At least this time, we weren’t led away in shackles.

The Kierhaian authorities escorted us in a tight formation through the city streets, boxing us in on all sides as they moved in practiced unison. As we were ushered through the street, what few pedestrians remained at this time of night quickly made way for the procession, eager to not run afoul of the guards clad in their beetle-like white iron armor.

I wasn’t going to run. Cooperation was our best chance at getting through this. Based on what Yuzuruha said the Legion has been causing trouble in Standing Stone for a long time. If we testify that the Legionnaires came to that tavern and started the fight, I’m willing to bet the Steadfast will rule in our favor. I wasn’t sure why I was being so optimistic about our chances, but I had a gut feeling we had a strong case.

Sheena looked a bit unsteady, still grappling with the aftereffects of her first bender I assumed. Alicia’s eyes were darting back and forth, probably devising a plan on how to take them out if it came to it. Alverd was cool as ice, walking in time with the guards and not betraying his emotions at all. His face was as passive as stone, neither concerned nor frightened.

You gotta keep your cool. I know Alverd is worried about how this will go, but if he can keep it together then so can you. I took a deep breath. Instead, you should concern yourself with other details. That likeness they had of Sheena was spot on. Start with that.

The Kierhaian guard captain had shown us the parchment he had used to identify Sheena. It did indeed have a depiction of her that was accurate to the last detail, including a note about the color of her heterochromatic eyes. Someone who had known her for a great deal of time had provided the Kierhaian authorities with that likeness, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out who.

We knew it wasn’t wise to think the Magisters were dead when we couldn’t confirm their deaths. If not them, it could also be Eliza’s doing as well. Someone is either aware that Sheena is alive and well outside of Algrustos, or they’re hedging their bets and sending out notices to see if they can catch her. Either way, we’ve got someone breathing down our necks.

My money is on the Ishmarians. Why else would they send a diplomatic envoy to Kierhai headed by a man who has fought mages successfully for years? The bigger question is what Eliza gets out of getting her hands on Sheena now. The only thing that makes sense is appeasing the fear mongering her nation has fostered toward mages for so long.

My line of thought was interrupted after much speculation when I nearly stumbled over a stair. We had reached the front of the Standing Stone itself, and a small stair preceded the imposing metal door that had been fitted into the rock. The procession made its way to the door, which opened by lifting vertically into the rock to allow us in. On the other side, twin lines of guards were pulling ropes in tandem to lift the door up on a metal track. Interesting design choice. It begs the question though, is the door designed to keep people out, or in?

Inside the door, the entry hall was filled with several stone fortifications aimed at repelling anyone who had forced their way in. Raised platforms with cover bristled with crossbowmen, all standing at attention. On either side of the room, twenty foot tall openings served as paths to other parts of the fortress. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of the same black meteor stone as the exterior, but the interior torchlight caused the stone to flicker and upon closer inspection I could see flecks of crystalline material that caught and refracted the light.

For the first time since the tavern brawl, Sheena’s eyes finally returned to normal and she seemed to straighten up. “Oof. I will never touch another drop of alcohol ever again.” She blinked, then looked around. “Could somebody fill me in? I think I’ve spent a bit of time spacing in and out and I’m not quite sure where we are.”

Is this girl for real? I know she’s not the sole reason we’re here, but she’s definitely one of the bigger ones aside from that riot we started. Either she’s really this clueless or she’s up to something. Her gaze kept shifting around the room, the way a bleary-eyed drunkard would after being spun in place. Whatever. I have more important things to worry about right now.

The captain motioned to a few of his men, and the majority of them broke off from our group. Most of them disappeared down side corridors. After a few moments, a new set of six guards wielding long polearms with bird-like motifs near the blades appeared. Unlike the guards who had escorted us to this point, these guards were all women of various races, clad in gold and red dress armor that looked more ceremonial than practical, and instead of capes they had tails to their armor reminiscent of a bird’s feathers.

