Before we knew it, we passed through the Emerald Mountains. Beth and I leaned over the cart, eagerly staring over the horizon as we reached our destination. Greenspring was more subdued, but I could tell he was excited. Nia glared at the glimmering city of gold that towered over us in the distance.

  “Welcome to Adelbern.”

  Adelbern, the capital city of the Kingdom of Denning. It bordered the Kingdom of Raford, where I’d spent most of my life. The city seemed to be made out of gold, reflecting the sun back at us as we came closer. Unlike any city I’d been to before, the buildings in Adelbern seemed like mini castles. Each was more magnificent than the last. A massive metropolis that housed people from every walk of life.

  Behind the city, I saw the ocean for the first time. It shimmered and shined just as bright as Adelbern. We were too far away to see any boats, as the harbor was hidden by the city proper. The Denning Ocean connected Adelbern to the world, bringing with it unimaginable wealth. The harbor, though famous and connected to the city, wasn’t actually owned by the king and queen. Piopus told me that, though he failed to tell me who owned it instead.

  I was entranced by Adelbern’s beauty. A large wall made of smooth marble surrounded the city. It was as big as three houses, another sign of the kingdom’s wealth and power. Perfect, not a flaw visible no matter how close we got. When I pointed this out to the group, Nia scoffed.

  There was a station for the guards to inspect incoming carts built into the walls. They smiled at us as we approached. While I wasn’t very well traveled, I knew these guards didn’t look like normal guards. Instead of wearing armor, they wore red robes emblazoned with a golden symbol of a scale with a sword on one side and coins on the other. Returning the smile, I stopped the mules in front of the station. The wheels squeaked loudly as they slowed to a stop.

  “Hello,” I said to the guard who walked up to us.

  “Well met,” replied the guard. She was a human with umber skin and dark curly hair. Unlike the other guards still standing by the gate, her robes had a silver trim. Her voice was soft, but still clearly audible. “Reason for your visit?”

  “We’re here to visit a friend. Though I must admit that I don’t know where in the city they are.”

  “How long will you be staying?”

  I shrugged. “A few days, I imagine. We’re not really sure.”

  “Ah, I see,” said the guard. She turned her head toward the rest of us. “All of you?”

  “Indeed,” replied Greenspring, leaning over my shoulder.

  Nodding, the guard turned back toward the station. “Wait here.” Even though she’d turned away from us, I knew we were still being watched. You didn’t get a city as nice as this one without a strong policing force. Pop told me that. After a short discussion with the other guards, she came back.

  “It’s one gold per person,” said the guard, handing me a scroll from a bag on their hip. “And we’ll need to check you and your mules for disease.”

  I handed the scroll to Beth, who skimmed through it. “Of course,” I replied. “Take as much time as you need.”

  While Beth read through the scroll, the guard walked toward the mules and held out her hands. They waved through the air, as she whispered in an arcane language. I recognized a few words, but I couldn’t understand every spell she was casting. Some were for detecting diseases, while others seemed like nonsense. It wasn’t like the spells Piopus taught me, nor the spells I learned from Gunner’s illusion book.

  I felt a heat flow through my body for a second as she waved her hands toward me. It started in my toes before making its way to my head. Once it was done, the guard moved on to the next person. When she got to Nia, she paused.

  “Have we met?” asked the guard.

  “No,” said Nia, turning her head to avoid looking into the guard’s eyes.

  “You look familiar…”

  Greenspring leaned toward the guard. “Am I next?” he asked.

  Shaking her head, the guard finished checking Nia and then moved on. I tried to meet Nia’s eyes, but she was still looking away with a blank expression on her face. Silently, I prayed to the gods that this wasn’t a sign of further trouble. We hadn’t even got inside the city yet and I already felt like I’d had an adventure and a half.

  To my surprise, Nia pulled out her money purse and paid for each of us. I offered to pay for me and Beth, but she refused. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Think of this as thanks for helping me save Tamara.”

  That was fine, I didn’t really want to pay the fee in the first place. “Thanks.”

  “You’re all clean,” said the guard. She stepped aside and gestured to her fellow guards to open the gate. “Welcome to Adelbern.”

  “Thank you, Ms…?” Beth let her voice tapper off.

  The guard smiled. “Advocate Despoina.”

  As I urged our mules forward, Beth waved to the guard one last time. “Thank you, Advocate Despoina!”

  The inside of the city was just as nice as the view from outside. Streets paved with smooth stones were surrounded by tall buildings on both sides. They towered over us, blocking the sun from reaching the ground unless it was high in the sky. Street lamps illuminated by magical fire lit up the streets.

