Episode 45

The system of power turns like wheel

You can rise to the top through money or steel

You could lift up others or leave them in muck

But it’s the poor who will suffer when the wheel becomes stuck

If the problems aren’t met with any solution

The wheel must turn in bloody revolution

The vermin will rise as the predator sinks

Let’s see then if the fox can outsmart the lynx

The city of Zandt has three main markets. There’s the harbour which Lilian and Peter saw on their first day, that dealt mainly in meat and fish. Then in the northern quarter there was the cloth market, they had visited this one on the morning of their second day. Lilian had bought two flowing dresses and three linen wraps. The kind woman who ran the stall had shown her how to wrap the material around her head and shoulders so that she was protected from the sun. The family they were staying with (old friends of Katrina’s from Freedos) had recommended her personally and upon mentioning their name she smiled broadly and gave them a handsome discount. The heat was so constant and energy sapping that Lilian found that she could not muster the will to do much more than one or two activities per day, that included her daily exercises and stretches which were meant to aid her recovery. So it was not until the third day that they visited the third market. This one was known as the materials bazaar and was where the people of Zandt went to trade all kinds of substances, ingredients and spices. Unlike markets in Freedos which were usually held in wide open spaces on certain days of the week, the materials bazaar was permanent and packed tightly into several small shaded streets. The wares were either laid out on carpets on the ground or on top of packing crates. Much like the houses in the city itself, stalls were often placed so close to each other, it was difficult to tell which person nearby was in charge of what. Trading seemed to consist of hanging around near your chosen material until someone came over to ask if you were interested. You would then try and seem as disinterested as possible while trying to haggle over a price. Lilian had learned this the hard way when she bought a few sticks of liquorice root for, according to Peter, three times what they were worth. She didn’t mind though. She chewed on one happily as she took in the sights, sounds and smells of the market. Fritha padded beside her keeping a watchful eye on the liquorice root. She drew a few curious gazes from the stall holders and patrons but no one asked too many questions. Zandt was a massive hub for trade, so its people were used to seeing exotic animals. Besides, in this heat Fritha kept her coat short and white which just made her look like a big dog.

Peter took out a scrap of parchment from his pocket, it was the third time this morning that Lilian had seen it.

“What do you keep looking at?” she asked, using the liquorice root to point at the note in his hand.

“Directions.” he replied, absently. He glanced around for a few moments before settling his gaze on a dark archway. “Through here.” he said and Lilian and Fritha followed him through the arch, away from the main market thoroughfare.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“I just need to pick up some things for mum.” something about his tone made Lilian wary. He kept glancing back over his shoulder and his voice was a little too quiet.

“Peter…?” she asked.

“Hm?”

“What are we here to buy exactly?” her friend ducked his head under a wooden beam and continued on into the depths of the market. There were still sellers here, but they were fewer in number and their conversations were spoken in hushed tones. Peter didn’t meet her eye.

“Just some… things. Don’t worry about it.” Lilian rolled her eyes. If there’s one way to get someone to worry about something, it’s to tell them not to worry about it. Finally, a look of recognition fell upon Peter’s face.

“Ah, here we are.” He walked towards a man dressed in a dark blue and brown robe, his eyes were bright and friendly and draped across his shoulders was a huge lizard. Its tongue flicked out occasionally and its suspicious eyes narrowed as it saw them approach. In front of the man was a collection of large glass jars, each containing a different substance. The light was especially low back here, despite it being the middle of the day so Lilian had to squint to see what was in them. Peter nodded to the man with the lizard and greeted him in the local dialect. Lilian had only managed to pick up a few words but Peter was quite adept. They exchanged a few phrases and the man handed him one of the jars. It contained a sort of yellow powder. Peter opened it and gave the contents a sniff.

“Oof, smell that…” he held it out for Lilian to smell. She leant in and inhaled deeply.

“Ugh, Peter, that's disgusting. It smells like a rotten egg in a sewer.” In truth, it smelt worse than that, but Lilian didn’t have any other comparison.

