They reached the city a short while later. A large wooden gate sat closed before them, with a much smaller door manned by two guards at its foot. Several people had formed a line behind the guards, but it looked like they were moving quickly.

The small group joined the line and Kat let out a relieved sigh as she looked up at the walls over them. She hopped off Nelly and walked the horse until they were in the line.

“I can’t believe we made it back without getting attacked,” Kat said. “I thought for sure that the bandits were going to come after us again.”

“There’s nothing to say that they can’t get inside thi-” Avery started.

“We must have gotten lucky,” Elijah said, cutting her off before she could finish. “They probably had bigger fish to fry.”

An older man standing in front of them in line turned around, his brow creasing in worry. “I don’t mean to intrude, but I overheard you talking about bandits.”

“I got attacked by them recently,” Kat said, swallowing.

“That’s horrible,” the man said, shaking his head sadly. “Were you part of the caravan, then?”

“Caravan?” Kat asked.

“I guess not,” the man said, letting out a heavy sigh. “A trading caravan left Volville a few days ago. My daughter was on it. We got the news yesterday that it was attacked by a group of bandits. A few people have escaped, but it’s been bad news for everyone involved. My daughter was lucky enough to have been one of the survivors.”

“Bandits attacked a caravan?” Kat asked, drawing in a shocked breath. “I didn’t know they’d gotten so bold. Why isn’t the kingdom doing anything?”

“The King can’t be bothered with bandits,” the old man said with a shrug. “They don’t threaten the continent. To him, they’re just a minor nuisance.”

“That’s just ridiculous,” Kat said. Elijah and Avery exchanged a glance, but neither of them said anything.

The line continued to move forward. The guards recognized the man that Kat had been talking to and waved him through, putting the three of them at the front of the line. Elijah examined the guards out of the corner of his eye.

They wore heavy metal armor with more than a few scrapes and dents from battle. The men held spears easily at their sides, but Elijah could tell that it would only take them an instant to bring the weapons to bear.

“Business in Volville?” The guard on the left asked.

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“Returning from a trip for Master Porter,” Kat said, reaching into her travel bags and pulling out the beautifully bound book to show to the guard. “These two escorted me back from Riverside after saving me from a bandit attack inside the town.”

“Inside Riverside?” the other guard asked, his brow knitting together. “Dire news indeed. The bandits have been getting bold as of late. If there isn’t already a quest for someone to deal with them, I’m sure one will be put up soon.”

“Either way, you’re free to enter,” the first guard said, giving them a small nod. “If you plan to remain here longer than one week, please visit the guard post and let us know. The city has strict rules on traveler’s stay durations.”

“Why?” Elijah asked.

“We have a lot of traffic moving through the city,” the guard replied. “It would get bogged up if people stayed too long, so we try to discourage people that don’t live here from staying more than a few days.”

“That makes sense,” Avery said. “It doesn’t help the economy if people come in and stay stagnant in the city. It’s better to have a flow of new money.”

Elijah gave the guards a small nod as they walked past them and into the city. He was immediately struck by how clean it was.

It smelled… plain. Elijah had expected a medieval city to stink, but it was actually better than a lot of what he remembered from the cities on earth. There were a few people wandering around, but none of them paid the group any particular attention.

The buildings were mostly uniform and square, with many of them rising two or three stories into the air. There were shops and wooden carts scattered along the edges of the road as well, but most of them had closed up for the night.

Kat led them down a large street that ran through the town. After a few minutes of walking, she turned down a decently sized side street and headed towards one of the towers in the corner of the city. It was made of dark stone, with ivy curling down its walls.

“That’s where Master Porter lives,” Kat said, nodding up at the tower a short distance away from them. “I’m sure he’ll let you stay the night in the tower!”

“We’d greatly appreciate that,” Elijah said. “There’s a lot I’d love to talk to him about.”

“As would I,” Avery said.

They reached the base of the tower a few minutes later. Kat turned to the side, walking past the main door and to a small building at the building’s side. She pulled the door open, revealing a small stable.

She spent a few minutes putting Nelly within a stall, then walked back out. Elijah and Avery followed her over to the door.

Kat swallowed and knocked on the dark wood. It rumbled in response. A moment later, the door swung inwards, revealing a well lit interior. They all stepped inside and the door closed behind them.

The only thing in the room was a winding spiral staircase that rose up into the tower above them. Elijah craned his head back and squinted, but he couldn’t even see the ceiling.

“Don’t tell me you’ve got to climb this thing every time you want to get to the top of the tower,” Elijah muttered.

“Of course not,” Kat said with a small laugh. “There’s a magical elevator in the center of the room. The staircase is just to look cool.”

She stepped into the middle of the room and gestured for them to follow her. Elijah sent a doubtful glance at the plain stone ground, but he and Avery did as she asked.

“Watch your balance,” Kat warned them.

A line traced itself through the floor in a large circle around them. The ground shook slightly as the circle detached and started to raise through the air.