Ignorance

"I'm sorry, but what is a sealy-lavender cake?" I asked the maid who had brought in a tray of breakfast into my room.

The guest room they had offered me was large and luxurious. I don't think I could've ever imagined a room quite as nice. Silky and soft sheets on the rather large bed, an open balcony complete with a small seating area, and not to mention the heavy guard and service detail that stood vigil right outside my door. The room itself seemed old and kind of abandoned. The gold linings around the walls were faded and there was even a layer of dust on the tables beside the bed.

"A breakfast cake made from sealy cow liver and accented by lavender water," she said, her voice perking with each syllable.

She left after laying down a thick pile of clothes at the edge of the bed by my feet.

"Here goes nothing," I mumbled to myself as I lifted a small spoonful of the gray colored cake. To my surprise it was delicious, soft, and smelled nothing like lavender.

I turned my attention to the clothes after a few more bites of the cake. I stood up and pulled a red set out of the pile. It was a deep red, kind of like blood. Parts near my breast, stomach, and some parts of the skirt were sheer though they were adorned by a few bits of jewels, offering just a little bit of privacy. It was in Caledonian colors so I knew it was the right choice.

I slipped out of the white nightgown they'd given me and into the skin-baring outfit. I didn't necessarily dislike the amount of skin that would be showing, but I wasn't against it either. I knew I looked good, judging by what Gira said to me last night, but part of me felt like I was dressed like an expensive whore. What was even stranger was the fact that they never gave me any shoes. Since arriving in Luster palace, I'd only been given fragile, pretty clothes, but no shoes.

"Oh, well," I sighed as I walked towards the balcony, a silky, dark red train flowing behind me.

The city was beautiful to look at on eye level. Everything seemed so small from where I was standing. The city with its brightly colored, uniform roofs and ant-sized citizens almost seemed like a child's toy set. It's like I could pluck a piece out and move it wherever I pleased.

I walked to the door and peeked out at the guards standing by. "Am I allowed to explore the city?" I asked.

The three men shared nods with each other before the one closest to me took the door knob and opened it wide.

"Yes, General Bacchus ordered us to accompany you should you wish to leave the palace."

A wide grin spread uncontrollably across my face. I stepped out of the room and followed the guards as they escorted me down the endless spiral of stairs. Servants who were on their way up took one look at me before scrambling back down the stairs.

When the crowd of maids cleared out of the bottom of the stairs, we proceeded to the palace's entrance. To my surprise, a small group of soldiers were gathered at the entrance, listening attentively to a certain blonde captain.

He must've noticed the ruckus the maids and guards were causing as they climbed down the stairs because he took a quick glance over his shoulder and a shine glimmered in his eyes when he caught my stare.

"The Council meets today. Let your opinions be heard." Innes nodded to his men, dismissing them before completely turning to me. "You're out and about."

I smiled as he approached me, the sunlight shining against his back from the open entrance way. "I wanted to see the city before I have to go to House Daymoss for a calling."

A chuckle accompanied by a grin emerged from the corner of his lip. "Barely here for a day and you've already spent too much time speaking to Acodemus."

I folded my arms and rubbed my elbows, a sheepish smile spreading across my lips. "Haha. How can you tell?"

He signaled for me to walk beside him as he led me to the entrance. "It's Deimos, not Daymoss. Though you aren't to blame, Acodemus has a strange way of speaking. Also, no one says calling anymore," he chuckled. "He speaks like we're still in the era of the Scourge."

We made it out onto the bridge before the sunlight became overwhelming, nearly blinding me. Just as I shut my eyes, Innes raised an arm above me, providing shade.

"It gets terribly bright at this time of day. You can thank Shimmermount for that. Any light that shines on Luster palace passes through it," he said as he slid a hand around my shoulders, guiding me as we walked across the bridge.

I'd heard of Shimmermount. It was a large mountain made of what seems like glass. Not many of the travelers and traders that stayed in Orzon would dare travel through the Nightmare Reaches to explore Shimmermount. I could only remember the local stories about phantoms on the prowl within the valley of the Reaches. I always thought it was strange that a mountain worshipped as the symbol of the sun was surrounded by a valley of death.

"Here we are." Innes lowered his arm.

We had arrived at the large archway to the city and I thanked Innes for his assistance.

"Are you heading to town, too?" I asked, not eager to end our talks.