“That’s sulfur.” Peter said, handing the jar back to the stall owner. He was laughing at Lilian’s reaction to the prank. Lilian was still reeling from the awfulness.

Peter and the man haggled for a while over the price of the jar. All seemed to be going fine until Peter gestured to another jar, this one full of thin lavender coloured crystals. The stall owner’s smile fell away. He began to shake his head and the lizard almost lost balance. Lilian looked at Peter who brought out a golden crown and showed it to the man. They exchanged a few more words. Peter seemed to be doing his best to convince the man to let him have both jars, but he wasn’t budging. Finally, after several minutes and a few more silver bits on the table, he relented and Peter put both jars in his travel bag, making sure they were well hidden before thanking the man, turning around and leaving.

“What was all that about?” asked Lilian as they stepped out of the shadows and back towards the light. Peter chose his words carefully.

“They get these crystals from a cave by the coast, they’re quite rare. In Freedos they’d cost an arm and a leg but here I got them for a song.” He was smiling, satisfied with the morning’s deals.

“He didn’t look like he wanted to give them to you,” said Lilian.

“Separately it wouldn’t have been a problem, but together they can be quite dangerous. If you know how to mix them. Which I do.” he smiled another one of his self-assured grins. The light was getting brighter as they made their way back to the main market. The chatter of the crowd grew louder too. As they re-emerged into the main market Lilian was about to ask what would happen if Peter used his expert knowledge and combined the two jars when she noticed something that made her stomach drop. Quickly, she turned to her friend and tried to persuade him to go the other way.

“You know what Peter, we haven’t seen that part of the market up there yet, why don’t we…”

“Hey…” he interrupted her and Lilian knew she had failed to distract him in time “isn’t that Serena?”

Sure enough, Serena Bellaswan, dressed all in white linen and carrying a ridiculous lace parasol, was standing just a few feet away, talking to a stallholder about some dried jasmine buds.

“No Peter, wait…” Lilian tried to stop him but he was already heading towards her. He waved as he approached and Serena flashed her brilliant white smile when she saw him. Lilian followed suit and when Serena caught sight of her, the smile fell away.

“Peter, how delightful to see you. And hello… Lulu.” she said, putting on all the heirs and graces of one who was about to be introduced to royalty. Lilian did not bother correcting her mispronunciation of her name, they would not be here long.

“And you Miss Bellaswan. How are you liking Zandt?”

“The city is perfectly charming. I think the markets are by far the best part, such lovely things and so cheap!” Peter grinned.

“You have an excellent eye for quality, my lady.” he gestured to her parasol and Lilian fought the urge to roll her eyes. What was Peter’s obsession with this vacuous creature? She was clearly just a spoiled brat who was here on holiday. They had a mission and it did not involve wasting time with airheaded noble daughters. Serena pretended to blush at the complement.

“Peter darling you’re too kind… oh! Goodness gracious.” Fritha came out from behind Lilian and approached Serena, sniffing her sleeve and assessing her. Lilian smiled at Serena’s obvious discomfort. She hoped that Fritha would snap at her or steal her parasol but Fritha sensed her fear and backed away. Curse your kindness, thought Lilian.

“Apologies, Miss Bellaswan. This is Fritha, our companion. Fritha, here!” Peter called her back and Fritha obliged, knowing there was a sour berry waiting for her in his pocket if she did.

“Oh, thank you. Sorry, I’m… I’m not used to being around such creatures.” Peter patted Fritha on the side. “No it’s us who should apologise, we’re so used to her we forget how big she is.” Lilian harrumphed. She was not about to apologise, Fritha was just being curious, it wasn’t like she jumped up or bit her ankle. Lilian clapped her hands together,

“Well, this has been lovely but I believe we need to get going, Peter?” she turned away, hoping he would follow but he merely shrugged.

“We’re not in any rush. We’ll have all afternoon to make the journey. Oh, speaking of…” Lilian’s stomach dropped, no no no, she thought, knowing what Peter was about to do. “Miss Bellaswan, we were thinking of visiting the Simurgh temple this afternoon. Would you care to join us?” Lilian stepped forward.