The women all had the same grim expression like that of career soldiers, and each of them was well into their late twenties. Their coordination and poise told me that while their armor was most likely just for show, their skills were not. I couldn’t see any distinguishing rank or insignia that meant any one of them were in charge, so they must have had a different command structure than the guards who had brought us this far.

One of the human women, who I think was maybe the youngest of the bunch and at least an inch or two shorter than the rest, addressed Alverd, who was at the head of our group. Like the others, she wore a golden circlet that invoked the image of a bird with outstretched wings. She had boyishly short brown hair and very intense brown eyes, and just the hint of a short scar just under her chin. Her voice was deeper than I expected, and all business.

“I am Yong of the Gilded Feather Guard. I have orders to take you straight to the Steadfast. He requests your presence urgently.” She gave a curt and formal bow, not leaning too far forward but enough so that her intent was clear.

Alverd blinked. “I thought we were under arrest.”

The woman shook her head. “The Steadfast apologizes for the deception. He is, as you say, playing a very dangerous game with the Ishmarians. They are already lodging several protests citing diplomatic breeches. To maintain the illusion of impartiality, the Steadfast issued a warrant for your arrest as a pretense to have you brought here under armed escort for your own safety.”

I sighed in relief internally before speaking. “So the Steadfast thinks we’re innocent?”

Yong scowled and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Whether you are innocent remains to be seen. You can explain what happened to him personally. His Lordship simply did not want the Legionnaires tearing half the city apart looking for you to exact their vengeance.”

Alicia put her hands on her hips. “So what are we waiting for, then? Let’s go see this Steadfast guy.” She took one step and Yong moved in front of her. Instinctively, I moved back. Uh oh. I sense a confrontation. The alpha females are about to butt heads. I made my way over to Alverd and took shelter behind him.

“Just one second, Ishmarian.” Yong’s voice wasn’t accusatory but it was edged as if she were expecting the authority she was leveraging to be heeded without question. “You are all to surrender your weapons while you meet with the Steadfast. He may be willing to extend you the olive branch, but it is our responsibility to guard him. The weapons will be returned once you have seen him.”

Alicia’s eyes narrowed, that familiar sheen of simmering anger burning in them. “Why would I turn over my weapon? I’m no-”

Yong swiftly moved the bottom of her polearm between her legs, hooked it behind the young princess’ right foot, and with a backwards dragging motion, flipped her backwards by knocking her leg out from under her. Even before Alicia fully hit the ground, the polearm whirled around in a golden flash so that its long curved blade was inches away from her throat. Her expression was still neutral, and I wasn’t sure if there had been enough time in the entirety of her movement to take a single breath.

Her voice still had the same even tone when she spoke. “That was not a request.”

Alicia cursed under her breath, then unslung her maul from the holster on her back, sliding it across the ground to one of the other Guards. Yong kicked it up with the toe of her crimson-armored boot, her hand shooting out to catch the haft of the weapon before holding it at her side. Yikes. These women don’t mess around. When the Guard next to me extended her hand I quickly relinquished my staff to her without a second thought.

The journey to the meeting hall where the Steadfast awaited us was a nearly twenty minute ordeal that involved climbing upward through narrow halls and carved stairwells, oftentimes winding in a tight circle. The walls were made of the same glittering stone throughout the fortress, and what few decorations were statues carved of the same material. It’s like the Kierhaians carved each statue while they were hollowing out the Stone for their fort. I can’t imagine the kind of foresight necessary to keep aesthetics in mind while planning a defensive structure’s layout.

After ascending eight stairwells, we emerged onto a floor that was spacious enough to accommodate a fifteen foot tall statue in a thirty foot high hall. The massive statue was also made of the shining rock that made up the fortress, and a closer inspection of its base confirmed that it had been carved, not anchored after construction. The statue was just as much a part of the floor as the rest of the fortress.

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The statue was that of a woman with long hair that almost reached the floor, her hands gripping a long greatsword with its point buried in the floor. The contours of the statue were fashioned into a suit of armor, although there was no detail where the face should’ve been. It was Eternity, the Goddess of Time and Darkness, maintaining a vigil among the many warriors milling about.

