Chapter 62 Telha, the Capital of the Telhian Empire

  I walked out of the portal prepared, not stumbling, and quickly took in my surroundings. The Duke’s horses were being led away in an opening in a wall to the right. We were in a box-shaped sto about forty feet across. On each side of the thirty-foot stone wall were six archers and a person in mage robes. The archers had steel legion armor refleg in the sun. The Dispt Mage was behind us by the portal arc we had exited i and had a dozen legionaries around him.

  Konstantin broke my gawking, “You fet to the East Legion Hall. Find a healer. I am going to the Magistrates Hall. Do not leave the Legion Hall no matter what. I will find you there ter.” Konstantin hurried off, not expining any further.

  “Does anyone know how to get to the lower East Legion Hall?” I asked. My panions had boots in their arms and bloody bare feet or bloodied socks.

  Linus spoke, wing as he put on his socks, “The city was desigo be easy to navigate. I have been there before.”

  Paval groaned, “I know where it is, too. Probably almost a mile walk from here.” He did not want to wear his socks and boots again but started doing so.

  Benito noted, “It is the smallest of the three Legion Halls ielha. The Imperial Legion Hall houses the Emperor’s personal guard. It is actually close by,” he indicated the passage the horses were led into. “The Western Legion Hall is outside of the western walls ahe Perfectus Legionis. That is where they train the men who volunteer for the Legion.”

  “Brutus mentiohat. He traihere,” I added as we began to walk. I was the only o struggling with each step. We did hty miles in about 18 hours. It probably would not have been as bad for them if Mage Larita had not healed their feet. The newly healed skin could not take the abuse of the march. I had learned on the march how to heal my feet and not lose the calluses as they built up again.

  “That is where the loyalist legiorain,” Linus muttered. “They get paid as soon as they start and spend twice as long training as us scripts.”

  “Not twice as long, just a full year, but better training, too,” Paval painfully grunted out between steps. “I think Adrian was a volunteer, but I don’t know how he got assigo our pany.”

  We reached the top of the ramp, and the city spread before us. The roads were made from immacute rge granite pavers. The buildings all looked uniform aly arranged along the road. Everything was made from a white stoh highlights using bck marble. Arches and ns were used heavily in the stru. It was beautiful. The most impressive feat was the height of the stone buildings. Some had ten floors when I ted the windows. The windows were also massive, easily teall and half that in width.

  The men and women walking the road wore thin, colorful fabri dozens of styles. We reached an interse, and I paused. The road we entered was the main thhfare for the capital. I could tell because to our left was a massive structure, easily five hundred feet i, a shining white and silver bea ie afternoon sun. “Never seen the Emperor’s Pace, Eryk? It boggles the mind. Something so big for just one man to live in,” Linus said.

  Paval looked and noted, “There are probably a thousand men of the Legion inside and ahousand in the building to the right. It is the Imperial Legion Hall, and the Emperor has what? A hundred sorts and hundreds of servants? I am sure the pace is full.” His tone was indifferent.

  “How many sorts?” I asked, imagining a massive harem. “Does he have hundreds of children as well?” I added.

  “It is seven sorts,” Linus scoffed at Paval’s misinformation. “And he only name seven of his children First Citizens by w. The rest he marries off of sending them abroad.”

  Paval gripped quietly, “I doubt he limits himself to his seven wives. He is known for taking what he wants.”

  We turned away from the pad started walking in the opposite dire. The wide road was busy as evening roag. Pairs of legionaries patrolled ial armor. It felt like we were the scrubs with just auroch leather armor. But I guess leather armor was lighter, cheaper to make, and easier to maintain. I would hate to have to spend every evening polishing my metal chest piece. My helmet took enough effort to keep the rust at bay.

  We finally entered food carts, and I bought everyone skewered meat. The vendor called it pork, but it tasted like spicy chi to me. The pause in our walk was short, and we were on the move. Everyone was eager to get the healing. We tossed the skewers into a trash barrel on a er. The city was extremely , and sanitation was much higher here than in my previous stays. The civilians got thicker and thicker oreet as we went further and further from the pace.

  Some interses had rge fountains with mural mosaics tiled itoms of the pools. We did not stop to look, but it looked like legionaries battling various beasts.

  My head snapped around, and my jaw fell open. A leopard man was being led by a cable with a colr around his neck.

  “That is a Tabaxi, one of the catfolk.” Linus seemed fused, “I thought they were on in the jungles singa?”

  I scrambled to think of a response, “It was not the catfolk but the fact it was colred like a pet.”

  He nodded sadly, “The beast races are not allowed freedom in the Empire. They are a rare sight and usually too feral to tame.” I watched as the catfolk disappeared on its leash in the crowd.

  “What are the beast races?” I asked, looking for more in the crowd of humans.

  Linus was willing to answer, “There is a zoo in the upper city. I went once. Let me see…minotaurs are the bullmen. Tabaxi are the catfolk. Satyrs are the goatmeaurs are the horse men. Aarakocra are the birdmen. Yuan-ti are the snake men….there was one more,” he said, trying to think of it.

