Red Tape

“Hey, are you okay?” Someone shook her repeatedly. It sounded like Tina’s voice.

Nia would’ve groaned, if she felt up to it. But she felt too tired. Opening her eyes was an act of will and she hadn’t even enough energy to keep that will going.

I could probably use magic, but I have to concentrate to get that going, too. Which leaves me like this again. Way to go to get addicted to your own magic.

“What is it?” She mumbled, wanting to go back to sleep.

“You need to change clothes.” Nia groaned, but tried to help the woman change her attire. She had found some plain white robes that had no soup stains on them.

“How do you feel?” Tina asked half-way through the process. “I mean, being kidnapped right after … changing probably wasn’t the nicest of experiences.”

A shiver ran down Nia’s spine and she shook her head.

“It’s a danger most women face. In one way or another,” Tina whispered.

It sounded a bit more than just hearsay. Had Tina experienced that herself? Nia look at the other woman as she straightened her robes. The religious woman wasn’t looking at her, but concentrated too much on the fabric. That only made her suspicion worse.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Nia asked.

“No. Not now.” Tina shook her head.

Nia nodded and laid back down. Her eyes closed almost automatically. There was nothing she could do for the other woman right now, so she gave in to the pull of darkness and went back to sleep. A dreamless sleep.

The next thing that reached her consciousness was “We’re almost there.” That sounded like Mother Clemens.

This time, it was easier to open her eyes. One of the twins was carrying her again.

I give up.

She straightened and looked ahead. She still felt weak, but seeing the city in the distance, she felt relief. The end of their journey was in sight. Literally.

Tall stone walls encircled the large settlement. Vast, golden fields were sprawled around it, and a river ran next to the road.

“Is that …?” she began, having forgotten the name of their destination.

“Yes, that’s Drakar,” the priestess confirmed. “Even if you’re still weak, you should walk into the city on your own feet.”

Nia took Mother Clemens’s advice with a sigh, but didn’t feel ready yet to follow it. She didn’t want to be carried all the time, but she had clearly overtaxed herself. She still wanted to ask Sonja, how the magic worked for her.

Might as well get that out of the way now.

“Hey, Sonja?” She leaned slightly back but held onto the thick shoulders to address the other girl.

“What is it?”

“How do you pay for using your magic?”

“I’m getting a headache.”

“No weakness or any such thing?”

“Nope. Just a head splitting headache. In the beginning, my thoughts have been slightly sluggish, but I’m not collapsing the way you do.”

Nia stared as several thoughts assaulted at once: I’m getting the headache and the brainfog, but only the exhaustion when I strengthen myself. But throwing fireballs around would’ve been far cooler. It’s why I wanted the mage class!

“So, you collapsed because you used too much magic?”

“As far as I know.” She grumbled.

“A classic Glass Cannon.” Ralf barged into their conversation unbidden.

“Doesn’t that describe someone that can dish out a lot, but falls easily … Argh, never mind.” Nia frowned at the broad grin on the pseudo dwarf’s face.

“Anyways. I think it is better, if you walk by yourself now.” The twin nodded toward the city and set Nia down.

Ugh. Right as I was getting used to it.

Her legs still felt weak and threatened to buckle, but she managed to walk by herself. Very slow. Especially compared to the pace the twins had set before.

Tom eyed her from the side, but he didn’t say anything. They had started off the wrong foot—which was totally his fault—but he had changed since then. Which was the reason why she couldn’t tell what he was thinking at the moment.

She put him out of her mind and concentrated on walking. Just set one foot in front of the other. Don’t stumble. Don’t fall. And get to the city before night fall.

The people here have to invent proper roads.

There was a short waiting line in front of the city. Nia didn’t complain, since standing was marginally better than walking. It also allowed her to think. She had read of lines to get into cities in some medieval novels, but wondered, if that was normal.

“People are drawn to the big cities for the long period of darkness,” Mother Clemens explained. “The guards won’t let any excommunicated people in.”

Nia nodded and just trotted along in the line. She’d need a proper bed and sleep and something to eat. At least she managed to stand straight, as they arrived at the gates.

One of the four guards stepped forward and addressed Mother Clemens. “Greetings, Priestess. Are you here to visit the Great Temple?”

“Yes. But I’d also like to speak to the High Council.” The woman glanced at Nia, but didn’t say a word about her sainthood.

“Who are you traveling with?” the guard inquired and looked at the rest of the group.

“These are Torax and Erax from Grenfield.” The Twins waved with their hands. “And this is a fellow priestess with her retinue.”

“Must be something big, if two priestesses seek to converse with the high council,” the second guard interjected. “What happened to her robes?”

“It’s the reason we’d like to speak to the council,” Mother Clemens said smoothly. “We encountered bandits that were bold enough to try and kidnap a priestess.”

“That’s serious.” The guard looked as if he wanted to run out and punish the bandit himself. “What happened to them?”

“Nia has punished them.” Mother Clemens didn’t say how. “I think you understand, that we can’t allow random bandits to attack members of the church. It’ll only undermine Luaria and embolden Saesquar.”

“Indeed.” The guard bowed slightly to the priestess. “Rest assured that you’re completely safe within the city.” With those words, he stepped aside and let all of them in.

Nia was astonished by the power of religious belief. They never even questioned Mother Clemens’ words.

The city itself looked as if someone had plucked it straight out of the middle ages. A few Men and Women were running around, several carrying baskets. The streets were barely wider than a typical car back on earth.

They followed what seemed to be the main road. There were several small and dark alleys off to both sides, but the city was packed already. They only got through the throng of people, because Mother Clemens was with them. The men and women stepped aside and allowed the priestess to pass.

