The wanderer in the brown overcoat grasped the gist. 'Secrets.' Every speck of his face became aware of the stale air in the room.
Tresgon considered his answer as the Chief Guard waited.
With a heavy whistling breath knitted in a hidden sibilance to it, Tresgon implied an answer. "Given suspicion isn't enough for treating them as criminals, I did not put them in chains, or ropes."
Chief Guard adjusted a few papers on his desk setting down the cup as well. His thoughts collected itself in a neat pile. "Before the Greater Kingdom of Palre annexed many," he stole a peek of the boy in the brown overcoat, "kingdoms," he drummed fingers in a selective manner, one meant or known by warriors trained in Beret.
The wanderer noticed the drumming, in response he only tilted his head a nudge to the right.
"City of Erten had maintained itself many times as a city-state," the Chief Guard gave a knowing smile, "just like Beret."
Tresgon emanated confusion yet had a mixed range of emotions running under him. Lacvo caught every word with dreaded breath. 'I did not know that… too.'
"The Capital's Knight." Tresgon stressed. "Sir, I understand your want to talk to him, but the Capital's Knight," emphasizing the last with his head negligibly tilted forward, "would put us both on trial for delaying possible… crime."
"Delaying report of a possible crime," the Chief Guard corrected. "Hmm, have you, Tresgon," his right eyebrow rose considerations and implications running under him, "never attended a communications teaching?"
Tresgon glad at catching the Chief Guard's attention only shook his head, and was about to open his mouth to speak. The Chief Guard said, "Beret and Erten had a very extensive cultural exchange in regards to education."
The Chief Guard smoothly shifted in his chair to gaze better at the wanderer in the brown overcoat, "I apologise on behalf of the City of Erten that we had not followed up on that for the last decade." Every phonetic close to 'th' had a click riding behind as it was spoken.
Lacvo didn't notice it, Tresgon didn't catch it, and neither did the wanderer boy. The other two however, they did. It was unusual for them. Whispering as low as possible, the one behind the wanderer spoke to the other that stood behind Lacvo's left.
"Is that normal for someone from Erten?"
The other keeping his lips similarly as non-moving as he could manage like his comrade. "Erhu, what exactly are you talking about?"
"The clicks, Gyz."
Gyz considered as he signaled Erhu with a nearly imperceptible shake of his head to the left meaning to say to give him time.
The Chief Guard's next words did not carry any clicks following them. "How are Poliyru and his friends? Their class must have completed their studies some years back. We are truly sorry we were not able to send some fetching party." He chose to deteriorate his speech's language and intellectual value.
The wanderer understood what he meant but didn't knew another particular detail known only to the ones who studied under a tutor in an institute. "I have never met him." The Chief Guard did not show any change but took note of it. "But… Beret is gone."
The Chief Guard bent forward. His eyes fixed on the wanderer, and his elbows rested on his thighs with his fingers laced under the chin supporting it. "What?"
Boy had his mouth open, the words already half way through to forming into sound.
"Beret doesn't just go. It is not a city-state that makes a last stand." His words carried a heaviness in it. The Chief Guard stared deep into the wanderer's eyes and chose another fact to speak before confronting his presumption of the boy.
"Ashtrim is the city that makes a last stand." Silence followed. Tresgon only knew that their continent is called Ashtrim. To him getting to know of a city sharing the same name to the continent was new and weird. Lacvo's inner accomplishment at being learnt shattered. Erhu and Gyz both knew the two cities.
It was however the wanderer's confusion slightly leaking on his face that gave the final push to confront his presumption.
"You are an untouchable, aren't you boy?" He gripped his cup filled with warm water.
The wanderer realizing what could happen irrespective of the answer given. He knew it, he had slipped by things he shouldn't have missed.
The Chief Guard's grip tightened on the cup. "Come on, answer."
Tresgon and Lacvo did not like where this was going, at the same time they did not know what was happening and why. Both had mere inklings of the possibilities.
"Ta-ta-ta," someone knocked on the door to Chief Guard's cottage.
Containing his emotion driven by his presumption, he answered. "Come in."
Ropne opened the door and announced, "Chief Guard Urken, I have brought with me the Chief Guard Deno of south-eastern gate, Chief Guard Lina of southern gate, and Chief Guard Ger of western gate. The other nine Chief Guards are currently unavailable for attending."
Breathing in and breathing out, Urken said. "Bring them in." 'I only told him to get three of the chief guards.'
Deno had already stepped in. "We already sensed that you wanted us here so we made the trip before your subordinate could find us."
He was clad in a rusted red armour with a scabbard by his hip. The wanderer only thought of 'where is the sword?'
Lina stepped through after Ropne called out to her and Ger. Ger, following Lina, took his helmet off half way through letting it rest above his head by the support of the helmet's leather strap. His bleached black hair flooding out at random.
"What did you need us for?" Lina asked giving side glances to the five others not from Erten.
Urken being the older one chose to dismiss his presumption. He knew what it meant to be an untouchable in Ashtrim. But more importantly for him, Tresgon Lacvo, Gyz and Erhu did not had reacted to it. Not even in thoughts.
"Since, the Capital's Knight assigned to Erten had changed this morning and the new Capital's Knight is out with the other nine chief guards. We have to administer Capital's Realizing against Falsehoods for these four." Urken pointed with his cup. "Are you up for it?"