  The people of Adelbern were as massive and fit as Nia. They wore heavy fur clothing with giant swords or axes strapped to their backs. Even the children that walked with their parents looked like they hunted bears for fun. Though we stared openly at them as we passed, they waved kindly at us. It was surreal to see.

  When I turned to mention the similarities to Nia, I saw that she had an unpleasant look on her face. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “It’s nothing. Let’s find Zadona so we can leave,” she replied, folding her arms.

  “I am surprised you came at all,” said Greenspring. “It must be uncomfortable to be home like this.”

  “Home?” asked Beth.

  “It was,” said Nia, the venom in her voice ending the conversation before it could really begin.

  I turned forward, focusing on the road in front of us. While I didn’t know much about Nia’s past, I could understand her feelings. Living in Xalir hadn’t always been pleasant. If it wasn’t for my family, I would have left Xalir a long time ago. Still, I came to Adelbern to help out my friend. No matter how long it took, I would help Zadona.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Of course, I had no idea where she was. So we drove through town for a bit as we looked for an inn. We passed by a few places of interest, including a poster for an upcoming wrestling match, but nothing that looked like an inn. I almost asked Nia for help, but I figured she was upset enough as it was. The further we entered the town, the more irritated I was becoming as well.

  Thankfully, everything was about to change.

  A middle-aged man wearing red robes with a silver trim stood on the side of the road. His dark brown hair was combed and trimmed to perfection. In the sunlight, thin grey hairs could be seen amongst the brown. Weary blue eyes peered at me, seemingly examining my every feature. He smiled, but that smile never reached his eyes. In spite of his age, the man was quite handsome. Hanging from a necklace around his neck was an amulet with an image of a golden sun surrounded by three rings. A symbol of the Lawmaker’s Assembly.

  The Lawmaker’s Assembly is the church of Charisse, goddess of law and order. Large cities such as Adelbern hired members of the church to work civil jobs. I only knew about them thanks to Piopus. As a bard, it was important for me to know about religions and other cultural habits. After all, people love hearing songs about their gods.

  The golden sun surrounded by three rings wasn’t the only symbol of the Lawmaker’s Assembly. Members who wore that symbol worked in judicial positions of the church. They oversaw criminal and civil cases. There were two other symbols of the church: a scale with a sword on one side and coins on the other, and a woman’s face covered by a blind fold.

  It was at that moment that I realized why the guards at the gate were so different, they were also members of the Lawmaker’s Assembly.

  “Norman Benson?” asked the man as I pulled up to him. Unlike the other denizens of Adelbern, this man was about my size.

  “How did you—”

  “I received word that you and your companions were in town. I’ve been sent to greet you personally. Though I must say, I expected you to be waiting for me at the city gates. Did Advocate Despoina not receive my message?”

  “And who are you?” asked Greenspring.

  “Ah, forgive my manners,” said the man, bowing at the hip. “My name is Advocate Richard. But you can just call me Richard. It is an honor to be in front of such esteemed guests.”

  “How much do you know about us?” asked Nia, glowering at Richard.

  His smile wavered for a brief moment. “Only what I have been told.”

  From a nearby alleyway, another figure approached. “Don’t worry, all your secrets are still your own,” they said.

  Unlike Richard, this figure seemed better fit for the region. She was around Nia’s size, but it was difficult to tell at a glance. Her bright blonde hair was braided into both a ponytail and a crown on her head. Pointed ears told me she had some elvish blood, but she wasn’t a pure elf. Her skin was pale, with rosy undertones that seemed to highlight the best features of her face.

  She wore similar clothes to Richard, though hers seemed to be of a higher quality. Instead of a silver trim, hers was golden. Even so, Richard obviously kept his cleaner. When her green eyes met mine, I saw great joy. I wasn’t sure how to react to that, so I just smiled politely.

  “I can’t believe it’s really you,” she said. “The real Norman Benson, here in the flesh.”

  “This is Adherent Valna,” said Richard. “Like me, she too is a member of the Lawmaker’s Assembly. The head of the church, actually.”

  “It’s an honor and a privilege,” said Valna, stepping forward to take my hands into hers. “I’ve heard tales of your adventures in the Sapphire Mountains. It must have been awful working for that tyrant for so long.”

  “Indeed,” I replied, unable to hide my giddy smile. “I’m just glad to have my family back.”

  “We’re so glad Norman is back,” said Beth, placing her hand on my shoulder. Her wedding ring gleamed in the sunlight as she squeezed my shoulder. I immediately let go of Valna.

