Daegal listened in silence to the clopping of horse hooves on the street and the creak of the wagon as it rolled up the road. It felt different without Fiora and Emil sitting in here with him. He felt much more like a caged animal, even though this cage could not hold him, and was unlocked besides. In his mind he had been preparing for this eventuality, but the reality of facing untold numbers of people who would all be looking, judging, condemning him, it made him want to run away as fast as he could. Fiora was the only thing keeping him here. Abandoning her was not an option, so if he had to face an army by himself just so she could live in peace, so be it.

  Deciding to keep watching from the little slit. They moved through the upper city where the wealthy and influential made their homes and practiced their trade. Daegal caught sight of walls inside the city, stretching higher into the air. It was difficult for him to see from the angle he had, but there seemed to be buildings with pointed spires sticking up higher still. It was only after observing for a moment that he realized it wasn’t multiple buildings, but one large one, constructed mostly of stone and built in a blocky U shape. The pointed spires and slanted roofs were all painted a weathered blue with decorative crenellations running along the rims of the roof. There were more windows on this one building than any other he had seen thus far.

  The cart approached a portcullis where they were stopped for a moment by a pair of guards who asked Leoric who he was and his reason for being here.

  “My name is Leoric Ashwood, and I am here to bring a report of the utmost urgency to his majesty. I was recently tasked by the church with an investigation, and the results have revealed something that is beyond my ability to officiate.”

  “Do you have any identification on you?”

  “Will my family crest suffice?”

  There was a brief exchange where the guard looked over the crest before deciding it was authentic. “Why is that man tied up behind your cart?”

  “He is a bandit that attempted to waylay us with his group on our journey, though he obviously did not succeed. I will be submitting him for interrogation later.”

  “And what do you have in the back of the cart itself?”

  “The subject of the discussion that must be had.”

  “I’ll have to check it.”

  “If you must.” Leoric acquiesced to the demand, knowing that it would help expediate everything for the man to see. Daegal, on the other hand, braced himself while he sat up against the back of the cage as much as he could.

  The guard moved to the back of the cage and lifted the blanket out of the way. The moment the man saw Daegal sitting in the cage, he yelped and jumped back, letting the blanket fall back into place. This brief interaction made Daegal’s chest tighten a little. That reaction always stung, and he hated it. Whatever shock that guard went through wore off, and he found his voice again.

  “W-What in god’s name is that thing?!”

  Leoric remained unphased by the panicked reaction and tried to move things along. “Now you understand why I must meet with his majesty. Could you assist me in this matter?”

  “I... y-yes, of course. I’ll lead you in and fetch the captain of the guard. He will be able to assist you from there.”

  With a crack of the reigns the cart slowly rolled through the archway and up toward the castle. The sloped hill turned around on itself once before they ended up in the courtyard. They pulled off to the side, out of the way, and now they were able to get everyone sorted with Leoric taking charge for now.

  “Take this scum to the cells and tell the interrogator to start working on him. I want the names and locations of his accomplices and anyone he does business with.” Some of the soldiers under Leoric’s command moved to accomplish this task, allowing him to turn to Fiora and Emil now. “Sir Emil, Lady Fiora, I will escort you inside and show you where you can wait in comfort. Everyone else, watch the cart and make sure nobody approaches until I get back with the captain of the guard. Mistakes will not be tolerated.”

  Daegal’s anxiousness increased as he listened to the footsteps of Fiora and Emil get further away. Before they got too far, though, Fiora called back to him as she left. “Don’t worry, Daegal, we’ll be waiting for you.” That was all she could say without being forced to yell it.

  He was alone, save the company of the soldiers, and suddenly the air itself felt suffocating. It didn’t help when the men around him started mumbled conversations, still unknowing of Daegal’s true range of hearing.

  “So, what do you think’s gonna happen to that thing?”

  “How should I know? I barely understand how these noble types think.”

  “You barely understand anything at all.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “What’s your best guess? You think they’ll actually let it live?”

  “You see that fucken thing? It ain’t likely, I'll tell you that much.”

  “I almost feel bad for it. It didn’t exactly feel evil to me.”

  The other scoffed. “Yeah, but it can also kill three men with ease. That thing’s dangerous, and I bet those prim and proper nobles are likely to soil themselves as soon as they see it.”

  Both shared a short and quiet chuckle with one another, but Daegal wasn’t laughing. He had started to curl his legs up near his chest, breathing becoming uneven, shuddering slightly as he did his best to stay quiet. Everything inside him was revolting, and he felt like he was about to be sick. Unfortunately, those feelings were indulgences he could not afford, and he had to project strength right now, no matter how much he wanted to curl up and scream.

