“I’ll return to my duty.” The guard shuffled away.
Trip sat on the floor in the windowless cell, nothing but some faded charcoal marks on the back wall for decoration, and spread his papers out. The only light came from a single lantern at the end of the hall—Trip couldn’t see it from his cell—but fortunately he didn’t need it. What he needed was a few dozen ingots of tainted iron, thousands of tons of regular steel, and a legion of workers to help him build his structure. He wasn’t sure how he would get any of that from jail.
Shulina Arya landed in the courtyard mere steps from the castle’s front doors. The guards poised next to those doors, along with eight others on the walls, pointed their rifles at Rysha and the dragon.
Trusting that Shulina Arya would protect her, Rysha slid off and strode up the steps. The dragon extended her long neck, and her head followed her up the steps. They gazed together at the guards.
“I request an audience with the king,” Rysha said. “I’m Lieutenant—Lady Ravenwood.” She decided being from a noble family would be more likely to get her an audience than being a lowly officer. Even if she’d passed the elite troops training, she was still just a lieutenant, one of thousands in the service.
One guard looked flummoxed and like he didn’t know what to do with his rifle. The other gazed back at her blandly, as if dragons landed in the courtyard on an hourly basis.
“Do you have an appointment?” he asked.
“No, this is an emergency.”
“The whole city is in a state of emergency. The king doesn’t have time for extra appointments. He’s got military advisors, contractors, and officials scheduled all day.”
“Will you at least tell him I’m here and let him decide? It’s a matter of security and safety for the entire country.” Rysha thought of the schematics Trip had been drawing, that he wanted to turn into a reality, and decided it wasn’t entirely hyperbole to say that.
“I’m sorry, Lady Ravenwood, but we’re just the door guards. We don’t address the king directly. That’s not our place.”
“Can you find me someone who does?”
“No, ma’am. We don’t address that person, either. We just keep people out unless we’ve been advised to let them in. And we haven’t been advised to let you in.”
“Only because the king doesn’t know I want to come in,” Rysha said, though she didn’t truly know if he would receive her. There were thousands of nobles in the country. Who knew how many pestered him on a regular basis? Though that damn Lockvale had certainly caught his ear quickly enough… “If you don’t let me in, I intend to wait here on your doorstep all day.” She tilted her head toward Shulina Arya to imply they wouldn’t have much luck moving her.
It occurred to her that with the dragon’s help, she could likely walk straight through the castle to whatever office or conference room Angulus was seeing people in. Would he appreciate such boldness? According to Kaika, it had worked for her once. She’d blown up an urn rather than strolling in with a dragon, but the tactics seemed similar.
“If you want to do that, it’s unlikely we can stop you,” the guard said. “Just don’t let your dragon trample the shrubbery, please.”
I have located your king, Storyteller. He is in an office outside of a bed lair, meeting with a pair of male individuals.
Is a bed lair like a bedroom?
I do not know. Dragons do not build rooms for themselves.
“Is Major Kaika in the castle today?” Rysha wondered if she could get an audience with her and through her, see Angulus.
The guards glanced at each other.
“We don’t know that information, ma’am.”
Rysha guessed they did but had orders not to gossip. Great.
“Then I’m afraid I must invoke the Feudal Convocation Agreement of 698, Section 12, Paragraph 13, sub-paragraph 3 where it explicitly states that in times of war, any noble may bring advice and advantages directly to the king and shall not be delayed in meeting with him. Anyone who seeks to delay such an important meeting will be subject to punishment not to exceed nine hundred days in prison.”
One of the guards scratched his head. “We’re not at war.”
“What do you call our relationship with the dragons who want to take over our country? I posit that we are most assuredly at war, at the least with the coalition that attacked yesterday, and perhaps with half of the entire dragon race.” She lifted her chin, doing her best to look righteous and far too authoritative to question.
“Uhm, you better check with his steward,” one guard told the other.
“Me? What’s wrong with your legs?”
“Yours are younger and longer.”
Shulina Arya, are you prepared to protect me and yourself from gunfire if I force my way inside? Rysha asked silently, worried this wasn’t going anywhere.
You are protected now.
Thank you.
Rysha took a deep breath, intending to stride between them, using her unarmed combat skills if need be, but one finally huffed and said, “Come on, Lady Ravenwood. I’ll check.” He lowered his voice to a mutter. “Don’t want to get stuck in jail.”
Storyteller, this guard is thinking unkind thoughts toward noblewomen.
That’s absolutely fine as long as he’s leading us to the king.
Shulina Arya shifted into human form so she could fit through the doorway. Fortunately, she didn’t appear with a scooter or roller-skates. He’s intending to take us to someone called Lord Millwood.
That’s the head steward, I think. The king would be preferable. Rysha hated the idea of asking the dragon to manipulate someone, but this would all go quicker and be easier if she could. Can you convince him that he truly wants to take us directly to the king?
Certainly. He has a meager mind.
Rysha decided not to ask what Shulina Arya thought of her mind.
“This way,” the guard repeated a few times as he took them through wide halls, past audience and banquet halls, and up a set of stairs to a series of personal suites.
Rysha had never been to this part of the castle and grew more nervous as they stepped into a carpeted hall lined with portraits of the former Masonwood kings. What would she do if Angulus truly resented this intrusion?
The guard stopped before a door and lifted a hand to knock, but paused, his face screwing up in confusion. Maybe he’d figured out someone—or some dragon—was manipulating him.
Rysha knocked before he could dwell on it.
It wasn’t until the voices inside stopped that she realized people had been talking. She hoped it wasn’t a truly important meeting. Maybe she would get lucky, and it would be Angulus and Kaika having tea together, and Kaika would make light of the interruption, ensuring Angulus did too.
“Enter,” a voice ordered. That was definitely Angulus. And his tone wasn’t inviting.
Do you want me to go first, Storyteller? Shulina Arya asked. The ire of human kings does not concern me.
No, thank you. This was my idea.