Vyntaria, 10th of valtor, 515 ER

  In Xerxes Eye IV, Dobbie, one of the clerks working in Xerxes, relays an errand to Yasmine from his alcove nestled in the council cove, "Yasmine, you're needed at the Xerxes Earies immediately!". (The Xerxes Earies is a place where eagles used for message transmission across the human Kingdom of GOAZER are being raised and harbored).

  Dobbie received a message from a small, handheld contraption, a mechanical wonder that enabled swift and secretive communication over long distances. This remarkable arcane transmitter, cleverly designed to convey sensitive information, was instrumental in coordinating their efforts. When a firefly symbol on the arcane transmitter began blinking, Dobbie knew a message was waiting. By placing his hand on the symbol, the message was revealed, played out in a sequence of clicks and chirps that only he could decipher. The arcane transmitter, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, was a marvel of ingenuity, a secular tool that served as a trusted companion in his work as a clerk.

  Dobbie, having received the message from the small, handheld contraption now sought to resend the message to his fellow, Yasmine. He tapped the firefly symbol again, and the arcane transmitter sprang to life, allowing him to relay the message to Yasmine's alcove. With a few swift clicks and chirps, the message was sent, destined for Yasmine's ears alone, a testament to the device's ingenuity and the messengers' reliance on its secrecy and speed.

  In Yasmine's alcove, an identical inscribed firefly symbol glowed softly in a similar arcane transmitter, its magic-powered mechanism humming to life. Recognizing the familiar arcane transmitter, Yasmine picked it up, and Dobbie's voice whispered in her ear, the message transmitted through the magical connection. She listened intently, her eyes locked on the firefly symbol as it pulsed with glowing light, conveying the urgency and importance of Dobbie's words.

  Dobbie: "Yasmine, you are needed at the Xerxes Earies."

  Yasmine frowned and sighed, rolling her eyes in anger and frustration as she held the remat, the same arcane transmitter she had used to receive the message from Dobbie. "Dobbie, why can't you do it yourself? You're always pushing your work onto me. I'm occupied, and you're occupying me even more. What's going on in that head of yours?"

  Dobbie replied, "Yasmine, please, just this once. I'll treat you to Mama Jiji's later. You were tasked with it first, remember!"

  Yasmine reluctantly accepted the errand, still grumpy. She replaced the remat in its cradle and rose from her perch in the alcove. She dusted herself off, exited the alcove, shut its door, and approached a sturdy oak door leading to the eagle enclosure. She rapped on the sturdy oak door, and a worker slid open a small viewing slit. "Token, please," she requested. Yasmine handed over a black circular token with her picture on the front and red writing on the back that read "Xerxes Clerk". The worker took the token, closed the slit, and examined it through a peephole. After verifying Yasmine's image, the worker handed the token to her fellow, who then returned it to Yasmine.

  Daisy, her fellow now responds: "Hello, what is it?"

  Yasmine takes a deep breath, then leans closer to the oak door and says, "It's me, Yasmine. I've got an order to deliver a message from an eagle with code 145678i."

  Daisy hears the reply nonchalantly, and after a brief hesitation, she replies. Daisy: "Oh yeah, I just got a notice about an eagle with that code a moment ago. Give me a moment to verify the details, and I'll use that code to confirm the message."

  When done Daisy pockets the token and walks to a aumbry beside her fellow who collected the token from Yasmine earlier. She unlocks it with a key, shuffles through a stack of scrolls, and stops at a parchment embedded with the insignia of the Topple military. She locks the aumbry, unscrews the scroll, discards it, and goes through the parchment. After opening it, she reads it, walks to her table, drops the parchment, and collects the remat mounted on the wall beside a wooden trestle.

  Yasmine waited as Daisy retrieved the remat from its niche on the stone wall beside the wooden trestle. After collecting it, she rubs her finger on the mystical firefly symbol inscribed on the remat. (Now, this firefly symbol inscribed on the remat has a specific color. We have different colors; the one you saw Yasmine and Dobbie rubbing was Emberfire, while the one Daisy is rubbing is MysticBloom. Now, as they rub, your brain will start feeling sensations from all the remats around you, as the firefly matches the colors around you with your remat's color, glowing with a soft, ethereal light. The remat's mystical energy resonates with the user's essence, forging a bond that transcends the physical realm. As the remat's magic connects with your mind, you will sense a distant presence, carried on the winds of the spirit world. And behold, the firefly symbol on the remat of the one you seek begins to glow softly, signaling that your thoughts have reached them, and they are fully aware that someone is trying to send them a message. The remat's magic will amaze you! For now, I'll give you a glimpse of its power, to satisfy your curiosity. Don't worry, the full secrets of this ancient arcane-transmitter will be revealed in the chapters that follow).

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  So, after Daisy spent some moments rubbing the firefly symbol on her remat, a firefly on another remat in the Avian Sanctum beamed, (where a sturdy rack of ornate enclosures held eagles of various breeds, their feathers rustling softly, their sharp talons scraping against wooden perches, and their piercing cries echoing through the air, for in this place, eagles, the most trusted messengers, awaited their tasks).

