The next day Tien bought them to Lord Nian Zhen. The leader looked exhausted and frustrated with his inability to protect his people from a superior opponent. Thoroughly demoralized guards spoke to the frequency of the attacks.
The middle-aged man had lost the flatness to his stomach, and his face drooped a little on the edges. Yet, there was still power in his movements. He wore a stretch of cloth over an eye. Like anyone else with rank, his robes were elaborate and brightly colored, his bore cranes in flight among the clouds.
Tien cast his spell to allow the young couple to speak with the lord. Zinjo stood in silence next to Aurelia. "Do I bow here?" Aurelia asked Tien.
"You are a princess, and he is a lord. Your station is still higher than his," Tien seemed amused by her concern, "A