  Mimicking Beth, Richard grabbed Valna’s shoulder and pulled her back. “We have prepared special accommodations for you and your friends, Norman. However, I am afraid we cannot host all of your friends.”

  Valna frowned. “We are under specific orders to keep… certain guests away from the others.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, frowning at both of them. “Is there not enough room?”

  “Well—” started Valna.

  “My apologies, Mr. Benson,” said Richard, interrupting Valna. “But our orders are clear.”

  Valna broke out of his grasp. “This is breaking protocol, but I don’t care. Norman, if you would like, I could host all of you in my own home.”

  “Valna!” hissed Richard. “Our orders are clear.”

  “Do not forget your place, Advocate,” said Valna. “I understand our orders, but unlike you, they don’t bind our friends here. The four of them are free to take my offer, or take his.”

  Before I could say anything, Greenspring spoke up. “I imagine the problem lies with me?” Neither Richard nor Valna answered him, but their expressions made it clear he was right. “Then I appreciate your offer, Adherent Valna, but I would not want you to cause trouble for me.”

  “Nonsense,” she replied, her face stern. “You are a friend of Norman. It would be an honor to have you stay with me.”

  I looked to Beth and Nia who nodded back at me in return. “Very well,” I said, turning to look at Valna. “We shall stay with you.”

  “Wonderful!” exclaimed Valna, clapping her hands together.

  “I must ask you to reconsider,” said Richard through gritted teeth. Fear was evident in his eyes.

  “It seems to me like their minds are made up,” said Valna with a smug grin. “Come, I’ll lead the way.”

  With that, we left Advocate Richard on the side of the road.

  Valna lived closer to the center of town. Surrounded by tall buildings on all sides, her home appeared very modest. In actuality, it was larger than my own house. More like a mansion than anything else. Unlike my house, the outside featured no greenery. It had a plain white exterior, but it appeared very clean. Thank the gods there was a small stable nearby for our mules, so we didn’t have to worry about them.

  Before we could even walk up to the front doors, two servants opened them and bowed deeply. They were both male, dressed in clean black tunics with white gloves. Compared to the other denizens of Adelbern, they seemed small. Both of them were still larger than me.

  “Mistress Valna, welcome home,” said one of the servants, still bowing at the hip.

  Valna laughed. “Roger, you don’t have to do that, remember?”

  “It is my duty to greet the—”

  “Stop,” said Valna, helping both of her servants stand up straight. “I don’t pay you to treat me like that. I pay you to clean my house.”

  “Which we do quite well,” said the other servant.

  “Indeed,” replied Valna.

  The inside of Valna’s home had wooden floors covered with imported rugs from the far reaches of Strabora. Tables lining the walls were cluttered with letters and legal documents. In a way, it reminded me of the clutter of my own home. For the first time since arriving in Adelbern, I felt at ease. Valna led us through her house, explaining each of the paintings hanging on the walls. Beth grabbed my hand and held it tightly as we walked. If Nia or Greenspring noticed they didn’t comment on it.

  Since Valna’s house was so large, we were each able to have our own rooms. All the rooms were on the top floor, all of them pouring out into the same thin hallway. On the floor below that was the kitchen and laundry rooms. Small chutes were built into the walls for disposing of dirty clothes.

  Beth and I stayed in the room next to Valna’s. According to her, it was the best room in the house. Though after getting a glimpse of Valna’s room during our tour, I had to disagree. Still, it was quite nice. I couldn’t believe how nice Valna’s house was, nor how wealthy she was. The Lawmaker’s Assembly was a large church, but I never considered how much coinage they brought in.

  At the end of our tour, we sat down in the dining room and ate. Valna’s cooks prepared us a selection of rare seafood and fresh salads, with aged wine to wash it all down. It was delicious, but I could tell the others weren’t so entranced—Nia most of all.

  “Excuse me, but why exactly are you being so kind to us?” asked Nia, glaring over the table at the blonde elf.

  Valna frowned. “You’re friends of Norman. Could there be any other reason?”

  Greenspring leaned over the table, his elbows leaving a smudge of dirt on the once spotless tabletop. “We believe the person you work for sent Norman a letter requesting an audience with him. While we appreciate your kindness, our encounter with one of his other cohorts has left us shaken.”

  “Richard? What did he do?” asked Valna, anger flashing across her face for a second.

  “Not Richard,” I said, holding up a hand to calm her down. “But before we get into all of that, I have one question for you. Who do you work for?”

  All the sounds in the room seemed to drift away as Valna said, “Lord Trafford, of course.”