"True, but where's the fun in that?" Ralph asked, sounding more like his normal self to the point that Beth couldn't help but relax a little.
Which is partly how Beth could be confident that her friends were really back. Though, part of her wished that she'd have been able to accompany them given how annoying some of the explanation on what had happened was getting. She couldn't say that it was getting to be a problem, but it would at least keep things from escalating as much as she could see them.
Eventually they made it to their rooms and Beth entered hers without thinking, just wanting to get off her feet, but was surprised when her friends followed her into the room.
"Uh, need something? I thought you guys finished giving me the run down of what happened on your trip to check to see if you could find Charlie on the other side of the gate."
"Actually, we have some concerns about the person you're going to meet at night. You know, the one who has us… getting ready for that thing," Tim said, sounding almost too intent on the euphemisms he was using for what they didn't want anyone in the castle overhearing them talk about.
"Okay, so what's the problem?" Beth asked as she walked over to her straw mattress and last down on it, taking her shoes off so she could rub her feet.
"We were wondering if we shouldn't try to ambush this person when she appears next at your meeting," Hannah said directly. "That might be the best way to get out of this whole thing without actually having to make any attempt."
Beth sighed. "Yeah, I've thought about that, but the problem is that we can't be sure she's actually alone in this. Maybe she's the most dangerous person we're dealing with, maybe not. It's possible that there's someone worse who'd take her place if we did manage to eliminate her. Though, it's also possible that she'd take us out before we could even have a chance to get the drop on her. If that happens, we run the risk of all of us getting killed for certain rather than as a possibility."
"Wow, what a way to lighten the mood," Ralph remarked, chuckling as he spoke.
"What if we used the raptors to attack? It's not like she'd know who was attacking if we had them come out of nowhere," Hannah suggested, ignoring Ralph like Beth and the rest of their friends were.
Beth hadn't noticed Aerbris and Raeys enter her room with them, or even that they were around until they sat behind Beth, Aerbris gently rubbing Beth's shoulders while Raeys took over rubbing her feet.
Why they were doing that right then, Beth couldn't say, but she could see that her friends were as surprised by their actions as she was.
"Uh, maybe because we don't know enough of what the people on this world are capable of?" Wes answered before Beth could collect her thoughts from what Aerbris and Raeys were doing to her. "I mean, as far as we know, they have people who can use magic to tell who's using what magic at what time."
"Let's discuss this on the road," Beth said, struggling to not moan from the pleasure having her shoulders and feet massaged was bringing her. "We might be able to come up with something that will actually work, but since we still need to try and find a theatre troupe for our plan, we need to start now so we can make it to the capital on time for when I need to be there next."
"Maybe, but do all of us need to go? Couldn't we just send part of us and have the rest stay here and rest?" Ralph asked, his tone a half-complaint.
"Because if they sent a bodyguard for Kystia so Hannah could join us, I'm pretty sure she'll want all of us there," Beth answered, confident in her assessment. "Even if I'm the only one who meets with Red, then I'm sure they'll know if all of us are there or not."
"Who's 'Red'?" Amelia asked. Is that a codename or something for the shadow woman?"
Beth merely shrugged, which somehow worked itself into the shoulder massage she was getting. "That's what I've decided to call her. I mean, she has red hair, and 'Red' is a common nickname for someone with red hair."
As she explained her reasoning, Beth couldn't help but feel like she should have come up with a better reason, as it just felt like it was lacking in some way that she couldn't quite explain. However, she didn't care to discuss the matter any further. Not with how tired she was. The dance lesson taking so much of her energy that she'd much rather go to sleep right then than to discuss some of these issues with her friends. After all, they'd have the entire day to talk about it tomorrow.
"Anyway, would you guys let me get some sleep? I'm sure you guys are tired as well, but I'm especially worn out," Beth said out loud, trying to ignore the fire growing in her body from the ministrations of Aerbris and Raeys. "We can pick this up tomorrow, okay?"
Beth was happy when her friends acknowledged her request and agreed to it, each giving a quiet assent, aside from Ralph, who just nodded before following the others out.
The door had barely closed when Aerbris and Raeys started massaging more than just her shoulders and feet. In fact, Beth wasn't sure when they'd started taking her clothing off, though she couldn't say that she was resisting it. As for some reason, it felt like she was just as hungry for physical intimacy as her two lovers were. Not that she could explain why.
Just that the reasons she'd abstained from this close connection with her lovers just didn't seem important right then. Not when they were both enjoying the physical connection their lovemaking was giving them.
