As River backed into the shadows of an alcove, Temmit quietly stepped the remaining ten paces to the door of the waiting room. Turning the gold handle of the ancient pine door he stepped through, and the small but elaborate sitting room beyond was nothing what he had expected.
First, Temmit had assumed the room would have another egress, as his assumption was that this room was an antechamber to a larger Quintescant office. It wasn't. He also didn't expect that a room serving the sole purpose of holding people "in wait" would be so lavishly decorated.
'Well, I've been wrong before,' he thought to Smokey.
Countless times in fact'. Smokey teased.
Looking around the elaborate room, he purposely didn't look straight at Marcus.
For it's small size, the room was full of things to look at. At it's center was a fountain that was shaped like a miniaturized version of the capital city. From the replica of the Spire and Church at the Fountain's center, a stream of water shot upwards from the head of the Spire. The frothing but clean water almost reaching the ceiling of the room before cascading down onto the "city streets" below, running between the various districts and city walls and buildings before reaching a grate in the floor at the inner edge of the outermost Fourth Wall.
The floor around the fountain was a carpet embroidered to be a detailed map of the kingdom. Although the wall-to-wall floor art was not to scale due to the room's small size, each village, and geographical point of interest seemed to be represented by the colorful thread.
At the floor level, the room perimeter was guarded by relief carvings along the four walls, the Holy Flame Barrier along with it's tall torches and guard towers cleverly represented in the stonework.
Also along the top of the wall opposite him, Temmit was dazzled by the two-foot tall stained glass runner that swept the length of the room. The rays of light through which created prisms of color to reflect about the room.
Five benches were about the room close to the walls, each marble artfully carved into the likeness of an open knapsack, a shield and a sword resting at the edge.
A boy was sitting alone on one of these in the opposite corners. Temmit allowed his gaze to slowly rest upon the boy and then with equal casual attitude walked over to him.
The boy look a year or two younger than him, kind of thin with a mop of black hair. (See picture below) He wore his school uniform, and apparently he was with the Harvesters House, Temmit recognizing the pitchfork over wheat symbol.
Temmit sense that he had been looking at him since he entered the room. As he walked over to the bench he sat on, the boy raised his hand in greeting.
With a smile Marcus said, “Hello.”
