“Oh, sorry,” Alburet told them. “Sir Jones will meet us at the Portal Guild in ten minutes, he asked that we wait for him.”
“You are just chock full of surprises, aren’t you?” Kim said, shaking her head. “Well, if the King’s right hand is coming we might want to be there for when he shows.”
Alburet took Stacia’s arm as they exited the guild hall, leaving an open-mouthed Erin staring after them. “The King’s right hand?” Alburet asked.
“Oh yes,” Rolland replied. “The House of Jones is primarily responsible for the establishment of the Crown in Stormguard. They are generally considered to be the least of the Major Houses, but no one dares to cross them because the Crown remembers. Scions of House Jones also tend to run to historians. They’ve done incredible work preserving the history of Alpha World and the Empire.”
“Huh,” Alburet said as he took in the information. “Weird, he seemed like a really easy-going guy.”
“He is oddly focused,” Kim stated. “He only gets interested in history or artifacts. You must have impressed him, for him to give you a direct contact.”
“Aye,” Stacia added. “Sir Jones was most impressed with the way me husband comported himself at the dinner we were invited to.”
Rolland shook his head, “You Two-souled sure do know how to shake up the world.”
They walked the rest of the way in contemplative silence. They lounged in the waiting area for nearly ten minutes, with Alburet starting to get antsy. The door was flung dramatically open, as Sir Ioaniss Jones strode into the lobby. Alburet blinked, finally figuring out where he’d seen the man before. Sir Jones wore a leather jacket with a wide brimmed, high crowned, sable fedora. Strapped to his hip was a whip and a small hand crossbow with a cylinder where the bolts normally were loaded. To finish off the outfit, he had a leather satchel slung over his shoulder.
“Sir Jones,” Alburet called out, to catch the attention of the notable.
Turning Ioaniss smiled at them, “Well, I have to say you certainly caught me by surprise Alburet. I had to cancel lunch with the King, but he’ll understand.”
Resisting the urge to facepalm, Alburet turned to the others. “Sir Jones, you’ve met my wife, Stacia. The other two with us for this journey are Kim and Rolland Magiblood.”
His eyes twinkled as he shook hands with the couple, “I keep meaning to stop by and talk to you about your family’s lineage, but there just never seems to be enough hours in the day.” Ioaniss shrugged, “We should get together soon, though. I’m sure that we could both learn a few things.”
“Yes, please,” Rolland said quickly.
“Now that we’re all here, we should get going,” Alburet cut in. “As my wife reminded me this morning, keeping a God waiting could be bad for your health.”
Ioaniss chuckled, “Keeping them waiting isn’t an issue for the most part. They generally have a problem with the concept of time. It doesn’t seem to mean the same thing to them, or at least to the few I’ve had discussions with.”
“Which Gods have you spoken with?” Kim asked as they began to climb the stairs.
“Justice was the first God I spoke to. Well, it was through a burning sword, but I am fairly confident it was him since it was in a lost temple of his. Bestat was the other. I collected an idol of her in the forests of Lunar. Truthfully, she was much more entertaining to converse with.” Ioaniss chuckled, “She was also quite interested in just how flexible I might be, as I recall.”
The uppermost level of the Portal Guild held six rooms, each for a different segment of the Dead Lands. The Dead Lands stretched from the mountain ranges in the north to the sea in the south, taking up a good chunk of the Eastern part of the continent. “Which room?” Ioaniss asked, looking at Alburet.
“Good question. I was told to go to the Dead Lands. The messenger didn’t specify a specific spot,” Alburet replied.
“Hmm. Then I suggest we take the one closest to the center. Due east of the fort are supposed to be the ruins of one of the Empire’s cities. It’s one of the places my father went in search of information about the Forgotten Prison.”
“Sounds good to me,” Alburet said. “After you, Sir Jones, as I know not which portal that is.”
Ioaniss grinned before he strode down the hall to the fourth archway. “This is the portal we need.”
Sir Jones stepped through the arch and onto the rune, with Kim and Rolland close behind. Alburet paused, one hand on Stacia’s arm. “We’ll need to step away from them for a minute, so you can shift to demon form long enough for me to copy you. Your demon form comes up with the name Kitten, so hopefully they won’t realize you’re the same person.”
Stacia bit her lip, “I have faith in ya, master.” She kissed his neck as she hugged him, “Ya will protect and guide me.”
They walked onto the rune arm in arm. He blinked at the sun suddenly beating down on them, much harsher than it was in the city. A dry wind blew at them from the east. Looking that way Alburet saw a sea of sand fading off into the distance. “Now that is a big fucking desert,” he said.
Ioaniss chuckled, “It does stretch on. We have no real idea what the sands might conceal beneath their endless expanse. Are we ready to go?”
“I need a moment to grab a few things from the store. Give me two minutes, please,” Alburet said as they approached the gate. Eight men stood guard just outside the gate.
Ioaniss frowned but nodded, “We shall wait, but please hurry.”
Alburet went past the guards, entering the fort proper. The gate let into a killing zone with multiple portcullises and murder holes in the walls above. Past the series of gates, the tunnel opened into a much larger courtyard than the other forts he had seen had. Numerous buildings were inside the walls, along with an inner wall surrounding the keep itself. A soft whistle escaped his lips as he looked around. He nodded to a guard who grinned at him, “Morning.”
“Little green to be out here, aren’t you son?” the grey-haired guard asked Alburet.
“I would have to concur,” Alburet laughed. “But when Sir Jones asks you to go with him to the Dead Lands, what should you do?”
The older guard sucked in a breath, “Well now, that is a conundrum. Just keep your eyes open and be ready to run like the Dark Lord himself is chasing you.”
“Sounds like good advice,” Alburet replied. “Which one of the buildings is the supply store for food and drink?”
“Third one down that wall,” the guard told him, pointing to a building displaying a sign showing a sandwich and flask. “Betty runs that shop. Tell her Drugan sent you and she might take a little extra off for you.”
“Thank you, Drugan,” Alburet shook hands with the guard and went to the shop he’d suggested.
Alburet greeted the middle-aged woman behind the counter, telling her Drugan had recommended her shop. He picked up sandwiches and tea, enough to serve the entire party. As they left the shop, he nudged Stacia into the gap between the buildings and followed her into the shadowed area. She promptly shifted to her demon form allowing Alburet to Copy her. Shifting her primary body back to human, she followed him out of the alley. He reinvited Stacia to the group, shifting to demon from still dropped her automatically. He summoned Tiny and Bob as they walked back to the gate.
“Tiny, Bob we have three others with us for this trip. Kim and Rolland Magiblood, they are good friends, and Kim works for us as a receptionist. The other is Sir Ioaniss Jones, who is the right hand of the current King of Stormguard. Stacia is coming with us, as well as my Succubus, Kitten. Any questions?”
“She is split to mask who she is?” Bob asked quietly, looking around to see if they were being listened to.
“Correct, so keep your comments in-line with that,” Alburet said.
“Understood, master,” Tiny rumbled.
“Okay, we’re taking too long here. Let’s go,” Alburet took Stacia’s arm and they filed out the gates with the three demons trailing along behind them. He could feel the eyes of the guards on him as they went by.