It had been a long trip with nothing interesting to see, as far as Julie was concerned. She had crossed the border into Merlon with out any trouble, there being no security at them and she had even passed a few small villages with 30 to 40 people in them. They had given her a few odd looks over her clothes and sword but no one troubled her at the inn she had stayed at. Luckily for Julie, the horse's saddlebags had contained a purse with some silver coins in them. They had covered her fees and kept her comfortable that night.
Julie had asked the locals about the capital and under the guise of worry, asked if there were any brigands on the roads. She was informed that a murderous band of dark wizards was on the prowl and took refuge in the Forest of Shadows. Julie had thanked them before turning in for the night.
The next morning found her up early and on her horse to arrive at the capital city of Merlon at noon. Magus Cardios was a city, Julie gave them credit for that, but it seemed to be a crowded one from her vantage point on a nearby hill. Looking down on the city she saw white pristine buildings behind a large white wall that circled the city. In the center of all of this was a gothic castle, with a wall surrounding it, that reminded Julie of pictures she'd seen of Notre' Dame. What really drew Julie's interest was the shanties that protruded from the outer wall by a good two miles. Large groups of the poor usually indicated problems with the government's infrastructure.
Julie saw a lot of hard working people outside the walls, who seemed happy and she wondered what was causing the separation in the classes. When she arrived at the outer wall she got a good hint as there were two lines at the gate, one line showing a stick to the guard who weighed it before giving it back. The other line was a group of people who were showing a paper before going through. Curious, Julie got in the latter line and when she got up to the man he held out his hand,"Entry papers, please."
Julie shrugged her shoulders,"Fraid I don't have them. I'm from out of town and am delivering a message to the King and Queen of the realm."
The guard shook his head, "I'm sorry ma'am but no one may enter the city without papers or a wand examination."
"I don't have a wand though."
"Then your out of luck. Orders are clear about this. No one may enter the city without magic for their own protection unless they have been given special exemption."
Julie was started to getting frustrated with the guy and waved her hand in front of his face and said, "Well then you've seen my papers and you'll let me pass then." Julie watched as a glazed look crossed the man's eyes and and he said,"I've already seen your papers and am letting you go." Julie looked at her hand in shock when the guard caught her attention, "If their's nothing else then you may enter the city ma'am. Please walk your horse." Julie shook her head before entering the city. Mentally she was jumping up and down, I just did a Jedi mind trick. That's so awesome. Her good mood was somewhat spoiled though when she realized she was strutting down the road with her hips in full sway. Cursing herself, Julie looked around on her way to the castle and saw that everyone was dressed in robes of various colors and she even saw a few casting spells from their wands. She heard some exciting shouting and watched as a pack of kids riding broomsticks flew out of one of the estates, an old woman trailing behind them. Seeing the division between magic and non-magic people, gave Julie some ideas she would have to share with Kenan later.
Deciding she wanted to blend in a little better, Julie stepped in an alley and concentrating turned her tank top into a black velvet robe that draped across the top of her breasts and the split in the middle exposed her nipples which hardened from a cold wind. Julie took a long look at them and sighed. Well if I have to be a woman at least I'm hot. Julie then changed her tank top into a black dress that flowed down to her ankles and black cloth from the waist went up and over her breasts before connecting around her neck. Julie figured she wouldn't get as many stares as she got out of the alley and continued on her way to the palace.
When Julie arrived at the Palace Wall, she was impressed by how sturdy it looked. Archaic runes skittered across the surface of the stone and Julie could feel a small amount of energy leaking from it. Julie had always been a fan of fantasy and had always thought of raw magic being like electricity. Feeling the seepage, she wondered how long the runes would be effective before they were effectively dead. After studying the wall she saw two entrances, the main entrance and a service entrance. The main entrance was closed and heavily guarded. Julie thought about using her mind trick again but she didn't think it would be a good idea to use it in front of so many people. The safer approach would be to go through the service entrance, which was big enough to let in a wagon but it would be a squeeze for more than that. Standing at the entrance were two men, wearing loosely fitting armor and silver chains around there necks. Julie didn't want to waste any more time and went up to the older guard and waved at him. "You'll let me pass." She was a little surprised when the man's eyes got hard and he shook his head. "I don't know who you think you are but I'm going to say this only once. Get lost, before I put your insides on the outside." Julie stepped back from the sheer menace in the man's voice and her hand went to her sword. "I am a messenger from the Dark Lord Kenan of Black Isle, come to offer terms of surrender to the King and Queen of this land. Now let me pass." Julie gripped her sword, ready to cut her way through when the older man began to grow taller so that his loose armor became tight as muscles began building in his chest and arms and the silver necklace around his throat looked more like a choke chain. His face extended out into a muzzle and his eyes turned golden. Black fur that was graying at the tips sprouted all over his body and his mouth filled with fangs. "How kind of your master to surrender. How about you just tell me and I'll pass along the word?" The werewolf sniffed disdainfully at her but something in her scent made him freeze. Spooked, he backed up and pulled out his own sword.
Julie wasn't sure what had gotten into him but she was going to press forward with any advantage she could get. "That's not quite right, you see your leader's are going to surrender to mine. So you will let me through, but first let me ask you, why would anyone put two werewolves to guard such a minor entrance into the castle? Why would they put silver around your necks? Maybe its because they don't trust you." Julie smiled as the werewolf guard nodded at her deductions. "I think you should go and see Kenan then, he would trust you in his camp and would reward you handsomely for joining of your own free will. Something for you to consider till next we meet." Seeing that the werewolf and the unchanged werewolf weren't going to stop her, Julie walked into the castle so she could meet with the leaders of this odd little nation.
After she had passed the werewolf changed back to normal and turned to the younger guard. "Sirius, I want you to grab your mother and get out of here. Now." Sirius balked at the stern words and looked where the woman had gone. "But why Dad? You know the Queen's going to kill the woman and send her pieces back to whatever foolish dictator sent her."
"I didn't catch it at first, her shell hid it from me but that woman's scent marks her as a demon, Sirius. A powerful one too. I don't expect half the royalty to survive after she's done talking to them. Now do what I say before its to late. You've probably got twenty minutes before all hell breaks loose. Take your Mom to the rebels, and I'll be along as soon as I can."
White faced, Sirius headed toward the Laundry to get his mom and hoped he'd be in time.