Dim Prisons and Drakes, chapter 55.

Here we are. This one is likely the last one of the month I'm working on another chapter, but we shall see how well that goes. Either way, please enjoy:

Finally. The city was huge, and I'd been here before, but the last time D.C. didn't have a wall. The wall was a good twenty feet and looked old, made of scarred stone that had more than a few knicks and divots taken out of it. The mortar looked new.

The line of traffic going in and out? That was typical D.C., even if the cars and trucks were long gone from the equation.

Carriages and carts there were aplenty of course, which meant the expected: "Aw, dammit!"

Leave it to Matt to find the horse crap we all knew was there. I couldn't stop the grin as he tried to scrape the mess off on the grass.

The line was slow, but it was moving. We'd get there by mid-day or slightly after, and surprisingly enough, no one was complaining. My guess is that the serial complainers were too busy taking the changes in, like I had.

The most important change was the smell, of course. While D.C. was never the most pleasant smelling city, I could smell it from here; it smelled like tanneries and sewage in the growing heat, with a random brewery or two thrown in.

I'd be using some chemistry to cut that very soon. If I could smell it from here, it was worrisome. The sewer here was a typical city one last time, so it shouldn't be this... fragrant from half a mile away.

With Poe in the air, I could see how the city sprawled, and it wasn't that different, at least in general layout. All the monuments were there, but the White House was a palace, and there was a castle... was that supposed to be fort McNair? I think it was... it commanded the river, no the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. Roughly in between the two, what could only be the Smithsonian, and it looked like I remembered, at least from this distance; even the zoo was there.

The gardens looked a little different, but I didn't want to get too close; all it took was one trigger-happy hunter or mage to put Poe in trouble. Best to keep my distance and not even risk it.

We closed, another few steps as a cart passed the security check by the gate and went in.

"Sigh." Matt sighed.

Right at the same time, Randolf muttered: "This is taking forever!"

They shared a rare look of commiseration between them, then pointedly both looked away.

At least we had enough money for this stay; or we should, assuming the guard paid out like they should for our commission, currently burning a hole in Karl's pocket. We did have some valuables we'd looted from the bottom floor of that castle ruin, but finding someplace to sell it would take time, and we were broke for now.

If the guards at the gate asked for a fee or bribe to enter the city, we were camping outside tonight. We likely wouldn't be alone in that, judging from the crowd, but so far I hadn't seen anyone turned away.

Another few steps; Poe landed on my shoulder a little less gently than normal, and almost whacked me with a wing. Just little things to let me know my familiar was feeling my stress.

I took a deep breath. We were so close, now. All we needed to do was find people smarter than ourselves, people with more data and knowledge regarding whatever was going on. They might even just know, and be able to tell everyone coming here what it was and what to do.

Another few steps.

The guards looked bored, standing there with spears in hand, the blunt ends in the dirt and points in the air. One was even twirling his, spinning the wood in his hand so it drilled a little bit into the hard packed earth as he talked. I could feel that mood from here.

Another few steps and we were close enough to hear the questions.

The more professional of the closest two started it off: "Name and purpose for coming into the city?"

He had a knot of gold on his shoulder, and his mail gleamed; I'd have called him an officer even if I didn't know anything.

I heard the response - the man was a merchant, here to buy produce.

"Where is your transport? Where are you taking it for sale?"

The man didn't look rich enough for anything fancy. His clothes were well-made though. "Inside, Sir. I was here yesterday, and dropped it off. I was out of the city looking around the nearest farm villages for what I needed, but it was already brought here, it seems. I intend to sell it to the north."

The north would need it, but if he was alone, he was in for a rough road. For a moment, I fought the urge to warn the man, but no, he likely already knew. We'd not passed any merchants on our travels; they had all been holed up in towns themselves.

Honestly, it'd strike me as suspicious if I were a guard here, simply because the roads weren't safe.

"Right, where did you store your cart?" A good follow up, but not what I'd have chosen.

"The stable of 'the Crooked Rose,' sir.

