The lone figure walked speedily through the open courtyard with the soft rustle of cotton rubbing against cotton as the only sound in the early morning air. The sun was still hiding behind the mountains in the distance, with only a small reddish glow peeking up over the horizon.
Most creatures were still abed at this hour or just rising to start their day. This particular creature, a young man dressed in blue cotton robes with his hood pulled low over his pale face and bloodshot eyes, had been awake for almost two days now and desperately wished for a night’s sleep. He knew that sleep was a luxury that would not be afforded to him, however, given the amount of work that he had.
He hurried down the quiet curving hallway, passing dozens of similar looking doors, each with a small nameplate affixed next to the frame. He finally stopped in front a door that was slightly ajar, took a deep breath, and raised his fist to knock.
“Come in,” came the muffled voice from within the room.
It surprised him every time, even though he should have been used to it by now. He pushed the door fully open, stepped in, and closed the door behind him. The room was laid out just the same as every other office in the building. Two wooden chairs in front of a rectangular desk and bookshelves lining both walls. Oddly, the shelves were devoid of any actual books and instead contained various knick-knacks and souvenir type items. Each one was perfectly spaced and free of dust and debris.
Atop the desk was a small, empty metal paper tray and three pieces of paper, everything perfectly squared and placed just so. Behind the desk, sitting in a wooden chair, was a small elderly woman. Her silvery-gray hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail that ran down her back past her waist. She wore a set of blue robes, similar to the man who had just entered her office, with the addition of a silver shawl settled over her shoulders. Her tanned face bore a soft, warm smile for her visitor and she nodded ever so slightly to indicate that he should take a seat.
The young man did so and waited patiently for acknowledgement that he could speak. The woman, for her part, simply stared in his direction, almost as if she were stuck in a day dream and were looking through him to some imaginary picture that only she could see.
“You are exhausted,” she commented, observing how he was just then stifling a yawn.
“No mistress, I…”
She cut him off with her soft yet firm words, “That was not a question. You are useless to me if you expire from sheer exhaustion. Even now, I must question your reports as tired eyes tend to make the worst mistakes.”
She placed her hand on the rightmost paper on her desk. “In yesterday’s report, you claimed to know where it is. I gave you twenty-four hours to prove it.”
The man nodded, no longer feeling sleepy as the adrenaline started to kick in. He needed to tread carefully from this point forward. “Yes mistress. I made that claim.”
“That you did, while no one else would dare do so with so little evidence,” she added, as if making a point for the record. “You alone believed that what we seek is still somewhere in that area, while all of the others believe we need to expend our scant resources looking elsewhere.”
“With some more time and some additional funds,” he began, stopping immediately when she swiftly raised her hand.