Comfort – Chapter 21
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I followed my new boss Nick into as we walked toward the royal palace that sat on the highest point in the city. It was grand but not in the way the other buildings were. While the other buildings towered into the sky, their designs modern and constantly being changed, the palace’s beauty was an ancient one. 

Its strong walls were built before the current era and looked out of place. According to Nick, it was written in the constitution of the kingdom that the castle was to remain the same as it had stood for thousands of years. 

I followed Nick as we headed under the ornate gate and into the palace courtyard where nobles were waltzing about. It was as if the Duke’s army warring with the King’s soldiers was no concern to them. There was clearly a disconnect between what was happening outside the city gates and the tranquil peace within the city gates.

Nick showed the guards a sigil and they moved aside, letting us into the palace. I wondered how many other people had such access in the entire kingdom. I guessed very few had his level of access and that was a frightening thought.

Nick stopped in front of me as he stood in front of a pair of very large doors.

“I need to warn you before we enter that anything heard within this room should never be talked about outside this room. I need you to make an oath to the realms that what I show you is not said elsewhere.”

“I agree.” I said. It’s not like I had any other choice.

I repeated the words Nick told me to say. Bright light illuminated my vision and a message lingered near the corner of my eye:

“The promise had been sealed. (Any tampering with the seal or breaking the oath will result in permanent death.)”

The doors slowed creaked open. I followed Nick into the large room.

A limp body sat behind the throne. It was like a puppet whose life had been drained from his body.

“Is he sick?” I asked.

“He was. It was his own undoing but we capitalized on his untimely demise. Without the King chaos would have overtaken the kingdom. Luckily, our group was here to hide his death and take order over the kingdom.”

“Why do you care so much about this kingdom, if you can transcend any time.”
“You might have put the other realms on a pedestal but they aren’t anything special. People wage wars just to raise through the different worlds. They don’t take time to enjoy life. When the time is right we’ll reenter the second realm.”

I thought back to Crom, how he talked about these people as deserters.

“It sounds like you’re hiding from someone.” I stated.

“Hardly.” said Nick.

I just nodded. It wouldn’t be good for me to point out that he was lying. He didn’t need to know my relationship with Crom. I was certain he wouldn’t appreciate my involvement with the alleged criminal.

“So. How do you hide the fact that the King is dead?” I asked still slightly appalled by the situation. Perhaps I would be more sensitive to finding out the King was dead if I hadn’t spent the last week with wolfmen that performed brutal rituals.

“Kalic’s magic specializes in illusions. With a limp body behind the throne it isn’t hard for him to create a puppet that is convincing for most people. No one ever gets close enough to distinguish the minor flaws in the spell. “

“So why did you want me to join? What do you intend I do?”

“Nothing right now. We’ve got the situation covered. After the Duke’s army is destroyed I’ll introduce you to the others and we’ll figure out a job for you. Right now, I’ll show you to your room. I have some matters I need to take care of.”

I followed the mage through the confusing corridors that headed in all directions throughout the palace. Even with the king dead, the place was kept in immaculate condition. Occasionally we’d move past maids who were cleaning the ancient tapestries that hung on the wall or dusting off furniture.

Eventually Nick opened a door that led into a large room, whose ornate decorations hinted at the lavish lifestyle I signed up to. It was certainly nicer than the army quarters the Duke had stashed me in before.

The room was spacious. The bed was large enough to comfortably fit four people on it and looked thick and soft. I could imagine wrapping myself in the warm covers on a cool winter night.

The room even had its own bathroom with running water. I had heard that such things existed but I never had a chance to experience it myself. With a turn of the knob water poured into a dish-like bowl.

I felt conflicted. My stay was the most comfortable I’d ever been. I grew tired of the politics between the nobles. I grew tired of my friends abandoning me. I grew tired of being tortured and even tired of Crom. He had disappeared long ago.

After many ordeals I realized I didn’t know the man. He was always so reluctant to share anything about himself. He had helped me and I was thankful for that but I still wasn’t certain he wasn’t a criminal. Or what he told me was the truth. I had been lied to too much lately. I didn’t know where to put my trust.

Only Obran truly deserved my friendship, but our paths had diverged significantly.

Nick left leaving me to my own thoughts. I sat on the comfortable bed thinking. I decided I needed answers, so I eventually stood and opened the door to my room. There were definitely more secrets within the palace. Maybe some that would settle the ideas spinning in my head.

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