The city was massive, so much so that I started to feel a bit overwhelmed by everything. Skyscrapers lined a road that grew more crowded the farther we went. While most of the people walked around with some form of armor, Other had nearly nothing on, choosing io show off their scales and fur.

  Suddenly, a shadow flitted across the crowd. I searched for the sourd found that creatures and people were flyiween buildings. Without warning, one of them stopped. Its wings beat at the air as it hovered in pce, as if it was watg something. Without warning, it raised its hand. A nce of fire shot off into the distance.

  Xander must have felt my shift i as I tried to get a look at where the shot had gone, because he looked up. “Looks like Einrick is on guard duty today,” he said. I shot him a puzzled look. “That is the guy h there.”

  “Okay, but what would he be guarding against from there?”

  “You didn’t think that creatures and demons attacked the city from just the ground, did you?” one of our escorts scoffed. Xander shot him a look that shut him up. I watched the winged Einrick turn and resume his flight.

  I tio take iy and its people until a rge blue barrier caught my attention. “What is that?”

  “When a se is locked down,” the other escort said. Her voice was rough yet kind as she tinued, “A barrier is raised between the se and others to prevent people from just walking through. Now that doesn’t stop aermined people, but it does slow them down.”

  “If the se is locked down, how are we supposed to get through?” I asked just as a se opened up between two guards standing nearby. “Never mind.”

  Xander and the escort both chuckled as we tinued forward. This side of the barrier was nearly empty, save for a few people walkiween one building and the . With the ck of people, the trip through this se was much faster. We reached another barrier where yet another pair of guards opehe passage for us. This process repeated itself two times before we found ourselves outside a massive monolith made of some bck metal.

  The design was unlike anything else I had seen so far in this city. It almost looked like it was fed. Given the scale of such a project, it had to have been done by a giant. Why they would turn around and stab it deep into the ground was beyond me. My neck hurt as I tried to get a look at the point high that towered high above even the massive skyscrapers.

  “It’s a marvel isn’t it?” Xander asked. “Some say that it is what someone's SoulStourned into while others say that it was found here. I agree with it having been found here because it isn’t something we could ever make. Plus, it was here long before the SoulStones were given out.”

  Yeah, it sounded like some people were trying to e up with a better in story than “it has always been here.” I believed in the KISS principle myself: Keep it stupid simple – otherwise known as Occam’s razor.

  You would think that, with this being an obvious ter point for the city, there would be quite a bit of security around it. But, to my surprise, while people wandered around – some of whom watched us – none of them challenged us or asked ere there. Maybe they felt that a guy with a girl on his bad one following him was not a threat, or maybe it had to do with our escorts. I didn’t realize we were upon the door until we passed into the shadow of the structure. Given that the sun was setting behind me, we had been walking uhe structure for quite a while already.

  “Ah, Kai,” a voied from above. Something fell with such speed that it looked like a blur. It smashed into the ground a doze away. Both the floor and the humanoid looked nonplussed at the impact. My eyes traced the guy's draigs, moving inward to his very bare and very muscur chest.

  Xander growled, while Ginger squeaked out, “Pendragon, w-what are you doing here?”

  The man stepped past Xander as he made his way to Ginger. His voice dropped as he said, “You never did call me back. I almost thought you were avoiding me.” While she looked like she was about to hyperventite, Ginger didn’t back away as his arms ed around her waist. Her ears said that she was alert, but her tail was doing a jerky dance.

  “I thought you would want some space after what happened,” she replied softly.

  “Why would I want space after what we did?” His voice became a whisper as his head dipped toward hers. Xaurned and started a very brisk walk. I tried to keep an eye owo of them, but moments after their lips met, his wings encircled them both.

  “Umm…do I want to…”

  “Don’t ask,” Xander growled.

  “But…” his haly squeezed my leg in warning. I ged topics. “Do you know where yoing?”

  “Of course he does,” a oke as something rasped against the ground. “He es to visit quite often.”

  “Hello, Anya Nguyen,” Xander's voice lost its gruffness. It almost sounded like he was f his voito a more ral tone. “Did the cil call for you as well?”