“I’m sure Miss Bellaswan is far too busy buying cakes to want to go on a hike…” Serena shot her a poison glare.

“I think the cakes will still be there tomorrow. And it’s true that the temple is on my list of things to do.” Lilian willed her not to agree to come, the hike was going to be difficult enough without having a whinging princess in tow. As usual though, Peter betrayed her.

“Fantastic,” he said, “The path starts on the edge of the city just north of here. Shall we meet after lunch?” The two young women did not break eye contact. Lilian narrowed her gaze and pursed her lips. Serena did the same at first, but apparently, upon seeing how angry the suggestion was making Lilian, her face broke into a wry smile.

“I should like that very much.” There was an awkward pause while they stared each other down. Peter, oblivious as ever, broke the silence.

“Great! See you there!”

Lilian and Peter enjoyed a light lunch of local delicacies. Cheese wrapped in steamed vine leaves and skewered spiced chicken, washed down with a bitter drink made from the skin of grapes. They swapped stories of their childhoods and laughed at how different growing up in Freedos had been compared to Benlunar. Lilian enjoyed spending time with Peter, he was easy to talk to and pleasant to everyone they met. He was quite tall and still growing which meant that he often misjudged the depth of steps or the heights of doorways, resulting in many a bump and bruise. As they approached the hill path (Lilian refused to call it a mountain) they were laughing about the first time Peter met Mr Attorcop.

“I couldn’t believe how serious he was! I swear he could turn shopping for flour into a life and death situation.” Lilian threw her head back in laughter. The description was far too accurate and even though it made her miss her mentor she still enjoyed the observation. As she wiped a tear from her eye and her vision became less blurry, a waving figure came into focus in the middle distance. All laughter died at the sight of her. Serena Bellaswan, clad in beige linen trousers and sturdy ankle boots, was signalling them from the base of the hill. She was perched on a rock and had swapped the parasol for an equally ridiculous hat, the brim of which was wider than her shoulders. It was fashioned from intricately woven straw and tied with a big green bow. Even in this sweltering climate she looked effortlessly glamorous, as if she had been set down on the rock by a passing flock of sparrows. Her shirt was white cotton and ruffled in the breeze like the sail of a ship. Lilian glanced down at her own dark green dress and noticed a stain where she had dropped some cheese on it earlier. To add insult to injury, Fritha bounded over to Serena and licked her hand. Traitor, thought Lilian as she watched Serena bend down and give the animal a big kiss on her forehead.

“Ready to go?” she said, smiling.

The walk up to the temple was pleasant enough. The well worn trail wound upwards between tufts of dry grass. Peter and Serena walked a few feet ahead of Lilian and Fritha. Lilian would catch the occasional word from their conversation but on the whole occupied herself with maintaining a steady pace and warning Fritha not to get too close to scorpions. Each of them carried a cantine of fresh water, which the locals had warned them was a must. Lilian had hoped that Serena would struggle with the walk, but frustratingly found that she kept up relatively easily. At one point, about three quarters of the way up, Lilian turned to look down at the city. From here the sprawling metropolis against the backdrop of dunes and sky had the stillness of an oil painting. There were no crowds, no noise and the slight movement of trees in the breeze was the only thing that made it animated and real. She breathed in a deep, clean breath and missed her mountainous home. Travel might broaden the mind, but it focuses the heart.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice, shocked Lilian out of her nostalgia. She turned to see Serena standing not three feet beside her. For all their differences, she had to admit that she was right. Lilian nodded.

“It is.” Fritha gave a wide yawn and pawed at the ground, eager to get going again. Serena shifted uncomfortably.

“I realise that I never thanked you, for the other day. That man was so scared he practically left a cloud of dust as soon as he’d set down my bags. So… thank you, for that. I lost my cool but you kept your head.” Of all the things Lilian had expected her to say, this had been the last. Caught off guard, Lilian mumbled a restrained,

“It was nothing.” she did not even look at Serena as she said it.