The guard officer immediately waved him in. "Right, you may go. Next!"

We were close now. Only one more before us as the supposed merchant went in.

The guy immediately before us was just waved in; it was clear the guard, no all the guards, knew and recognized him.

The smiles and easy faces shut down and closed off as we stepped forward.

"Names? Purpose for coming to the city?"

My name is Karl Kenny, and this is Randolf Wills, Thomas Caine, Pastor Lester Collins, Phil Keene, Mathew Lockland, Ethan Williard, and last of all Lady Muse."

I was surprised that Phil was still here, but I was even more surprised at the response my name got.

The entire guard staff took a collective step back, their eyes sharpened, and their hands tightened on their spears, almost but not quite bringing them down and forward before making the effort to settle them back upright.

The voice was cold but steady as the officer asked the next question again. "Purpose of visit?"

"Investigating what has happened. We were sent by our town to discover what was going on, and thought we might find some answers here."

The officer sighed. Sighed! as if we were a burden! Then, of course, he yelled "Another one!"

Apparently to his friends.

"You may go through. If you're looking for answers, I recommend heading toward the fortress. Next!"

And just like that, we were through and clearly dismissed, already out of mind if not out of sight.

Clearly though, these people knew the name Muse. It wasn't the first time that had happened on this journey, but the reaction had been a little different than I normally got.

Karl turned into the guardhouse, surprising everyone there. The door was open, and he went inside. There wasn't a lot of space in there, so I stopped to wait, and everyone else followed suit. I turned toward the street, people watching.

Well, everyone except Phil, who was gone already.

I could hear the conversation. Karl was handing over his paper, and there was an officer just agreeing to pay it outright - I got the impression he just wanted us gone.

But then he got up and walked... to the door. "Lady Muse?"

Hm, he was a tall one. "Yes?"

"I've heard of your mission. You should try the tower at the fortress. That is were all the spell throwers have gathered."

"They are still there?"

"They are. Many of them. The King nor the council have presented what they know of the... event. Yet I have been ordered to direct all those who know the mysteries to the fort. Go there for the answers to any questions you may have."

He sounded... nonchalant, almost bored. But beyond that, there was something tense. Something almost anxious.

Was there a trap somewhere in there? I shared a glance with Matt. Whatever it was, it was the best lead we had for now. If the powers that be wanted to screw with us, this close, we were going to get screwed with - so we might as well get it over with.

"Let's go find an inn first." Karl said, leading us toward the center.

Right, I got it. Let people see us first, and realize we were here. Just in case we vanished later, it might help if we have to break out of a dungeon somewhere or something similar.

I was keeping my teleport spell handy, right on my lips. A few really fast syllables and we'd be back at our homes, safe and sound. Well, assuming we were all together, Phil would just have to fend for himself.

Karl led us down the street, marching as if to war and all but mowing other people down if they didn't move.. and we followed along behind like little ducklings.

A good mile in, and he veered right, into the gated lot of a building with the sign of a bed with a tankard on top of it hanging before the door.

Karl opened the door and walked in, which was a little bold of him, considering it had been closed. There were people inside, two behind the bar, and neither objected. The room we entered was clearly a lobby, if suffering from the same 'old chic' that everywhere else was, with the old overstuffed wooden furniture and overly carved and deeply stained tables.

I could see a collection of keys on racks behind the woman at the bar, and on the other side, the man stood before a collection of bottles inset into the wall.
Both sides and many of the chairs were taken by people lounging around waiting or talking, respectively. Hanging out, away from the busy and smelly streets beyond the place.

They were burning incense in here, but it could only do so much; the smell of the streets outside was fighting the smell of aged wood and cleaners. Sandalwood was doing its best, though.

"Karl?"

"I've stayed here before," Karl answered. "It looks much the same. Very few differences."

Karl moved in front of the key woman, and everyone else moved aside. A bit weird. "Have you got eight vacancies?"

Just based on the keys behind them, they did; the rack was half full.

