The Giesbricht Canal was a fifteen-meter-wide waterway that flowed throughout the imperial capital. Water from the old K?n River passed through the western inlet, which in turn distributed the flow to three radiating "arms" and their tributaries. Bluish-green waters emptied to the extreme south past the Merchants and Foreigners' Quarter, where a floodgate also acted as a boundary marker of the city's expanse. One could see a shining aqueous cross that linked Blaurosen's four great sections if the city were looked at from above.
Blaurosen's southwest section was occupied by three of the most influential organizations of Kriemreich. The Church's grand cathedral stood at the near center of the sector. Many of its surrounding buildings paled in comparison to the regal red structure, whose highest tower stood more than two hundred feet. Its first four tiers were adorned with sixty-four statues of kings, saints, and martyrs that stretched throughout the fa?ade. Its flanks lacked the splendor of the face, which only had stained glass windows of various shades to offset the aged stone hue of the walls.
Past the cathedral's wide church were two exits that led to three other buildings behind it. On the left was a simple three-story building of the seminary, at the right was the slightly higher monastery that housed a minor bell tower and the Church's archives, and at the extreme south of the compound was the convent. The high spire housed eight large brass bells, seen on each of the four open faces. A tier below this housing contained fewer bells of varying sizes, the largest of which was only a third of the grand bells' twelve-foot diameter.
A little farther east of the Church was Blaurosen's military district, which was divided into various zones. The Imperial Field Police served as the frontline department for most issues involving military matters. Visitors and non-military personnel were given varying levels of access to the rest of the compound, depending on their purpose of visit.
There were no prominent buildings in the Armed Forces complex; most of them shared the blocky blue and white appearance that stood no higher than four levels. Armories were distinguished by their low, steely domes marked by four wide doors. Soldiers stationed at the capital were seen doing their afternoon routines on the parade grounds - a series of stretches and other warm-up exercises for the cadets, the usual patrol duty for most of the rank and file soldiery.
At the far left of the parade oval was Blaurosen's academy: a thirty-hectare compound of buildings. The narrowly arching fa?ade gave the main building its distinct plano-convex shape - a remnant of classical Delitian architecture before the First Continental War brought destruction to its age. Its marbled pillars stood for centuries, untarnished by age and maintained with unwavering dedication by each administration that handled the imperial school. A distinct whistle could be heard from the spaces between the columns, which usually made newcomers either astonished or disturbed by the air running around the compound.
Most of the students were attending their second classes at the time the sun was climbing to its apex - the only time when the wide-open lawn cherished the sunlight undisturbed. The capital's school has struggled to be on par with Kriemreich's other top academies situated in Luminberg and Schtolz. Whether or not the Ministry of Education would refocus on reestablishing the highest standards of the capital's academy remained much of a question.
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The watch over the K?n gates had been dreary for the past two weeks. A mix of fresh cadets and seasoned guardsmen spent much of the day moving in and out of the old battlements and attempted to break the silence through usual chatter, as their officers were not too keen on enforcing military conduct. Rifles were found leaning beside a soldier sitting on great stone slabs on the walls; some of these weapons were used as makeshift hat hangers while their owners let the gentle breeze caress their hair. The afternoon kiss of air proved its ability to overpower even the strictest protocols. There was nothing to watch out for beyond the gates other than the rolling plains and the hilly countryside farther away. Six watchmen got so engrossed in coffee, pastry, and casual chatter that they failed to notice a stray brown boat enter the open waterway.
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Not far from the old battlements was a boat that looked empty from afar; only a dark gray cloth took up most of the space. It ventured past far enough without attracting attention until the vessel reached the slightly busy sector west of center. Boatmen and passengers gave empty stares at the drifting vehicle but paid no attention to towing the wooden craft ashore and inspecting it. Its slow, undisturbed journey took the vessel to the quiet southern half of Blaurosen, where it bumped the foot of a bridge and settled there.
Creases formed on the gray cloth; it stirred more until the weak binds that fastened the sheet on the boat were almost thrown away. A black-clad male rose from the stiff mass of fabric. He looked around the place, popped out of the boat, and broke into a run. Ahead of him was a flight of stairs that would take the boy to the street. No time was wasted figuring out where the path to it was when he overcame the subterranean wall with one high jump. He got hold of the top stairway railing and tumbled into the open street, which then got the attention of a group of surprised loiterers who followed the boy with their stares afterward.
Much of the boy's time was spent looking around the city sector. His stomach was complaining when he walked near a small bakery. The scent of freshly baked pastry was too much for him to ignore. He went near the shop and noticed that the baker and his attendants were conversing with a few customers. He approached the displayed goods with little disturbance; in one swoop that barely made any sound, the loaf was stuffed into the boy's jacket pocket with little effort. The bakeshop personnel would be too late to realize that a piece of their merchandise went missing.
Rips and bites took away half of the loaf's length when the foreign boy passed by a wide compound. Curiosity took over, and his legs were guided to the interior. A powerful jump propelled the stranger to a dark portion of the campus. Whatever was left of the loaf was finished off before he moved out of the small grove.
Silence all over, except for sounds that came out of some of the rooms. He didn't know what those words were for, nor was he curious enough to sneak inside one of the closed rooms. It would have been too obvious - even if he hopped in from an open window. A few people dressed in knee-length robes and pants were patrolling the area. None of them seemed interested in going where the stranger hid. He darted from one building to another, spying on open windows of rooms where many youths sat down and listened to an elderly man or woman in front of them.
Stern faces, unfamiliar words and ideas, and the constant sight of bowing heads and writing hands: the boy didn't know what exactly these people were doing, but it looked interesting enough to watch what was going on. Absorbing thoughts on strange diagrams, weird numbers, and complicated wordplay tired him out; more energy slept in him with each passing room that offered no variety. His state of half-sleep was broken upon hearing the footsteps of someone passing in his direction. Three silent leaps bailed him out of the gloomy building and into the open grounds, where another robed man was on patrol.
"You there! What are you..."
The wanderer sprang into action with a sudden surge of speed. He leaped out of the academy fence with unnatural ease, leaving an astonished prefect behind, standing still on the academy grounds. The boy snuck through the alleys and streets without bothering to see if the robed men were behind him.
Half-screeching soles brought the runner to a low, domed structure that spanned almost two thousand square yards. Its outer domain was a small grove where ten or more figures tended to it. It was a mix of boys, girls, and women wearing the same clothes as those academy people in black, only that the skirt reached a few inches below the knee.
He entered the place much more easily than he did at the academy grounds. The low fence proved to be all too easy to jump over, and those tending to the trees were not as watchful as the prefects back at the school. A solemn ambiance hung in the main hall when he entered. Sunlight that entered the windows was broken into various shades of green, blue, or red, depending on the color of the glass and the figures etched on it. Rows of crystal lamps lit the hall ahead of the boy.
There was his desire to venture out deeper, but his doubts guided him back to the door where he entered. The group outside seemed to be done tending to the orchard and was returning to their domed abode. Two trees near the fence provided both a good resting place and a cover to be kept hidden. It was time for the boy to take another nap.