“Well, even so, I appreciated it. And if I can repay you…”

“Why are you here?” asked Lilian, interrupting her.

“Excuse me?” said Serena, confused.

“Why are you in Zandt?” Lilian had been wanting to ask this ever since she’d seen her on the Swift Stag. It seemed strange to her that one so connected in Freedos high society had decided to come, relatively alone, to a strange city where she knew no one and had no work to speak of. Serena’s face fell, and she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Lilian got the impression that this was an uncomfortable topic for her, but Lilian didn’t care. She was sick of Serena spoiling her trip and if she insisted on hanging around, the least she could was answer her questions. Unfortunately, just as Serena seemed like she was about to say something, Peter appeared from up the path and shouted at them.

“Come on you two! We’re nearly there.” Serena looked relieved at the interruption.

“He’s so bossy!” she said, smiling and rolling her eyes. Lilian humphed and brushed past her. She’d managed to avoid the question, but sooner or later, Lilian would corner her and she would get answers. She always did.

It took another fifteen minutes to reach the top of the hill. As the crest loomed ahead the top of the temple came into view. The first and unavoidable sight were its columns; six in total and each one adorned with gold leaf. The building itself was round and tall, at least as tall as the Stave in Benlunar. Its stone white roof was a dome that rose up into the sky. At its peak was a metal spike that had a golden sun attached. The sun’s face and wavy rays were gold as well. At the base was a set of white steps that led up to the base of the columns. Beyond these, was a white wall with a comparatively small doorway at its base. Standing in front of it were two men. They were dressed in white robes, the style of which reminded Lilian instantly of Zadoch Korshid. These must be disciples of his holy solar religion. Sun worshippers and keepers of untold destructive power. Lilian tried to suppress the memory of Zadoch’s obliteration of the Weardian headquarters, but it was not easy. The smell of her own burning hair and the screams from the men and women inside were still very present in her mind. She shook herself and began walking towards the men.

“Lilian? What are you doing?” Peter was behind her, calling her back in a hushed voice. Lilian turned to see both him and Serena with concerned looks on their faces.

“I’m going to talk to them.” she said, matter-of-factly. Serena shook her head.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The temple is a place of great significance for their order. They don’t just let anyone in.” Lilian frowned.

“Well why did we come all the way up here then?” not waiting for a response, Lilian turned and headed for the steps. The expressions of the two guards, Lilian assumed that’s what they were, grew more stern with each of her approaching steps. She could hear the patter of feet behind her and knew that her friends were following. Fritha was by her side and so Lilian felt confident.

When she was within speaking distance, one of the men held his hand up.

“Halt please.” Lilian did not listen. She was fed up with people telling her what to do. Instead she paused and then took a few more steps.

“I would like to go inside please.” she spoke confidently, trying not to think about what these men were capable of. Both of them had golden suns embroidered on their chests. They looked at each other, incredulous. The one who had spoken before replied in broken speech.

“Only those of the holy solar order may enter.” Lilian shrugged.

“Fine. How do I become a member of the order?” the second man smirked and replied bluntly.

“You don’t.” Lilian scowled, the man continued. “Order members are chosen after many years of study. They earn the right, no, how do you say it? Privilege of going inside. Walking up a mountain is not enough.” Lilian felt her blood begin to boil. She did not like these men one bit. She never really liked anyone who told her she was not allowed to do something. She felt a series of angry words bubbling to the surface and was about to give them an earful, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Serena, standing beside her with a look in her eyes that said, ‘stay calm’. Lilian begrudgingly stepped back and folded her arms. Serena turned to the guards.

“My dear gentleman. We appear to have got off on the wrong foot. We are not here to quarrel or to discover and divulge any secrets. My friend is merely curious. We have travelled a long way and a trip to Zandt would surely only be half complete without experiencing its most treasured wonder.” Lilian marvelled at her diplomacy and choice of words. She felt her anger dissipate and even saw the tension in the guards’ shoulders ease somewhat. The first man considered her statement.