  Two male Handlers, one stout and the other lean and athletic, worked diligently, clad in simple tunics with white surcoats, black baires, red aprons, and worn-leather brown gloves, their movements precise and skilled as they tended to the eagles, preparing them for their important duties. Meanwhile, two formidable warriors, Codex 36 and 38, engaged in a game of cards at the far end of the Avian Sanctum, surrounded by scattered flagons of ale, jesting and reveling in merriment.

  The lean attendant, noticing the glow on the remat, hastened his pace with the eagle he was handling and retrieved a scroll attached to its leg. He then approached the arcane transmitter, his countenance overcome with trepidation. Lowering his head, he retrieved the remat, while the warriors continued their revelry, oblivious to his presence. With a sigh of relief, he touched the symbol, ceasing its glow, and held it to his ear.

  "Daisy: 'Hey Rufus, did any eagle bearing the code 556765iz deliver a message?'"

  Rufus responded, his voice laced with exhaustion, "Yes, a few hours ago. You can use the code 333viz to check the message."

  Daisy's face lit up with joy. "Okay Rufus, got it! Don't worry, your shift will end soon."

  Their exchange was friendly and familiar, revealing the affection between the two heartbound. She continued, speaking loudly so her fellow could hear her from afar. "Yasmine, the code for the message is 333viz! Your tag will be given to you shortly!"

  Then Daisy returned to her tender communication with Rufus. The woman beside her ceased her nail-picking collected the token, and handed it to Yasmine through the same opening in the oak door. Yasmine received it with gratitude, her fatigue and thoughts of the errand and its destination evident on her face. She hastened to its destination, walking towards a large, ornate mystic conveyor, its oak wooden structure reminiscent of ancient contraptions.

  Approaching the entrance, with a flick of her wrist, she attached her token to the Conveyor, and a sturdy black portcullis adorned with the emblem of XERXES groaned open, with a creak granting her passage, and she stepped within. A voice resonated from the Herald's Voice in the mystic conveyor, speaking in a feminine tone.

  "Liftwarden: 'Which floor would you like to go to?'"

  Yasmine rolled her eyes and responded, "To level VI, Liftwarden."

  She grumbled as the voice affirmed it, and the Mystic Conveyor ascended to the level. On reaching the level, the Conveyor halted, and the voice spoke congratulating her on her wise choice. "Thank you for using the Mystic Conveyor."

  She emerged as the portcullis opened and strode to a sturdy oak door, adorned with iron hinges, which she pushed open and entered. Entering, she scanned the chamber, her gaze falling on their routine activities of the council cove's daily grind. Locking on her mark, she walks purposefully to the lectern she seeks and stops. On the lectern, a man sits, devouring a hearty stew of yam and beans from a wooden trencher, with a metal flagon containing ale beside it. (I used a familiar favorite from my hometown as a stand-in. I hope you'll indulge this personal touch.)

  Yasmine taps the lectern, gaining the man's attention. He looks up, distracted from his repast and ribald banter with his female fellow, and asks in a perturbed tone:

  "Zacky: 'Hello Yasmine, what can I do for you?'"

  He asks with a sly look, his eyes fixed on her in a way that disgusts Yasmine, but she answers nonchalantly, her hand resting on her waist.

  "Yasmine: 'I got this code from the Earies to give to you.'"

  Zacky's face falls, his disappointment evident, but he waves his hand and collects the code. His fellow glances up from her work, her eyes narrowing in scorn and jealousy as she looks at Yasmine telling him the code.

  Zacky gets the code, and Yasmine, her errand complete, walks back to the mystic conveyor, her hips swaying in a careless manner that catches Zacky's eye. He sighs, his gaze lingering on her, before adjusting his seat and unfolding a parchment, using the code to decipher a hidden message.

  His brow furrows in curiosity as he reads the parchment, then rolls it up and inserts it into a small, intricately carved cellar under his lectern. The cellar emits a soft chime, and Zacky opens a larger cellar below, withdrawing a new parchment.

  His expression changes from nonchalance to worry as he reads the message. With haste, he detaches his remat from its niche, his hand moving with urgency as he sends the message to its destination.

  "Zacky: 'Hey, Brown! I've received a grave message, and I presume you have also received the message. I implore you to take it seriously, as it concerns a matter of utmost importance.'"

  Brown, taking a parchment from the same cellar Zacky used, reads the message and begins to transcribe it onto a parchment. His remat, still active, receives the transmission from Zacky, and he nods, reattaching it to its niche.

  After writing, he stamps the Xerxes insignia on the parchment, rolls it into a scroll, and calls for Codex 50. As Codex 50 enters Brown's sanctum, Brown says:

  "Take this message to the Earies forthwith, and tell them 'it is a matter of great import. They must handle it with caution and haste.'"

  Codex 50 bowed, collected the scroll, and departed Brown's sanctum with a nod. As he strode out, his warrior-like demeanor remained sharp. Passing Codex 51, he received a nod of acknowledgment. Codex 51 shifted his stance, moving from the right flank to the central ward, where he stood firm at the vestibule's midpoint.