The palace’s innards were beautiful and alien, graceful and vibrant just as its outer layers. Yet… there was something weird about them.

Ehrir couldn’t put his finger on what exactly it was. There was a strange feeling around him in the others, lurking in the air and creeping around the corners. It brought nervousness and a disturbing sensation to the Undone One. It was as if something was going on, but no one could see what it really was. The servants, the guards – everyone reeked of undefined, but worrisome emotions.

The travelling party couldn’t see any noble or a member of the royal family. The people escorting them were led by a skinny, robe-wearing advisor in his late sixties. He outright told the sorcerers that they’ll be going through the corridors used by servants and soldiers.

“It’d be better this way”, the balding man murmured, his face white as a piece of marble. His voice was far from confident. “Given the current situation in His Majesty’s court… You must not be seen by the nobility. A group of mages would be enough to make the whole boiling pot that this place has turned into explode.”

Except for those few bleak lines, the advisor didn’t speak much. He showed them their rooms and quickly left. He warned them not to leave this part of the palace and bitterly commented that their chambers aren’t really fitting for the subordinates of a man as important as Ostrias Haelum.

In Ehrir’s opinion the advisor was very, very wrong.

The room given to him seemed almost surreal. It was beautiful, furnished in a luxurious manner and lavishly decorated. Animal skins covered the floor, paintings in thick oak frames hanged on the walls besides small shelves full of scrolls and parchments. Two tall brass chandeliers stood on both sides of the huge fireplace. The room was illuminated by a couples of magical spheres resting in its corners. A set of four small windows looked at the colorful gardens below and the sea of fortifications beyond. The room wasn’t really big in any sense, especially with the massive bed and the wardrobe resting against one of the walls… But it was everything Ehrir could ever wish for. Tears of happiness almost welled up in his eyes when he remembered his time on the streets. He had truly changed and grown during a short few months.

His chamber was connected to a larger dining room that was the shared point of his and three other dwellings. Of course, their inhabitants were Zaster, Nalia and Varhel. The trio got together by their own volition, and Ehrir had no way to refuse joining in, too. The group formed by the four of them was quite noisy and cheerful. That proved especially clear when they sat together on the table in the middle of the dining room for an extensive breakfast. Several servants brought the disciples whatever they wanted, and the morning was spent in an ungraceful attempt to try every delicious thing that the palace’s chefs provided.

“What a strange scene…” Ehrir thought as he gazed calmly at his surroundings during the breakfast. “A legless girl, her flying brother, a talking corpse and an Undone One having a meal together… Inside a room that is made of blueish crystal.” Such a moment was worth of a painting, at least.

The breakfast slowly turned into lunch. The quartet of disciples didn’t even leave the table when the servants brought in plates covered with huge slices of roasted beef and grilled potatoes. Ehrir preferred the sweet pastries that came after that, but the main meal still made him sigh from enjoyment.

***

The Undone One spent the afternoon in a leisurely way, mainly by napping and reading the scrolls in his room. They mostly touched on the matter of the city state’s history, line of rulers and traditions. In just a few short hours the Undone One read nearly a hundred pages worth of historical chronicles and intricate details about the geography, citizens and interesting places to visit in Tarha-Nan.

Soon the evening slowly crept over the city and the sky outside darkened. The quiet servants brought new wood for the fireplace, and the warmth in Ehrir’s room increased even more. The idea to just lie down on his bed and drift off into slumber was appealing, but he didn’t manage to make it happen.

Zaster appeared in his room with a loud knock and said that he should get up and follow him. Ehrir did so almost unwillingly, and soon found himself in a larger hall of the palace, where a long table stood by two massive fireplaces. The table was covered in all kinds of dishes, and along it sat most of his fellow disciples and the master sorcerers themselves. Only four chairs were empty.

They soon dropped down to two, and after another few minutes all of the apprentices were gathered for a long, extensive and delicious dinner. It went on long after Salelia and Sevrian left the hall. The apprentices chatted, played games of dice and cards, drank a lot of alcohol and ate just as much. Ehrir didn’t exclude himself from the fun. After all these weeks he felt relaxed when surrounded by these people, even if without knowing them that well. He actively spoke and took part in the discussions and topics that the others rambled about, even when they (inevitably) turned to politics.

