Clearly a new addition, it was out of place among the centuries-old oak doors in the brick hallway. Not ten feet away, the arched wooden entrances to the cider and wine cellars were marked by intricate engravings of vineyards, orchards, and harvest scenes. The two guards in their crisp black uniforms also seemed an oddity in this half of the old hotel’s basement. Unlike with the gymnasium and steam rooms on the other side, these hallways were empty of life, aside from Sespian and the guards, guards he didn’t recognize and who might not be inclined to let him pass.“Good evening,” he said. “Are you here to keep visitors out or samples of plants in?”“Yes,” one guard said, no hint of humor on his face—or suggestion that he possessed a sense of humor at all.Sespian hadn’t seen Mahliki since their battle with the plant on the warship, and he wanted to make sure she hadn’t suffered any injuries, physical or otherwise, from her brief internment beneath the surface. He also had to admit he was worried about all those samples she had taken.
