When each of them entered the hotel's spacious wood-paneled lobby, they saw a painted marble statue of the Queen to the left of the entrance within a raised recess in the wall. The statue was nearly two meters tall, with gold and silver inlaid upon it to mimic the Queen's classic breastplate and shimmering bodysuit. The statue's pose made it appear as if the Queen were hovering in midair with a large billowy cloud at its feet to support it. Its golden-painted hair was wavy as if wind was blowing around it, and there was a golden disc around its head that resembled the corona of a sun. Its back was straight and its hands were bawled into palms-up fists that jutted from its sides. Its face, intricately painted to give it a lifelike quality, appeared cold and distant despite its triumphant pose, though its cerulean eyes seemed to track each of them intensely as they walked closer to it. Gold and silver-colored candles within glass jars flickered on the wooden shelves that sat on either side of the statue.

  "We'd best pray here. It'd be highly suspicious if we don't." Wadaw shared with the others as he walked up to the altar and bowed his head for a minute or so before raising it. He then lit one of the candles with an ornate silver lighter stick that looked to Prism like a wand. "Altars like these are in every major building in Zaviga, aka Central Sguvi. They're all over the place in Zazi, where most Sguvans live. Go ahead; just do what I just did. The Queen is a quiet god, so no need to say anything." Wadaw shared with the disguised members of RED-1 as he looked at Ursun first.

  Ursun nodded as he repeated what Wadaw had done, even as he still had Prism draped over his shoulder. The rest of them followed suit despite any reservations they may have personally felt. Only one of them had any real religious belief, and he would rather spit on the altar than pray to it. A few of the hotel guests sitting within the roomy area paid attention to their every movement, hoping for any signs of the soldiers' identities.

  “Welcome, honorable soldiers of our great and holy army.”

  Wadaw and RED-1 were greeted in the middle of the lobby by a man with a gaunt, sullen face. Despite his sickly appearance, the man’s movements were precise and refined, as were his anachronistic black robes. Prism got the impression that he was Sguvi’s version of a gentleman butler.

  “Askvyen, where is your master?” Wadaw asked the man without even an ounce of politeness. The hotel guests that were watching the scene quickly left the lobby when their ears picked up the unmistakable tone of a Royalist officer.

  The man tilted his head slightly and then gave a long, slow bow to Wadaw. "I'll take you to her right away, Most Faithful," he said softly as he avoided making eye contact with Wadaw or any of the disguised mercenaries behind him. "Please, follow me."

  The robed attendant led their group through a door behind the reception counter and up a set of stairs. Other than the few hotel receptionists that looked curiously at them, they encountered no others until they entered a room at the top of the polished wooden steps. They could tell that the slender stairway was meant for one person at a time and that it served as a private entrance to an exclusive area.

  The man opened the door to drawing room revealing extensive dark-patterned wood paneling on the walls and ceiling. The panels featured inlayed brass accents at their edges that resembled fish hooks and spears. A fish-patterned blue rug that stretched across its floor like the deep blue ocean added to the room's fishing theme. Other than a few pieces of teak furniture, the room didn't contain much, which only added to its elegance.

  Wadaw was the first to enter. He saw a short woman with a curvy, squat body standing at the room's opposite end. Her brown hands were placed on the banister of the balcony she stood upon as she silently looked out upon the river. Her bright blue blouse ended in a flowery skirt that covered the top part of her flared white pants. She had an ornate bun atop her head that kept her long, braided hair tucked away while she worked. The woman's face remained a mystery to most of them, as she didn't turn around when she heard the door open.

  "My lady," the attendant stepped around Wadaw and his group to give a bow that the woman couldn't see. "I have one of the Queen's Most Faithful with me. He is joined by his entourage of soldiers. He wanted to meet my master, so I brought him to you right away."

  The woman turned around quickly, revealing the slender nose and thick lips upon her round face. Her large, dark brown eyes were wide with surprise and her lips were slightly parted. By the slight sagging around her eyes, Prism guessed that she was in her late thirties or early forties.

  "Well I'll be...." She whispered as she took a few tentative steps towards the guerilla fighter disguised as a Royalist. The sliding doors of the balcony shut behind her and tinted over. Her eyes then locked onto Ursun and the body he still had thrown over his shoulder. "You've really done it this time," she said to Wadaw in a sweet, gentle voice that had a slight drawl to it.

