Reza drained the last of his cider and left his glass, knowing that he could not escape the situation without hurting his own honor and that of the Sulli Family.


    Following Marie, they were just about to leave the entry when Eleanor and another young servant intercepted them.


    “Perfect timing, Amelia. Please do your thing with Lord Reza here,” Marie ordered.


    Amelia nodded, and an orange wraith appeared by her side. The man was dressed in a long, flowing robe, though there were no sleeves, leaving his arms bare. Amelia''s hands glowed a soft orange as she came closer to Reza.


    Reza looked at Marie, and she smiled slightly. “Let her touch you on the shoulder; it won’t hurt.”


    Nodding, Reza stood still and allowed the servant to touch him. A warm feeling spread from his shoulders over the entirety of his clothes. Looking down, they were as clean as the day he was given them.


    “I’ll need to touch your face to clean that properly,” Amelia said, her hand held up to his head, waiting.


    “Go on,” Reza said, allowing her to touch his cheek, the warm feeling spreading through his whole body this time. Again, looking down at his hands, there wasn’t a hint of dirt or blood on them. “Amazing, quite the power you have there.”


    Amelia smiled briefly, allowing her Wraith to disappear. “Thank you, Lord Reza.”


    She and Eleanor bowed again before retreating.


    Marie did not speak but started towards what he expected was Lord Sulli’s study. They walked in silence down a well-lit hallway with paintings covering each wall. All had similar featured faces; the many Sulli ancestors looked out from those frames.


    She knocked at the last door at the end of the hallway.


    "Come in," a gruff voice from inside the room called.


    "Good luck," She said, opening the door.


    Reza walked through and gave her one last smile.


    The room was sparsely decorated, its red stone walls bare of ornaments except for a blue banner with a black raven in flight hung behind a white marble desk. An older man sat in a leather chair as he stared at Reza in the doorway.


    "Thank you, Marie. You may go," He ordered.


    Reza looked back one last time to her, but the door had already quietly closed, hiding her from view.


    He turned back to Lord Sulli. He was a stout man with minimal lines on his face. He knew that Marcellus had been well into his fifth decade of life, so likely, this man had to be past his seventh. But it was difficult for Reza to tell. The man''s hair and well-groomed beard were the color of iron. His blue eyes showed no signs of mourning or even tiredness. He never let his eyes drop from Reza before indicating one of the two empty seats on Reza''s side of the desk.


    "You may sit," he said in his gruff voice.


    Reza hesitated for a moment before taking the seat. He set the sword against the chair, focusing directly on Lord Sulli.


    "Marius Reza, is it?" He asked.


    Reza nodded. "Yes, sir."


    "Optio of the seventh cohort of the third legion? I believe, if my memory serves me right," He asked, removing a few papers from his desk and placing them in a drawer.


    The man''s knowledge took Reza aback and left him unsure how to proceed. How did the man know his position in the army? Did the man have a dossier on every officer?


    "Yes, sir. How do you know that?" Reza asked before hastily adding. "If you wouldn''t mind telling me."


    Sulli placed his hands in front of his mouth, again not dropping his eyes and barely blinking. In two sentences, this man had Reza on the back foot and had little idea how this conversation would go now.


    "I make it my business to know every officer in the legions, including anyone that may be promoted. Especially ones with your skill." He answered. There was a hint of appreciation in his voice.


    What was he trying to say? Reza was unsure if he meant Elana or his ability to sense auras, but either way, one of the heads of the ten families knew a lot about him.


    Quickly thinking through the situation, while it was still scary for such a powerful man to know even this much, it was not a leap that many of the ten families could have a similar understanding of the officer core. Just about every officer in the legion was from some noble family. Most came from the ten or one of their cadet families, with the few outsiders usually well-connected to one of the families.


    Echoes, this was not the time for this meeting. Reza''s mind was not working well enough due to his lack of sleep and the amount of power he had used to fight the men on the Ghost Plains. Reza chose not to speak but instead nodded in response. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "And what are you doing in the city, Marius? Your Legion is at least three or four days march from the city," He said. There didn''t seem to be any malicious intent, but it still worried him now in front of the man to answer his questions.


    "I was given leave to attend my family''s Anceslia this week. I was meant to return in a couple of days," Reza answered. "Though ''ll have to ask the Praetor now. He will probably want to keep me here until the legions return to help guard the wall."


    Sulli nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer.


    "Of course, you are correct about the Praetor''s likely course of action. We need every good soldier in the city for the time being, though from reports, there is no enemy lurking near the city. However, let''s get to the real conversation. I was told you brought back my nephew Lukas," he said, his tone sounding as if it wasn''t an important detail. I''d like to hear how this happened."


    Reza nodded, relieved by the little bit of knowledge Lord Sulli had given. Some of the stress built up over the past day was released, and his body and mind felt better. Calmer, Reza retold the events to him, keeping some details vague, such as his powers. Reza wasn''t secretive about Elana per se. But he never flat-out told people how she worked or what they really did. It was better to keep his powers unclear so no one could find his weaknesses should they ever become enemies.


