“How does it glow like that? It just seems to shine.” awe tinged his voice as he spoke.

“Volcanite layer on the walls made of Granite and then a coating of Mana. It keeps the surface extremely clean, reflective and strong.” Haemish said with pride. Either he had made it or directed its making, and the pride in his face said as much.

“Well, it is a marvel. Nice work! I didn’t know that I could use Mana like that. Like paint on the walls, interesting. Do you need to refresh it? Or does it just stay forever?” Aarav asked.

“Ha! Hilarious little spy! If you are trying to allay my suspicions, you ask the wrong questions. Maybe you should steer clear of those types of questions until you have shown that you mean no harm to this kingdom, eh?”

He nipped that conversation in the bud, buzz kill. A childish part of Aarav wanted to stick his tongue out at the fat man, but he just about managed to hold it together. Man, I need to get these impulses under control.

Aarav was going to have to take this a step at a time. Step one, earn some respect, step two each trust, step three find out everything, or something like that.

As the hour wore on, they continued to get closer to the palace. As discussed, Aarav kept mute on the approach. About half an hour later, there was a shimmer in the air. It seemed that the group had to pass; Aarav might have flown straight through it without even realising it was there. It was like a heat haze in a desert.

“What sort of barrier is it?” he asked.

“You know this is a barrier? You’n’me and goin’ to have a little chat after this. You know entirely too much for a monster from the forest.” Rion had gotten closer in their time travelling on land, and it was easier to stay within speaking distance on the ground where the wind was less barrier. A glare followed up that statement.

“Rion, you will keep the presence of Resh quiet…you understand. That is my order, soldier!” Haemish looked sharply at Rion and then extended that look to Marteen and Taler as well. “Understood?"

There was a chorus of murmured, “Yes sir and yes, Master Haemish.” the men bobbed their heads at Haemish. Disconcertingly though, all of them had their eyes trained on Aarav’s form trussed up in his sack. The sack, not my sack, for god’s sake; this disgusting sack I will never accept as mine!

Each of the men produced a sort of talisman as they passed through the barrier, still not taking their eyes off Aarav. That lasted a full three minutes before they finally turned to look back in the direction of travel. Aarav breathed a quiet sigh which only Haemish heard.

Still, no one answered his question.

After a long day of travel, none of the group seemed interested in talking. Aarav had taken a nap, but none of the others could while in the saddle. Soreness and travel weariness had taken their toll. Everyone was grouchy and ready for a hot meal.

After passing through the barrier, it only took another fifteen minutes to get to the palace’s back entrance. They would need to enter from here to avoid suspicious from the various houses in Brewyn, whose spies were everywhere, and then head to their respective places of stay. The kitchens were near the back entrance, and smells were wafting out. Stomachs growled in anticipation.

A hot meal and then off to their beds. For Rion and Haemish, that meant their rooms in the palace, but for Marteen and Taler, it meant heading into town and their homes. Aarav didn’t know much about these folk, but he was sure that he would in due time. The morbid thought surfaced again, but he squashed it down. Don’t think about that!

They dismounted as the kitchen entrance came into sight. The stables where the gryphon would be kept and cared for also close by. Their approach did not go unnoticed as a couple of young stable-hands quickly came out to take the reins and immediately ignored the men. They were whistling and cooing to the mounts as they guided them back to their various stalls for some treats and a clean. Gryphon’s usually took care of their cleaning and had been since their departure from Brewyn, but after a couple of weeks of it, there was some dust on them that even they had been unable to reach.

Now free of the burden of their mounts, Haemish reached into his spatial pouch and removed each man’s personal belongings that they had entrusted to Haemish. Then he carried Aarav in his hand slung over his shoulder. “Hey! I’m not a sack of potatoes! I’m, and a person damn it!”

“And what did I tell you about talking!? You need to act like a sack of potatoes for a bit. Otherwise, there is going to be a problem getting you in!” Haemish hissed over his shoulder. The rest of the men continued casually, ignoring the heated whispering match among them.

