Jinxie struggled to contain the awe she felt upon entering the Imperial Ward of the Empire of Aht Urhgan. The flaxen-haired Red Mage looked about in wonder as she was led by a pair of the strange, masked men who had met her and Xaerus at the immense palace gates down the hall leading to the chamber of the Empress. Absolutely everything around them was draped in gold, silver, and fine jewels; the curtains hung over the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, which they themselves had to reach some forty or more feet in the air, were made of something that appeared to be silk, yet reflected all the colors of the rainbow when sunlight struck them. The floors of the palace were coated in a layer of mother-of-pearl, and they had been prompted to don a pair of the lighter, softer shoes worn by the people of the Empire before entering. Intricate work had been done in the crafting of the enormous marble columns which acted as support beams for the vaulted roof above them; they were not just practical structures, they also had etched in them carvings and paintings telling the stories of the Empire’s history to any whose eyes could follow the spiraling pictographs all the way to the top. The artwork, the decoration, the trappings were opulence such as Jinxie had never seen before on Mindartia or Quon. It was clear that the Empress of Aht Urhgan enjoyed displaying the tremendous wealth at the command of her nation.
Xaerus walked slightly in front of her, the Mithra treading lightly on the delicate floors, her feet barely leaving an impression on the thick, intricately woven carpet at their feet. The Mithra walked unaided, not even a stick to guide her way, though her blindfold was still tightly in place. How the woman got around, Jinxie still had not figured out, but as she strode forward in measured paces behind the two guards, the Mithra seemed no more blind than Jinxie herself was. She turned as if to look at Jinxie out of the corner of her eye, then turned her head back towards the enormous gold-trimmed doors they were both walking towards. The guards, both wearing loose-fitting black masks and turbans in the style of the Near East, stopped at the doors and turned sharply, looking over the two women.
“Beyond these doors,” the first intoned, “is the chamber of the Empress of Aht Urhgan.”
The second cast a warning glare towards the two of them. “You will conduct yourselves in a manner befitting an audience with the Empress, Walahra bless her name.”
“Walahra bless her name.” Xaerus replied, clapping her hands together and executing a smooth flourish. Jinxie stood still for a moment before realizing the guards eyes were on her, and quickly mimicked the gesture. She inclined her head slightly to see them both suspiciously looking her over, and felt her breath catch in her throat. It seemed an eternity before one of them finally stepped to the side and put his hand upon the great golden door, which gave an echoing groan as it slid open. The two assumed positions at either side of the portal, and Jinxie stood straight again as Xaerus did the same. Beyond that threshold, the Empress lay waiting. Cautiously following her blind companion, Jinxie entered the seat of power for the entire Empire.
What struck Jinxie immediately was how different the Imperial chamber itself was from the rest of the palace. There were no windows, no extravagant decoration or outward show of power. The Empress was seated behind a thick, opaque white curtain, not even an outline visible from the dais it was hung in front of. The path leading from the doors to the Empress was broad and lit by bright torches in settings hung from columns lining the hall, but neither had any excessive detail or ornamentation like those in the outside. Guards, all dressed identically as the two whom had shown them in, stood unmoving in a row along either side of the royal blue carpet on the stone tile floor. They gave no indication of acknowledging Jinxie’s presence as she slowly walked by, taking in her surroundings. Few people, she realized, ever reached this room, thus the need to decorate it in the same overpowering fashion as the outside was unnecessary. This revelation only brought further questions to mind, such as; how had Xaerus managed to secure an audience in but a four-day span?
Jinxie was distracted by these thoughts as, from the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of another woman in the room. Seated on an enormous pillow, with a strange, mechanical device that somewhat resembled some sort of small caricature of a child by her side, was a woman garbed in all white and gold, her sun-colored hair done up in intricate fashion, looking at the duo through large blue eyes. The woman, who actually looked to be scarcely more than a girl, placed on a hand on the machine, which startlingly turned with a mechanized clacking and whirring of machine parts, jerking to a halt and peering out at the two as well. She felt the impulse to say something, suddenly one of the blue-dressed guardsmen, standing just before the dais, spoke in a loud, grating voice which resonated through the immense chamber.