  “What if I told you that I was here because I heard they called for you?” Anya’s body moved oddly as she got closer. Xaopped walking as something touched my leg. It wasn’t one of his hands – those were still ed under my legs. “It isn’t often that you make yourself avaible. I thought that this time I would take the initiative and e see what you were up to.”

  I looked down in time to see the tip of a scaly tail push between my leg and his arm as it ed around his bicep. His ck of rea was enough to tell me that they had some history. History I didn’t want to be caught between. History I didn’t want to bee a part of.

  As I uned my arms from his neck, I said, “Go ahead a me down here.”

  For a sed, his grip on my legs became tighter, not looser. “Yes, let her go so we talk in peace,” the woman said. As if her words were magical, he released my legs without a fight. I slid down his bad to the ground. I didn’t even have a ce to take a few steps before she ractically o-h him.

  As I finally got a good look at her, I realized that she wasn’t human. She was something like a Naga or a Lamia. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that, instead of the lower body of a human, hers was that of a snake.

  I didn’t bother to stick around to see, or hear, them. I tio walk along the smooth floor in the dire we had been heading before Anya stopped us. Somehow the memory of how she looked at him caused my heart to feel like it was being stabbed. As I wiped the dust from my eyes, I found my path blocked by a massive door. A door with a tiny winged person on the handle. She looked to be sulking as she sat there.

  “What do you want?” Her voice was high-pitched while her tone made her sound as if she was offended by my mere presence.

  “Um…” I holy had no clue what to say.

  “If you don’t have an appoi, SCRAM!” she bit out.

  It took me a moment to remember what they had called Xander. “I am here with Kai. He was summoo speak to the cil.”

  “If you came with Kai then where is he? Hmm?” She had a point.

  I gestured to the wall. “How about I sit here and wait for him?”

  “Nope,” her tone almost souhreatening. “Get out of here or I will call the guards.”

  “There is no need for that, Patulia,” Xander called from down the hall. To my surprise, he was alone.

  “What happeo Anya?” I tried to sound calm aral but her name came out a bit harsher than I meant it to.

  His eyes shot to me but I refused to meet them. “She was here to deliver her report.”

  His ahrew me for a loop. “Report?”

  “Yes,” his lips lifted in a small smile. “She is one of my direct reports. She didn’t know who you were or if you were trolling me.”

  “And now?”

  “She…” He let out a sigh. “Still doesn’t trust you. But she also won’t do something like that agaiime she will just ask for you to leave. Anyway,” Xander shot a look at the ti with wings. “I have been summoned by the cil. Open the doors so we get this over with.”

  “Fine, but she o gh the security check,” the little creature’s wings buzzed as she lifted off the handle. With deft, and clearly practiced, movements, she turhe handle and opehe door wide enough for both of us to step through.

  “Kai Ravenwood, Shadow Bde Guild Lieutenant.” A soft feminine voice filled the space as we passed through the door. “Kyren Vulpier, Unaffiliated.” The door behind us closed with a thump as the voice tinued. “Initiating security s. ons found. Cssification. Not a threat. Clear to proceed.”

  The wall on the far side opened up to reveal a well-lit room oher side. A few people sat in the chairs that were lined up along the wall, but otherwise, this side of the room was fairly empty. The other side was lined with table after table. Each of which held a person or creature. Most of whom were discussing this or that. Some even looked to be p over a map id betweeables.

  As we walked in, everyoopped to look at us. Well, let's be ho, they were likely looking at Xander. “Kai,” a soft male voice called from he ter of the tables. “Do you knoe have called you here?”

  Xander spoke as he strode to the pedestal that sat in the middle of the room. “I do.”

  “You still o read the charges out.” A mouse of a man squeaked from a er of the room. “Procedure ot be skipped, even if everyone here knows his guilt.”

  The first man sighed but didn’t argue. “Kai Ravenwood. You are being charged with crossing the barrier into the protected and trolled se of the empire without permission or restri. This is in clear viotion of Empire Decree D dash three y-seven dash B and Defense Provision thirty-two of the World Defense Pact. How do you plead?”

  “Guilty,” Xaated. I expected him tue up some sort of defe he stayed silent.