“The glory of the sun can be felt anywhere. There is nothing more interesting inside than that, I can assure you. Besides, our rules are strict, there is nothing we can do. Unless…” he paused, but Serena saw her opportunity and jumped on it.

“Yes? Unless what?” The two men looked at each other and the quiet one shrugged. The first man spoke again,

“Technically the temple is a public place and we cannot stop you, but only those who can pass the guess may enter.”

“The guess?” Serena parroted. The man screwed up his face, trying to find the right words.

“Yes. The guess. Our laws say that if someone can guess what is inside, you may go in. This is why we study for so long. To understand. But if you have not studied the books, you will never guess. And in one life, you only have one guess.” He shrugged. His point was made. It seemed as though entrance to the temple relied on a sort of paradox. To go in you had to guess what was inside, but you could not know what was inside without going in. Lilian narrowed her eyes, the wheels of her sharp mind suddenly springing into furious whirring. It was a puzzle, and Lilian knew now that she would not be able to rest until it was solved. Serena sighed and turned back to her.

“I’m sorry, I did my best.” For the first time since meeting her at the Summer Ball Lilian gave Serena a genuine smile. It was not filled with malice, or accompanied by cutting words.

“Thank you Serena, you were brilliant.” Serena looked taken aback.

“Oh. Well, you’re most welcome. Consider us even for the other day.” Serena turned and walked back towards Peter, her haughty hackles were back up. It seemed as though genuine thanks was not something Miss Bellaswan received often. “Are you coming, Lilian?” she said, ready to head back down the mountain.

“No,” Lilian replied, “I’m going to make a guess.”

Lilian took a few steps closer to the two Order guards. She needed Serena and Peter to be out of earshot for the conversation. The two men swapped a curious look at each other, surprised that one so young and so obviously ignorant of their ways was about to waste her one and only guess. Fritha remained close by and Lilian touched her nape for reassurance. Having her animal companion close gave her confidence. As she got closer, the two men squared up to her and began the necessary ritual.

“You are here to enter the holy solar temple, home of the sun on land and source of power of the Holy Solar Order. To grant you passage we must hear your guess as to what waits within. Please be concise and accurate, for only those who are sure are worthy.” Lilian looked at their faces, she thought she detected a slight grin on the second guard but she did not let that bother her. If she were in his position, she might have found this amusing too. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a few seconds and triple checked her logic. For nearly a year now she’d been studying history, philosophy and religion with Mr Attorcop but all those lessons went suddenly to one side in her mind. In their place, she saw home. She saw the mountain and the moon and heard the rippling of water. The Padda Stone loomed large in her memory and she felt a calmness wash over. Lilian opened her eyes, and was ready.

“My name is Lilian Lausanne, of Benlunar. I have travelled far and learned much and although I cannot be sure by any means, I am ready to guess.” A few seconds passed where all that could be heard was the whistle of the wind and a far away screech in the sky. “Inside your big and beautiful temple, there is a creature. It is ancient, far older than the rocks that surround it. It is powerful, it gets its power from the sun and every so often, when the sun is at its most radiant the creature comes alive. There will be water around it and a feeling of peace. The creature may look like a bird, but it is not one. It is a being of untold age and it has seen cities rise, temples fall and knows that the order that protects it now is just one of many that throughout history have sought to control it. But it does not care, for it is forgiving and it will sit and it will give forever, like the sun.” Lilian turned to look up into the sky and felt the heat of the sun on her face. She tried to calm her nerves and turned back to check if her guess was correct. The two men were staring at her with looks of shock and confusion. The second man stepped aside and it looked as though the first was about to do the same when he paused and spoke softly.

“Now you know, you tell no one. All are allowed a guess but we must ask that you do not influence them.” Lilian felt excitement rising inside her, she nodded.

“I swear. I’ll keep the secret, but I ask that you respect the fact that I do not agree with this. This place should be free and open to all.” The guard nodded.

“I respect your wish. But I think you have seen what this power can do. We simply do not wish it to fall into the wrong hands.” Lilian was uncomfortable, but in agreement.

“I respect your wish.” And with that, the way was made clear.

