- 9 - Questioned? Depart to Trane, Brace yourself

Surely enough, the absence of the guard had been noticed. It had only been a matter of time till they realized the guard did not return to his post.

The gates of the town had been sealed off, protected by a herd of guards that stood firm in their position. Jamie slowed down, satchel still at the side of his body, as he approached the guard standing in front of the exit.

"Is something wrong? Are we able to get through?" he questioned, peering his head around the guard that approached us.

Took them long enough.

The guard held up a finger, calling over his supervisor that had been leaning against a nearby post, "You'll be fine. We'll just have to ask you some questions before you're allowed out. We're just looking for someone."

Yeah, I was standing right in front of them.

From a quick glance, they positioned about five guards on this side of the gate. The footsteps interloped too much to guess how many were on the other side. Although, if they wanted to keep a strong defensive image, it would be better to remain calm from the outside. That was from a belief observance of the situation though.

I couldn't be sure.

There was no reason to assume it was about anything else but the missing guard. I was sure of it. It was commendable that they tried to eliminate exit and entry points. In theory, it was a clever idea. But as foolish as humans were, they failed to consider that anyone skilled enough to take out a guard wouldn't be caught at a simple checkpoint.

How embarrassing would it be for a general to be caught by town guards?

Like I'd let that happen. Flightless or not…

My father would have turned my leather into a new chest plate if I were any less capable. I may have been the youngest, but I was considered the demon king's dragon for a reason.

Well, used to be. 

They could throw any question at us. The supervisor pulled out a notepad, clicking his pencil, as he waited for a response. I heard a gulp from my guiding human.

Jamie flashed a confused look in my direction before nodding, "Uh…yeah. That works."

Was he nervous?

The guard nodded again, stepping aside to let who I assumed was in charge take his place in front of us. The other guard moved to stand behind us.

We had been boxed in. Well. They attempted to. Would you look at that? This was hilarious. It would have been proficient if it weren't for me with which they were dealing.

Actually, it was a common technique for negotiating on open terms. One would be positioned in front of the target and the other would stay behind to eliminate the exit.

I clearly remember using this in battles. The white flag would wave, signaling the enemy's defeat, then they would send out their leader to "talk" about terms.

I would be begged to spare their lives. Simply, it was just how the war went down. I suppose these humans were knowledgeable.

The supervisor cleared his throat, his glance shifting between the two of us.

"Thank you for cooperating with this. No worries, you're not in trouble. We'll be asking the same questions to everyone that passes in and out of the town today."

Sure. But what he meant to say was "You're not in trouble as long as you answer the questions right." 

They'd kill us if they suspected we killed his guard.

The fact of the matter was that I did kill his guard. I thought of it as natural selection getting rid of the idiots. He just ran into someone that wouldn't put up with his attitude. And had a taste for anything made of meat.

The man seemed sharp, and his posture was placed in such a way that he'd easily be ready to unsheathe his sword. He was trained - well at that.

It would be easier to control the conversation, myself. Plus, I doubted Jamie would be able to manage this. He had proven himself incapable in my eyes already. This occurrence instilled that.

And I was right to assume so.

As soon as Jamie realized the slight tension in the air, his demeanor changed. His posture stiffed and his hands fidgeted with the strap of his satchel. The supervisor noticed this, scribing down in the small notepad in his hand.

Jamie peered around at the guarded gate. I mean. It was good that he was observant, but he needed to relax if we wanted to get out of there fast.

I sighed. This wasn't going to work. For an innocent man, he was acting guilty.

Humans… really.

I reached for his shoulder, resting my elbow against it, leaning closer to the supervisor.

Thankfully, Jamie was caught off guard by my gesture. His body finally relaxed. His attention was now on me. He looked up at me with an expression that screamed, "What are you doing?" 

Saving his ass, that's what.

He continued to glare. Not like I particularly cared. For one, I may be unfamiliar with human society but in these types of situations, it was child's play. My eyes quickly glanced at the supervisor in front of us, who seemed to question my gesture but said nothing about it.

Smart. 

If I were him, I'd do the same thing. Anyone that cracked under pressure before questioning would be bound to slip up anyway.

No point in rushing it. Unfortunately, I was not rusty enough to lose to a mere human.

I smiled widely, a fake light in my eyes, as I stared at the sword in his holder, "Whoa! Is that a real sword?"

Let's play dumb, shall we?

Like the smooth talker that he appeared to be, he chuckled, looking down at his sword, "Ah! Yes, it is. If you would like, I'll show it to you after questioning."

Please, don't kid me.

If he pulls that sword, it would be anything but peaceful. Any trained soldier would never pull his sword for a vanity show. This human was lying through his stained teeth.