The woman brightened immediately; were they not getting enough business? "Of course, Sir. would you like them next to each other?"

"That would be great," Karl agreed. "Looks like... the third floor?"

The lady turned to her keys, taking a glance at them... and at me. "Yes, Sir. Rooms three- o-one to three-o-nine are open."

She turned back, and I saw it - she had a name tag. Her name was Sarah. "That will be four silver a night for all of you, and a breakfast buffet is included. We get papers every morning, and live entertainment most nights, all provided with your stay."

Interesting. So we'd gone back to papers now? Was it forward or back for that? It didn't matter.

Karl had noticed too: "Sarah, out of all of these, which room is the best one, in your opinion?"

The young woman made a show of thinking for a moment. "Those rooms are all much the same, but if I had to pick myself, I'd pick three-o-seven. It has been renovated recently."

Karl placed the money on the counter (without so much as a single wince of complaint) and took the keys, flicking the one to three-o-seven to me. "Let's go and drop some of this stuff off."

"There is a laundry you may use, on odd days," Sarah informed us. That meant tomorrow was the earliest, for this week. "The door is in the back there. It is also included in your stay.

I could see it; it was clearly marked.

"Sir, one last step," Sarah said, reaching under the bar before her and pulling out... a huge book. The ink and quill came out next. "Please sign your names, in common. If you do not know common, simply inform me of your name, and I shall write it in your stead."

She was smooth at that. long practice, already?

The book was simple enough. A space for a name and the room number next to it, with another set of boxes for dates. A professionally done book, and if it had been under the new circumstances that we found ourselves in, this thing would be expensive to make.

No one objected when I did it first. The quill was a little stiff, but I managed not to throw ink everywhere with it. Matt was next up, and he wasnt quite so lucky. He wrote down the room next to mine, and Les stepped up and wrote the room number on the other side.

Karl was protecting us, putting us spell casters in the middle of the party, or at least putting our warriors on the outside. I was surprised he hadn't asked me to trap the corridor yet.

We all trooped toward the stairs, and just as Karl began to lead us up then, I heard a small sigh of what could only be relief from Sarah. As if she was happy talking with us was over? Not sure what that was about - but I'm sure we will find out at the worst possible time.

I decided I wouldn't mention it; there wasn't much that we could do about it anyway if the staff here hated us. I'd be checking for foreign objects or poisons, though; that was just good sense.

The stairs were nice and wide, two of us could take them together, so of course Matt made a show of racing me to the top.

I let him go ahead because, grin and silliness aside, I knew what he was doing.

He lunged and went first down the hall, yelling "first!" for my benefit, but sauntering forward, his hand on his sword hilt and ready to draw.

I just rolled my eyes; not sure who he thought he was fooling.

Normally he was better at the act.

I opened the door long enough to stow my backpack, turned, and walked back out and locked it again. I wouldn't have to worry about anyone pick-pocketing the old key while it was in my bag, which was one concern down.

Everyone else had the same idea, and soon we were all ready to head down.

I turned to Karl: "You want me to take some steps?"

"What kind of steps?"

Well, that was a suspicious look. "Nothing major. Just locking all our doors magically until we get back."

And it wasn't major; there were no death traps or anything else going on. Our doors would just stay locked unless someone with a certain spell unlocked them. Windows too; I had enough range to cover the windows now.

Karl shrugged. "Sure, but that one only. No need to make a mess that we'll only have to clean up later."

Made sense to me, a few syllables later and Matt was racing to get in front of me again, while trying to seem as if he wasn't: "Race again?"

He expected an answer. "Sure, let's go."

As expected, he took off even faster, and almost fell just before the landing. "I win!"

"Yes, yes, you're impressive," I gave him, watching his eyes roam over what had to be the crowd below.

There were a few more people checking in when we left; both bore the look of merchants, with many bags behind them and a tired air that seemed at odds with the time of day.

The day, which speaking of, was bright and mostly clear, if a little cold. Winter was coming in earnest, and would be very cold once it blew in. I just knew it would.