Lilian turned to wave goodbye to Serena and Peter, they looked dumbfounded, their mouths wide open and their eyes fixed and unblinking.

“I’ll meet you back at the house!” she cried and before receiving an answer, turned on her heel and headed inside the temple with Fritha padding patiently by her side.

The heat of the day faded with each step into the dim stone corridor. There was a light at the end of the tunnel but Lilian did not rush towards it. Her nerves from guessing were still very present but with each cooling, calming step she felt the tension dissipate into the walls of this sacred place. She looked down to her right side. Fritha, brave as ever, was striding forwards, Lilian even had to quicken her pace to keep up with her. Her coat was shifting and shimmering through various metallic shades. Lilian saw it cycle through silvers and bronzes before it finally settled on glittering gold. Something about this place was clearly speaking to her. It gave Lilian confidence and with a smile and a new spring in her step she faced the light and strode on towards it.

A new and different kind of heat was pouring out of the room ahead. A wet and humid heat, like the one on the river greeted them like a warm embrace as they stepped into the light. They found themselves in a large room, directly beneath the domed roof. Light was coming through the roof, through hidden glass panels buried in the sandstone. The glass was yellow, or clear or even dark orange in places. It was woven into the stone dome like cracks in a bowl that had been dropped and glued back together with molten gold. It bathed the hall in yellow and made Lilian’s skin look as golden as Fritha’s fur. As her gaze fell from the ceiling, it found the bird. Giant and made of rock it instantly reminded Lilian of the Padda Stone, only it was lighter in colour and rather than having a pensive, peaceful look, its expression was frozen in fierce concentration. It looked angry and although its wings were folded by its side, Lilian thought it might spring into flight at any moment. Bubbling beneath it was a pool of water, crystal clear and lined with mosaics. The patterns depicted people and birds in various forms of flight, dance or worship. In the middle of the bottom of the pool floor, was the sun, golden and dazzling, the movement of the water making it look as though it emanated real heat. Surrounding them on all sides of the hall were large columns, similar to the ones outside the entrance, only these were not leafed in gold but were simply sturdy and stone. Small doors and passageways lead off from this central room into other parts of the temple. They were dark and inviting. Lilian stood still for several seconds, in awe of the place. She looked up and around and studied all the details she could find. She was so distracted by the room itself that she failed to notice Fritha heading for the water.

“Fritha!” she whispered loudly, sure that any shout would be heard by someone deep in the temple. Before she could grab her attention and pull her away however, Fritha had her two front paws in the water and was stepping timidly into the pool. Lilian moved to grab her but she was too far and it was too late. Fritha’s splendid slender slipped into the cooling waters and in an instant she was swimming. Lilian wanted to shout at her to get out, but the water looked so clean and refreshing she found herself silent and envious. It was so hot in the hall and the water was so serene.

Glancing about and making sure they were alone, Lilian quickly removed her outer layers and hid them behind a pillar. Dressed only in an undershirt and shorts she tiptoed across the stone floor and headed for the water. Fritha was busy splashing about, what further damage, if any, could she do if she joined her? Lilian touched the pool with her right toe. It was as cool and refreshing as her imagination had made it out to be. Without a moment’s hesitation her foot was in the water, followed swiftly by her legs, her knees, thighs and waist. Her breath caught in her chest as the water moved up past her stomach but by then there was no going back. One final jump and Lilian was submerged and swimming. The water was inexplicably cold but not so much that it shocked the body. Rather, when contrasted with the heat of the room, it relaxed it. Lilian dipped her head beneath the surface and swam over the blazing sun. She joined Fritha on the other side and giggled as her furry friend licked the liquid off her face. There were hidden steps under the bird and beneath the water. Lilian sat, half submerged on the third one down and enjoyed the sensation of refreshing serenity. She rested her hand on Fritha’s side, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Almost at once, the familiar feeling of gloaming came to her. Her senses heightened and her awareness of the space around her grew sharp. Back in Freedos, gloaming would always cause her to tense her body as the waves of sound and activity crashed over her. But here she found she could relax and enjoy the feeling. The lapping of little waves on the tiles, the disant screech of a bird and of course, the heavy heartbeat of her faithful feinhound friend. Lilian breathed out a happy sigh. The trials and troubles of the city seemed far away here. But there was something close and getting closer. The tapping sound of sandals on stone. Two sets of feet were somewhere in the depths of the temple and they were getting louder.

