Teyva’s meeting with the King came to an end shortly after that. Having once again born witness to her world turning on its head, Teyva was about ready for sleep. The King had informed her that she’d have a private room to herself while Azrael and Elat would be staying in Azrael’s private chambers. She would be guided to that place after they left the gardens. Teyva had one last question after all was said and done.

“How do you feel about that?” She asked, walking next to him through the darkened garden.

“About what?”

“Your daughter bringing home Elat,” She pressed, genuinely curious. He wanted her to functionally be part of the family, and he’d already bombarded her with everything that had come prior. She felt like she could at least ask that.

He puffed out a breath and canted his head left and right thoughtfully. “As a father? I expect a great deal from Elat. I will not lie and say I was not surprised. Azrael never expressed interest in anything of the sort-as far as I am aware-before she left to go deliver my message to Katal,” He chuckled and glanced in her direction, “I’d argue that the influence of someone else might be to blame here.”

Teyva barked out a laugh, “Perish the thought, your Majesty.”

When they stopped at the lift, he ran his fingers over the console and inclined his head in her direction, “Good night, Teyva Akura, and Good luck to you.”

“You aren’t going to rest?”

“I think I’ll stay here a bit longer,” He said, glancing back at the flowers, “There is a lot I need to think about. I have to tell the Four about you, after all,” She frowned, thinking of Yaga Yftha and he offered her a knowing smile. “It will take time,” He continued as the lift came to a stop in the floor.

She nodded numbly and stepped onto the platform before it rose up into the ceiling. The last thing she saw of King Thrake was a look of stoic resolve in his eyes. After that, he disappeared into the gardens and beyond the walls of the Pinnacle. Teyva rose several floors before coming to a stop in a space that looked remarkably like a common room. A wide hallway ringed the lifting tower that was furnished with couches, tables, and other accoutraments of living. There was very little in the way of art on the walls though it looked like there had been some hung there before in ages past.

She hesitated and looked back at the lift, remembering that The Marble was waiting for her in the throne room. A gurgle startled her out of her thoughts and she turned to see the behemoth of a mimic ambling toward her from around the bend, its insect-like legs carrying it nimbly around obstacles. Accompanying it was a woman in simple but fine looking clothing that had a bit of a harried look on her pretty face.

“Lady Akura, your guardian was escorted upstairs while you spoke with the King,” The woman said, noting the look on Teyva’s face.

“And you are?” Teyva asked.

“I am Abba, Lady Azrael’s attendant. I maintain this floor,” She said, bowing low, “I am to show you to your room.”

“I’d like to see Azrael first,” Teyva said, she wanted to get this conversation out of the way.

“Of course, Lady Akura, I’ll escort you to her room after I’ve shown you where you will be staying. Please, follow me,” Abba insisted, turning on her heel and slipping past the Marble. The big guy’s eyes opened and glanced in Teyva’s direction and she offered him a shrug in response. She followed the woman around the bend to a large door set in the wall between two faded squares. Teyva opened her mouth to ask where all the art had gone when Abba interrupted. “This is your room, you’ll find that it has been adjusted and prepared for a woman of your stature.”

Teyva looked down at her, “Already?”

“Magic is a wondrous thing, Lady Akura,” Abba said with a knowing smile before gesturing further down the hall. “Now if you will follow me, we will see if the Lady Azrael is available.”

She continued down the ring-shaped hall to a second large door. This one was framed by two suits of armor that Teyva’d never seen before. They looked like they had been worn by someone of a very different body type than the average humanoids she’d known so far. Their shoulders were broad and their arms longer than normal. Teyva was examining them when Abba knocked on the door and Azrael opened it. The Azar broke into a wide smile at seeing Teyva standing there. Teyva returned the expression and turned to thank Abba but the woman had already disappeared.

A minute later, they were laughing together, “So she just does that?” Teyva asked, stroking Nephral’s back in her lap.

“As mysterious as any other part of the tower, perhaps even more so,” Azrael chuckled, “Abba comes and goes as she pleases and somehow everything is perfect when I come back.”

“Magic is a wondrous thing,” Teyva repeated and Azrael burst into laughter. She turned toward Elat who had been sitting in silence for a while, “You’re quiet. You alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” He said stiffly, scratching the back of his neck, “I’ve just never been somewhere so…”

“Opulent?” Teyva offered.

He frowned as if he was trying to decide if he knew what the word meant before nodding, “Yeah, opulent.”

“So what did you and father talk about?” Azrael asked, hopping onto her bed and crossing her legs.

