—instead they allowed us free roam of the fifth and ground floors, simply locking certain floors on the lift grid so that we couldn't cause any more mischief. Martin, however, was still advised to stay in bed and rest.

After I forced Martin back into bed, I wandered to an open sitting room. On one wall hung a beautiful wooden clock. The circular clock was divided into two rings, the inner circle having thirteen hours and the outer circle numbered fourteen to twenty-five.

Beside the clock hung a variety of paintings. They were all lovely but there was one in particular that caught my eye. It was a painting of a man, a woman, and two boys. What caught my attention was the gray eyes of the woman and younger boy. I stepped closer to the painting to read the inscription. It read:

From the Royal Ankin family: Astor–Dunek Anmus, Astor–Nila Anmyn, Astor–Dunan Anmus and Astor–Keiran Anmus.

This was Keiran's family. His brother looked almost like a carbon copy of his father, while Keiran had inherited his looks from his mother.

A large, full length glass door led to a small balcony and I stepped out to get some fresh air. Although I was technically on the fifth floor, it felt more like the tenth after factoring in the enormous vaulted ceilings, and I could see over the stone walls surrounding the mansion. I sat on an iron bench with my legs curled underneath me so that I could take in the view.

Tor-Kenner's mansion was situated at the top of a hill and overlooked the rest of town. There were two main roads in this city—if you could call it a city. It seemed to be more of a town than a metropolis, though based on all the construction that I could see, the Ankins must have a vision for Ien to become a thriving city.

Centralized at the heart of everything were two buildings, probably no more than a few stories tall, and in its vicinity were a few buildings that were nearly fully constructed except for the last few floors. These new buildings were around the same height as the two that were already complete.

On the east side of town were houses lined up neatly in rows, and on the west was what looked like a bustling marketplace. The marketplace was crowded with a few hundred citizens bustling about, going from tent to tent. There weren't any buildings at the marketplace—just blue, orange, and white tents. Further beyond the marketplace was the harbor and the vast sea beyond.

Unlike Hemley, my hometown back on Earth, Ien was incredibly green. Here, even in the most built-up areas, trees were ubiquitous. Throughout Ien were pockets of nature. There were small parks of lush grass, trees, or fountains. it was as if nature had been deeply incorporated into the overall landscaping of Ien, right from its inception.

"What do you think?" Keiran stood by the doorway behind me.

"It's beautiful. I like Ien," I replied, uncurling my legs and sitting up straight.

"What is it about Ien that you like?"

"The only place in Hemley you can get in touch with nature is at the park, where the Ora was. I think I like the fact that Ien is so green."

"Is that so?" Keiran sounded surprised.

I nodded. Seeing Keiran's family portrait made me curious about where he grew up. I wanted to learn more about Keiran's hometown. "Where is Incus exactly?"