Most of the houses were made of wood and had a straw roof. It was a fire hazard waiting to happen. Sonja could probably play Nero quite easily. That would burn the information that too closely packed buildings were not a good idea into everyone’s minds. And then they’d be chase out of the city. In the best case scenario.

Maybe they have some kind of magic that keeps a fire from breaking out?

Fantasy worlds always sounded so easy, so black and white. And then you were in one, and that image fell apart. Gray was everywhere and existed next to Black and White.

After going past what felt like hundreds of buildings and at least a dozen crossings, the road opened up to a large market place. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of stalls covered a large area that was probably the center of the city. People were walking around, dodging and shouting at each other, while the various people selling their wares praised them at the top of their lungs. It was a cacophony.

Nia had always hated large crowds of people. Shopping malls had been especially uncomfortable. But this? This was at the undisputed top spot of places where she’d rather never be.

And Mother Clemens cut her way through it all. She didn’t even think about taking another route, even though the people here had trouble getting out of their way. The worst was, that her forcing her way through did nothing to litigate the noise. Noise that had to be enough to damage her hearing!

The rest of their group just went along with the priestess. Nia was strung along by the invisible strands of democracy, and the desire not to be alone in all of this.

The things you have to do, if you want to live together, peacefully.

They were headed to three large buildings that stood at the other edge of the market place. Colorful pillars with interesting patterns held a roof made of stone, giving vibes of Roman or Greek architecture that had been put into a blender together with Egyptian architecture and had been mixed at maximum settings.

There was something written at the top of the building, but since Nia had fully skipped learning the magic that would allow her to understand the written word here, she had no idea what it said. For all she new this could be titled as “Epic Bureaucracy Building A38”.

That was exactly the building Mother Clemens was heading for.

“We’ll be in the city, visiting a few … ah relatives,” one of the twins said. “Come to Achim’s when you’re done.” They both smiled and waved, then walked away.

“See you shortly,” Mother Clemens answered and nodded, then she walked up the stairs.

As they passed the pillars at the top, the sounds of the market became a lot quieter and they ceased completely after going through the doorway. It got so quiet that Nia had to wonder whether there were still people on the market place. When she looked, she could still see the bustling out there.

Does inscription based magic exist? Magic weapons? Things like that? Or do they just pay someone to keep these sound barriers up all the time?

Mother Clemens approached the man at the singular desk on the side of the room. “We’d like to speak to the council.”

“The council is currently in a meeting. You may enter after the current debate has finished.” His answer was as wooden as he looked.

“How long will this take?”

“It will take as long as it takes,” the clerk answered. He didn’t even shrug. “They’re at this topic for the third day now.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Nia’s shout drew the attention of the clerk.

“Please keep your voice down.”

“Seriously. How can you get anything done?” Nia asked in a normal voice, but earned a glare from the clerk.

So he does have emotions.

“With all due respect, miss, and I do not even know, how much is due,” the clerk paused briefly, intensifying his stare, “you’re in no place to criticize the way the high council works.”

Being called “Miss” was still strange, but Nia tried to ignore it. She still felt tired. But she couldn’t let this one go. “If I’m in no place to criticize them, then where can I do it? Through those doors?” She pointed at the big double doors at the other end of the room.

“I suggest you leave.” The clerk looked back at his scrollwork. “Now.”

A hand clasped on her shoulder, and she turned to face Ralf. “Aggravating administrative folk doesn’t work.”

“It might also be a good idea not to rush changes.” Tina pulled her away from the clerk’s desk. “Three days isn’t that much. I know of bad laws that stood for decades in our world and are still active.”

“Your … world?” The clerk looked at them suspiciously. Maybe he was keeping the room so quiet that he could listen to everything there.

They slowly turned back around as he put his quill down and eyed them. “If your insinuation of a summoned saint a ruse, you’ll be severely punished.”

“Let me get this straight,” Nia said, feeling exasperated, “you want to punish us for mentioning, not even to you, that we’re from another world?”

“Not for mentioning it between yourselves, no.” The clerk stared at them, and Nia was sure that he would’ve pushed glasses up his nose, if he had any. “But you just claimed it in front of a government official.”

Mother Clemens sighed. “Can you just pretend you didn’t hear that?”

The clerk slowly got to his feet. “I’m afraid not. False claims of sainthood, even if just claiming to be summoned, have to be investigated.”

“I told you, aggravating a pencil pusher doesn’t end well.” Nia could almost hear the grin in Ralf’s voice.

“Isn’t he a quill pusher in this world?” Tina asked.

“So, how does she prove that she’s a saint?” Tom’s question made Nia turn her head. He was suddenly the responsible one? When had he changed this much?

“It’s rather simple.” He approached Nia and reached out to her chin with his hand.

Nia grabbed the hand and snarled.

“Don’t even try this bullshit with me. I am not cattle to be examined.”

“A minor saint at most,” the clerk murmured. “The seer should be able to give a definite answer as to what you really are.”

He lowered his hand and Nia let go of it. As the clerk turned around, he gestured with his hand, and thick stone slabs slid from the left and right into the entrance, darkening the room for a moment. When soft silvery light from a few crystals gave them enough light to see, he said: “Follow me.”

Nia gulped. She was sure the rest of them gulped, as well. It seemed that the simple clerk had a lot of power. And they were now trapped with him. It did explain why they hadn’t met any guards.

Mother Clemens just followed the clerk. The old priestess didn’t see any problems with what was going on.

With her magic, Nia would be able to just storm the council chamber, but after the clerk had casually demonstrated this much power, she didn’t want to anger him. Her body was still pretty fragile. So she gave in with a sigh, and followed the rest through a door at the side of the room.