With the deal struck, Xisiana shifted to her elven guise, and whistled. A horse came trotting up to her, and she swung up into the saddle. “Excellent! Now, let us hurry on back to Geburatiel. When I left, the city was still in an uproar over the disappearance of three noble houses. Chasing the culprits was the reason I gave for slipping out of the city, of course, but we both know who is responsible for that.”

“Your information network is impressive,” Vestele said as she started the wagon forward. “I did not notice any scrying sensors in the ritual chamber.”

Xisiana smirked. “You wouldn’t, no. That’s because I didn’t use scrying to watch the proceedings. I followed the new-formed demoness’s followers as they hauled the nobles from their beds, and watched the proceedings. They’ll be useful pawns, especially if you hold up your end of the bargain. I can use them to further justify the Inquisition’s actions.”

I nodded slowly as I rode by her side. “Not that I doubt you, of course, but how certain are you that the Archons, and the lord of the realm, will follow your lead? The mortals in charge of the Inquisition, I can easily see being corrupted by you, but they are not celestials or divinities.”

“Ah, but who says that my words are only heard by the mortals? The Archons are powerful, but they are not always the most gifted in seeing through deception. And even deities are not always gifted with true sight. They tend to rely too much on their other abilities to keep wicked hearts at bay. But, once you slip past those defenses…” She grinned.

“Impressive. Then, you are saying that you have the deity’s ear?”

“Mm, of a sorts. Even a god of paladins is still a man, when it comes down to it. And men are so deliciously easy to ensnare, once you know what they fancy. Oh, the whores of Shendilavri might be better known for their seduction, but don’t think my kind are less capable in that regard.”

“Hah!” Siora laughed from her seat on the wagon. “That much, I know to be true. So, you’ve been ‘working’ on Torm directly, then? How is he? I’ve always wondered what a god would be like in bed.”

“Well, all I’ll say is that he is very enthusiastic, and has excellent stamina. Which is good, since his early efforts were clearly untrained. By his own admission, he led a chaste and pure life as a mortal, focused on justice and ‘fighting the good fight’. It was only later, after he became a god, that he learned of other pleasures.”

This talk continued for some time as we traveled, keeping the wood to our right. Xisiana talked freely, though she didn’t say much, if anything, that could actually be used against her. I had the impression that she was relishing the opportunity to show off, since she’d been under cover for who knew how many long years. Having someone that she could gloat to about her successes in corrupting the church of Torm without ruining her schemes was not something she could easily pass up.

At any rate, the travel was pleasant enough. On the second day after meeting Xisiana, we left the Timeless Wood behind us. The third day, we managed to reach the road. There was a well-worn clearing, there, where travelers were obviously used to camping, as we were now about a day’s travel from the city itself. The bridge over Order’s Rule Canyon could just be seen in the distance.

That night, as we sat down to dinner, I looked at Xisiana, and asked, “So, what is the plan for getting us into the inner city? You mentioned that there were other High Inquisitors in Geburatiel, which could complicate things.”

“Yes, there are. But they do not frequent the area around the west gate, which is fortunate. And getting into the city will not be an issue. The guards know this face, and it would not be the first time that I’ve escorted strangers into the city. The guards know better than to ask Shalheira about such things, since it is always Inquisitorial business. It is safer not to say that they saw nothing, and know nothing.”

Vestelle nodded. “Once we’re in the city, it would be good to find someplace where we could sell the wagon and horses. It will be too clumsy trying to bring them to the square, and will raise too many questions.”

“Yes, and we have the pelts and eggs to sell, as well, not to mention the other loot from Sidriel.” Siora added.

“Then, you should stop by Market Row on the way to the inner city. A wagon and horses from the Material Plane are novelties here, and would go for more than they would otherwise be worth, if only for a status symbol. And there is a bounty on Sidriel’s head, which will earn you a healthy amount of coin. Perhaps enough to buy a second fortress, like the one you already have. Maybe more, depending on the prices you get.”

“A fine idea,” I nodded. “We’ll see what we can get for all that, and lighten our load before heading into the inner city. After that, we can hide out until it is time to finish things.”

The morning came, and we spent another day upon the road. The guards at the Order’s Rule Canyon bridge stopped us briefly, but let us pass once Xisiana produced a badge from a pocket, marking her as one of the Inquisition. We passed one or two carts along the road, but, for the most part, we had the road to ourselves.

Vestele turned to look at the fiend in our midst. “There is very little traffic between cities here, I’ve noticed. Is that by design?”

“Yes. Torm likes to control and order things, including the trade between cities and towns. Only licensed transporters can make regular runs across the realm. Anyone who is not licensed is subject to increased scrutiny as they pass the checkpoints.”

Siora grinned. “Which encourages the smugglers to find other ways, like the teleport circles? And that hidden trade makes it so that your Inquisition has a reason to move about, and recruit, right?”