  "Mela, Mela, Mela."

  Wadaw shook his head from side-to-side as he walked up to her with a smile plastered on his face. He reached down to hug the woman, causing her to giggle when he picked her up and twirled her around like a big brother would do to his little sister. The others stared with a mix of confusion and amusement at the two middle-aged adults acting half their age.

  "We haven't seen each other for far too long." Wadaw turned to say to the members of RED-1. When he saw their perplexed expressions, he looked down at Mela. His hands were still on her sides and she laughed heartily when he gave them a squeeze. "We grew up together, you see. She was probably the first friend I ever made."

  "You stink." She scrunched up her nose and leered at him for a few seconds before the two of them chuckled again. Mela then turned to the members of RED-1 and said, "You're all safe to speak in here. This room has some of the strongest privacy measures that someone in Sguvi can have; a perk of being the military's most popular proprietress."

  "Is that so..." Lorias said snidely, causing Mela to regard the man briefly with an unimpressed gaze.

  She raised her hand toward the attendant that still stood between her and RED-1. "My good friend Sebeto is also a friend to the cause. No need to worry about him."

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  The man bowed gracefully at Mela and said, "You are too kind, Lady Mela."

  “There are a bunch of weird devices in here and I don’t know what they all do. I’ve cast a field of silence around everyone here as a precaution. Nothing can hear us but us." Prism shared exclusively with RED-1 to avoid offending Wadaw.

  "Good," shared Ursun with his team. "We can all talk openly now."

  "What's an "As-ka-vi-yen"? Wadaw called Sebeto that downstairs." Srell pointed at the robed man and asked hesitantly.

  "Other than it being a part of our Gospel passphrase, an Askvyen is a term in the ancient tongue meaning "castrated slave". It's a pejorative used by only the most egotistical assholes." Wadaw explained.

  "You hear it enough from Royalists and government types, the sadists that currently run this country, when they're trying to flex their power. It gets everyone else scurrying away when they hear it said in public." Mela said. She took Wadaw's hands from her body and began walking over to Ursun.

  "That makes the term useful to us," said Wadaw. His eyes followed Mela as the woman looked Ursun up and down.

  Ursun watched Mela while she walked around him. Once she was behind him she removed the black bag from Prism's head. Her eyes lit up when she saw Prism staring calmly back at her. She leaned around Ursun's broad back so that she could see Wadaw and said, "My god, he's more handsome than I thought he'd be! He isn't a child at all!"

  "He made some changes to himself before they all arrived." Wadaw crossed his arms and shrugged.

  "Like a faeri..." Mela said quietly. She stared down into Prism's upside-down face.

  "I'm Prism. Nice to meet you." Prism said to the woman before he became more irritated by the way she was treating him.

  He patted Ursun on the back and asked his captor to let him go. Ursun obliged and let Prism's legs go without any warning. Prism slid down Ursun's back and reached his hands out so that they hit the ground first. He then pushed up from a handstand and flipped into the air in one agile movement. Mela looked at him with glee when he landed on his feet beside her with his face inches from her own.

  "Eizavoba have mercy..." She softly said while she gazed up at his brown, bearded face. Her eyes slowly traveled down his fit, bare torso until they stopped at the front of his dirty dark green pants. She made out the shape of a circular, palm-sized object in his right pocket.

  "Aren't you married?" Wadaw shouted to Mela from across the room. She looked over to see everyone's eyes on her. Srell and Leanna even smirked.

  "What he doesn't know won't hurt him!" She shouted back at her old friend before flashing Prism a good-natured smile. "It's good to meet you, Prism. I'm Mela Dinde Syelwu Zazi Damasafa," she said after offering her calloused hand to Prism. He shook it and gave her an equally warm grin.

  "And giving him your full Sguvan name, too? Shameless." Wadaw shook his head and said.

  "Be quiet, you." Mela said to Wadaw before she walked in between the group of mercenaries disguised as soldiers. She looked around at the four of them and examined their Sguvan faces, each representing a different shade and region. "You all look the part, but your mannerisms are a bit off. They aren't Sguvan enough," she said with her trained on Srell.

