Once they reached the office of Archon Jenma Griffon, Kamila stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath to calm down. The Hush spells of the door soundproofed it, but she could almost hear the shuffling of steps and the voices on the other side.
Once she opened the door, everything was a mirror image of Jirni’s office, yet the similarities ended with the furniture.
She didn’t know any of the Constables in the room and even the arrangement of cabinets and desks was alien to her.
All Archons had their own private office where they would receive important members of the Court and keep the top-secret files regarding the cases they followed. Their assistant Constables took the rest of the space, their desks arranged through a square room with a side of 30 meters (100′).
There was no wall between them nor privacy, allowing the Constables to easily pass the documents to their neighbors and check on their activity. Keeping a secret in the office was nigh impossible and so was any illegal activity.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and silence fell over the room when Kamila walked through the door. All eyes went to the unwelcome newcomer, staring at her like a criminal they had to interrogate instead of a colleague.
Lith was right behind her, his appearance drawing the gazes to himself. He bore none of the bestial features with which they had pictured him yet once their eyes met, Constables and clerks found themselves staring at him.
For one moment, they could feel an unbridled hatred addressed to them tempered only by the presence of the woman in front of him. They could see glimpses of the office set ablaze while everything they cared for burned and spindly shadows devoured everyone they loved.
It was just one moment, but enough to cover them in a cold sweat and make them hold their breath until their lungs started to burn.
“Constable Yehval, welcome to the team.” Jenma hadn’t experienced any discomfort from inside her office and had come out as soon as the familiar noise of work stopped. “There’s a lot to do and we can use some help.”
“Thank you, Archon Griffon.” The two women shook hands. “Where can I sit?”
“I had a desk prepared for you and another for Supreme Magus Verhen.” She pointed at a corner of the room near the windows. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Magus Verhen. Thanks for your service.”
“The pleasure is mine.” The moment Lith lowered his gaze to meet his host’s, the rest of the room heaved in relief as they finally remembered how to breathe and resumed their activity. “If there’s anything I can do to help, you just have to ask.”
“Please, be silent and keep everything you might hear to yourself. Even a rumor slipping out of this room might ruin weeks of hard work.” Jenma gave him a small bow as she led them to their stations.
“What’s in the program for today?” Kamila asked.
“The same thing we have done since the end of the war.” The Archon patted on a pile of documents that reached her eye level that was placed in the to-do tray on Kamila’s desk.
“Triple-check the evidence against the traitors and prepare everything the judge needs to determine their sentence. There are thousands of ongoing trials and most of our daily activity is about making them happen in a reasonable time.”
“Do I have to finish the pile by today?” Kamila kept a stray face, but she swallowed hard.
“Gods, no. That’s just your share.” Jenma chuckled. “Do as much as you can. The rest can wait until tomorrow. Don’t worry if the pile gets bigger instead of smaller while you work. The cases are constantly rearranged in order of priority.”
Those words earned Kamila plenty of new glares that burned at her back. Everyone hated a newcomer who not only was a renowned oath breaker but who also got special treatment.
She and Lith sat at their respective desks and took what they needed from their briefcases. Kamila needed a notebook to jot down the weakest points of a case and her thoughts about the collected evidence.
Lith, instead, checked the blueprints of his creations and replaced runes with more efficient ones whenever he spotted a clunky sequence. He had no need to consult his grimoires because they were already stored in Soluspedia to which he could access even without Solus.
Soon everyone was too busy with their work to keep staring at them and the room became a noisy mess again. Whenever the door opened, Lith’s eyes didn’t move from the Tablet’s blueprints but the set on his forehead opened, following the newcomer’s every move until they left the room.
The same thing happened whenever a Constable passed or requested a document from Kamila. Her desk never remained unguarded, even when she went to the bathroom. Those who loved gossiping had to remain silent, Lith’s mana-infused eyes finding them the moment they opened their mouth.
Kamila’s work was hard and the unfriendly atmosphere made it even harder, yet not finding dead rats or other “presents” upon her return was still a nice change of pace.
“It’s almost eight o’clock. Time for your hourly check-up.” Lith seemed to have materialized in front of her desk, making her yelp in surprise.
“What do you mean hourly? You can’t do this at work.” She blushed, seeing that everyone had stopped to see what was happening.
“Watch me.” Lith took her wrist, using Invigoration to check the mana core, pulse, and heartbeat of both mother and child.
Elysia was steadily progressing toward the red, her small heart pumping quickly as her body developed. Kamila was days away from the deep yellow, the excess energy Elysia produced was absorbed by her mother’s body and core, refining them.
“Your blood sugar is low and the baby is hungry.” Lith pulled a doggy bag out of his briefcase that contained biscuits fresh from the oven and milk.
“Did you really bring food at work?” Kamila was flabbergasted and peckish as a sudden craving made her bite at a biscuit despite the embarrassment she felt.
“There’s more where that came from.” He nodded before returning to his station.
The sweet smell wafted through the room, making more than one stomach gurgle. Lith visited her every hour, bringing her more food and moving anything heavy for her. He even took care of her scut work to allow her to focus on the trials.
Kamila felt deeply embarrassed while her colleague gaped at a Magus acting like an assistant. The only silver lining was that with no interruptions and no fear of hazing, the pile of documents reviewed almost matched the one she had yet to examine.
“Supreme Magus Verhen, your presence is requested in the King’s Council Chamber.” A Great Mage in his fifties had walked up to Lith’s desk before giving him a deep bow.
“It’s time for my appointment.” Lith rolled up the blueprints in a single scroll. “Today we are going to discuss the Tablets. I don’t know how long the meeting will last, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He glared through the room, making sure that the message had been received.