“Exactly. More importantly, there are few people who have not partaken in the black market, anywhere in the realm. So, if the Inquisition has a need to interrogate someone, contraband is easy to find, even if the Inquisitors must place it themselves. And, because so many people do it, none question the validity of the claim.”

“And going down that path corrupts the Inquisitors further,” I nodded. “A small abuse of power to lead to a ‘greater good’ or ‘uphold the law’ can lead to greater ones. Eventually, they lose sight of their original beliefs, because they’re in too deep.”

Xisiana simply grinned. By this point, we were coming to the gates of the city, so we let the conversation fall to the wayside, and Xisiana moved in front. The guards at the gate recognized her (or rather, Shalheira) instantly, unlike the ones at the bridge. I noticed that these guards were wearing the Inquisition’s livery, rather than that of the army, which had not been the case before.

Xisiana, too, noticed the change. “Report, Guardsman. What has happened in the city while I’ve been gone?”

“Developments in the war, my lady. The mortals in the corrupt country are attempting to retake the lands that have been lost. Most of the army is now deployed on that side of the gate, so the Inquisition has taken over manning the gates. Levies are also being called in from the outer reaches. High Inquisitor Verndo left word requesting your presence in the Temple when you returned from your errand.”

“Very well, then. I will proceed there at once. These people are cleared to enter the city. You will forget you saw them, understood?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Very good.” ‘Shalheira’ turned to us, and said, “I must go on ahead. Follow the signs to Market Row. You can turn in your bounty at the Hunter’s Lodge. I’m sure you’ll find someplace to do the rest of your buying and selling near there, as well. When you are done with your business, come to the inner-city gate on Justica Street. You should be able to find the way easily enough. I’ll leave word for the guards to allow you to pass.”

“Very well,” I nodded. “And where shall we meet, after this?”

“The True Lord Inn. It rests on the corner of Justica and Temple streets, near the Temple Square. You cannot miss it. I will come and speak to you there, when I’ve finished with other business.”

With that, we entered the city, and parted ways. ‘Shalheira’ went straight ahead, towards the heart of the city, and we turned to the left, heading towards the Merchant District, and Market Row. As she said, there were signs marking the way. Not that it would have been all that difficult to navigate, given the ordered, grid-like layout of the streets.

Something about the ordered layout struck a chord in me. A hint of nostalgia, for a life lived in another world. Streets in the cities of this world were rarely straight, or laid out in a grid. They grew organically, as people put houses and buildings up, growing a village into a town, and a town into a city. But this city, it was planned, to the smallest detail, and it reminded me of some of the cities in the world I’d come from. Twenty years in this world, long enough that I had mostly forgotten my old world, and still sometimes I found things that reminded me that I was not native-born here.

At one end of Market Row was the Hunter’s Lodge. It was not an adventurer’s guild, but rather an organization for bounty hunters. If a creature was causing trouble, a bounty may be posted, and hunters would go and dispatch them. Apparently, it was one of the few jobs in the city open to ‘outsiders’ or visitors from other planes.

Of course, that meant that the building was being watched by the Inquisition, so that they could mark those coming and going. Guards in Inquisitorial gear stood watch, one inside the door, and the other outside. However, while they studied every face and group to pass the door, they didn’t stop anyone from entering, or ask for identification.

Some things could not be managed too closely, after all. Trying to keep a proper record of those patronizing the Hunter’s Lodge would only drive such practices underground, where rebellious elements could take advantage of them. It was enough to keep an eye on things, and mark which individuals were placing bounties, and who was claiming them.

Inside the Lodge, there was a small common area, where people could sit, talk, and drink, while planning the next hunt, or waiting for new bounties to be placed. It was only mid-afternoon, so there were only a couple people there, and all were too busy with their conversations, or their drinks, or looking over the bounty board for their next target, to mind us. Instead, we walked to the desk clearly marked ‘Bounty Claims’, which sat next to one marked ‘Post Bounties’. All very orderly.

The ordinal orc behind the claims desk nodded to us as we approached. “Welcome to the Hunter’s Lodge. Are you here to claim a bounty?”

I smiled back at him and reached into my pack. “Yes, in fact, we are.” I was watching his face as I set the severed head of the werewolf archon and the lump of metal that was his trumpet on the table. “We’d like the bounty on the former archon known as Sidriel.”

The entire room went silent. All conversations or other activities went by the wayside, and you could have heard a pin drop. Well, I can understand the reasoning. He wasn’t a pushover, after all.

The orc didn’t bat an eye however, and just pulled out a magic item to examine our proof of the kill. “Ah, yes. Everything seems to be in order. Please wait while I collect the bounty.”

The room exploded in noise, as everyone started shouting and asking questions at once.