The soldiers in the room were dressed different from each other in four distinct styles. A mix of men and women of all races intermingled through the room, some sparring while others were in deep discussion about everything from politics to the food being served in the mess hall. There were more Gilded Feathers in one corner, the familiar red-gold armor and all-female group maintaining their weapons at a series of whetstones, sparks jumping from the stone wheels as they sharpened their glaives.

The other three styles that I saw were an all male group of red-clad soldiers in helmets that resembled tiger heads, another group of mostly elves that wore uniforms that glowed like green crystal and carried beautiful tall bows, and the last group was a human and beastman ensemble that had armor that almost had the same look as the glittering rock of the fortress.

Sheena, now fully seeming to recover from her previous ordeal, looked at the odd sights around her like a child on holiday. “They all are so different. Is there some reason your soldiers are clothed like that?”

Yong guided us all to the large set of double doors on the far side of the hall. “Each group represents a different city-state in Kierhai. Before Kierhai was one nation, we were many cultures that did not see eye-to-eye. Thanks to the guidance of the Goddess’ servant, we were able to put aside our differences and become one people. You see the greatest warriors those territories have to offer, each ready to protect Standing Stone and our shared nation.”

“You have met the Gilded Feather. The Blood Tigers are known for their speed and ferocity. The Flawless Jade can see a bird flap its wings a hundred feet away and put an arrow through it at twice that distance. The Unmoving Earth yield no ground against any enemy, no matter the odds.” As we passed, the various groups stopped what they were doing to watch us foreigners being escorted.

“The philosophy of Four Stand as One guides our defense of Kierhai. If one pillar falls a house will collapse. Thus each city must play a pivotal role in shaping the future for our country. It is important for no one group to be solely responsible for one aspect of governance. A mixture of people from each city must offer differing perspectives so that no one doctrine that favors one city over another comes to power. With our military, however, we are able to maintain our individuality and pride while still contributing to our homeland.”

When we arrived at the door, the Feathers moved to the sides of the door and stood at attention, still moving in perfect unison. Yong swiveled around on her heel and faced us. “The Steadfast will ask his questions. You will answer. You will give nothing but the truth, nothing more and nothing less. Be truthful and respectful and he will show you the same in kind.”

The door opened from the inside, swinging inward as she finished talking. She bowed, then stepped aside. Alverd took the first step into the room, his head held high. I followed after him, Sheena behind me, and Alicia bringing up the rear. When we had all made it in, the doors closed, a pair of robed beastman attendants pushing the enormous doors shut by themselves.

The room had a shape and design almost similar to that of a temple. An honest-to-gods sand pit encircled the center stone dais upon which a large beastman sat on a humble lounge cushion, his long legs crossed. The bent, furry ears on his head were streaked with gray much like the rest of his hair, which ran long and fell to both sides of his head and across his shoulders. He had a wizened face but his eyes were still sharp, as were the teeth in his mouth. A short bushy tail swayed gently side to side against the dais. He was clad in a dark black robe with a red sash, and drinking wine from a small cup intermittently as he examined a stack of parchment piled next to him.

The sandpit was flanked by many guards, an even spread of the four factions. One frail-looking old elf in a muted green robe was stepping from stone to stone in the sand pit, dragging a rake across the surface and leaving long trails of intricate patterns as she went.

When the coyote beastman saw us enter the room, his eyes moved but other than that he made no move to stand. Instead, he called out to the elf. “Baba. We have guests. Do be a dear and put some tea on.” The old elf nodded and made a short hop to the edge of the pit, where she set down her rake and toddled off to a nearby table where she set about pouring water into a pot and drawing leaves from a beautifully decorated lacquer box.

Four of the guards stepped in front of us and laid cushions similar to the ones the beastman was seated upon on the ground. Alverd nodded in thanks and sat cross legged on the cushion, laying his hands in his lap. I sat down on mine, taking a moment to distribute my weight so I wouldn’t fall off.