Aarav quieted immediately. Something in Haemish’s tone held a warning of retribution. But, it was not retribution at Haemish’s hand, and that was what did it in the end. With the Slime silent on his back and the rest of the men speaking amicably, they knocked on the closed kitchen door. Aarav couldn’t see it, so he busied himself, hiding all his appendages apart from one eye in the centre of his body, looking straight out at the gardens at the back of the palace.

They were beautiful, well-manicured flower beds of reds, blues and yellows, and the green grass complimented them. A knock sounded on the door, which must have been one of the four men, and then the creak of the door opening and the smells from the kitchen intensified. So did the volume of the growls.

A laugh sounded from further inside, and then, “Well? Don’t just stand there! Come on in. Make yourselves comfortable, and we set you up with a plate!” there was some scuffing from inside, and Aarav desperately wanted to see what was happening. Come on! Bring me around to the front! Some friendly, or unfriendly, Aarav couldn’t tell since he was facing the garden

They were out of the wind and in the kitchen in a single step. Each breath brought smells of freshly baked bread and steaming broth.

The place was a kicked anthill, Resh should know; he had kicked an anthill before. Well, not kicked precisely, but it had been quite a fun experience! All that tasty food and adventure! Aarav shook his head and refocused. Drifted off for a second there, focus, Aarav! People were rushing every which way. As the four travellers wove their way to a table in the middle of the maelstrom, the cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells quickly overwhelmed. If you focused on one thing too closely, you inevitably got bashed by something else. Taler proved it when he was caught looking at one of the younger sue-chefs and ran headlong into a large pot of stew two kitchen staff were moving. Taler rebounded, and the young man he was looking at smiled innocently, trying not to laugh. Aarav thought he had a certain charm. But not my cup of tea. Hey, it’s whatever you like, buddy. He was a little too much on the skinny side for Aarav, and he was more into women, if he was honest. Still, he was cute.

Taler blushed when he saw he had been caught gawking and turned to sit quietly at the table. The young man had tentatively smiled back. Go Taler! Aarav said it in his mind but was rooting for the shy guy. Haemish, Marteen and Rion seeing the short but spicy exchange, gently ribbed the man and put him at ease. Rion also had his eye on someone and was far less shy about it. She smiled seductively back at him until one of the fat older chef women swatted her on the back of the head. I like your taste, buddy! Aarav couldn’t see much from Haemish’s back, but what he could see was greatly appreciated.

Taler and Rion, done staring, sat down at the table indicated with Haemish and Marteen, and a couple of the servers set plates before them. They all shared grins as they tucked in with abandon. Meanwhile, a particular Slime was slung onto the table and left there. The only positive was that not Aarav was free to look around and see everything and everyone around him. The four men sat on park bench style seating with Marteen and Haemish on one side and Taler and Rion. Aarav suspected that Rion and Taler had both chosen those seats so they could continue to, conspicuously and inconspicuously, respectively, check out the object of their affection.

The smells from the food were divine, not least because Aarav was starving himself. A growing Slime needed to eat! Where was his food? He let out a soft growl. The commotion and clamour of the kitchen meant the kitchen staff were unlikely to overhear Aarav, but it also meant the Slime had a more challenging time getting Haemish’s attention. As expected, nothing. He growled a little louder, still nothing. Aarav didn’t want to mess around, food! Growling deeper, Rion finally seemed to notice and gave him a nudge. I will bite his stupid hand if he doesn’t toss me something!

Rion looked over at Haemish and then down at Aarav. Hoping no one would notice.

“Wass tha’ then!? Looks like summin’. Iss an animal issnit! You know wha’ me rules are abou’ animauls inna kitchin!” Woah! Aarav thought. Her accent was tough to understand, and it wasn’t like anything he had heard before. The closest Aarav could say was cockney. That was it, I think?