Herald

Written by George Sanders

The door opened and closed fifteen times before the guild master called Esen's name. Twice, the door barely latched before another hand pulled on the lock. The door emitted a pulse of divination energy each time a hand touched it. An ethereal voice chimed in after the pulse, "Speak to enter." The door only opened for guild members. Esen sat in a hard wooden chair near the door. He leaned away from it, trying to avoid the constant pulse.
"Esen," the guild master repeated. " are you here?"
The man's dress had more buttons than Esen had ever seen in one place. A long feather attached to the man's hat rippled and bounced as he spoke. Esen stood up slowly and raised his hand to acknowledge the question.
"Ah, there you are. Come on, we don't have much time." The guildmaster directed him to an office in the back.
Esen passed eight desks with people busy transcribing announcements for the day. They weren't writing. It was more like they were practicing their lines in a play. A magic quill did the transcribing while they prepared their performance. The stack of parchment on each desk grew larger and larger until the heralds had enough handbills for their routes.
As Esen walked through the composing room, a woman came out of a side room with a long table and a thin cabinet filled with hand stones. The stones were engraved with the guild symbol and held two enchantments. One that magnified a herald's voice and the other that worked like a stamp. A handbill would be put on a surface. Then, the hand stone was pressed against it to seal it to the surface.
"Alright, crew, insight check time!" The woman gathered the heralds together around the front desk. "What have we learned about the council's decision to double the city guard?"
That was the only question Esen heard as the guildmaster closed the office door. "Esen, please, have a seat."
This chair was cushioned and had a tall back. The room was filled with trinkets and knicknacks. Anywhere there wasn't a figurine or crystal, there were papers and ledgers. Books were stacked on the floor as no room remained on the shelves. It was overwhelming. Esen's heart pounded as his first day on the job officially started.

Geetings Reader! Let's explore a little of the daily life in Etonia. My goal this month is to complete thirty 300-500 word peeks into key moments that put the city's factions, backgrounds, and locations of interest on display. Read each story on my World Ember challenge page and see you on the streets of Etonia!

Books by Gege

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