Teyva took a deep breath and looked around Azrael’s room. It was huge. Three times the size of the small studio apartment she’d lived in back in her past life. The large bed in the center looked as if it once had privacy posts set in the frame but had since been removed to make the room look even more open. Unlike what she’d been lead to believe a princess’ room looked like, there was very little in the way of lace and extravagance. Instead, a carefully constructed humanoid doll made of thick material stood in one corner framed by what had to be weights for lifting. On the other side of the room was a simple vanity framed by a pair of wardrobes. There were two doors that were set on either side of her bed as well, one looked like it went to a closet which hinted at the more practical use of the other.

“Well, he had a lot to say,” Teyva said, crossing her legs underneath her. 

Azrael and Elat exchanged looks, “We figured, you’d been in there a while.”

Teyva scratched at her neck and took another deep breath, “We talked about where I came from and what he had to do with it.”

Azrael frowned, “What do you mean?”

“I told you I wasn’t ready to talk about what came before the tomb,” Teyva said, “Looks like now’s the time.”

She centered herself and rubbed her shoulder, feeling the nerves begin to kick in. She forced herself to start, though, with her rapt audience waiting to hear everything. “I’m not from Orum, let’s get that out of the way. I’m from a world called Earth,” When she didn’t get interrupted she continued. “See, according to the King there is this thing called The Cycle. Every time an Azar King is crowned the world itself summons a hero for them to rally behind in order to crush the Azar.”

“Your dad wanted to avoid a war,” She explained, “So he had a ritual going while he was being crowned that would interrupt the summoning and bring that hero to Osan, it didn’t work though.”

Azrael opened her mouth but closed it immediately. Teyva made a face and continued, “I used to be human Azrael, operative term is Used To. I wasn’t born a Labyrinthian, I was turned into one by whatever runs the Journals. Those windows you’ve been seeing. I needed a body, though, and with the interference there must have been only one nearby that the cycle would settle for. Teyva Rani’s bones. That’s how I ended up in the tomb,” She was starting to ramble a little so she caught her breath, “In my past life I was a nobody, I died, my life was over, then I woke up here in Orum.”

“Your dad told me that I was brought here by the cycle to fight him, he didn’t want that and neither do I,” She rubbed her arms as the room went silent as a tomb, “He made me an offer. He adopts me and I live here in Osan, I never have to take part in any conflicts involving the humans and the Azar,” She sighed, “I told him I’d agree if he didn’t restrict where I went if I decided to wander away from Osan now and then.”

“Wait, you were brought here by the world itself to kill King Thrake?” Elat clarified.

Teyva looked over at Azrael’s stormy face and nodded, “Yes. It seems like that’s what the cycle wanted for me, but I’m my own person-” She was cut off when Azrael got to her feet and stepped off her bed.

“I need a minute,” Azrael grunted, stepping away and going through the other door in her room.

Teyva and Elat were left alone together for several minutes before Elat spoke up, “It might be-”

“Yeah I know, I’ll go,” Teyva said, getting to her feet. 

“She just needs time, Teyva,” Elat said, “I’m sure.”

Teyva felt her chest tighten a little and she nodded before slipping out the door and into the hallway. She covered her face for a moment, centering herself as Nephral purred against her skin. She reached into her pocket and ran her hand over the warm body of Queenie who had been remarkably patient with everything so far. She sighed and marched herself back to her own room, passing The Marble as he stood guard. She threw the door open and barely had time to appreciate how similar it had been set up to Azraels, just with a larger bed and furniture. Instead, she threw herself onto the comfortable mattress and buried her face in the pillows. Nephral leaped off of her and sat down, staring at her in silence.

“You’ve been quiet,” Teyva grumbled.

“There is a great deal I understand about mother now,” Nephral said, “Though I knew you were not of this world.”

“When were you going to tell me that?” She asked.

“I assumed you knew, I was created by you and share much knowledge with you, I was born with the sole purpose of providing you with wisdom,” Nephral said, “Though I am afraid that social nuance escapes me. I cannot help you with Lady Azrael.”

“I don’t expect you to, dearie,” Teyva said, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling, “I just hope she’s okay.”

“As do I, mother,” Nephral said, “She is your loyal companion and confidant, I do not doubt that with time she will come to terms with what she has learned.”

“Thanks, Neph,” Teyva muttered, feeling her body relax into the absurdity that was a proper mattress.

“Might I suggest we go see the Magi tomorrow, mother? It would be prudent to begin looking for a cure as soon as possible. Any delay is a risk,” Nephral added.

“Good idea, tomorrow though,” She murmured and crossed her legs beneath herself, closing her eyes and drawing the discordant cloud of mana around her inwards. She held it tightly for a while, letting it swaddle her like a blanket until exhaustion finally took her.