Dahlia, the orc woman he had not seen since she faced off against the Argenti over a week ago, stood before him. She was clad in a robe of yellows and blues, made of some flowing material that shimmered like water whenever she shifted. She wore a wide grin, her hands extended down and out in what he presumed was a welcoming gesture.

“Uh,” Devin managed to say.

“How in the many hells did you make it here?” Murton spouted from behind Devin. Devin winced slightly, not as eloquently as he would've liked to ask, but it got the point across.

“Nice to see you too, Murton,” Dahlia said. “I took the main road up here. After the fight with the Argenti, I managed to lose their trail and flee the city, heading north. I didn’t see any trail of any of you along the road, so I presumed you were taking a different route and would make it here too. I only arrived about a day before you did.”

“How did you get away from the Argenti?” Shia asked.

“I must admit, I am wondering the same question,” Teryn said.

“I’m afraid that is a story for another time, it would take too long to explain here.” Seeing the group start to open their mouths again Dahlia held up her hands. “I will say, the magic employed by the Argenti is not entirely effective against Orc kind.”

“That just raises more questions,” Shia threw her hands up in exasperation and turned away from Dahlia, stalking around the room. Devin felt inclined to agree, but stopped himself from pressing further.

“We are here to meet the Regents,” he explained. He saw her grin go even wider at his comment. A stone settled in his gut. “Are you one of the Regents?” he asked.

Dahlia laughed, “Oh heavens below, no. I could not sit there and make decisions all day. I am a woman of action, not ideas. But I do know you are here to see them and I am here to help you.”

“What would we need help with?” Devin said, frowning. He had expected a meeting with the leaders where they would tell them their decision on what was to happen.

“Well, you will appeal your case to them, then they will decide what to do with your group. I am here to help you appeal that case in a way that seems more favorable to the Regents.”

“Like a trial?”

“Mmm, kind of, but not really,” Dahlia said. “More like trying to get a board of reviewers to approve an idea at a university.”

“Oh no,” Teryn said. Devin turned toward her.

“People who review other’s thesis and decide a university student's fate are some of the most egotistical and power hungry beings that leech onto anything they perceive as an advantage over anyone else.”

“Well, I don't know how elves do it, but it is not quite that bad.” Dahlia said. “You will explain why you are here, what you hope to accomplish, and they will ask you clarifying questions. Then, they will convene and decide what to do.”

“How many people will we be talking to?” Devin said.

“There are five regents. Normally, the gallery above is open to anyone who wants to come in, but since this is a special occasion, it will be closed from the public today.”

“What's so special about it?” Murton asked.

“Well, this is the first time anyone except orcs and the occasional goblin have been in our city. It has created quite a few debates on what to do about you all.”

“What are the general schools of thought on the issue?” Teryn said.

Dahlia frowned. “There are three main ideas. The first is to kick you out and send you on your way. You can't get back in and likely could not find the entrance if you tried. The second is to welcome you and begin to try to integrate new cultures into our society.”

After a moment's pause, Devin asked, “And the third?”

“Kill you all and forget you ever came here.”

“What?” Shia demanded, coming back over to them. “You can't kill us because we came here! It wasn't even our choice! We were led here by your sister, Daisy.”

Interrupting before Shia could get angrier, Devin said, “Speaking of Daisy, what happened to her? She was with us and taken away nearly immediately. What happens to her depending on the decisions?”

Dahlia’s frown deepened and Devin caught a flash of anger on her eyes. “If the regents decide to integrate you with us, she will receive a light punishment. Otherwise, she will face escalating punishment in a separate hearing of the Regents. That one will be more like a trial.”

“Why would she be punished with all three decisions? That does not seem fair. Weren’t you going to bring us here anyways? What difference does it make that she did?” Devin asked with Shia bristling at his side.

Murton and Shia started to speak up as well, accosting Dahlia with questions. She raised her hands again, asking for quiet.

“Please do not presume to come here and lecture me about how orc law works. You don't understand what you are arguing or what she has done in our eyes.” She held a finger toward Devin as he opened his mouth to speak again. “Yes, I was planning on bringing you here, though through an entirely different route. We would have approached the main entrance and discussed letting you in while there, not sneaking you in through an access tunnel into the city proper.”

She paused, looking over all of them. “Please do not argue our law or question the Regents like you did to me. They are one of the highest authorities in our city and deserve a high level of respect. If you jump them with questions, speak all at once, or scoff at them, you will find their decision unfavorable. Humans are not viewed kindly by most orcs.”