“You stand before her Imperial Grace, Nashmeira the second, Walahra bless her name.” He said in a formal, practiced rote. “I am Razfahd, Grand Vizier to her Majesty.” The man lowered his gaze upon them, and Jinxie felt uncomfortable under his eyes. Something about the man sent shivers through her spine just looking at him, but he continued on. “Should you misconduct yourselves in any way before the Empress, be assured that I shall personally see you removed from this audience chamber.”
“Be at peace, Razfahd,” Xaerus said smoothly, her head bowed before the Empress behind the curtain. “My friend shall be on her best behavior.”
“My warning was to both guests of the Empress,” Razfahd replied curtly, “now state your names and business before her Imperial Majesty, as your time is limited.”
“I am Xaerus,” the Mithra said, not skipping a beat, “as you well know. The request I put before the Empress does not come from me, so I shall let this woman speak for herself.” Without another word, Xaerus took a sweeping step to the side, towards the girl on the pillow, who blinked and sat up straight as the mechanical creation in front of her took what looked almost like a defensive step forward. Just like that, Jinxie found herself unprotected in front of the Empress of Aht Urhgan. Razfahd sneered at her with an unwelcoming visage, and as she could not see Nashmeira, she had no idea how receptive the woman was.
“Do not keep the Empress waiting!” Razfahd said in a hushed, scathing tone. Eyes narrowing at the Grand Vizier, Jinxie took a step forward, bending knee and bowing her head before the curtain.
“Your Imperial Majesty,” she began, “I am Jinxie, of the Republic of Bastok. I ask that you hear my request, please.”
A long moment passed, Razfahd’s eyes drilling a hole in Jinxie from the side which she tried to ignore. Xaerus said nothing, and had her head slightly downcast with her hands clasped behind her back, betraying no emotion. Finally, the Empress spoke. Her voice sounded younger than Jinxie would have expected, though it was slow, almost unsure of itself. Still, the air of royalty was evident.
“Speak, Jinxie of Bastok,” Nashmeira replied, “tell me why it is you have come to my Empire.”
“Your Majesty,” Jinxie said, taking a half step forward before being cut off by Razfahd’s harsh glare. “The lands of Mindartia have been overcome by a terrible plague of demons. The stories of Dynamis have come true, and even now my friends, and . . . and my family, they are suffering. I come with the fervent plea for your aid, Empress, please, help us deliver my land from this evil!”
Jinxie’s last words echoed in the chamber as she clasped her fists against her chest, trying to restrain her own emotion as she thought of that terrible flight from Mhaura. Hubby had sacrificed himself to ensure that she would reach this place, and she had resolved not to let that be in vain. With the power of the Empire, surely they could do something to restore the land, to help save the people still alive and waiting for rescue to come from somewhere . . .
“You have a child?” Nashmeira said abruptly, throwing Jinxie for a loop.
“Uh, yes, your Majesty.” Jinxie replied, casting a look at Xaerus, who remained unmoving. Drake had been taken by a nurse in the palace when they had been announced, to be cared for in the Imperial nursery until their audience was over. Only after she had seen the facility had Jinxie agreed to part with her newborn. “I have a son, recently born. I was . . . “ her voice lowered to scarcely more than a whisper as she hung her head, blonde hair falling down her face in slim wisps. “we were coming here to celebrate.”
For the first time, Razfahd removed her eyes from Jinxie, and only stared ahead, appearing uncomfortable. The Empress said nothing, but Jinxie heard at her side the breath of the girl on the pillow catch as she put a hand to her lips, catching Jinxie’s meaning. Slowly, the Red Mage raised her head, returning her eyes to the curtain, and awaiting the response of the Empress. It was a tense, sustained pause before she spoke again.
“Are you aware of the troubles which beset the Empire?” the Empress inquired, her voice still carrying the strength of a monarch, but with a tinge of sympathy interwoven in it now.
“I have . . . I have only heard rumors,” Jinxie began to say.
“We are aware of your Orcs, your Quadav,” Nashmeira continued, “the birds which walk like men, but have the people of Mindartia familiarized themselves with the Trolls? Or the Lamiae? Or the Mamool Ja?”
“We . . .we hear little of the Empire across the Gugru Blue, your Majesty.” Jinxie responded, not understanding where this was going.
“Then you would not know that these beastmen besiege our kingdom constantly, seeking to steal our most holy artifact, the Astral Candescence, and manipulate it for their own ends. Even as the people of the Far East plague us with continued warfare, we must also divide our forces just to keep our own people safe. The Empire has even resorted to hiring mercenaries in order to secure the walls of our city.”