Hopefully, we'd be back home, in our real homes, with furnaces and cars and proper insulation and all of that.

We moved, setting off toward the fortress, which was obvious enough a route; we could see the squat looking yet tall towers from here.

Oddly enough, there was a church on the other side. At least, a building that looked exactly like my memory insisted a church should if built during the enlightenment. I wonder what god it was dedicated to? I'd have to investigate later - answers of another sort came first.

Les looked like he had the same idea.

Once we got close... within a block, people just stopped appearing around us. The fort loomed in front, and everyone else was on the other side, avoiding it without seeming to.

That made the guards' job of zeroing in on us easier than it needed to be, but we had nothing to fear. We'd done nothing, and the portcullis was open anyway.

Even so, I could tell the murder holes were manned.

Still, we need not have worried.

"Lady Muse?" One of the men asked as I approached.

I mean, I guess I was distinctive enough, but for them to know who I was, they had to have asked - or maybe the gate had sent a runner. That could be either very good, or very bad.

"That's me. You were told We'd be coming?"

The man glanced at my friends - and Randolf mostly - and then turned back to me as we got closer. "We were informed you could show up here today. We weren't certain if you'd want to rest first, after your long journey."

Karl stayed quiet, so I guess I was up. "Best to get our business done early. Do you know anything you can share?"

As expected, the man shook his head. "Go on through, and follow that man there. The tower to the right, and follow the stairs up to the top. You'll find your fellow magicians there, along with whatever answers they may have."

Matt led the way as we set off again. No attack came, and we hadn't been asked to divest ourselves of any weapons... but then again, the words were a little ominous. 'Whatever answers they may have' didn't bode well for the end of our quest.

What if these guys were just as lost as we were after all?

No, they had to have something, even if it wasn't everything.

The man supposed to lead us was another soldier, but he was so nervous he almost walked into some people once we got to the courtyard. The very busy courtyard. Were those people nobles? Did we even have nobles now? They were dressed in very fine clothes and bore matching smug grins that quickly turned to anger when they almost got run over.

Then they saw us behind the guy and thought better of saying anything. The woman, especially, dressed in a dress that I'd swear was stitched together with actual silver, took one look at me and went white as a sheet.

They moved fast when they wanted.

There were more than enough soldiers here, running around, that causing trouble was stupid anyway.

Our feet carried us to the tower, and while others stopped and stared, there seemed to be no violence or even malicious thoughts directed at us.

The stairs were narrow and dark after the bright, almost harsh sunlight. "Go on up. Do not deviate from the stairs until you reach the top," our guide told us.

Matt started up, and I moved to follow.

Karl snagged my arm gently and moved past to go up next.

Whatever.

The warning we'd been given was pointless; at every stop on the staircase that led away, two soldiers were watching. All of them were very awake and very focused, and I had the feeling that if any of us stepped off, we'd be very unhappy about it.

Luckily, we didn't encounter anyone else on the stairs themselves, or we'd have definitely had to step off somewhere and risk it.

Soon, we were before the final door; the one at the top of the tower. Well, the one leading into a room at least; the other led out to the wall, and I doubted anyone we wanted to see was out there. There were no soldiers in front of this one.

I took a steadying breath; Matt simply shrugged and opened it.

Karl was through before I could blink, but I managed to make Matt wait like a proper gentleman at the door.

The room was large, yet packed. There was a fire in the fireplace, and several long rectangular tables spaced in the room, with rows of stout looking wooden chairs on either side of them. Each wall held a faded tapestry, speaking of battles and conquests, with one pastoral scene mixed in. I could the barest hints of snacks - meat and cheese, with the more pungent ale mixed in.

But the thing that grabbed my attention more than all else in the raucous room were the people. Dozens and dozens of men and women in robes or even more outlandish dress talking to each other, talking over each other, and mingling. So many that the room was hot and nearly standing room only.

The one nearest us, nearest the door, an older man with a white beard that reached well past his chin and a stupid looking felt hat on turned to us and groaned.

"Oh great, another one!"