_
When Jenn reached the capital again, she felt dead on her feet. She would have liked to have taken a slower pace, but she knew that it would likely affect their chances of getting the contract if she did so. Not that she would expect it to affect it that much, considering her 'deal' with the queen about being able to treat the spotted plague.
She had made sure to bring a blue spotted mushroom, what she was pretty sure the queen had called a hisusi mushroom. She felt like it was fortunate that they'd been able to experience rain before they left, which allowed a fresh crop of mushrooms to have appeared just before they left the forest. As that way the mushroom would be as fresh as possible, making its effects work better than the one Jenn recalled using when she'd been a slave and had treated the spotted plague among the group of slaves she was being transported with before she'd even met Cithis and Haln.
Although, given how sensitive it seemed to be with the queen, Jenn kept it in a bag so it wouldn't draw as much attention. Which she had a feeling would make things more difficult in getting the mushroom to the palace undamaged if she allowed too much attention to be brought to it.
At the gate, before the guards did their inspection of Jenn's company, Jenn handed the bag to the guard with the note from the queen, ready to endure whatever it was that the guards had in mind in regards to searching them to make sure that there wasn't anything else that they were trying to bringing that would pose a danger to the queen.
"You seriously expect us to believe this note?" the guard asked, crumpling it up before Jenn's eyes. "Do you know how many times we get people trying to smuggle this in the city that we don't know a forgery when we see one?"
Jenn sighed. She hadn't anticipated this complication, but she was at least willing to bet that the guards weren't as smart as they probably thought they were being.
"Well, why not send word about the forgery then?" Jenn asked, willing to wait until word came back from the queen to escort them to the palace, or at least provide an escort. "We'll wait. As I assure you, that wasn't a forgery."
The guard looked like she wasn't sure how to respond, but after glancing at the other guards with her, she sighed. "If you want to dig your own grave like that, don't blame me when you start getting buried in it."
Jenn nodded, ready to listen to whatever the woman said. Just in case it turned out to be something important. After all, it was clear that these guards didn't have a method set down to verify things like the queen's signature on things that were on their contraband list. Not that Jenn found it very surprising, given how much of this world seemed to work.
However, while Jenn was eager for the guards to check out the note, it was clear that they weren't in any rush. Though, a line of people waiting to get into the city was forming behind Jenn, a line composed of those who needed to have things checked by the guards before they could enter the city.
"We'll wait right here while you go check it out," Jenn said, sitting down on the ground where she was. She doubted it would look good for the guards to let the line get too long without a reason.
"Hey, you can't sit down here!" the guard protested.
"Why not? You were going to go check on the note to see if that's actually the queen's signature, aren't you?" Jenn asked as innocently as she could. "I mean, what would you do if it turned out to be authentic and you just held it here like you have more authority than the queen?"
Jenn wasn't sure if she was throwing oil on the fire, but she couldn't see how she'd get burned if she was. As she knew the signature was authentic and was merely suspecting this guard was getting off on a power trip, something she didn't have the patience for right then.
Especially since she knew that she wouldn't be able to rest once they were admitted to the city, since the note clearly stated for them to be escorted to the palace directly.
Which meant that she might as well get whatever rest she was able to while she waited.
The guard looked like she wanted to do something other than what Jenn suggested, but it was clear that Jenn's words were warring with the woman's own desires.
As Jenn sat on the ground, eventually the others with her started to sit down too, much to the dismay of the guards before them. Jenn wouldn't be surprised if she got arrested for this, but at the same time, she knew that it would at least draw more attention to them, and just maybe they'd get someone who would actually take the note seriously rather than wanting to ignore it out of hand.
The only people she felt bad for were those in line behind her wanting to get in. Some were clearly wanting to sell things, while others were just likely needing to have their cart inspected before they could drive it into the city. Others were in line with no clear reason for being there, but Jenn had a feeling that she and her party were like that as well until they showed the reason for their waiting to the guards.
"Is something going on here?" a voice that sounded like it expected to be obeyed asked, causing the obstinate guard to snap to attention.
"No, ma'am!" the guard said, making Jenn think of the movies she'd seen about people in boot camp responding to a question from a drill sergeant. "Just some troublemakers who are trying to cause a disruption!"
"Well, I'd say that's 'something'," the new guard asked, one who had some insignia on her armor that the other guards didn't, which made Jenn suspect it was a sign of her rank.