Xaerus spoke up now, roused by the obvious destination Nashmeira was reaching with this speech. “But your Majesty, even a few of the Immortals, perhaps the loan of a Serpent General and a few men . . . “
“Silence!” Razfahd barked, prompting the Mithra to direct a cutting sneer in the direction of his voice.
“I’ve always detested dogs, Razfahd.” Xaerus said warningly, and the Grand Vizier scoffed and sputtered angrily, taking an advancing step towards the Mithra before the voice of the Empress halted him.
“Enough!” she declared, giving them both pause. “We are familiar with the legends of Dynamis, and understand the horror which has befallen Mindartia, but to deploy any international aid at this time would compromise our own people. We apologize, Jinxie of Bastok, but the Empire of Aht Urhgan can lend you no aid. Please, be on your way.”
“Nashmeira, no!” Jinxie implored, but even as she outstretched her hand, the mechanical being at the side of the girl leaped to the pointed constructs which made up its feet.
“You heard the Empress speak!” it said, shockingly, startling Jinxie to the point where her heart skipped a beat as she realized the thing could talk. “Off with you now, we will hear no more about the troubles of other nations while Al Zahbi itself is worn away by the beastmen hordes!”
“Ovjang!” the girl on the pillow said, scoldingly. The red-tinted puppet turned, shaken as if a child being scolded, and dejectedly slumped back down on the pillow. “I’m sorry,” she said her soft voice genuinely sincere as the honey-haired girl looked at Jinxie. “but there’s nothing we can do.”
“That’s enough, Aphmau.” Razfahd sneered. “Leave this place, immediately. Your audience has ended.”
“Razfahd!” Xaerus growled, bringing up a fist, but the Grand Vizier only smirked, folding his arms as behind them, a dozen of the Immortals reached for their swords. Xaerus lowered her arm and scowled at the man, but all she could do was turn on her heel and march back towards the door. Jinxie followed behind her after a moment, her eyes meeting those of Aphmau for a brief second, and seeing genuine compassion behind them. With a slight sigh, Jinxie took her leave, her audience with the Empress having come to naught.
No one noticed the extra pair of legs skittering out the door from the shadowed corners of the throne room just before the immense portal slammed shut behind them.
When they reached the outskirts of the Imperial Ward, Xaerus said nothing, only looked up skyward with her unseeing eyes. Jinxie, cradling a sleeping Drake in her arms, gazed blankly ahead. Whatever slim hope she had been holding on to had fallen away, and it was all she could do to hold her emotion inside. The pit of her stomach turned at the thought of her failure, but she managed to restrain herself, as best she could, from letting it show.
“Jinxie,” Xaerus finally said, “I had thought that . . . “
“It’s alright, Xaerus.” Jinxie said, her voice almost catching. “I’ll be fine. I just . . .I just don’t know what to do now.”
“Really? I thought that would be obvious, even to a blind woman.”
They both turned sharply at the voice which addressed them. Standing before the two Red Mages was a woman, her dark hair tied back in a long braid behind her head, her smooth, Aht Urhganese features accented by a deep shade upon her eyes and lips. She wore clothes in the fashion of the Empire, but in such colors of deep red, black, and purple as Jinxie had never seen before. Arms folded under her breasts, she surveyed the two with an almost amused expression, and it wasn’t until Jinxie heard the sound of gears turning that she looked down, and realized that standing in front of the woman was a machine, a puppet just like the one that had been with Aphmau. She took a step forward, the puppet close by her side, and closely appraised the two.
“Shoki here saw everything,” she said, as the puppet jumped in response to its name, “and I have to say, I don’t know what you expected, thinking that the Empress would give up some her might to help people as far away as Mindartia. There’s nothing in it for her.”
“Who are you?” Xaerus asked, her voice more puzzled than angered.
The woman took a deep flourish, her puppet mimicking the maneuver. “Allow me to introduce myself.” She said. “You can call me Isset; I’ve heard your plight and know exactly where you can get the help you need.”
“Where?” Jinxie asked, trepidation being overruled by the sudden glimmer of hope.
“Tell me,” Isset asked the two women, folding her arms again, “have you ever heard of a woman named Naja Salaheem?”
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