Raydall's voice rang through the tenements before sunup. "Come on, Vendis, let's go! We need to fetch Noren."
Vendis was accustomed to waking up early, but today was a little earlier than he would have liked. Still drowsy, he rubbed his eyes, stretched his arms, and yawned.
"Can't we wait a bit more?" Vendis said. "I'm kind of sleepy. I wanna go back to bed. Lord Ezra said we need to be there just a little after sunup."
"You know I don't want to be late," Raydall huffed. "We are going to the castle! Vendis, the castle!" He snickered, unable to contain his excitement. "That means we'll get to eat food in the castle!"
Vendis yawned again, but he was more awake than before when he heard those words.
"I don't think they will run out of food in the castle," Vendis said, blinking away the sleep.
"You don't know that. Those other boys and girls might eat all of it before we get our fill," Raydall protested. "Besides, they might get the best parts of the food!"
"That's not how it works, Raydall," Vendis sighed. "Remember what they do in the Helio classes? They line us up and give us porridge and bread equally."
"You can't say that! This is the castle we are speaking about! We've only ever gotten to look at it. It's definitely different there!" Raydall grinned. Today he wore his best tunic. He had given some coin to his ma and pa, but kept a little for himself to buy something later.
His ma and pa had been so happy for him when they saw how much money he was making. "Can you imagine this, Vendis? We get to go to the castle and work there!"
Raydall kept grinning. "Like the Kanzlei!"
Vendis nodded, still a bit startled by how fast everything was moving. "And with working there, we also get food. It's really a good deal." He paused, looking at the ground, contemplative. "Don't you think it's too good to be true?"
Raydall was taken aback. His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Remember when Lord Ezra told us that we would get better pay if we learned how to do arithmetic and how to read and write?" He paused for a beat and frowned. "We got good pay, and so far everything he said came true."
"I know. It's just... he's a child, you know. Like us. He is younger than us."
"He's also a noble!" Raydall retorted. "A highborn noble! You know highborns, right? Stronger, smarter, better looking..." He gestured wildly. "He is smarter than all the adults I've met combined, five times over."
Vendis stayed silent but met Raydall's gaze.
"I have no reason to doubt Lord Ezra. He is the best thing that has happened to us!"
"I'm not saying that," Vendis replied weakly.
"If you think it's unusual that Lord Ezra is so smart, I have talked to some of the merchants. You heard what they said, right? The thicker the mana in the blood, the smarter the child."
Vendis looked away. "Yes, I did. I was there, you know. Even Master Orlund says so."
"Lord Ezra just has so much mana that he is overflowing with knowledge!" Raydall declared. "In the legends of the founding of Rex Imperium, the first emperor understood the heavens and the earth at two years old!"
Raydall shifted his weight and leaned in. "Can't you see? He is the same as Lord Ezra! You read it when we were counting the pages that Master Orlund wanted copied, right?"
Vendis snorted. "I don't think those books are meant to be treated literally."
"I love Lord Ezra," Vendis continued. "You know that, right? It's just... the castle is run by the Lord and Lady, not by Lord Ezra."
Vendis kicked a stone as he and Raydall started walking to fetch Noren.
"The Lord is the Lord," Vendis said. "Everyone just follows him. If Lord Blackfyre says something else, Lord Ezra will just follow."
"You don't know that. Besides, I heard that Lord Blackfyre is really kind to everyone," Raydall huffed. "Someone even said he's funny."
"Someone told me he is scary," Vendis replied. "He killed two hundred barons for sport."
"Come on, do you believe that? If he is Lord Ezra's dad, I don't think he'd be too scary," Raydall reasoned.
Vendis and Raydall stopped in front of Noren's house.
"Noren!" Raydall shouted toward the door.
"Yes, I'm up. I'm up," a muffled voice came from inside.
Noren slowly walked outside to meet the two boys. He carried his own satchel with a book and a notebook inside. Noren was the smallest of the three, but he was the jolliest. He was already smiling as he stepped through the door.