The beastman waited until the elderly elf had set the pot over a small stove before he addressed us. “I am the Steadfast. But I also don’t believe in standing on ceremony at my old age, so if you wish you may simply call me Mingsheng.” He leaned forward enough to bow respectfully without imbalancing himself. His voice was firm and clear but not severe, as though he had the manner of a doting father rather than a military official.

“Honored to meet you.” Alverd returned the gesture, replicating the same forward lean easily. “I appreciate that you sent out your soldiers to have us arrested so quickly. Given what I’ve heard about what’s going on in Standing Stone, I’m sure it was only a matter of time before the Legion started pillaging in the streets.”

Mingsheng shook his hand dismissively. “The Legion. Pah. Flies on carrion, parasites all of them. Lickspittles following their bootlicking thug of a general.” There was clear but restrained anger in his voice, and just the hint of an animalistic growl. “I have had no choice but to deal with their foolishness for more than a month since General Guunzel arrived seeking an audience with the Emperor.”

From her seat, Sheena spoke. “If I may, I have a question. If you have such a dim view of the Legion, why invite them into the city at all?” He took another swig of his drink from the tiny cup.

“Under normal circumstances, I would not. The Steadfast’s authority is independent from the Emperor’s, so if left to my own discretion I can decide things without his approval. The Emperor happened to be visiting Standing Stone when Guunzel showed up, and thus he overrode my decision to bar the gate to the Ishmarians to indulge his curiosity.”

Alicia was the one who spoke next. “Wait. So you’re saying you don’t have to obey your Emperor?”

Mingsheng leaned back, pouring himself more of his drink. “Only in military matters, and in the absence of direct orders from the Emperor. The function of my station is to run this fortress, not participate in politics. I would’ve identified the Ishmarians as a potential threat, and expelled them immediately.” Abruptly, his voice became tinged with anger and it showed plainly through the cracks in his calm demeanor. “The previous Emperor would have understood my decision. Alas, his successor is nothing more than a mongrel stumbling around in the darkness cast by his father’s shadow.”

Ouch. A lot more poetic than most condemnations I’ve heard, but still pretty damning all the same. “So the Emperor is dead?” I asked.

The beastman shook his head. “No. He is unable to perform his duties as his time is nearly upon him. With age comes wisdom, but also the knowledge that one’s death is inevitable. He is simply preparing his son to assume the throne when he passes. The boy is the Emperor in name only for now.”

There was an awkward silence that was broken by the steam whistling from the teapot. Baba came back with a tray, gingerly pouring each of us a cup of tea and leaving it in front of us. She seemed to have more spring in her step than I gave her credit for, and her eyes were bright and intelligent, as well as an unusual shade of blue-green. I wasn’t going to drink tea fresh from a pot while it was that hot, so I let it sit while I asked my next question.

“Do you intend to keep us here for very long?” There was a flash of something in Mingsheng’s eye, as though he had been caught off guard. He chuckled, a low rumbling sound like distant thunder.

“No. Only for a day. I’ve given orders to have the Legion removed from the city. Officially, all four of you are rotting in the dungeon in the basement. Of course, that isn’t true. We don’t even have a basement.” He laughed, taking another drink from his cup.

“That having been said, my good will does not come without cost. I want you to speak with the Emperor and tell him based on your first hand experience that the Legion is not to be trusted. I will ensure you have an audience with him.” He snapped the fingers of his left hand twice and Baba returned. “Baba, the scroll. I will affix my seal, now.” She nodded, then crossed the sand pit to stand beside him.

She picked a piece of parchment off the pile, opening it and laying it before the Steadfast. He took a brush, dipped it in an inkwell sitting beside him, and began to write out a message, all the while still conversing with us. “I am certain there is some greater purpose the Legion wishes to conceal from us, that their presence here is the precursor to something terrible. Death follows Ishmarians wherever they go, after all.”