Lilian opened her eyes, she had only just been granted access to this place and was not yet ready to leave. Normally she might be nervous, but she was so relaxed that she merely glanced at Fritha, caught her amber eyes and put a finger up to her lips. Slipping then down to the next step and further into the water, they both became still and invisible. Presently, two people entered the temple from a small passage to the east. Lilian watched them with a curious and detached air. Her clothes were far away, so she did not fear her discovery. The figures approached the pool and acknowledged the bird before turning to face each other. One was a woman, roughly middle aged with sharp features. She wore a loose green sleeveless shirt and baggy trousers that were tied at the ankle. The person she was with was a young man, only a few years older than Peter. He wore darker clothes and had black hair that was shaved short. Both of them carried swords. They were short, thin blades made of dull metal. Lilian recognised them to be training blades. The tips were pointed and could still cause damage, but the edges were not sharpened. Lilian watched them curiously. She had expected to see folks dressed in Holy Solar robes, but apparently she was not the only person not in the order who had successfully guessed their way inside the temple. The woman turned to the young man and spoke in a heavily accented, stern voice.

“Here we will be free from distractions, remember to keep your eyes on mine. Are you ready?” The man nodded.

“Yes, Mistress Eleyna.”

“Then put up your blade and centre yourself. This round I will not hold back.” The man did as he was told, putting one arm behind his back and taking an offensive stance. He held his sword lightly as did his teacher. Lilian expected the first block to knock the weapon away completely, but as they fought the swords stayed fixed to their hands as if glued there by some sticky substance. The hall began to ring with the echoes of their meeting blades. Lilian had trained enough in swordplay to recognise experienced fighters. They moved swiftly, hitting out and retracting the tips of their weapons like scorpion tails. Lilian watched their feet. Unlike the solid steps she had practised with Mr Attorcop, these two moved swiftly from foot to foot, like they were dancing. At one moment, the teacher, this Mistress Eleyna, stood on one foot whilst effortlessly blocking several strikes. Needless to say, Lilian was enthralled. They trained this way for almost ten minutes without either one landing a strike. At times their swords moved so fast, Lilian’s eyes could not track their tips. There was something familiar about the way they moved but Lilian could swear she’d never witnessed this sword style before now.

At last the young student misstepped and his teacher was quick to take advantage. She pushed forward, forcing him onto the back foot and with a lavish swirling motion she undid his grip and sent his blade flying up in the air and down into the water. It landed with a small plop and instantly began to sink.

“Good!” said Mistress Eleyna, “it seems this room suits you. But be clear, not all places are so free from distraction, sooner or later you will need to train in the market or perhaps a busy street?” Her student’s chest rose and fell quickly and Lilian could see beads of sweat forming on his brow. His teacher seemed unaffected by the fight. The young man glanced at the pool.

“Mistress, the blade.”

“Hm? Oh, well, go and get it then.” For a second he seemed confused, but Lilian did not wait for him to take the plunge. Instead, she swam down to the bottom of the pool and retrieved the blade from the centre of the sun. As her hand gripped the handle, her mind suddenly placed the move sets she had just been watching. That was how Nicholas Telson, the leader of The Guiding Hand had fought. He had been just as quick and his sword was thin and sharp and held with a light grip. Lilian knew what she had to do and by the time she pushed off from the bottom of the pool, her mind was made up. As she stepped up the tiled bank on the other side near the fighters, she released her gloaming and became visible. The two figures watched her emerge with such astounded expressions, that Lilian nearly laughed. Mistress Eleyna spoke first.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Lilian was nervous but knew what she needed to say.

“My name is Lilian Lausanne, and I need to learn to fight like you.”