Page 14 of The Amber Sunburst

He steps through the columns and into a roofed but not enclosed marble hallway that stretches at least an eighth of a mile on each side before making a sharp turn where the next face of the triangle begins. Tall arches with curtains hanging down line its inner wall. Alexander suspects that if they were opened, they would reveal a courtyard.

Standing directly in front of him are towering, dark-wood doors covered in hundreds of carvings and symbols—a three-headed beast writhing under the grip of a man and a lion, a line divided into four unequal parts, a ship battered by waves—but the most prominent of them is the one he saw on the back of that boy’s tablet in the Third Arc. A circle with two crescent moons inside of it.

The wooden doors open with a loud groan, and a young man who looks startlingly like Bios steps outside. He’s already smiling when he leaves the building, and his smile only brightens when he sees the two of them.

“Councilman,” he calls, performing an obnoxiously low bow.

Bios rolls his eyes fondly. “Hello, Zeno.”

Zeno bounces up, grin right back on.

“So what’s the deal, sir? You were so cryptic in your messages,” he asks, leaning against the marble wall next to the door and then pushing off of it immediately because, “Forms, that’s cold.”

Bios exhales a tense breath. “Zeno, meet Alexander. He was just pulled up from the countryside.”

“A big change, huh?” Zeno shoots him a sympathetic smile not unlike the one Bios has been giving him all day. Then, to the Councilman, he asks, “So, am I giving him a tour? You didn’t need to be so mysterious about it. I give tours all the time.” He twists his head around to Alexander. “I’m an expert at them, really. Safest hands and all that,” he says with a wink.

Bios was right. Alexander already likes this guy.

“Yes. You’ll tour him and then…” He pauses, looking between Alexander and Zeno. “Then he’ll help you move your stuff to your new room,” Bios finishes hesitantly.

Zeno’s easy demeanor drops. “What?”

“You’re moving to a double room. And Alexander’s your new roommate.”

“What? I thought— I mean…” Zeno waves his hands around in an attempted pantomime that is entirely unintelligible.

Bios seems to understand it, though, because he sighs and says, “I know.”

“Why?” Zeno asks.

Alexander would be offended that this fun, silly guy is so appalled at the idea of living with him, but he’s observant enough to know that this isn’t about him.

“We’ll talk later, bud. I’ll send for you tonight, okay?” Bios says.

“Sure.”

Then Zeno turns to Alexander with a more subdued but still genuine smile.

Alexander grins back. “Don’t worry, dude. You won’t even notice I’m there.”

“Something tells me you’re not one to blend into the background,” Zeno says with a laugh.

“Awww. Are you saying I’m handsome?” Alexander jokes.

“Maybe. You should shower and then we’ll see,” Zeno teases back.

“Do I smell that bad?”

“Nah. You’re just a little disheveled.”

“I did walk up a billion stairs today.”

“Excuses, excuses.” Zeno shakes his head.

“Alright, go give him a tour,” Bios says, his eyes crinkled with amusement. He physically grabs Zeno—who gasps dramatically at the manhandling—and turns him to face Alexander.

“And remember to take him to the office, please, to get him all checked in and set up,” he calls as Zeno slings a friendly arm around Alexander’s shoulders and they start down the long hallway. “And make sure you don’t miss dinner, please.”