    "One should still live. I wasn''t thinking very clearly when I began the attack. I should have tried to keep more alive for questioning." Reza said. He shrugged, realizing he was babbling a bit.


    Sulli grunted. "One is enough to question. I will also talk with my nephew when he awakens. But my thanks for saving him, many feared he held the same fate as... Marcellus."


    The brief pause was the first sign the man had shown grief for his son. Throughout the story, he made no comments or indications about the events, only a brief pause regarding his sons'' names.


    "We can only hope the man gives more than just the name Durnadan. That doesn’t give Praetor Tiberius and the families much to work with,” Reza answered. “Lukas may know more, but by the time the fighting was over, I couldn’t really get more than his name. I think the escape took everything out of him. I was impressed with Lukas; he was ready to go down fighting, even in his condition. He had this sword and his wraith out, ready to fight back. Like a proper soldier."


    He''d seen older soldiers with less nerve when it came to being outnumbered. Leaning down, Reza grabbed the black sword against his chair, placing it between himself and Sulli on the desk. The feeling of the sword was strange. Reza did not like allowing it to leave his possession, nor did he think the weapon did either, as odd as it sounded. It was one of the best weapons he had ever laid his eyes on, and he wanted to learn more about the mysteries he knew the weapon had.


    Sulli stared down at the sword, one hand grabbing the hilt of it. "This was the sword my son carried. I gave it to him when he became Archon, an ancient weapon the family acquired a long time ago.“


    Sulli held the sword for a time, almost clutching it, while Reza sat uncomfortably quietly. Sulli finally placed it back down softly onto the desk, pushing it back towards Reza.


    "Please keep the weapon. I think it might do you well," Sulli ordered. “Though the priests will likely request the gem back, I will contact you if they ask, or they may come directly.’


    “Are you sure?” Reza asked in disbelief. This sword had to be a precious artifact of the family. It was beyond any reward Reza felt comfortable accepting.


    “Yes, I am,” Lord Sulli said with no hesitation.


    Reza nodded and took the sword back, placing it on his lap across the arms of the chair. He hadn’t taken the time to examine the sword or sheath, but he now saw the black gem embedded in the sheath about an inch under where the hilt sat snuggly against the black leather. The diamond gem looked like a raindrop and was unnaturally black. It was uncomfortable to look at the gem for long, and Marius knew part of the mystery he had felt with the sword lay within the gem.


    “Now, that cannot be the only reword I will allow you to accept for saving my nephew,” Sulli said as he stood and walked to a shelf at the side of the room. He pulled out a large bag of coins, the clinking metal inside identifying the contents.


    "No need. I was only doing my duty as a soldier, and the sword alone is too much." Reza held a single hand up, waving away the offer of coin. He had never thought about a reward when he had saved Lukas. The sword alone and the possibility of learning more about it was enough of a reward in his mind.


    "Nonsense, I must. Lukas is my nephew; you saved his life; I will not take no for an answer." He said sternly, his softness from a moment before gone.


    "Again, I must decline. No further reward is required," Reza said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. He knew that if the man tried to reward him again, he would have no choice but to accept. This was one of the city''s most powerful and influential people, and Reza would be a fool to dishonor such a man by denying further compensation.


    "If money is not an option, I must find another way to repay you." He sat down again, leaving the bag on the desk. His eyes lit up as an idea came to the man. "You mentioned your family was having their Anceslia?"


    "Yes, my sisters are probably still getting ready for it right now, even in these times." He said. He had only received a curt response from Tavia when his messenger returned. I expect you back by the Anceslia, even if you have to desert your post.


    "I suggest a compromise, more of a showing of goodwill between our families for the service you did," Lord Sulli said. "If Lukas recovers in time, I will send him with a few of my family members as guests of your Anceslia. It will give your family a point of pride and recognition from my family."


    Reza was taken aback, and it was good he was sitting at that moment. His legs felt very weak. One of the ten families of Arkhen, who had no connection to his family, was openly offering to attend his Anceslia. If such a thing happened, it would be the talk of the countryside. It could also open doors that had not been there an hour ago.


    "I thank you. While I believe I do not require a reward, I will accept such a generous offer," Reza said. He would not deny his family this opportunity because of his opinions on the matter, and this was an acceptable compromise he could accept as a reward.


    Sulli stood holding his hand out. "Good, then it''s settled. Have someone send party details, and I will have Lukas or someone else be there."


    Reza briefly held the man''s hand. "Thank you. My sisters will look forward to it."


    Sulli sat again. "You may go. I suspect Marie or someone will be waiting for you to show you out."


    He was already pulling the papers out again and reading from them as Reza opened the door.


    A guard stood across the hall and guided him to the gate. Having gathered his new horse, Reza left and rode towards the Forum and the barracks where he could sleep. He would have to send word to Tavia and Cassia to be prepared for a few Sulli representatives. The Anceslia had become a much more critical party than ever before.