Katie could tell this floor was housing. It had a “hotel” feel to it, with several doors on either side lined up as far as she could see. They passed another hallway, and at the end, Katie saw a swing door that she imagined led into a kitchen.
“The Chancellor isn’t ready to see you two yet,” Onix informed them. “So I will let you rest and you can see him later this afternoon. If you have any questions until then, any of our laborers will be happy to assist you.”
“Okay,” said Katie. She was still in awe at the palace.
“You will be in this room, Koran,” said Onix, gently pushing open a door. “And Katie will be just two doors down.”
Katie walked to her room and pushed the door open.
“I will call for you two when it is time to meet the Chancellor. Until then, you should rest.” Onix said kindly and walked away.
“What about Tyson?” Katie called out, almost forgetting that was why she came along.
“I will be checking on him now,” said Onix. “I was informed that he had had the poison fully removed and should be waking up any minute now. He will be just fine, I assure you.”
Katie smiled. “Thank you.”
Onix nodded with a smile and walked away.
Katie stepped into her room and closed the door quietly behind her. The room was cozy, though quite large. There was a big window at the end of it which overlooked the sparkling lake that went quite out into the distance. The velvet curtains were open to let in plenty of sunlight, which warm the room’s atmosphere. A full king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room flanked by two nightstands. The ornate headboard was made of polished rosewood. Two large dressers lined the walls.
Before finding the bathroom, Katie inspected the walk-in closet, which had hangers, dressers and two armoires. Pleased, Katie walked into the bathroom where she took a long, hot shower, washing off all the grease and grime, the dirt and sweat off her. She washed once more for good measure.
There was a mountain of towels ready for her and she grabbed one to dry herself with. There were clothes in the dressers, and she put on a fresh pair. Katie then collapsed on the bed and fell asleep before she could realize that it was the most comfortable bed she had ever been in.
“Good morning.”
Katie’s eyes quickly opened. She sat up in her bed and saw Tyson smiling, leaning against the doorframe.
“What time is it?” Katie asked, looking around and feeling disoriented.
“Around nine,” Tyson answered. “May I come in?” he asked politely.
“Yeah, of course,” Katie answered. Tyson nodded and walked towards the bed. That was when Katie realized who she was talking to.
“You’re okay!” Katie yelled happily and jumped out of bed to hug Tyson.
Tyson hugged her back and laughed. “I am. I am.”
“When did they let you go?” Katie asked him when they released each other.
“It was late last night. They had to make sure that they got rid of all the poison before releasing me,” Tyson explained. “They told me that whatever Koran had done saved me. If he hadn’t, I would’ve been dead by the time I got within the city.”
Katie sat on the bed and thought for a moment. They did owe Koran a lot.
“He and I talked last night,” said Tyson. “I thanked him and apologized for my attitude towards him.” Tyson let out a long breath. “I was going crazy over everything that was happening, but it was still unfair of me to treat him that way.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Katie. “I felt like I was going crazy too. Most of this just seemed unreal for the longest time.”
Tyson nodded. “When did that change for you?”
Katie looked down. “When Cyrus was killed on that ship. That’s when I realized how very much real everything was.”
“When that happened, I wanted to pretend like nothing was real,” said Tyson.
Katie let out a short, gloomy laugh. “Me too.”
Tyson sat down next to her and put his arms around her and let out a sigh through his nose. They only sat there for a minute, but that minute felt long overdue.
“I’m sort of hungry,” said Katie.
“I can help you with that,” said Tyson. He got up and waited for Katie to follow him. They walked out of her room and down the hallway.
“Still can’t believe I slept for an entire day,” said Katie.
“We were all pretty tired.”
Meals were served in a dining chamber that was situated on the third floor of the building. Katie took her time eating her breakfast.
Koran and Onix soon joined them.
“Sleep enough?” Onix asked. Katie nodded because she had food in her mouth. Onix was considerate enough to not say anything else until Katie had finished eating.
When she did, he told her that the Chancellor was ready to meet them but to not rush as he knew that they had been through a lot.
“Thank you. But I should be ready now,” said Katie. “Let’s go meet the Chancellor.”
Tyson cleaned up their plates and put them away in the bussing station so that they could be cleaned.
Onix led them through a complicated series of passageways, and down some darker hallways. Katie knew that the building was built into the mountain and was surprised that they were able to give most rooms more than enough light.
Chancellor Levi’s office was behind two tall, marble doors. Three guards stood in front of it, each carrying the same staff as the one out front did.
Onix led them through the doors, passed the guards who didn’t even so much turn their eyes to look at them.
The room felt like a planetarium with its dome-shaped ceiling and sheer size. There was a long,
