"Vaya toj, pra kanho ja šmala čuŭ?" She asks me directly, as if knowing that I will understand, expecting an answer.
And I give it to her.
"Jana josć i vieĺmi radynaka sustrecca z vam," I reply with a bow my head.
"I think you are mistaken," she says in Ramien. A language native to Armathis, the Prime Province. My home. "I think it is I who should be honoured to be in such a presence."
I try to mask my surprise.
"I came here to deliver a message personally. The Kumentah requests an audience, and I am here to take you to him."
***
The Tigress and her handmaidens escort me to the Kumentah's dwelling. But to my surprise it isn't in some extravagant throne room or sumptuous hall. No, we go deep underground, deeper than the falls, to abysmal depths of sheer obscurity. At a colossal threshold, the Tigress and her entourage remain where they are.
The Tigress says that this is part of the journey I must complete alone.