  "Why are you singling me out!" Srell raised his hands and shouted, proving her point.

  "Moron," Leanna said under her breath.

  "Anyway, all of you can get me caught up on everything as concisely as you can. We've only got a few hours until Gusa's big announcement and none of us wants to miss that," said Mela after laughing at Srell.

  Ursun crossed his arms and fixed his eyes on Leanna. She understood his body language immediately and began retelling the events of the last few days to the inn's proprietress with a succinct thoroughness that only she was capable of. After ten minutes of talking had passed, Mela was rubbing her round chin with narrowed eyes and frowning lips. She'd looked over at Wadaw several times to confirm the fantastical details she was being told. He'd nodded to her each time.

  "Take off your disguises or illusions or whatever they are. I want to see who I'm really dealing with." Mela said after a pregnant pause.

  "I don't think that's..." Wadaw started to say.

  "It's alright." Ursun said. He was the first to tap his comm-clasp and dispel his illusory disguise. Each of his teammates followed suit almost simultaneously.

  "RED-1, in the flesh..." Mela murmured. She brought her hand up to her mouth as she looked around at the foreigners donned in sleek red combat armor. "Which one of you is Ursun, the leader?" Her voice was devoid of the joviality it previously had.

  "That would be me." Ursun stepped forward and placed his large palm on the middle of his chestplate.

  "The last time I saw Wadaw was seven years ago. He told me what happened to my cousin Spurfo at great personal risk to himself. It seems so long ago...but it wasn't, really." Mela spoke more calmly than the others had expected. She paused and glanced at the ground beneath her feet before continuing. "Now isn't the time for me to ask you a thousand questions about it. I just want you to know that I don't blame you, not one bit. My cousin always made his own choices regardless of how they affected those around him. If my judgment of you was weighing on your heart, then you can throw that burden away right here and right now."

  Ursun looked down at the much-smaller woman. His face was implacable and his eyes were like stones in his head. He took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. In this moment, the silent room filled with the sound of that drawn-out breath.

  "I appreciate that," Ursun said softly before adding, "We will talk about it."

  Mela reached up and brought Ursun's huge hands down into hers. They stood like this for a short while until Mela said, "Sebeto, have Kirtu take over for you downstairs. I need you to monitor local comms for the next few hours. I don't want any surprises before we leave in the morning."

  Sebeto gave Mela a low but quick bow. "Should I run their Sguvan identities through the military database?" He asked.

  "No, it's too dangerous right now. The network has probably implemented stricter security measures since the Gospel started marching on Zazi," replied Mela with a shake of her head. "Go on, get to it."

  Sebeto bowed again before leaving the room through a hidden door that led to a connected room. Mela let go of Ursun's hands and walked back over to Wadaw. Wadaw closed his eyes and said, "So you've been in contact with Kitra. That's a relief."

  "She sent over a coded message last night that told me about the preparations you needed me to make. It was short and to-the-point like all her messages are. She should be at the rendezvous point before us tomorrow," said Mela.

  "Are you sure about taking us on the boat yourself? You have a lot more to lose than we do," Wadaw asked with a tenderness that tickled Mela's heart.

  "I've been doing this longer than you have, man formerly known as Jiwadi." Mela laughed. She raised her hands up and pointed at the walls around her with a slow twirl. "All of this has been built to serve the Gospel's ends; even my marriage to Peemo. Tomorrow, all of this deception will have its reward."

  "And your son?" Wadaw asked.

  "Peero...my sweet boy...forced to attend Zazi Military School because of his brute of a father..." Mela sighed and looked at Wadaw with an angry frown. "You're supposed to be making sure that he's safe during our little revolution."

  "You were told that we can't make any guarantees. The city's going to be a battlefield, Mela." Wadaw explained with his hands raised defensively.

  "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You like to act rational and talk probabilities but I know you've got it handled," said Mela as she shoved Wadaw's shoulder. "You masked freak."

  "They aren't talking like they haven't seen each other in seven years." Srell murmured to Lorias while he and his team watched Mela and Wadaw begin arguing spiritedly.

  "We would act the same way if we didn't see each other for that long." Lorias said without looking down at Srell. Srell silently nodded his agreement as the sun started to set over the river.