The hard wood of the chair dug into Maren. Unlike her drafting chair, this chair defied its purpose, rejecting the idea of comfort wholly. She shifted. The chair remained hard. She glanced down at her watch which reminded her of her importance. Twenty minutes past the hour yet the door in front of her remained shut. Dust settled on her shoulders while fine cobwebs draped over her eyelids. Shadows rose and fell again a thousand times over until they stopped altogether, the sun now a permanent fixture in the sky as it burned the planet to a husk. Golden light blazed upon her desiccated corpse as the doorway to Heaven swung open.

“Maren. Hey, Maren, we’re ready for you.” She snapped to and saw her boss standing in the doorway. The fog cleared and the indents in her body ached again. Gathering her notebook and a smile, Maren exhumed herself, following Taira into the office. In the left-hand chair facing the desk sat a man with a golden map pin upon his collar; the suit seemed too fine to puncture with even the Guildmaster’s insignia. He nodded to Maren as she settled into the other chair. Taira spoke as she took her place behind the tidy desk.

“Tolver and I were just discussing the details of this assignment. This is the largest expanse of territory we’ve ever added to Cyrinth, so we’re pulling in all our available resources.” After a short hesitation, she continued. “Tolver has requested to personally lead this team, one last project before retirement.”

Maren hid her surprise well, but was troubled by the old man reading her thoughts. “Yes, yes, I know. It will be quite the journey for these bony knees. It cannot be helped, my heart leaps at the thought of one last excursion into the unknown!” He leaned over the side of his chair, addressing Maren directly. “Did you know there are no maps of Henton? None at all! Shan said as much after he returned! Yes, yes, their delegation when negotiating the treaty wanted to see the natural resources their land had to offer, but the Hentons said they didn’t understand what a map was at all! Ha! How does a society even function without maps, much less not knowing what they are! Alas for Shan, yet my heart lightens at the thought that we shall be the first ever to put their land to page! Ah, forgive me, I am in a fever over the opportunity. Please Taira, continue.”

Her eyes betrayed her smile, as it seemed this was not the first rant Tolver had put her through today. “While we will be pulling in all available resources for this project, that does not mean all resources are available to us. However, you have shown resilience and we think this will be a great chance to prove your capability. You will be Head Draftsman for your team. We need physical, topographical, and resource maps. You will report directly to Tolver for the duration of the project. More details will come soon, along with the members of your team, but do you have any questions at this time?”

Maren met Taira’s polite smile with her own. “Well first, I want to thank you for thinking of me. It will be my pleasure to serve Cyrinth and The Assembly. When is the project set to start?”

Tolver answered this with glee. “Two days after tomorrow! We are to set out in a cloud-cruiser that will take our company as far as Aldoven. From there we’ll ride upon the backs of horses and mules until we reach our camp in Henton, a little over 50 leagues. With the mountainous terrain ahead of us, we should expect a little over a week-long journey. How marvelous, though I can already feel the weariness in my bones! It shall be a test indeed, yes, yes.”

A cloud-cruiser! Maren thought. Well-funded indeed. And highly exposed. A great opportunity…or the last nail in the coffin. She smiled first to Tolver, then Taira. “Well then, I better pack!”

Maren’s gaze flitted across the rolling hills of green and white as they entered Aldoven. Her fingers wound tight around the steel rail, though falling from the great height was not what currently occupied her mind. Instead, she saw herself riding alongside the airship, out in the fields upon a massive horse. Unseen creatures attacked and fell by her invisible blade. The stench of sickly iron emanated from her sticky clothes; she didn’t need to check if any was hers, she knew she stood untouched. In their defeat, the creatures fled back to their domain under cover of the hills. A mighty cry came from Maren’s mouth as she-

“Oi, eh Maren. We’re settin down in an hour. Best get yerself situated, uh huh?” Maren broke from her trance to look down at Reed, who returned her strange gaze. A heat spread into her cheeks and she was sure they turned a shade darker than Reed’s curly hair. His stout stature reminded her of a marigold, but with the temperament of a boar.

Maren nodded. Reed grunted and turned back to start packing her things. Before she followed, she looked south to Henton and the Red Mountains that seemed to crouch inward towards the land, shielding it from outside eyes.