“So we’ve heard,” Shia muttered, earning herself a glare from Dahlia.

“You, especially, I am worried about. You are young and brash and one of your outbursts could spell misfortune for your entire group. Please, let Devin or Teryn do the speaking and keep quiet during the proceeding.”

Shia glared back at the orc but did not say anything further.

“What should we be aware of?” Devin asked. “How does this whole thing work or go?”

“You will file into the room and be stationed at a desk in the center of the chambers. The five Regents will be sitting on a bench in front of you. Normally, anyone who wanted to watch would be on the seats above you, but again, this time it is closed to the public. There will likely be some dignitaries or high ranking officials in attendance.”

“Stand until the Regents give you permission to sit,” Dahlia continued. “Once you sit, they will begin questioning you. This may be something general about your intention, or super specific. If they raise their hand, let them ask their question immediately. They will ask you questions for as long as they need, then allow you a final statement once they are done for you to give any information you think they may need that they did not ask. Then they will retreat into the back and decide what is to become of you.”

The group digested the information for a few moments before Devin spoke up, “Will you be there with us at the table?”

“Yes, I will be there to help. I cannot give you any answers or tell you what they might be seeking, but I can clarify what they mean if they use vernacular that is not familiar to you.”

Devin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was not what he had expected when they agreed to come to the orcish city. But, this was the fire they had leapt into when avoiding the frying pan that was Mossglenn Depot, so they had to make do the best they could.

“Any more information we should know?” he said.

“If I had the time, I would tell you everything that could possibly help you, but we are expected in the Chamber in the next few minutes.” Dahlia said.

“Well, what else can you tell us that will help us immediately?”

Dahlia brushed at her robe, thinking. “Their names would help. From where you’ll be sitting, left to right, they are Rose, Oak, Iris, Elm, and Violet.”

“Uh, quick question,” Murton said. Devin waited with bated breath for the inevitable. “Why are you all named after plants and stuff?”

“What do you mean?” Dahlia said.

“Well, your name is Dahlia, a flower. Your sister’s name is a flower. Three of the regents are flowers, and two are trees. Is this a common theme?”

“Murton…” Devin sighed.

“What? It's an honest question. I’m curious if this is their naming convention or just a weird coincidence.”

“I have to admit,” Teryn said reluctantly, “I am curious about the naming convention as well, though I have the tact not to ask right before a trial for us to decide what they are going to do with us.” She shot Murton a glare. He just shrugged.

Dahlia frowned at the two of them, “I’m not certain I understand. Those are just our names. What you call the various plants in your language is your business, our names were around before your words for things.”

“Coincidence, then,” Murton nodded to himself, as if satisfied with her answer. Dahlia gave him a strange look, before addressing Devin.

“Anyway, the Regents all have the same amount of power, so don’t be alarmed if one is particularly nasty or seems to think what he says is the end all and be all of the decision.”

“Wait, who will do that? Are some of them already decided on what to do with us?”

“Technically, no.” Dahlia said. “But Elm is seen as staunchly into avoiding humans and dealing with your group in an, ahem, unkind manner. But, on the other side, Rose is very much in favor of integrating and growing from learning new cultures. The other three have not made their opinions known, so it is still very much in the air.”

“So we just need to convince two of the three that are undecided?”

“Correct. Though I wouldn't suggest making it obvious you are appealing to only them. Talk to them all, try to get all of them on your side.”

“Any tips for how we can convince them?” Devin said.

“Show that you are not the violent and short sighted stereotypes many of my kind view you as. Show them you can bring something useful to their world, and they will accept you. Elm will likely try to get a reaction out of you,” Dahlia made a point to look at Murton and Shia before continuing, “But do not rise to his attempts. It will only help to solidify what he believes and might convince some others.”

A sharp rapping noise came floating down the tunnel behind Dahlia. “That is our signal, it’s time to enter the Chamber.”

She turned and walked into the stone tunnel, again lit by those same flameless lights. Reaching up as he walked by, Devin let his fingers brush one. He was still surprised at the coolness. The thought of never learning what drove those lights and how they remained cool saddened him a bit. It was a ridiculous thought, knowing he could be walking to a sentencing of death.

The tunnel led deeper into the mountain, following a straight line. After a few hundred feet, it ended in a shear wall. Dahlia reached out and brushed the wall, causing it to snap open. Giving the group a final nod, she stepped through the opening. Devin took a large breath and followed her through into the chamber.