THE FIFTH: Chapter Fifteen, Part One

We are heading into some interesting waters now. The book is nineteen chapters and an epilogue, so we're in the home stretch! This chapter is a bit longer than the others, so this post and the next will be longer than usual.
Map, Glossary

SignsPART ONE
The royal house in Lacoria was a wide, clay tile-roofed sculpture that flowed up from the ground.  The arched windows glowed welcomingly, and a smiling, short woman bowed to Inokel as she opened the front door to admit us into a small room. ...