Heart part 1

Chapter 29 - Behind High Walls

12 Days Ago

***

Peeking out from behind the carriage's covers, Esther looked out at the sea of eyes staring back at them. In the background, the sounds of rolling carriages making their way through the city filled the street. Each one of them was locked onto the long train in front of them, watching with partly ajar mouths as if some mystical event was taking place right before them. A ray of stunted potential glowed from every one of their famished faces.

" So, this is Burning Toe...?"

Many flat-roofed, tall, and seemingly falling-apart buildings lined either side of the street. Towering above nearly everything else, she could see the looming spires of some structure approaching in the distance. Pulling her head back in, Esther continued leaning back against one of the crates inside. Sat across from her was Jaqueline and to her sides was Sandy and Juzo. Letting out a sigh under her breath, she looked up to the cloth roof of the carriage and listened to its gentle rocking to pass the time.

About half an hour later, she found that they had finally arrived at their destination.

" Welcome to the Ceshilatu!" Dandy exclaimed with his arms outstretched wide as Esther, Jaqueline, Sandy, and Juzo piled out of the carriage and hit the ground. Standing by Dandy's side was Bagon, who looked as stone-faced as ever.

The four stood at the front part of a far-stretching field and in the distance, the main complex stood in sight. Its architecture was nothing like the castles and fortresses you'd see in Cyend. The main building was more long than wide and compared to the rest, was short in height until about halfway in when it suddenly jumped up. Sitting on top was a cylindrical structure that rounded at the top, nearly forming a half-circle before shooting up as a tall spire. On either side, the building extended out into two smaller wings that further connected to the unpassable wall that surrounded the entirety of the complex.

" Please, let me show you around! Oh, and don't worry. My men will take care of your carriages and will help get the rest of your caravan settled in." Not hearing any objections, Dandy spun around and started making his way toward the front gates. Picking up their feet, they all began to follow him.

The walk was needlessly long. Once they reached the front doors, two guards stationed nearby promptly opened the doors for them and let them in. The inside was much bigger than they'd expected. A grand hall stood before them. Pillars held the room up at the sides and all sorts of tapestries hung down from them. In between each pillar stood a guard. With how indistinguishable they were from each other, you'd think they all were the same person. A throne sat at the far end of the room and at the top of a short incline of stairs. Proceeding forward, the four continued following Dandy.

He led them all around the complex. First, he showed them around the ground floor. Besides the throne room, there was a great kitchen and dining room located by the left wing. In the back, there was a grand bath that connected straight to the river that flowed throughout the area. Apparently, its name was the E Toi Tei River. There were also a few storage rooms, but that about finished the ground floor.

On the second floor was a wide arrangement of rooms and each one was blanketed head to toe in dust. These were the rooms that they were going to be staying in. Not long after he told them this, Dandy excused himself, stating that he had some other work to attend to. In the meantime, he told them to take the chance to get settled in and to ask any one of his servants if they needed anything. And with those final words, he left them to their own devices with Bagon still trailing behind him.

From the look of the building, it seemed like there were at least a few more floors, but none of them wanted to take the risk of getting lost, so one by one, they all shut themselves inside their rooms and took the chance to relax for the first time in a long while.