Toymaker

Chapter 3

It was another four days before Lacet managed to catch his first glimpse of the silent guardians dotted across the City of Light. There had simply been so many things he needed to do. Unpack, review his research notes, look up an obscure study in one of the papers he had managed to smuggle with him on this trip to Valessei, and while he was busy with everything else Lacet had also given himself the unenviable task of trying to make friends with Riveltiel and Lorent. The last objective on his 'to-do' list, however, had proven much more difficult than he had anticipated.

Bogged down by all the things he had hoped to accomplish by the end of the week to impress Marus and the Duchess in his report to them, and feeling stymied by his lacklustre results, Lacet had decided some time away from work would be a good way to clear his head.

And what better way to do that than to walk the streets of the dead city?

No matter the hour, the streets of Luxenthras glittered with their own light. Even after all this time, Lacet could not believe his luck. Here he was, standing in the cradle of civilisation.

To think millennia ago, Luxenthras would have been bustling with people.

As he walked the streets, he had tried imagining what those calling the city home might have looked like and what their lives might have been like. Would there have been a bustling bazaar in the empty square he passed? What kind of clothing had those come before wore? Was the populace, like their own, split into a hierarchy of nobles and commoners or was it similar to the Valessei Alliance's 'democratic' proceedings?

Lacet found he had so many questions, and though he was no historian, the weight of the history within the walls of the City of Light clung to him. They begged to be solved; their mysteries unravelled.

He could see why Augustine was so passionate about his research.

As Lacet neared the temple of Luxenthras sat at the heart of the city, he passed by the looming stone sentinels.

Silent. Unmoving. They towered over the other buildings in Luxenthras, their faces obscured by shadow. The golem he had faced at Wyndhaven was tiny by comparison.

What would it have been like if he had faced these giants?

Would his spell have even worked against those he saw before him now?

While he had managed to bespell the golem that had attacked the palace back into its dormant state – a feature of many modern iterations of golems uncovered in the last century or so – the ones here in Luxenthras remained larger than life. It begged the question if they could be shrunk or not.

Unbidden, Lacet placed a hand on the foot of the closest golem. It was cool to the touch, carved from hard marble or something akin to the material.

Whoever had made these had been meticulous. Each and every one of the stone sentinels looked different from the next, their designs intricate and the craftwork beyond belief. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought them mere statues. Impressive, still, but not ones that could come alive.

"Marvellous, are they not?" asked a voice behind him. Reluctantly, Lacet pulled his hand away from the golems and turned to face the Lady Riveltiel. The dark-skinned noblewoman was dressed in a pale blue shirt and dark pair of trousers. Her long tresses had been pulled into a messy bun. A practical outfit that would probably still have an exorbitant price attached, no doubt.

"Good morning, Lady Riveltiel," Lacet said in greeting, bowing low to show his respects. "I did not think you would be awake at this hour."

"Oh, come now, Lacet, there is no need for titles. Not here at least," she said, though it was clear from her tone she took great pleasure in having her status recognised. "We are all equals here after all. Work colleagues in the pursuit of a common cause as Regis would say."