The apprentices mostly babbled about the situation within the palace and the state as a whole. Yet, a lot of them delved into the politics of the Inner Fantasy as a whole, or of the so-called Union of City States to which Tarha-Nan belonged. Terms and names that Ehrir was unfamiliar with appeared in the conversation multiple times, and he didn’t get to know even half of them. He quickly understood that the High Sovereign was the leader of the Union, but terms such as ‘the Controller’, ‘the Lord of Dawn’ and ‘the Eastern reaches’ remained completely alien to him. He didn’t even try to understand and just butted in rather rarely. He also played quite a few games of dice with Zaster. He was weaker than the zombie and wouldn’t entrust his money on a game of cards with him. Fortunately, the undead man proved to be quite unlucky when it came to dice rolling.

“We’re actually back into the civilized world now, ain’t we?” asked Nalia sarcastically near midnight.

Ehrir smiled and tried to answer, but Nidor was faster.

“Hell yeah, we are.”

“I can’t agree more, boy”, Ehrir thought and smirked.

***

“For the first damned time in weeks I got a proper bed and I have to leave it so soon…”

“He’s right, ya’ know? What is it now?”

“How should I know? The mistress just came to my chambers and said to gather everyone in her residence. It’s not like I issued out the command.”

Ehrir sighed. Led by Nidor, he and his three “roommates” seemed dark and sleepy, except for Zaster. The undead man didn’t have the need to sleep except if he was extremely exhausted mentally… And he rarely was. But besides him… Even Varhel was frowning and Nalia didn’t look much better. Countless curses had slipped from the girl’s tongue in the last few minutes.

“What could Salelia want now?” Ehrir asked himself. The witch had probably received some important knowledge… But couldn’t it wait until dawn? Nothing dangerous or life-changing could really happen in just a few hours that remained of the night’s lifetime…

The sorceress and Sevrian had separate chambers, each of them larger than the whole complex which Ehrir and the others inhabited. There was a living room, a dining room and three others beside the bedroom. Several other apprentices were already roaming around when the Undone One arrived. Salelia was there, too, alongside with…

“Who are these guys?” Nalia hissed.

There were five strangely dressed silhouettes standing beside the witch. Their long, dark, rune-covered cloaks engulfed them from head to toes. Their faces were obscured by a thick veil of shadows, and they remained silent.

Salelia smiled as the Undone One and the others entered the vast room, and walked towards them.

“Welcome, apprentices” she said in her usual cheery manner. “Nidor, you did well. Can you bring the others here, too?”

“As you wish, mistress”, the branded boy uttered and bowed his head before leaving silently. Salelia’s gaze followed him before turning back to the disciples in front of her.

“You don’t look very good… Sorry for waking you all in the middle night, but I have important news.”

“None of us doubt that you do, mistress”, Zaster said before his voice turned into a hoarse, creaking whisper. “Who are these people?”

“Oh”, the witch smiled. “They are members of various guilds and organizations… of the more shadowy kind.” She lowered her tone a little. “Two of them are killers that took part in the assassination attempt.”

Ehrir swallowed nervously. There was no need to mention which assassination attempt Salelia was talking about. The witch exchanged a few more lines with them before returning to her previous spot.

Soon all the disciples, along with Sevrian, were already inside the room. The old man didn’t look particularly surprised by the appearance of the cutthroats.

“Well…” he said when all the noise around finally quieted down and his voice was the only one resonating in the room. “Can I ask why you came to us, honorable guild members?”

One of the figures nodded and stepped forth before taking off her hood and revealing the gentle, but emotionless and scarred face of a young blonde girl.

“I’ll be short”, she began without hesitation. Her voice was icy. “We’re a group of killers, thieves and mercenaries working for the most elite organizations in this city. Most of us are high-ranked members, too. Not that my particular guild exists in its usual form anymore…” She shook her head slowly. “We received news from a members of my organizations – the Assassins’ Guild – which appeared in the city today. They told us about a group of sorcerers that are here to track down a very powerful man that lurks in the palace and manipulates the whole state behind the curtains. We want your opinion about what to do with him… And your possible assistance, if you are on our side. No one in the ruling class wants to have the Changeling around and you probably aren’t his best friends, either. We need you. In the end… Only sorcerers can beat a sorcerer, especially if we’re talking about Farnaraen the Thirdborn.”