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Needless to say, we were still a bit on edge when we arrived at the gates of Merrik. They were tall, towering things, far greater than Fort Canid’s, made of polished stone and shining copper, enchanted to avoid any patina. It made quite a spectacle of wasted wealth.
How the city could be so opulent, so run over with riches while much of our country was struggling with day-to-day survival, was madness. We at the fort weren’t exactly struggling, especially not with the symbiotic relationship we’d worked out with the surrounding villages, but there were many parts of Camdaria that weren’t so lucky.
We passed through the front gates, but they weren’t heavily guarded, and it wasn’t like people were restricted from coming in and out. That was reserved for only the worst war times, and though things were fraught, they weren’t quite that dire.
Yet.
That could always change.
The roads were wide and offered several lanes for vehicles. For that matter, cars were much more common in our city than anywhere else in the country, with every third family or so owning one, and everyone in court owning a number of them. Horse and carriages were still used, but more toward the edge of the city where the majority of the common folk lived.
The ride through Merrik turned out to be longer than it ever should’ve been, but that was largely due to the traffic.The city was designed for beauty, not efficiency, with sprawling public gardens, plenty of statues, and buildings so bright, I was surprised they weren’t a driving hazard.
By the time we were finally to the inner gates and heading to the section designed for nobility, I was starting to get prickly around the edges. We were so close yet so far from our destination, locked in an opulent limbo.
Unlike the general gates to the city, this area was much more meticulous. One had to present ID, and if they didn’t have one of the official noble names of Camdaria, they had to use a special pass to enter.
I was worried I’d need to tell them exactly who I was and then the whole convoy would be aware of my secret identity. I knew they were likely to figure it out eventually, but I didn’t really want to start off our entire trip that way.
Thankfully, our driver just handed over a missive my uncle had written, and we were waved in. But our journey wasn’t over yet. We were in the noble districts, yes, but we still had to get into the castle itself.
That proved to be much more complicated as we trundled into the intake court a couple of hours later. I was acutely familiar with the space we used to magically test and scrutinize anyone who wanted to enter the palace proper, and knew it’d be hard to dodge someone outing me to my companions.
I quickly went up to what looked like their leader, squaring up my soldier as I did.
“Sir, please stand—”
“Scent me,” I said quietly but firmly.
“Pardon?”
“Scent me.”
He gave me a strange look, and I could tell his first impulse was to tell me to follow orders, but in the end he leaned in slightly. Maybe it was the alpha command in my voice, maybe itwas just the assuredness with which I spoke, but either way, his eyes went wide when he recognized me.
“Pr—”
“Ah, just call me Captain,” I said just as quickly. “I’ve been on a long-term mission for the crown, and we’re not quite ready to announce my arrival.”
“O-of course, Captain,” the man said shakily, his eyes traveling over my companions. “I recognize your beta as well.”
“What, Oren? Yeah, that’s him.”
“You may go in.”
I gave a nod and took a single step in before realizing Ayla, Darla, and Mad Dog were in the middle of being scanned and patted down, their IDs noted down on the tablet one of the attendants had. No doubt scanning for any criminal records.
I could make a scene and use my name to get them all out quicker, but it felt pretty antithetical to keeping a low profile as long as I could. Instead, I stood back and waited for them to finish up.
Once they were cleared, they walked over to me with a range of expressions. Mad Dog looked bored, Darla looked like she was concentrating hard on listening to something I couldn’t hear, and Ayla looked utterly miserable.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled, but this was likely the expression she’d wear in public for the foreseeable future. Hey, maybe it’d encourage people to leave her alone.
Ready to head in, I was surprised when another woman stepped out from a side building, two guards flanking her. She was smiling as she chatted with one of them, but her expression grew more serious as she drew nearer to the rest of our group.
Three more soldiers passed through the magical scans and joined us as the woman reached us.
“One moment,” she said. “I need to make sure none of you have malicious intent.”
