We stood high, on top of tall stairs. The scene before me was a mishmash of mythic awe and mundane life.

  The open space was vast like a full-size olympic stadium. It was dominated by four large gates lined up on the opposite end.

  The gates themselves were circles, their frames a few meters thick. Bases rested on the floor below. Insides were as large as three floor building, completely flat except the last one on the right.

  There, oval tip was disappearing into a fluid-like membrane that seemed to move with its own life. Bending like water, a meniscus pulled inward. When the object disappeared completely, the surface smoothed with snap that resonated in ears.

  *What was that?*

  Beside the gates, on each side, two more openings were taken up by spiraling ramps. They were enormous, could fill hundreds of people. Half of their width was flat, the other made of countless steps.

  The wall lamps lining their walls looked like the orbs from the temple, half-sunk into the dark grey surface.

  The ramps were full of people, animals, and cargo. The sounds of their steps, coughing, conversations, the rattle of carriages, the soft click-clack of animal hooves—it all blended together with the resonating hum of the true marvel poised in front of the gates.

  There, something resembling an airship. It levitated within what looked like a spine and ribs made of charcoal, with regularly placed copper rings around the ribs.

  *That's Magichariot? It's huge, like two large buses and two more on top!*

  The Magichariot's surface was glossy silver, but it glimmered with colors of the rainbow as I tilted my head. It waited motionless in its bay. A wave of people, animals, and cargo stood before it.

  Then, without warning, a wide ramp emerged from the floor where the people were and grew toward the airship, reaching its surface. The perfection of Magichariot's surface broke, revealing a huge opening that invited the impatient passengers inside.

  *Huh, so they use it to transport people and cargo.*

  The main square connecting all this together was a maze of tunnel-like barriers and fences. Beside each barrier there were at least two guards and a priest in black robes.

  A few more strategic locations even had a Holy Knight guarding them. The passengers needed to navigate all this before reaching the Magichariot. Here and there, a few less lucky merchants had their cargo laid out on the floor for thorough inspection by the guards.

  *They try to keep the security tight. It's always a trade-off between risk and resources.*

  One gate and the path to it contrasted with the rest. There were no passengers there, just a group of guards, priests, and two Holy Knights guarding it. The path to it was straight, but obstructed with barriers like the others.

  *That must be some kind of emergency line or something.*

  I looked at the base of the stairs we stood on.

  Pythia was waiting there with an escort of two Holy Knights and four Shadow Guards. One of the Knights had a strangely dull and thick longsword, the other, a large staff.

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  Corvus began the descent, which gave me some time to adjust to the smelly soup of animals, burnt metal, sweat and damp stone. One of the Shadow Guards detached from the rest and joined us mid-way. "Silas?" I asked, staring at the guard's mask.

  "Yes, Saint Leonard?"

  "Nothing," I shifted my eyes back in front of me, "I'm just glad to see a familiar face." I tried to release the tension inside me with a joke. I heard only my laugh. Could only hope they at least smiled under their armor.

  Pythia welcomed me with a shallow bow, "Saint Leonard, Evadne, my child, let's make haste."

  The first Holy Knight marched toward the deserted gate like on a command. Half the guards followed him, Corvus included, and only then Pythia made a move, offering her hand to me. I gave her my arm, and she took it without delay. Evadne and the rest of the escort followed at some distance.

  The wide back of the Holy Knight in front towered over the Shadow Guards. The armor's true skin was a breathtaking mosaic of interlocking plates. Masterfully crafted. Over this, thicker plates of non-reflective black had been layered. Covering them was an uneven surface of brick-like segments.

  Two long polished housings rose from his shoulder blades and tapered down his spine, merging perfectly with the rest of the armor. These structures had gill-like vents on their sides that seemed to pulse with an internal heat.

  Every fragment of armor had intricate ornaments. From the back as a whole, it painted a picture of an overlapping moon and sun, whose rays extended to every part of the knight's body.

  *Damn, it looks awesome. Divine.*

  "One's hidden to the right of the barrier, behind the normal guards." Althea's voice grounded me in reality. I noticed familiar dance of the air only when we came closer.

  We entered the barrier without slowing down. It was like going through an unfinished tunnel whose construction had only started. Roughly two meters long. It was only a little darker inside. Floor was flat and smooth under my feet.

  *Looks ordinary. Just walls, where are runes and stuff?*

  Pythia explained: "It's a silent, restless sentinel. Detects any evil magic, spirits or beings."

  *So something like a spiritual security check. Haha.*

  We moved out of the tunnel, back onto the stone floor with thin lines carved for better grip.

  Althea said again, "Next barrier, on the right, one more."

  "I heard there were some issues with your preparations?" Pythia asked.

  *News travel fast here. But then again, if people can communicate through spirits, then it's not surprising.*

  "Well," I hesitated, not sure if and from where to start, "things happened."

  As we came closer to the magichariot, the murmur of the port quieted, and the smells here were dominated by damp stone, rather than living stock and people. It was a good change.

  Pythia kept her gaze on me in silence, and it made me continue, "Althea tried to protect me and," I hesitated again.

  *How should I put it?*

  "She made me grab the barber's hand with the razor."

  Pythia hid her surprise by looking up at the magichariot, but I noticed. She didn't reply for a while. We were close to the ramp, but there were still a few meters.

  The Holy Knights keeping watch moved toward us with a priest in the black robe. He checked the seals of each and every one of us. Pythia ignored the strange priest, her hand on her chin and eyebrows frowned, contemplating.

  "Highest Priestess, forgive this humble servant of Pandora, but I have to check your seal," the dark-hooded priest spoke.

  Pythia broke off from her analysis and said, "Old habits die hard, I'm not used to being checked, forgive me Inquisitor." And she showed her seal to him.

  "She is bound to protect you, Saint Leonard, to the best of her capabilities," Pythia said.

  "But she moved my hand!" The frustration buried deep inside went out of control, and I raised my voice. I quickly added more quietly, "She said the seal guarantees my freedom, but this..."

  "Saint Leonard, she can only take action if you're in danger, and only to protect you, it may one day save your life." She said it almost like a reprimand.

  I clenched my fist, eyes squinted.

  *Even if that's true, it doesn't make it any easier to accept.*

  "I wonder, was it the barber's actions, your behavior, or something else entirely that triggered her reaction?" She asked.

  "For a moment I sensed an intruder, but then it was gone," Althea spoke, making Pythia's eyebrows shoot up, her eyes wide open.

  She said, restoring her more neutral expression, "Stay vigilant, the ongoing investigation is painting an unbelievable conclusion."

  She paused, her jaw tightened before she spoke again. Hair on my neck prickled.

  "There may be a traitor among us."