Alicia bristled, but kept her silence. Oh thank the gods. The last thing we need is a repeat of what happened with Yong. I doubt Mingsheng would be as merciful as her. “There’s more to it than that,” he continued. “While the Emperor allows his fascination with the Legion to occupy his attention, the Divernian Swords cause chaos by targeting trade between the cities. His lack of governance is allowing innocent people to die.”

The sharp eyes of the beastman flashed malevolently. “I do not buy that the Swords are mere raiders. I believe that they are up to something bigger than attacking caravans. Agents of the Gilded Feather have caught far too many of their ilk attempting to secure positions in local garrisons or emergency response teams. A fortress is designed to protect against invaders, not infiltrators, and I have a rat infestation that grows worse by the day. I need the Emperor to focus on the real threat, not posturing buffoons riding giant lizards.” He gave the now completed order to Baba who crossed the sand pit to place it in Sheena’s hands.

Then he laid down his cup and folded his hands in his lap, interlocking his fingers. His nails, while trimmed, were still sharp like claws. “What I ask is this: in exchange for dropping charges against your friend in the Noble Wolves, I want you to do two things for me. Report to the Emperor on my behalf to urge him to reject the Ishmarians’ calls for any kind of alliance with their country, and to look into the matter I discussed with him regarding his personal security.”

Alverd’s face darkened and there was ice in his voice when he spoke. “You would blackmail us, then?”

My heart stopped beating in my chest. Oh no. One of the few things I’ve seen Alverd handle poorly is the idea of people blackmailing us by endangering other people. He’s never been able to truly control himself well under those situations. I snuck a sideways glance to my right, where he was still seated but glaring intensely at the Steadfast.

The Steadfast must’ve picked up on the shift in Alverd’s attitude, because he put some edge of his own into his response. “I would prefer not to. As it stands, your associate violated the law by attacking two Legionnaires in the Red Lantern District. Had they instigated violence first she would’ve been cleared to protect someone, but as she started the conflict she must abide by the fact that no one is above the law.”

I ground my teeth in my mouth. He’s right. The Legionnaires hadn’t done anything to hurt me before Yuzuruha swung at them. He has her dead to rights. “What kind of issue with his security?” I asked.

Mingsheng shifted his weight, then pulled a scroll from the bottom of his pile, causing the entire stack to collapse. He tossed the scroll down to Alverd. “A threat was made against the Emperor. Someone had the audacity to claim that his security was less than foolproof and that they would be seeing him soon.”

Alverd unfurled the scroll and examined the writing. After a moment he closed it and sighed. “I have good news and bad news for you, Steadfast. The good news is that your Emperor is in no danger.”

Mingsheng’s eyebrow raised, his voice incredulous. “What do you mean?”

He handed me the scroll, and I opened it. Skipping past the concise message and looking straight at the bottom, I saw an immaculate signature in curving letters next to a stamp that looked suspiciously like a wolf’s paw. The name, signed in blue ink, was “Monaco the Swift”.

I groaned. “The bad news is that your mystery woman isn’t an assassin, but a thief. One of the best in the business. Someone we have a history with.” From behind Alverd, I could see Alicia and Sheena’s faces twist into familiar expressions of pre-emptive jealousy. Pretty warranted if they knew Monaco’s stance toward Alverd, but I won’t be the one breaking that to them.

Hanging on my every word, Mingsheng shook his hand impatiently. “So? You know how to outwit her then?”

I rolled the scroll back up and threw it over my shoulder. “That’s the thing. The last time we crossed paths, we didn’t exactly stop her. We prevented her from stealing the thing she claimed to be after, but we didn’t stop her and her crew from purloining a couple hundred bars of gold bullion right from under our employer’s nose.” A real black stain on our reputation. The only reason we got paid is because I got the part about protecting the original targeted item in writing. Thank my Cardinal Rules for that.

There was another long silence in which nobody moved. After a bit, Mingsheng took the entire bottle of his alcoholic refreshment and downed it, decorum cast aside in his frustration. He let out a long sigh as he slammed the bottle back down beside him, then leaned forward threateningly.

“Then for your friend’s sake, I hope that this time things play out differently.”