Leo woke up to loud shouts. He heard the shuffling of stomps climb the stairs of the old inn. He heard Raynark say, "Careful! Don't break my tables! They're delicate!"
Leo grabbed the hilt of his sword, but Solomon, who was already up, shook his head and said, "Put it away. We won't need it."
Five soldiers rushed into the room. They donned steel armor that was painted gold, and their swords had gold hilts and scabbards wrapped in fine leather. They proceeded to slam Solomon and Leo to the floor, while they pointed their swords at their necks.
One more man entered the room. He wore no helmet, unlike the rest of the soldiers. The man without a helmet entered and placed his foot on Solomon's head.
"How's it feel dog?" the man said.
Solomon said, "Is this how you treat old men now, Arron?"
"That's Captain to you!" Said Captain Arron, "Remember it."
"You sure have rose through the ranks, huh. It wasn't too long ago that you were setting your bed too."
Captain Arron kicked Solomon in the gut and said, "Watch your tongue."
"Leave him alone."
"What!" said the Captain.
"I said leave him alone!" Said Leo.
The Captain scowled and said, "Kill the boy."
The soldier was about to cut Leo's neck, when the magic circle Solomon implanted inside Leo lit up. The clay walls moved instantly to protect Leo. Three rectangular pillars shot out and landed on the gut of one soldier, the shoulder of another, and the knee of the three soldiers surrounding Leo. The other soldiers rushed to attack Leo, when the Captain raised his hand.
The Captain said, "Halt and maintain formation!"
"But sir!" The soldier who was hit in the gut said, "He's a comrade of that Solomon!"
"I know," said Captain Arron, "But his majesty Ahab decreed that all earth magic casters would be recruited for the national project. That takes absolute priority over the matter concerning this Solomon."
"But!" another soldier said.
"Take them away." Captain Arron said, "Take them away!"
So, Captain Arron took Leo and Solomon, while Raynark watched them with a calm gaze.
Leo noticed that the surroundings changed. The houses appeared more and more extravagant as the arrest went on. Captain Arron chained Leo and Solomon at their wrists. He brought them through the town square with numerous shops and passing people; however, Leo noticed that the townspeople and shopkeepers had dead eyes. They lacked warmth. The younger generation in the town square stared at Leo and Solomon with traces pity; they still had warmth and a glint at the edge of their eyes. The older generation looked at Leo and Solomon with contempt. Especially Solomon. they stared down at him, with contempt and anger.
After Leo and Solomon left the plaza square, they noticed that the surroundings transformed into large villas and mansions. The mansions were made out of marble. Even more extravagant was the place before them. Four large marble mansions surrounded the place before them, and the place dwarfed the four large marble buildings. The place before them was the castle Leo saw in the visions Solomon cause, and Leo thought to himself, 'It must have changed, because it looks even more imposing than in the visions...'
Leo looked around. He noticed that they weren't headed for a prison like he initially assumed. No, they were led through massive pillars plated in gold. The hall had a width of sixty meters and a height of seventy meters. They saw marble and gold statues and silver accents on each statue. The statues depicted a handsome man. Leo noticed that the statues were in different positions. One statue held a sword like a conqueror with the blade pointed toward the sky. Another statue caressed a giant lightning bolt. The statue ignored the inherent danger of a thunderbolt and stopped it with a steely gaze. Another massive statue wrapped its arms around the necks of two giant bronze dragons. The dragons coiled around the the last pillars in the large hallway. Leo stood in awe of not the size, but he wealth. He had seen such size at the land of Seven Mountains at King Brimstone's palace, but not even Brimstone had the wealth necessary to plate all of it in gold, bronze, and silver.
Leo saw the end of the corridor lead into a court room. He saw the courtroom through the crack the giant opening doors produced. And on top of a throne, ten meters above the ground, he saw the man depicted in the statues sit with a smile on his face and sinister energy radiating everywhere.