  A few minutes went by before Daegal heard a pair approach the cart again, speaking with one another, and one of the voices belonged to Leoric.

  “I swear Leoric, what nonsense are you bringing to me that you have my men in such a panic? If this isn’t something important-”

  “It is, Edmund,” Leoric protested. “You’ll see for yourself soon enough. This will likely have a lasting impact on the kingdom.”

  “I have no idea what you could have possibly found that would warrant such a statement, but I will reserve my judgement for now.”

  Daegal did his best to get his emotions under control before they showed up. He stretched out his legs again, trying to appear calm and in control of himself. Knowing what was about to happen, he braced again, and this time the reaction did not cause as much pain as it did the last time when the covering over the cage was lifted.

  As the unfiltered light poured into the cage, Daegal saw a man wearing an outfit that looked regal and ceremonial. Bright colors of white and blue were accented with black lines that promoted a blockier and intimidating look to the man’s body. A sash was draped over the man’s shoulder, traveling diagonally across his body. On his hip was a sword held in a black leather sheathe. The handle was wrapped in a dark brown leather with the pommel and cross guard etched with many intricate patterns that flowed elegantly.

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  The reaction from this man was normal, flinching in surprise as one hand immediately went to the hilt of his sword. “What in the name of all that is holy is that thing!?”

  “The reason why I need you to bring word to the king and have a meeting called to order. He is-”

  “Is the cage not locked!?” The man, Edmund, seemingly just realized that Daegal was not, in fact, trapped inside the cage. Although that would true regardless of it was locked, the captain of the guard was not standing for it.

  “Yes, but as you can see-”

  “You will lock it immediately and make damn well sure it remains that way!”

  “Sir, that is not necessary, he-”

  “Not necessary!” Edmund wasn’t giving Leoric any room to explain or even speak. “You would risk the lives of everyone in the castle, his majesty included, and for what!? Be careful Leoric, your actions and words are dangerously close to treason. I knew your father was a murderous bastard, but I didn’t think you would throw away the last of your family’s reputation in such a casual disregard of duty.”

  Daegal could see a slight tensing in Leoric’s body as Edmund said that, and it was obvious it was restrained anger by the way he held his fists clenched shut. Leoric did not rise to react to Edmund, but there was no arguing the man who apparently held more status.

  “Lock the cage and have chains at the ready to bind the monster. I will inform his majesty of the situation and have a meeting called to judge this beast. You will do these things, or you will be tried yourself.”

  With jaw tightened and body tense, Leoric bowed his head slightly. “As you wish, sir.”

  Edmund left, leaving Leoric to simmer a bit before he turned back to Daegal. “I do apologize for having to do this, Daegal. You have been a polite and willing participant in all this. I regret that I am unable to keep my promise to you, even in this short amount of time.”

  “I... understand,” Daegal answered with a little hesitance. He might have been lying in that instance as he didn’t quite understand why Leoric acted so subservient to that man who was very unpleasant. There was something going on, some strange human sensibility at play that he couldn’t wrap his head around with the information he had. Whatever the case, Leoric nodded his head with appreciation.

  “Thank you for that, and again, I apologize.” He motioned to the side for one of his soldiers to do the deed. The man Leoric motioned to stepped forward and removed from his pocket a simple lock. It wasn’t a complicated thing, and Daegal might have been able to break it even from his awkward position inside the cage, but that didn’t matter as the lock was placed on the door. Despite it being mostly symbolic as he wasn’t truly trapped, it did make Daegal feel more like a prisoner.

  Other than the lock, the soldiers were instructed to fetch a bunch of chains from the prison cells. The rattling bits of linked metal were left in a pile by the cart, waiting for Daegal, ready to bind his limbs and restrict his movement. He didn’t know if he could break the links. He had never had the chance to try with metal of all things, after all, and it made him nervous just thinking about being in that situation.

  Calling a meeting of lords and other influential members of human society was evidently not a speedy process. Word traveled slowly to all who would be involved in this upcoming meeting, and Daegal was left to boil in his apprehension for over an hour as people arrived either by foot or carriage from all over the city. Thankfully they did not think anything of or were warded away from the cart by Leoric, so Daegal was not subjected to the caged animal treatment.

  Despite the brief respite before the moment of truth, when it finally came time for Daegal to exit from the cage, he was met with a sight that instilled a great deal of fear inside him. There were dozens of soldiers outside the cage, and these ones weren’t dressed in light armor. Each of them was clad in plate armor, solid steel, and carried spears at the ready with swords at their hips. Leoric was there too, and though he did not armor himself as the others did, he was holding a collection of chains and locks that were obviously meant for Daegal.

