Allesaria

The man Odessa killed came from Allesaria, connecting the hidden capital to the human experimentation involving Lyssa. Ransom intends to go there alone to convince King Ramsey Wolfe to stop the experiments, but he refuses to take Odessa because he believes the hidden capital is the last place in Calandra she should go.

Allesaria is the destination to which King Ramsey orders all troops not required to operate Ellder, and he orders Ransom to ride there with him immediately. The city is being used as the gathering point for military forces in response to the unexpectedly early crux threat.

The king's caravan passes through Treow before dawn and continues toward Allesaria after the residents are warned about the crux scout and supplies are gathered.

Ransom reaches Treow after Ramsey and the remaining Turan troops have passed through, and nearly everyone there has left to follow Ramsey toward Allesaria. The hidden capital remains the destination of Ramsey's moving forces, while its location and the purpose of the movement remain unresolved in this chapter.

King Ramsey goes to Allesaria before seeing the transformed body of the crux that attacked Ellder. His absence means he apparently receives no direct knowledge of the creature’s human form before leaving for the hidden capital.

A secondhand account says the approach to Allesaria is treacherous, the entrance is protected by a stone wall, and passage through the gates requires a blood oath never to reveal its location. Samuel has never visited the city himself, but the report gives Odessa her first practical account of how the hidden capital is entered.

Ransom gives Odessa a cuff that marks the road through Turah toward Allesaria, making it a practical means of finding the route to the hidden capital.

Ransom’s cuff appears to contain a complete route through Turah into hidden Allesaria. Odessa understands that the route is apparently protected by blood oaths and magic, yet Ransom has somehow worked around those protections; she is not yet certain that she is reading every marking correctly.

Entering Allesaria still requires secrecy that limits both maps and speech. Ransom says the blood oath protecting the city prevents him from explaining more, so the hidden capital remains inaccessible through ordinary directions as well as through its guarded physical route.

Odessa’s father suspects Allesaria may have been built to protect a Voster sanctuary that lies upon or near an orbit. He does not know whether the High Priest possesses an orbit or understands its significance. The surrounding mountains provided shelter during migrations.

Allesaria contains a library that held Sonnet’s Ninety, Luella’s research notes, and journals by other alchemists who studied the elixir. Its apothecary also held the mysterious black-leather book that inspired Luella’s monster-derived medicine, placing important alchemical records and materials inside the hidden capital.

Allesaria is treated as one of the kingdoms’ capitals, but Turans suppress casual discussion of it. Questions about the city make conversations die or shift direction, and Cathlin, despite having spent many years in Allesaria, does not reveal its location or a route into it.

Allesaria’s healers and best alchemist helped Luella resume her alchemical work after Ransom was no longer a baby. The city’s library and apothecary later supplied research materials connected to the elixir and monster-derived medicine, including Luella’s notes, other alchemists’ journals, and the mysterious black-leather book.

Cathlin says she spent many years in Allesaria, and King Ramsey Wolfe is identified as living there. Their connection makes the hidden capital a place associated with Turah’s royal household as well as with those who know more of the kingdom’s concealed history.

Ransom’s silence confirms Odessa’s suspicion that Allesaria is connected to the Voster’s place of residence or refuge. She wonders whether the Turans moved their capital there after the crux migration to protect or shelter the Voster, but neither possibility is confirmed.

Ransom’s family history also runs through Allesaria. His mother was living there when Ramsey found her with Mikhail, and Luella later traveled between Allesaria and Ellder while pregnant with Ransom and again when he was a baby.

Odessa’s father suspects that the Turans built Allesaria to protect the Voster sanctuary, which may lie beneath or near an orbit. He does not know whether the High Priest is aware of the orbit, but believes the Voster would defend the sanctuary with the full force of their brotherhood if they understood its significance.