"Let's go," Noren said.
Raydall and Vendis nodded.
"Sir Galwell was going to meet us at the southern gatehouse, wasn't he?" Raydall asked.
"Yeah, I like him. He always tells those stories from when he was traveling as a boy with his pa," Noren said. "I wonder if we could make enough coin to be able to have our own caravan someday."
"You bet!" Raydall exclaimed. "If we stick with Lord Ezra, we can do so much more."
Vendis nodded. "We need to be able to save up for that, though."
"We do," Raydall agreed.
They didn't have to walk too far. By the time they reached the gatehouse, the sun was already peeking over the horizon.
"Sir Galwell," Raydall greeted, bowing first.
"If it ain't Raydall, ya runt," Galwell said, grinning.
Even as Galwell stood there, the disconnect between his towering body and his mischievous smile was obvious. Galwell was a knight, and his massive frame easily dwarfed the others. Yet this giant didn't bear a hint of ill will toward the children.
"Noren and Vendis 'ere too, aye," Galwell continued. "What're ye up to 'ese days? Ye still take on them jobs?"
"Sir Galwell," Noren laughed, "we just met during Helio last week. That's the exact same question you asked then."
"Aye, but that was last week. This week is different, ain't it?"
"Of course we do," Raydall said. "But we are much pickier now."
Raydall nodded twice, looking determined. "With that new notice the Press Office put up for us passing the Literacy Aptitude Test, a lot of merchants have been asking for us personally."
"I never thought that we would have our names written down in the administrative buildings," Vendis snickered.
"Well, we could have if we were caught stealing," Noren interjected.
Galwell let out a booming laugh, and the children joined in.
"Anyway, we're just waiting for the rest of ye lot," Galwell said.
"Rest? How many of us?" Vendis asked.
"Only the ones that passed the Aptitude Test, I'm afraid," Galwell replied. "So 'bout twenty."
"They can just take the next one, right?" Raydall asked.
"Yeah, after 'alf a year," Galwell nodded.
Galwell and the children talked for a while. Some of them had come from different sections, three from the northeast, four from the south.
When Galwell saw everyone, he nodded.
"Alright. Let's get on. To the castle we go," Galwell said.
"I thought there were twenty of us," Noren asked.
"Well, 'alf of the ones that passed are from the inner ring. Right?"
"Oh yeah," Noren said meekly.
Galwell led them forward, flanked by a few men at arms. There were a few onlookers who paused and looked at them for a beat, but they soon moved on.
Galwell led them through the gatehouse. Raydall had never been inside this structure before. He looked at it with a sense of wonder.
There was a clerk and a few guards stationed on the far end, preparing for the day. When they saw Galwell, they didn't ask questions. They smiled, and Galwell waved and returned the smile.
Raydall had never been inside the inner ring. For some reason, he was flushed with nervousness.
People of the outer ring rarely got in unless they had a job to do—hauling stone, pushing carts, or anything else that needed hands. Master Guildsmen lived in the inner ring, and so did the Kanzlei.
As Raydall walked through the cobblestone streets, he could see lampposts every few paces. He noticed that they held gemlamps. The merchant districts in the outer ring had them too. They were lit at night, then put out at daybreak.
The tenements where Raydall lived were packed tight, with stone and timber leaning against each other to save space. But here, everything was different. There was room to breathe.
He saw neat houses made of clean, unchipped stone. In front of them were actual patches of green grass—lawns that were perfectly kept. Every so often, a tall, healthy tree was planted right by the roadside, its branches carefully trimmed so it wouldn't block the street.
The street wasn't just cobblestone; it was made of massive, perfectly square paving stones, fitted so tightly together that not a single weed grew between the cracks. The road sloped gently from the center down to the edges, where deep, stone-lined gutters ran.
Every few paces, iron grates covered the drains. Raydall couldn't smell stagnant waste like he did back home. Instead, he could hear the faint sound of water rushing deep beneath the streets—a massive, hidden sewage system washing the filth away. Some parts of the outer ring had this, but where he lived, it wasn't nearly as neat.