  The door to the cage was unlocked, but even so, Daegal hesitated to step out. Ironically, the cage felt safer than being out in the middle of all those nervous and armed humans. Leoric noticed his behavior, and stepped up to try and reassure him.

  “It is alright. They have been instructed not to do any harm to you so long as you yourself remain peaceful. I will enforce that order myself if need be.”

  His words did little to ease Daegal’s concerns, but he couldn’t stay in there forever. With nerves on end and his chest feeling like a tree fell on him, he slowly crawled out of the cage. Daegal saw many of the soldiers tense as he rose to his full height, towering over everyone else. What came next was even more unpleasant as the chains needed to be wrapped around him now. Leoric held them up and gave some basic instructions.

  “Please hold up your hands for me.”

  Daegal obeyed the order and presented his hands. As Leoric moved to bind his limbs, the man took notice of the slight tremble in Daegal’s hands. Leoric looked up at his face, and despite the alien nature of looking into four eyes, he could see just how nervous Daegal was and felt sympathetic. With a deep sigh, the chains were wrapped around Daegal’s wrists, waist, and even his legs, ensuring that he could not move very well when they were locked into place.

  “I truly am sorry that it is like this,” Leoric mumbled under his breath just loud enough to hear.

  Now it was time to venture into the castle, and Daegal shuffled along, only able to take half steps without being tripped up. The large doors of the castle at least allowed him to enter without having to duck. Daegal was momentarily stunned when he saw the interior. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before in a human building. There were rich tapestries hung from the walls beside paintings of seemingly important people. Large chandeliers hung above, made of shiny bronze and currently unlit at this time of day. Everything was on a scale that made even Daegal feel like he was at a comfortable height while standing in the room. He couldn’t even imagine how it made other humans feel.

  His observations were cut short when he was urged on by Leoric. “We have to keep moving, Daegal.”

  He realized he was simply standing around with the soldiers all bogged up behind him. Sheepishly, he started walking again, being herded down specific hallways toward their goal. When they neared the room in question, a few of the soldiers in his escort dashed ahead to get the door. With a slight creak of hinges, the double doors were opened ahead of him, and when he rounded the corner, he saw what he would be dealing with.

  A long rectangular room stretched deeper into the building. There were four pillars that stretched up from the floor to the ceiling, framing a pathway straight to the back of the room where there was an intricately carved wooden chair with rich, red upholstery and a tall back. Several long, thin windows were higher up on the walls facing the east and west to allow natural light inside. The ceiling was higher than the rest of the building, the arching roof making even the smallest sound echo, and there were many small sounds happening in this room.

  There were more humans in this room, dozens more, ranging from another line of armored soldiers to a group of finely dressed individuals who cowered away from him and began to murmur amongst themselves nervously. Daegal walked to the center of the room where he was told to wait, and the soldiers formed a complete encirclement around him. He ventured to look around him, turning his head just enough for his wider field of view to capture the whole room. Fiora and Emil weren’t here, and his nervousness increased significantly.

  Where are they? What’s going to happen now?

  His thoughts were interrupted when a door near the back of the room opened, and a voice made an announcement.

  “His Majesty, King Reynard the Second.”

  The room came to attention, all that is except the soldiers who maintained vigil over Daegal. Everyone else bowed their heads toward the door, and Daegal was left at a loss as he watched it happen.

  Should I be bowing too? Is this only for humans to do? Would I be insulting them if I copied them now?

  His indecision ended up leaving him standing straight by the time the king entered the room. The man walked with confidence and assurance, dressed in fine clothing, primarily colored blue with many golden embroideries around the hems. He took his seat at the head of the room and Daegal got a clear look at the man’s face. King Reynard was middle aged, brown hair thick and flowing down the back of his head to the base of his neck. A full beard, neatly combed, covered his jawline, evidence of his age apparent in the white hairs that salted parts of his beard and sideburns. A golden circlet adorned his head, inlaid with jewels such as rubies and sapphires.

  The king fixed Daegal with a stare, though Daegal did not feel like it was judging, hostile, or contemptuous in any way. If anything, it felt curious, like the man was trying to figure out a puzzle that was presented to him, eyes wandering across Daegal’s scaly body as if in search of a hint that would provide the answer he sought. It made Daegal uncomfortable in a different way, and he gulped nervously as Reynard leaned on the right arm of his chair slightly, raising the corresponding hand to his chin, pointer finger and thumb rubbing his chin in a physical display of contemplation. This continued for longer than one might have expected, enough so that it began to feel awkward. In the end the silence was broken when Reynard finally spoke, his voice carrying a slightly base tone that made it feel commanding and strong, despite the surprising contents of his opening statement.

  “Well then, let’s get this sorted, shall we?”