We watched it go higher, then disappear beyond the slanted rooftops. I had to admit, they had a nifty way of combining technology and magic—the little they had left from the swamp witch. This world was centuries behind us, yet they managed to stay above the line with such artifices. It made life easier and more comfortable, for sure.
Inalia guided us back to the main street through the same narrow alley we’d come through. I’d figured we’d have some minutes to take all of this in as we made our way toward the high chancellor’s residence, but we were greeted by weapons as soon as we set foot into the main street.
Dozens of Cerixian soldiers had been posted in a semicircle, their guns ready to fire.
My stomach churned. I knew this wasn’t going to end well. “Don’t engage them,” I said slowly.
“Don’t worry,” Raphael replied. “We know the drill.”
Standing in front of the soldiers and grinning a little too much was Nalyon Martell. Trap Mellon had joined him, along with a new figure, a Cerixian male I didn’t recognize. His dark gray tunic and myriad of golden badges mounted on his chest, along with the grayish strands salting his otherwise ink-black hair, told me he was an elder and an important figure in this city.
The stupefied looks on both Inalia and Eira’s faces confirmed my assessment.
“High Chancellor,” Eira murmured.
Nalyon sneered. “Less than an hour in our world, and you’re already causing more trouble and damage than you’re worth.”
“What? No!” Inalia snapped. “We were attacked at the temple!”
“And why’d you burn the templar’s house down, then?” Nalyon replied.
“We didn’t do it!” Eira said. “Sir, it was already like that when we got there,” she added, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the small alleyway leading to the templar’s house. “The fire is out already!”
“Like you said, we haven’t been here long enough,” I added, unable to stop myself from scowling at Nalyon. He irked me like no one else before, and I was dangerously close to punching him at this point.
“There is a pile of corpses in the Fire Temple,” the high chancellor said, his voice low and grave and louder than everyone else’s. When he spoke, he demanded attention, and his chocolate-colored eyes seemed to peer right into my soul when he looked at me. “That was your doing, from what I’m told.”
Eira’s soldier friend was partially visible behind the high chancellor, looking wary and genuinely frightened. I knew then that I’d been right. Something fishy had to be going on in Silvergate, and we were being dragged into it. At least it didn’t come as a shock.
“They’re part of a cult,” I said. “We didn’t think you’d have them here, on Cerix, but you do. And they’re dangerous. Unless you let us help you stop them, they’ll do a lot more damage. Innocent people will die.”
“Right now, I’m worried about your intentions,” the high chancellor retorted. “And until I am comfortable with you and your motivations, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you all to be allowed to freely walk around Silvergate. Trouble follows you too closely.”
Nalyon nudged Trap, who cursed under his breath and snapped his fingers at Eira. “Arrest the outsiders and Inalia.”
“Wait, what?!” Inalia croaked, unable to process the entire scene. Not that I could blame her; I was just as confused. “No! Why would you arrest us?! We did nothing wrong!”
“That’s for the investigators to determine,” Nalyon said.
Trap cleared his throat. “Lieutenant Dorres! Did I not make myself clear?”
Eira stood to attention, suddenly stiff and cold. She looked down for a moment, then at me—I could almost feel the torment inside her. She didn’t want to do this, but she had to. I had a feeling there was more at stake here than what I’d originally assumed. I sighed, then looked at the rest of my crew.
“Buckle up, kids,” I muttered, as Eira produced a pair of metal cuffs. “We’re going to Silvergate’s jail.”
Several of the soldiers came forward and put the chained metal rings around our wrists. We complied. We didn’t want to give anyone reason to be in any way aggressive. It was part of GASP protocol to maintain a sense of diplomacy in everything we did, especially with newly discovered nations like Cerix.
We could always get out if things got too heated, but for the time being I had a feeling we’d get more useful insights about Cerix like this. I was dying to know what rotten secrets this city was hiding—not to mention the empire. Maybe it had nothing to do with the Hermessi, but, if it infringed upon the happiness and wellbeing of innocent people, we could at least help them fix it.
“It’ll be fun,” Herakles replied. “As long as they feed us.”
“Seriously?” Raphael asked.
“I’m joking, you oversized chicken.”
A smile tried the corners of Trap’s mouth, but he held back. Instead, he and Eira guided us toward a large rectangular carriage. It had four sets of wheels and it was pulled by six animals, eerily similar to horses. They were taller and more muscular, and they had beaks and wings, the feathers long and black, but their strong legs and wide hooves told me they could easily ride out long distances.
One of the soldiers pulled open the carriage side door, for us to get in. One by one, we settled inside, joined by Eira and Trap. They were both sullen and clearly displeased with this turn of events. I couldn’t help but give them both a dry smile.
“Don’t worry. If we don’t like it, we’ll leave,” I said.
“You’re pretty cocky for someone who’s about to go into a jail cell!” Nalyon retorted from outside. He shut the carriage door with a loud clang, and I hoped this would be the last time I’d see his obnoxious face.
Then again, given our history as GASP agents, I knew for a fact I’d deal with him again. Trouble was our middle name, and it often wore the frustrated snark and deviousness of worms like Nalyon Martell. I was also willing to bet he was at least part of the reason for our arrest, and I looked forward to paying him back for it.
Eva
The carriage hurtled through the streets of Silvergate, rocking us left and right. My shoulder kept bumping into Varga’s. I must’ve said sorry a dozen times by the time we reached the city’s prison. Other than that, we all kept quiet. I, for one, enjoyed the silence. It weighed heavier on Eira—I understood why she’d had to obey the orders she’d been given, but that didn’t mean I was okay with her not paying some kind of price for it. Maybe that was a little mean on my part, but cuffs could do that to a girl. Especially a Lamia.
As we got out, I found myself staring at the winged horse-like animals. The raven beaks threw me off. I was trying to figure out what sort of species they belonged to. “What are those?”
“Griffins,” Trap replied. “They’re common here on Cerix. We breed them and use them for transport. They’re strong and resilient creatures, though they can be quite temperamental.”
“They’re a vestige of the past,” Inalia said. “We could easily shift to swamp-witch-powered mechanisms, like we did with the bombardiers and the flying birds, but that would put the griffin breeders out of business.”
“Hey, they pay taxes. The empire likes them,” Trap replied.
“Up the stairs,” Eira said.
