“Nothing,” I said flatly. Honestly I didn’t know why he was so curious. But then I noticed a trail of blood from his right nostril, Rufian jumping at the sensation of it and turning his back toward me to wipe it away. “Hey, you all right?”
“Ah, it’s nothing! Just the humidity in here getting to me, is all.”
It wasn’t humid in here…
Whatever.
It was just a nosebleed. I didn’t make anything more of it.
After we got suited up in what appeared to be spiffy, over the top business suits, Rufian whipped up another teleportation tunnel and we were at the baron’s estate. The place looked like a castle in its own right, with towering walls of white stone and a pair of golden grand doors that dwarfed me. The manor sat on a mountain, much like the temple of the orc shaman. Except this place was easily ten times its size.
Across the bridge, I saw the entrance doors were being guarded by two towering men dressed in armor. In the middle of the bridge, Rufian stretched out his arm, forcing me to stop. “We state our business here,” he said, before a holographic woman in a white hooded robe was summoned from within the cobblestone pavement.
She looked like a specter, even had me jerking back when she spontaneously emerged from the ground. Her lips were silent as she studied us, before asking, “Do you have an audience with the baron?”
“Ah, yes, we do! We are here for our appointment. We are from Healing Heart, LLC.”
“The baron doesn’t have an appointment today for Healing Heart, LLC.”
“Well, someone within the household made that appointment. Can you please check again?”
“What are your names?”
“Rigs and my associate here is Alphy.”
“No. No appointments,” she said just as quickly, as if she didn’t even bother to check. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” I was beginning to get worried—we needed the bone ashes of royal blood. Did we really hit our first roadblock?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
No entrance meant no ashes, and no ashes meant no shard and no Jezz. It was then I remembered what I had looted earlier from those cyber monsters, something that could potentially help us out of this predicament.
So I snuck a shot of a potion from my inventory and stepped in between Rufian and the hologram, politely butting in. “Then maybe it was overlooked,” I said. “Our condolences for the departed, but I assure you we came here looking to heal the baron’s family in these difficult times. War, death, we have reached a stalemate, haven’t we? Emotions are running wild, and it is our job to guide them back to a place of manageability. Of course that is if you would allow us to help the members of the court?” I smiled, crossing my fingers that this Smooth Talker elixir, which doubled my charisma stats, worked.
She paused, and it seemed like she was considering my words. The hologram lifted her head and said, “Right this way.”
Damn, it actually worked.
Too bad it was a one-time use ordeal.
The hologram placed her palm in front of her and it started to shine a bright orange. The orange light drew a silhouette on my chest, the outline of her palm tickling my skin. At first I wanted to spring up and defend myself, but seeing as Rufian didn’t budge, I figured it was harmless.
Maybe she was scanning us—a reveal spell? Rufian had warned me about bypassing fae magic by using the dungeon core, and by the looks of it, it worked.
After scanning me, she scanned Rufian. Once she did that, a transparent film stretched open, allowing us passage inside. I wasn’t even aware there was a force field around the court until now. It was massive, peeling away just enough to invite the two of us in. And as soon as we entered, she sealed the force field right up. “Please, follow me.”
The monotone woman in the white hood that glowed like a hologram led us further down the bridge. By the grand golden doors, I got to see the guards up close. They were bigger, wearing red matching sets underneath their armor with silver lion emblems on their chest plates. The family crest—it was hanging along the tapestry of the façade of the estate as well. When the doors opened to us, my heart leaped, the inside of the manor someplace straight out of a dream.
The floors were made of polished marble, with intricate patterns etched into the surface. 15 foot walls were adorned with paintings of historical battles and regal figures. The grand chandelier hanging above us was made of crystal, casting shimmering light onto the ceiling. Murals, sculptures, and decorative fixtures along the walls called out to me and my artistic muse.
“Please, do not touch anything,” our tour guide said without turning her head an inch. She must have sensed my curious eyes itching to touch one of the statues lining the hallway, because I hadn’t even reached out at anything yet. “The master does not appreciate it when his guests become too familiar with his belongings.”
“Noted,” I replied skittishly, taking in the opulence of the place instead. It was clear that the master of the house had no shortage of wealth, the baron’s home well established.
The woman led us through a maze of hallways and rooms until we finally reached our destination. We were led to a lavish sitting room, where a man was seated in a high-backed chair, his face obscured by shadows. Unlike the rest of the manor, this regal room was poorly lit, the row of high windows draped with heavy curtains.
“Your guests have arrived, sire. Mr. Rigs and Alphy of Healing Hearts, LLC. Shall I leave them to you?”
“I could have sworn I rejected their offer,” the mysterious man said bitterly, Rufian and I sharing confused looks. Judging by the expression on his face, I bet he made up that company, not thinking for a second it actually existed.
Let alone tried to reach out to the royal family already.
“Shall I show them the exit, then?”
“Please. And don’t you bother me again!”
She bowed. “Very well.”
Rufian had nothing to say, and neither did I. The guy sounded pissed already, and I’d said my piece. My charisma was back to being what it was before the potion, so I didn’t have super convincing skills. However, it looked like we wouldn’t need it, the both of us hearing a soft voice behind us question the man, “Brother, I didn’t know we had guests today.”
It was Gavori.
She looked a lot friendlier in her natural habitat, with soft features and a long black dress, her hair pinned back in a French braid.
“We don’t! They were just leaving,” her brother hissed, Rufian capitalizing on the moment by presenting himself before Lady Gavori.
He inched up to her and tipped his hat, bowing respectfully. “Lady Gavori. The pleasure is mine. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rigs of Healing Hearts LLC. This kind young man behind me is Alphy. We come here to you today to assist the royal family after the death of nobleman Nicott. If you are so inclined, we would love to help you in your time of need.”
“Healing Hearts LLC?” Gavori repeated hesitantly.