I nodded cheerfully, "That would be amazing! Thank you!" How dumb do you think I am? 

The man cleared his throat and the person behind us stepped closer. They were closing the space. 

Their feeble attempt was amusing.

"Okay, we'll have you folks along your way soon. Where are you heading today?" he asked, his eyes darting to the guard behind us.

A signal to be ready.

I nudged Jamie.

"Oh, uh. We're heading to Trane." He muttered quickly. The guard looked over at me.

"I'm heading to the same place. I heard Trane is huge!" Again, another stupid grin on my face.

The man nodded, his hand furiously writing, "Ah, Trane is a long journey but it's not bad! How are you two planning to get there?"

His pencil stopped, as he gazed up again.

Jamie answered both of us with the same look he had when he bought bread.

He pointed to me.

"He wouldn't know. But I think we'll walk down to the carriage rental at Farie. It should only take a day by buggy," He explained, I played along and tilted my head.

"That sounds like a good travel plan," The supervisor's attention pinned to the empty holder, "You."

This human was sharp. I'll give him that much. Still, I was better.

"Me?" I answered dumbly, leaning on top of Jamie more, causing him to curse at the added weight, he stumbled slightly.

The supervisor nodded, never taking his eyes off the empty holding strap on my pants, "Are you a hunter?" he asked, commenting on my attire.

His posture tensed slightly. Bad move because anyone with combat experience would notice this change. That move will get him killed one day. I pretended not to notice the soft metallic clang of a hand gripping a handle.

From both guards, may I add.

Geez. So that's how it was?

Weren't they a tad pushy? 

One wrong answer and they'd attack.

I lifted a hand to the back of my head, "You see. I ran away from home. These are the only clothes that I was able to find." Oh, woe is me.

I exhaled deeply, my head tilted back, as I rested my one hand on my forehead.

Feel bad for me.

A huge huff and the tension subsided. The supervisor sighed, rubbing his brow.

"I see. You're fine. It's not too uncommon nowadays." The supervisor noted, "One more question. Are you visiting from another area? I recognize him," He pointed at Jamie, "But I don't believe we've met before."

I suppose I was indeed visiting.

"Ah…! You're right, I'm from quite far away. I barely made it here!" A fake tear slipped from my eye. Lies. 

The supervisor nodded, looking defeated. He traded a look to the guard behind us before stepping aside from the gate.

A lever was pulled, and the gates opened, exposing the familiar grassy plains beyond the town.

"You two are free to pass. Have a safe travel to Trane. If you get tired of being the imperial's dog, then we're always looking for guards."

He spared a look at me, filled with pity, "I hope it gets better for you, sonny."

I sniffed, "Thank you…"

Thank you for being so stupid.

I pushed a hand behind Jamie, pushing him forward through the gates. The gates closed behind us, the guards once more, stepping in front of it to block anyone that tried to enter. I glanced back.

They would be searching for a while.

"So… are you okay?" Jamie asked, looking back in concern. He still looked shaken up from the whole encounter. If anything, I should be asking him.

"Yeah." I looked over with a blank look.

Jamie let out a loud exhale, wiping his brow, "Ok… Anyway, I am glad it's over. That felt like an interrogation. I almost suffocated."

Well, that's because it was. 

"Did it? I didn't notice," I lied, looking anywhere but his eyes. Suddenly, the trail he leads us down seemed interesting. Let's look at that.

He went on, "Don't you think something happened? They seemed serious."

For someone that was training to join the army, he was remarkably unobservant. Stop asking questions and move on.

"Maybe." I shrugged, indifferent to it.

"I hope they find whoever they're looking for." He sighed, moving on to pull a map from his satchel.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will."

They won't but he can believe whatever he wants if it allows him to guide us to Trane.

"How long will we be on this path?" I asked, changing the subject. I leaned over his shoulder to stare at the map.

Jamie paused, tracing a pathway on the map, "Straight ahead for a day, then we'll pass into Farie. If we can get a buggy there instead of walking the rest of the way, then I think we can make it to Trane in a couple of days."

"Lead the way."

I trailed behind him, glancing at the towering trees to the side of the pathway. We walked a good portion in silence.

The pressure in the air rose with a spike in energy. My eyes narrowed; my senses adapted to the sudden threat. I looked around alertly, picking up a quickly approaching group of monsters. It was a similar scent.

I skidded to a halt and braced myself.

"Jamie, you can protect yourself, right?"

Jamie glanced up, his eyes peering above the map, "What? What's wrong?"

This scent and this type of energy, it was right on top of us. Ready to attack us at any second.

I knew this energy. These low levels of demonic energy.

These pests.

Hell rats.