The guard didn't seem inclined to respond to that statement, but Jenn thought it'd be a good moment to interject what was going on in her mind. "We're waiting here until someone goes to verify the authenticity of the note we brought from the queen. She made it clear that she doesn't believe its authentic, so while we wait, we're pretty much at an impasse."
The guard in charge glanced at Jenn, clear disdain on her face, but when her eyes returned to the guard she'd been talking to, she had a clear question in her eyes. "Is what this mercenary said true?"
Jenn could hear the disdain in the word 'mercenary', making it clear that she didn't like mercenaries and Jenn suspected that's the reason why that guard looked at Jenn that way.
"Yes, but I'd rather not have to deal with arresting people who just want to get arrested. I mean, they were trying to bring in a hisusi mushroom with the note claiming that they were to be escorted to the palace with the mushroom. Why would the queen authorize something like that?"
"It's not for us to determine why the queen authorizes anything! If you want to get a new position, just say it directly. You know what would happen if even the lowest member of the palace guard heard even a rumor of someone not taking anyone into custody who had even a forged note from the queen, don't you?"
Jenn wished she had popcorn. At the moment, it almost felt like she was watching a show or performance with how the guards were interacting. One brandishing her authority while restraining her rising anger over a guard that seemed like she was getting high on a power trip when she didn't have any true authority herself.
Jenn was pretty sure that she'd be able to get into the city soon, but couldn't say exactly how long that might take even now.
"Yes, lieutenant!" the guard answered, sweat starting to form on her face.
"Good. Now that you've volunteered to be the escort for these mercenaries to the palace, I'll take over here while you make sure that none of them wander off on their own while you show them the way to the palace."
The guard looked at the lieutenant, her disbelief written all over her face. While Jenn couldn't say that she liked the guard, she did feel a little bad for her that she was in this position, even though it was of her own making.
Jenn stood up at that moment, motioning for her company to rise with her. She wasn't sure if the guard would actually be expected to keep all of them in line by herself, but Jenn didn't plan on letting any of her Silverthorns leave the group. At least not when they were still on their way up to the palace. While it would likely help the guard that was escorting them, it was more that Jenn didn't want to deal with them coming to the palace later and making her verify that they were indeed part of her company.
Later, after they'd gotten the contract, Jenn figured they could be allowed to venture into the city and explore it to their hearts content. As at least then they'd hopefully have gotten something that would allow them to enter the palace or even know which gate they were supposed to use if it wasn't the main on. Or even where that 'other' gate was located in the first place.
As they were 'escorted' through the city, with the guard holding the bag that contained the hisusi mushroom, Jenn started to forget about her fatigue, and sore feet, and instead thought about what she'd be able to accomplish in this city. Though, there were a few places in the city that made her blood run cold, as they felt like she should remember them from somewhere, even though she knew she hadn't seen them before. Aside from one location, though she couldn't really even say if it really was the place that she'd seen in her dream where Beth was killed.
If it was, then she supposed those 'other' areas were likely from that same dream, even though she really only remembered the most about it from that last scene in it where Beth was killed.
Somehow, she could feel that the time for the dream was drawing near. She wasn't sure how or when exactly it'd occur, just that she was running out of time to figure out how to stop Beth from getting killed.
"Are you alright?" Embris quiretly asked Jenn as the palace gate came into view, as they walked around a building that had been blocking their view of it.
"I'm good," Jenn replied. While she felt like she might be sick from the thoughts of that dream bothering her, she did in fact feel 'good'. She wasn't sure if she'd be convincing of that, but she doubted anyone would challenge her when she said that. Mostly because she had a feeling most of those with her had their minds focused on what was coming up rather than anything else.
"If you need me to perform the demonstration, I can do it. I remember how Amelia treated me for the spotted plague," Embris said, making it sound like she not only didn't believe Jenn's assertion that she was 'good' but also giving her an out if she wanted to take it in regards to the demonstration that she knew was coming up.
"It's okay. I've just been dealing with a dream I had a while ago that just won't leave me alone. I'll be fine to handle the demonstration myself."
Jenn wasn't sure if that statement was enough for Embris, but with her being in charge, she knew that Embris wouldn't be able to do anything about it, especially since the second in command was Yaelish, and Jenn was pretty sure that she wouldn't dispute Jenn's decisions without a reason.
Also, while she had her reservations about sharing that dream in the first place, she trusted Embris to keep it to herself and not share it around, like she had a feeling Yaelish would. She could be wrong, but it seemed to be the best option right then.