Chapter 29: Lives Changed Forever (2)

Chapter 29: Lives Changed Forever (2)

After Ira was Ku-Aya, which was Purattus home.

Ku-Aya was indeed much more impressive than anything Xerxes had seen on Ira, Humusi, or any of the lower starisles. All the buildings were taller. There were columns everywhere, some of which featured statues of fantastic creatures atop them, like winged lions or horses with horns. There were archways and temples, public squares and broad streets wider than the largest squares on Mannemid.

But most impressive of all was a mass of white and green rising up in the middle of the city.

Is that a mountain? he asked.

Nope, Purattu said. Behold the Hanging Gardens of Ku-Aya. You wont find anything like them in a lesser starisle, believe me.

It was a huge structure made from white stone, with ascending tiers of gardens. He saw trees, bushes, vines, and even what seemed to be entire fields, all on this massive man-made structure that hed originally mistaken for a landform. Circling around it took a full hour, and there never seemed a lack of interesting aspects of the place to gaze upon. Immense sculptures. Waterfalls. Bridges.

Xerxes was so entranced he hardly noticed how long it took to reach their destination.

Eventually, he saw buildings outside the carriage, most of them two or three stories tall, surrounded by brick walls. Then he realized they were entering one such compound. After they went through a set of outer gates, the carriage rolled to a halt.

As it turned out, it was a villa owned by the Ku-Aya Mage Parliament.

They were assigned rooms, with most mages being put with other mages from their own starisles. Xerxes and Gandash got a pair of bunks in a tiny room at the end of a hallway.

Not incredibly impressive, Gandash said.

Xerxes tossed his traveling pack onto the ground at the foot of the bed, and his sword onto the mattress. Better than the Academy dorms though. At least theres a timepiece.

There were no beggars. What was more, everyone he saw on the street wore clothing of finespun cloth and even silk. And they seemed laden with immense amounts of jewelry.

Even Purattu was craning his neck to take in the sights.

About two hours later, the carriages went through the gate of an enormous wall.

This is it, Purattu said. The Sin-Amuhhu Institute of Military Magic. Get ready for your lives to change forever.

As they stepped out of the carriages, they found a group of three uniformed individuals waiting, presumably staff or teachers. One of them led Purattu away to fill out forms. The other two took charge of the new arrivals.

What followed was a whirlwind of activity. The twenty-one mages were interviewed, took a medical examination, and provided some basic personal information. They were given new uniform robes of overlapping blue and white fabric, with girdles of black leather, plus a strongbox for valuables.

Finally, they were assigned temporary quarters. Female mages and male mages were kept separate.

Youll stay here for a short time, they were told. After your assessment, youll likely be split up again.

By the time Xerxes and Gandash were finally able to sit on their cots and look each other in the eye, it was evening. They were both exhausted yet exhilarated.

This is amazing, Xerxes said.

Gandash nodded. Yeah. I just wish Bel could be here to see it.

Yeah.

It felt like the right time to have a deep talk with Gandash, but Xerxes' eyes were just too heavy, and he fell asleep.