The day after next found Dru and Pen packed up and ready to go. Dru had all the spare dresses and trousers Priscilla had given her in a tiny backpack. Pen’s bag had much of the same, along with enchanted weapons.

The farewells were agonizingly long with Patrick and his wife fretting over Pen, asking her all sorts of meaningless questions. Meanwhile, the twins were sad their plaything was leaving. Dru didn’t care much for whatever was going on, she just wanted to leave.

Soon enough Pen and Dru left. They took the path that went parallel to the river to another cottage downstream. The owner had a stable of horses, one of which Pen rented. Druscilla had never been on a horse, and they had gone extinct in Zuheil’s world, so the experience was a novel one. Pen helped her up and held the reins from behind Dru.

The day was bright and sunny. Dru felt like her skin would peel off from exposure. Pen noticed her rubbing her forearms and said, “You must really not like the sun, huh. Here, take this.” She extracted a cloak from one of her sacks and covered Dru. It was still hot as sin, but at least the sun wasn’t peeling off her skin. With that, they started the long journey to the fantastical capital.

Druscilla studied the world around her. There was nothing but grass on gentle, rolling hills as far as the eye could see – maybe a tree or two here and there. They didn’t stop during the day; eating on horseback. This was because Pen wanted to make haste; get out of the barony and the county before they were attacked by the roaming undead.

When they stopped at night Dru would pretend to be asleep while Pen kept watch. Eventually, Pen would succumb to slumber and Dru would drink from her. It’s not like we even need to keep watch. A pack of wolves had once been attracted to their campfire and the roast rabbit on top of it. Once they caught the Vampire’s scent they turned tail and ran. Oh, man…I really am an animal now…

“This is it: the border of the barony,” Pen announced as they reached a large river. Druscilla furrowed her brow as she could see the air shimmering. “What’s wrong?” Pen asked. “The bridge is safe, so don’t worry about falling in, okay?”

They trotted along to the arched bridge, closer to the shimmering barrier. If she looked closely, Druscilla could see symbols floating in and out of existence in the air. When she reached out to touch them, the symbols dissipated. Druscilla thought back to what Captain Bert had said. So that must’ve been the [Flare] spell. I was expecting flashier, to be honest. At least now I know I have some magic capacity.

Over the next few kilometres, the terrain changed. It was flatter with more trees. Soon they were in a forest, alive with the sounds of life. They also came upon more and more people on the road. They would greet Dru, and Pen would have to explain that the beautiful redhead was not particularly sharp. It’s funny in a sitcom kind of way.

Dru had read that roads were unsafe in medieval times, so it was a surprise that they were yet to encounter bandits. Pen’s blood has started to taste kind of stale, and the young ranger had become paler. It was clear that Dru needed another source of blood.

She was in luck, however. They emerged from the dense forest into a large, open area. In front of them were massive red walls, crowned with parapets and armaments. Colourful flags fluttered about every which way from poles at the top. The road they were following led to the mouth of a gatehouse, which itself looked like a small castle. Pen and Dru joined the line of wagons and people waiting to enter the city.

When they got to the gate the city guards searched through their belongings, like customs at an airport. The guards themselves were gruff, but not impolite. Satisfied Dru and Pen had no contraband, they let them pass. Before they left, Pen asked: “My friend here is a courtesan who’s missing, where should I go to announce that I’ve found her?”

“City hall, it’s opposite the royal palace at the centre of the city. Since it’s almost sunset they’re probably closed, so you would do well to book an inn. Most affordable inns are in the Merchant Fifth, which is where we are now.”

“Okay, thank you for your help.”

With that, they trotted off. Druscilla was assaulted by the sights and sounds of the city. It felt as if she were in the world’s noisiest classroom with the noisiest children. Smells of sweat, food, faeces, perfume and other things filled her nostrils and dulled her sense of smell. Despite the discomfort, Druscilla paid attention to the world around her. The people were like the others she’d met, only they had better, more colourful clothes. The road beneath their feet was paved with cobblestones; a welcome change from the mud roads of the country. The buildings themselves were painted in garish colours that did not mix well with each other. This place has a weird sense of beauty.

It was also the first time Druscilla had come upon written script in the form of signposts at shopfronts. It was blocky and angular like runes and the words were short. Druscilla was surprised that she could read and understand them. Maybe this is knowledge from Lady Ruringer? Perhaps I can access some of her other memories. Do I want to though? Patrick said she was a devil worshipper…

Her thoughts were interrupted when they came to an inn. A worker took the rein of their horse and led it to the stables as Pen and Dru went inside. The dining area was mostly empty, so making out the innkeeper was easy. He was a bored-looking man working the bar at the centre of the room. He raised his eyebrows when they approached. “Not often do we get a courtesan here. What can I do for you?”

“How did you know she was a courtesan?”

“I’ve seen some courtesan before, from afar of course. This one walks like that. Not to mention she’s quite pretty.” He eyed her lasciviously. Druscilla felt a pang of hunger for his blood.

“Well, anyway,” Pen said, trying to direct his attention back to her. “We’ll take the cheapest room please.”

“A silver a night.”

“What? That’s robbery! Isn’t it supposed to be five coppers?”

“Don’t like the prices – go somewhere else.”

Pen grumbled as she slid over a shiny silver coin. You idiot. He’s probably charging us more because he knows I’m a courtesan. Oh Pen, no street-smarts at all.

The cheapest room was the attic. “I’m exhausted,” Pen said. “Let’s get ready for bed. Druscilla had no intention of sleeping tonight. She had to find a way to extricate herself. I could just walk out. But no, Pen might still be useful. Hmmm… I remember reading that Vampires can mind control humans. Will that work?

“Look into my eyes.”

“Huh?” Pen spun around incredulously.

Fall asleep.

“Did you just ta-“ Penelope slumped gracelessly to the floor. Dru carried her over to the bed and tucked her in. She then opened the window and jumped three storeys to the alley below. She landed gracefully on her feet and looked around to see if anyone had seen her. The back alley appeared deserted. Time for some good old fashioned exploring.