He looked between me and my personal guards, who followed closely behind. "I suppose I could show you around."

He slid a hand behind my lower back, careful to land on my clothes, and helped me up the stairs that led into the city.

"I daresay I have the best man for the job," I said as I passed through the gates and stepped onto the warm cobblestone.

He grinned as he nodded to a small street that diverged from the main road we were walking on. "Take a turn here. Down this way, you can find the best milk cakes in all of Belvegarde. They add strawberries on them on rainy days."

I hesitated to follow Innes. I could see the state of the alley behind him and it was far from inviting. Puddles of murky gray waters flanked the sides of the alley and heavy shadows sat in corners despite the overwhelming sunlight that poured into the main street. 

"You'll be safe. I promise." Innes took a step towards me, holding his hand out.

I could feel my heart begin to race. Mother had always warned me about strangers, dark alleys, and thugs. As much as I love her, she wasn't hear to tell me other wise, so I took the leap.

I accepted his hand and stepped into the alley, my feet tickled by the coldness of the rugged stone floor. I looked down to see that I had stepped on a puddle and shrugged. An adventure was an adventure no matter how small, I told myself.

We toured the city, exploring all of the crazy alleyways Innes led me through. He must've assumed that I didn't eat because out of the fifty shops we visited, at least thirty were bakeries and marketplaces with food stalls. Everywhere we went, vendors bowed to the both of us and passerbys smiled. A well-known seamstress even offered to send me some more clothes for my performances, though her smile soured when I asked if I could have some shoes instead.

"So all of the best spots in Luster City are in the alleyways?" I giggled, finishing my second milk cake.

He tossed the last piece of his cake in his mouth as he stepped back onto the main road. "The best things about anything are rarely the ones we see first."

As we continued down the main road, I stopped in front of a small storefront to check my clothes and feet. Content with how little dirt I've accrued during our trek through the backalleys, I started towards Innes, who was only a few steps ahead of me. That is until my ears prickled and picked up on a low whisper.

"Jhilza, take a look."

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed a small group of citizens huddled into a circle just across the street. A dark woman at the very back was eyeing Innes carefully. When she noticed me looking, her eyes narrowed and I could feel a shiver run down my spine.

"Myst," Innes called. "I suppose I should show you to House Deimos. I have some business to tend to later today."

I turned my attention back to him and nodded. "That's alright. I think I'm due there soon."

He waited for me to catch up and walk beside him before showing me the way to the proper venue. Just before we turned the corner, my ears picked up on another whisper. This was different from the first. It was low and hoarse, and a soft ringing noise accompanied.

"Gifted..." the voice shrilled.

I quickly turned around, noticing the woman from before. She stood a few paces behind me, knife in hand. My eyes grew wide as I pushed Innes to the side. The knife flew in the air, landing inside the neck of one of the palace guards that had been accompanying us.

Innes spotted the woman and quickly jumped up on his feet. He drew his blade and walked forward, discarding his red cape.

"Stay behind me," he growled. "Get her out of here!"

The remaining two guards obeyed and pulled me back behind them. I fought back against them, not wanting to leave Innes alone, but they were much too strong for me to resist. I watched helplessly as the woman dashed forward, her long braid whipping out from under her cloak.

Innes moved forward, matching her movement, but she was much too quick for him. In a flash, she ducked under his blade and maneuvered around him, her eyes never leaving mine. She wanted me and I knew it.

I turned tail and began running as the guards behind me stood their ground. As I ran, I could hear the all too familiar sound of metal tearing into flesh. I was no fool and didn't bother turning around. If this woman was like the assassins from Orzon, then I needed every inch I could put between me and her.

"Myst, duck!" Innes called from behind me.

I followed his command and dropped down on my calves with my arms over my head. Just in time a knife came sailing through the air, planting it's head inside the neck of a woman in front of me.

My chest began to pound as my fears got the better of me. I turned around to see the two palace guards chasing after me, with Innes hot on their tracks. Large blue crystals had begun to protrude from their eyes and mouth. With every passing second, the crystals grew larger and began spreading across their bodies at an alarming rate. The way they moved was nothing short of abnormal. It was as if they were desperate, a bestial hunger that urged them towards me.