  “Are there any on the cil that would like to add anything before the verdict is rendered?”

  “I would,” a ghostly form spoke from one of the tables. The ck of light above it made the person hard to see and the soft voice made it hard to hear them.

  “The cil reizes Caspirian Lox’s testimony.”

  “Kai’s ued departure resulted in the discovery and dispatch of a demon. It also resulted in…” The voice faded to the point I couldn’t make anything out.

  I must have been the only one because the rest of the group acted as if they had heard his words. “That is true. Without him, we would have no idea that the barrier proteg the Empire had fallen. Is there anyone else?”

  No one spoke up or otherwise called attention to themselves. After a mihe first guy resumed speaking. “While the usual punishment for such a crime would be either a senten a mine or dispatch to the front lines, I think everyone here would agree with me that the information you provided is worth some leniency. I propose the charges be reduced to helping the cil iigate the capital and the fallen barrier for free. All those in favor say aye.” The room filled with ayes. “All those opposed, say nay.”

  The mousy man was the only oo speak up. “Nay.”

  “Kai, you are to report here in an hours time to discuss the particurs of your uping mission.” A soft whack sound filled the chamber. The sound nearly made me ugh as I reized the sound from various courtroom dramas. “Onto the …”

  “Hold on.” Came a gruff but distinctly feminine voice. “I wish to discuss the new arrival.” I shivered as multiple eyes swiveled to look at me.

  Xaepped in front of me, blog me from their sight as he spoke. “What would you like to know?”

  “I want to know why she was so important to you that you would risk our wrath because let us be ho, this was the best oute. Even for you.”

  Xander nodded. “That is true, but I don’t see how my punishment would make Kyren the cil’s business.”

  “Tell me, what team is she on?” A voice called from the side.

  “None.” People started to whisper as soon as Xander said that. “She is not high enough level to be weled into any of them. Ginger has volunteered to train and level her up so that she might be useful.”

  “Do you know what team she will end up on?”

  “Has she seen the oracles?”

  “How long do you expect her training to take?”

  The questio ing. Xander lifted his hands to stop them. “No. I don’t know any of that. I did not pn to take her to see the oracles unless I had no other choice.”

  “Pursuant to artiiy-one of the Paradox Earth Charter, all newers without suffit skills or training to enter a group must visit the oracles to get guidahe mousy guy sneered. “Would you like me to set up an appoi for tomorrow?”

  “Don’t bother.” Xander bit back. “I will deal with all that myself. Now, if that is all?”

  “Just remember to submit all her information to the o ter than the end of the week.” The mousy guy sounded almost pleased for some reason. Xander didn’t say anything. He pivoted on one foot to face me. With both hands, he turned me around and pushed me forward through the doors. The voice from before stayed silent as the doors opened and closed.

  As soon as we were outside the sed set of doors, he cursed. “Fug asshole.”

  “Who?” I asked as I had no clue what just happened.

  “Kevin. The weasel. He is a stickler for the rules. Especially those he had a hand iing.”

  “You mean the mousy-sounding guy?” Xander sputtered at my description while the little creature sitting on the door fell over as she ughed.

  “Yes, the mousy-sounding guy.” Xander said while the creature rolled around on her back as she kept repeating “Mousy…”

  “What did he mean by the oracles?” I asked, “Why would I have to talk to them?”

  “The oracles serve multiple funs for our city. Those who specialize in seeing an overview of the future help pn deferategies. Then there are those that specialize in far viewing. This includes those who see into other worlds. They are stantly assigo keep an eye on troop movements.”

  “And I am guessing that her has anything to do with me?”

  “You would be correct.” He said as he led us down the hall. “For that, we o see the group specializing in divining. Those that specialize in seeing a person's potential and I know just the person.”

  “Oh don’t tell me you are takio see Philipa.” Ginny’s voice spoke up from somewhere in front of us.

  “Wele back,” Xander smirked. “I see you mao get away from Pendragon.”

  I caught sight of her just in time to see her face turn a brilliant shade of red. “Yeah…about that.”

  The man stepped out from behind a pilr and ed his arms around the fox. “I think I will o keep this one close, at least until she accepts the iable.”