  “The lizardfolk,” Paval supplied. “But all the beast races are about as wele ielhian Empire as elves and dwarves.”

  “Where do the orcs fit in?” I asked.

  Linus answered, “They group them with the goblinoid races, but do not ever call them a goblinoid if you meet an orc. They are as intelligent as you are me. Well, maybe not Benito.” Linus waited for Benito to remark on the jab, but he walked on oblivious. Linus tinued, smirking at Benito, “The goblinoids are the bugbears, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, gnolls, ogres, and trolls.”

  Paval grunted as he stepped, “I am no schor, but that is a very general cssification. I have never met an orc before, but if you call him a goblin, I would not be surprised if he swore a blood oath to kill you for it on the spot.”

  We took a left turn, and the city buildings off the main road were not as opulent. They were still stone strus, but instead of being homogeneous, it became a mixture of various stones. Also, the buildings were only three stories tall noere within sight of the outer wall, at least I think it was the outer wall, as it was twice the height of the buildings when Linus said, “We are here.”

  Linus was walking down a side street that cked a heavy flow of people. A small park with trees was at the end of the road, and a rge bck stone building was beyond. The rge entrance had a pair of legion guards oher side iher armor. The building looked like an imposing structure with a single rge statue on top. Paval sighed in relief at having arrived.

  Linus said, “We are in the old city. This building was built by and used by the First Legion. Now, it is not as impressive as the Imperial Legion Hall or the Western Legion Hall, but it is the Legion Hall you are likely to see in your service as a volunteer.”

  The bck archway entrance was guarded by two men iher legionnaire armor ao a courtyard with an open sky above. Legionaries in the courtyard were in and out of leather armor, milled about on stone behey looked up at us as we entered. We were still a mess. Linus stepped forward, “Is there a Healing Mage on duty?”

  One of the men iher armor stood and approached, “You four look like you just came out of the arse of an ogre.” He introduced himself, “I am Severus, the baths are over there,” he poio an archway to our left, “I will go and bring a healer. We use the healer from the ic dowreet. The only pany Healing Mage we had is off to the assault on Macha.”

  We gratefully made our way into the baths. The stone inside was the same onyx bck as the building, but the space was well-lit with glowstones. Four boys came and took our clothes and armor as we stripped. We ehe showers with brushes and fresh soap. As we washed, Paval noted, “Damn, Eryk, your feet do not look bad at all.”

  “Yeah, Larita did not heal them. I still had my calluses, and my socks dried in the sun,” I responded calmly. He just huffed and did ent again. I was in the heated bath first. This bath was actually a lot han the upper baths in Macha. The seating uhe water formed to your ass, and the water was hotter.

  I waited almost half an hour for the others. They had waited for the healer to arrive before joining me in the soaking pool. Linus asked, “Do you want the healer, Eryk?” I shook my head no, and he waved off the man iher room. He settled into the pool, “He only had a spell form, but he was good. Paval is digging through his pack to tip him some .”

  Benito came and just jumped into the pool like a kid, causing a spsh and waves of water. The ter of the pool was much deeper, and he appeared to know that in advance. When he came up, he ughed, “Damn, this almost makes me fet the st three days.”

  He joined us, and then a happy Paval joined us as well. His feet were pink with new skin, but the bone was no longer exposed. We soaked in silence, ao started sn. It was an hour before a naked and Konstantin joined us in the pool. He sighed as he entered and kicked Benito awake.

  With all our attentioarted, “The Tribunal starts tomorroere lucky we made it before the Dispt Mage opehe portal. It is going to be at least a week before it will open again.”

  Linus asked, “So what do you need us to do?”

  Konstantin nodded, “I was at the Magistrate’s Hall where the Tribunal will be held. Tonight, we will all head bad give statements to the Truthseekers. They will use the transcript for the trial in the m in defense of Castile. We will wait outside and may be called to crify our statements.”

  “Did Castile get a good Advocate?” Paval asked.

  Konstantin shrugged, “I do not know who is selihe Tribunal is Duchess Veronica, Duke Octavian, and Duke Vito. I do not know Vito other than he was visiting the Emperor from his provihe only good news is the Emperor did not appoint the Duke that Octavian had wanted as the third.”

  Konstantin stood, having only been in the pool for ten minutes, “We will go a fresh clothes and sandals from the Legion Hall quartermaster while our clothes are being ed. The sooner we talk to the Truthseekers, the better.” I was left in no position to object. I noted a little sourly the cost of the linens and sandals was being added to my legio. Eveo was smart enough to see we were being charged twice what they were worth.

  We soon walked in the fading sun and followed Konstantin to the Magistrate’s Hall. Konstantin had us leave our ons behind. I was extremely nervous as I had no idea what this enter with the Truthseekers would entail, but I had no other choice.

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