I willed myself to move, but all I could do was sit and shake in terror. Mother was right about the world, I cried to myself. My breathing quickened until I was gasping. My life began to flash before my eyes. Tears lined my eyes and I screamed, shutting my eyes.

"No!" Innes roared from behind.

A furious wind blew past me, causing shivers to scamper across my skin like icy insects. The sound of what seemed like glass shattering echoed through the streets followed by the crowd's screams. I tucked my head further down, praying to Vagra I would survive.

And just like that, a few seconds passed and I was unharmed. My heart was hammering turbulently in my chest and my breaths were nothing if not unsteady. I steeled myself and peeked upwards through shaking fingers.

"Innes?" My voice was hoarse.

He stood a few feet in front of me with two swords in hand, panting. Next to his feet were two mounds of crystals shaped like humans, their crystalline heads rolling towards the crowd that surrounded us. Amongst the piles of crystal and metal were a red and gold flowers, and fragments of a shattered flower stall.

Innes sheathed his blade and threw down the other. There was nothing on his face save for pure fury. His jaw was squeezed as he inspected the bodies of the men beside him.

"W-what happened?" I barely managed.

My eyes were drawn towards the deceased guards. The crystal on their skin began to retreat, pulling back until the men's form had returned to flesh and armor.

Innes noticing me on the ground, walked over and helped me up. He inspected me for any injuries and sighed in relief upon seeing that I was alright.

I held onto his arm, trying to stabilize myself. "Innes, what happened to them? They were crystal and n-now they're-"

He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. "Later. For now, we need to get you back to the palace."

I nodded, my body shaking.

He took me down the main road and straight to the stairway to the palace. Guards had begun to race towards the area where the attack happened and Innes ordered them to not touch anything until Acodemus arrives.

Once we were inside the palace's entrance, Bacchus and Acodemus sped down the stairs and towards us, their faces a mix of anger and confusion.

"Come here, my dear." Acodemus pulled me away as Innes took Bacchus aside. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"N-no," my voice shook as I glanced over at the two.

Acodemus spun me around, searching for any signs of an injury. "Goodness! We could hear the screams from the top floor. We feared some godforsaken fiend had assaulted Luster City in broad daylight. You must tell me every single thing that happened. You see, I'm something of an expert in..."

I tried my best to ignore Acodemus' ramblings and adjust my hearing towards Innes and Bacchus' conversation. I shut my eyes and focused on the low vibrations in the room. The palace guards and servants skittered around the room, making it difficult for me to separate the noises. The harder I tried, the clearer their voices became, but I couldn't tell who was speaking since my eyes were shut.

"Aegil-infused weapons are..."

"...the rebels..."

"Myst!" Acodemus' voice pierced through my concentration. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing my closed eyes.

I looked up at him and shook my head. "Sorry, it was just terrible. The way those men behaved, I've never seen anything like it."

"I'm sorry, Myst," Bacchus said as he and Innes returned to us. "Innes will show you back to your room."

Acodemus bowed his head to me before he accompanied Bacchus out of the castle. An army of guards flanked them as they stepped out to the bridge.

Innes wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided me up the stairs.

"Innes, please say something," I pleaded. I refused to be left out in the dark.

He sighed. "Don't worry. It's just another assassination attempt by the Dawn. Seems they wanted you instead of Bacchus this time."

"The Dawn?" I asked, confused. The name was familiar to me and I reached into the deepest corners my memory, trying to remember where I had heard the name.

He let go of my shoulder when we reached the first landing. "The Children of the Dawn. A violent religious sect from Maignane. Seems they've taken their hatred for Caledonia a step further and decided to attempt murder in broad daylight. I fear our victory in the west may have prompted this desperate response."

Once we reached the door to my room, Innes held it open as I entered. He bid me farewell before ordering the nearby maids to fetch at least five guards to stand vigil in front of my door.

I watched as the door shut, leaving me in silence. I sat on the edge of my bed, lost in thought. Over a hundred emotions must've been running through my mind, but the loudest one of them all was confusion. I had so many questions. What happened to those guards? Why did their bodies turn to crystal and back to flesh? Where did the woman go?

I shook my head, refusing to let my head linger longer on their headless bodies. An overwhelming feeling that was a mix of anger and uncertainty for there was one question that trumped them all. I racked my brain for an answer, but I was too frustrated to think.

"Innes..." I mumbled through gritted teeth. "Why did you lie to me?"