As Galwell led them further in, the neat houses grew even larger. Soon, they were passing manors with metal fences, wide stone courtyards, and guards posted at the doors. They looked different from what Raydall had heard of in stories.
These manors had wide, open courtyards visible through iron gates. They were built with tall stone pillars lining covered walkways, and their roofs were perfectly layered with fired clay tiles that gleamed in the morning sun. Everything looked seamless, built with a level of craftsmanship Raydall had never seen.
Galwell noticed Raydall and the other children. "Ahh, you like that?" Galwell said, smiling.
"Those are manors by some nobles or merchants that 'ave 'nough coin to 'ave 'em made. The Ironbales have one as well. Sometimes I sleep there, but because of Lord Ezra, most o' the time I sleep in the castle."
There was a resounding "ooh" from the other children.
"Y'know, if you do well, I can put in a good word. I am the son of the chief merchant, y'know? Ironbales need good clerks, and I think you lot will fit in."
People were already awake, stepping out for the morning. Some of them stopped on the street to watch the group of children pass. A few gave them odd, curious looks, tilting their heads at the sight of outer-ring children being escorted by a giant of a knight.
But others were not as kind.
Raydall noticed men dressed in tunics. Some carried leather satchels or wooden wax boards under their arms. When their eyes fell on Raydall, Vendis, and the others, their faces scrunched up. They gave the children looks of disdain, slowing their pace and sidestepping slightly toward the walls, as if afraid the outer-ring dirt might jump onto their clean clothes.
Galwell eyed them and snorted.
The men in tunics averted their gaze and tried to carry on with whatever they were doing.
Galwell and the children bypassed the main gates. He guided them toward a side entrance. Raydall tilted his head to track the stone wall. Guards pulled a lever, and the door swung inward. Raydall crossed the threshold, his chest tight with excitement.
Raydall had seen Castle Blackfyre from the outer ring all his life, but from up close it looked different. The walls rose straight above him, white stone fitted so cleanly he couldn't see where one block ended and the next began. Sunlight ran across the surface and bounced into his eyes.
He slowed for a step and stared. The towers were round and smooth, capped with blue slate roofs. Crimson and black banners hung between the upper windows. Even the ironwork looked polished. Raydall stared at the banners and the blue slate roofs. To him, the colors didn't really match. Nonetheless, it was impressive.
Galwell and the children didn't go through the main entrance, but through another double door made of oak in the left wing.
"Remember, when your entry papers are given to yah, it'll be easier to enter through 'ere. Just ask the guards and show 'em your papers."
The air cooled inside the keep. Raydall blinked against the glare. Mirrors of polished metal hung along the corridor, bouncing sunlight into the passage. He dragged his fingers across the plaster, finding no cracks. The children huddled together, their footwear clicking against the stone floor.
Galwell led them to a stairwell. The steps forced the group into a line. As Raydall climbed, a familiar scent drifted down. He recognized the resin and ink. A heavy thud echoed off the walls, making his pulse jump.
The stairs ended at a landing. A double door blocked the path. A clerk stood outside, stamping a ledger. Galwell nodded to the man and pushed the wood open. Raydall gripped his tunic and stepped inside, grinning as the noise washed over him.
Hugo met them with a smile.
"You're here."
"Instructor Hugo," the children from the outer ring resounded.
"Alright, just gather round for a while. We'll need to wait for everyone. The inner-ring children aren't here yet."
"Sir Galwell, thank you for escorting them. I can take it from here."
"Aight. Bye all, I 'ave to fetch Ezra too. I'll see ya lot later, aye?" Galwell bid them farewell and went toward the west corridor.
"I think we should meet them in the dining hall of the west wing. Alright, let's go," Hugo said.
As Hugo led them away, Raydall noticed some senior scribes glaring at them. Raydall thought that maybe this arrangement wouldn't all be the sunshine and daisies he thought it was.