They continued over the bridge and towards the twin stone pillars which marked the entrance to Escea. This time, however, it wasn't just Neko and Marte who were in awe; it was everyone. The pillars' titanic size was nearly incomprehensible to the foreigners.
"Don't worry. I feel the same way every time I come through here," Mahar said to the group. "It's just a shame we'll likely never know who built these," he continued, gazing ahead once more.
As the border of the capital drew nearer, the sounds of the marketplace began to echo down the rocky canyon just beyond the pillars. Tents and people began to form through the bright cloud of dust being kicked up as they rounded the final corner of the canyon, leading them straight into the Escean marketplace.
Needless to say, it was absolutely massive.
Countless heads of sheep, goats, camels, and other exotic creatures were immediately pulled in towards the newcomers. Mahar pulled in front of Leona to help clear the way, but there was so much even a captain could do. The horde of merchants yelling and shouting the contents of their wares as they tried to make a sale flooded the group's ears.
Bernar, however, didn't need to worry about that for his next decision.
Gwili, send Wyrran and a few of his most trusted to serve as backup in case things go to shit, Bernar sent him through a mental transmission. Do you think it will come to that? Gwili asked. It's just a gut feeling, Bernar replied with a mental shrug. The last time we trusted a gut feeling was when Wyrran and I ate some bad meat off a caravan, Gwili said sarcastically.
Dare I even ask? Bernar asked, stifling a chuckle. I never knew I could paint rocks with my ass until that day, the elf replied with a mental shrug. In any case, I'll let Wyrran know to fall back, Gwili said, proceeding to give his subordinate a set of hand signals.
Wordlessly, Wyrran and the few immediately surrounding him seemingly vanished into the crowd like mist in the cold winter morning, tactically acquiring sets of local-style clothing to help them blend in.
They were bandits, after all, and damned good ones at that.
"You said this place was struggling, in a way, but that's not at all what I'm seeing here," Thorsen said, glancing around and refusing the same basket of fruit for the third time. "I'm sure you can look around quite well from your viewpoint, Giant, but you do not see," Mahar began.
"Tell me, how many foreigners aside from your group do you see here? How many of them are wearing higher-grade clothing or appear to be well-fed? I think that if you pay attention to those details, you'll see more than you realize," the captain said. Thorsen held the thought for a few moments, but instead of challenging him, he took his advice as he looked around the crowd.
After nearly an hour of wading through the crowd, under tents, awnings, and other such buildings, the palace finally came into view. It was an incredibly vast structure that heavily relied on the large stone pillars to support the weight of its roof.
Historical carvings could be seen lining the brim of the gently sloped roof even from where they were. They told the history of Escea in as much detail as had survived the ages. The massive stairway that led from the ground up to the main entrance of the palace was nearly a hundred meters long, though even that was dwarfed by the size of the building it led to.
"Make way for the Captain," the guards that were emplaced near the foot of the steps called out. Leona raised her eyebrows and upturned her bottom lip towards Bernar to show her surprise at just how much influence this man carried, to which he returned the gesture.
He's surprisingly handy to have around, Bernar thought momentarily.
"When we reach the top of the stairs, Queen Zari's throne will be in the far back of the hall. To everyone else but Queen Leona, please refrain from speaking unless spoken to. It will help to make things proceed more smoothly," Mahar said, turning to face the group as they proceeded upwards
I don't like where this is going, Bernar thought.
Just as the words finished in his mind, a slim, olive-skinned figure with long, dark curls and a white dress that gently brushed the floor appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Welcome to Escea, Queen Leona. What a pleasant surprise to have you here," Zari said loudly enough for the merchants near the base of the stairs to hear her.
She's using mana to project her voice, but it's coming from the artifact around her neck, not from her, Bernar noticed.
"Queen Zari, it's an honor to finally meet you," Leona said, using the utmost diplomatic voice. "Likewise. Come, there is much to discuss," Zari said with a full wave of her arm, making the gesture abundantly clear. "Gladly, though these stairs are quite long," Leona said half-jokingly, to which Zari responded with a thin-lipped smile.
After reaching the top of the stairs where Zari patiently waited, the two queens were now face to face. Leona stared into Zari's pale green eyes, lined with dark ink to make their color stand out more intensely as if to challenge her without words.
"It's been a long time, Leona," Zari began with a wicked grin. "It has, indeed. Fifteen years, and you've hardly aged a day. How do you do it in such arid conditions?" Leona asked, rubbing the side of her cheek. "Come, now, Leona. We both know flattery doesn't suit you," Zari said, turning around to begin walking toward her throne.
"It's a recent development," Leona began, desperately trying to avoid giving her a shrug. "I've found you can catch far more flies with honey than with daggers," she said, following behind the Harutian queen.
"And yet you've gone and used the honey dripping down your thigh to force Truls' hand to put a dagger in my son's throat," Zari said with a click of her tongue, adjusting her dress before she sat down and crossing one leg over the other.
Oh, you bitch. She's not entirely wrong, but that was a low blow, even by my standards, Bernar thought, trying to control his anger.
"Perhaps, then, you can tell me better than my spies why I'm short both a son and a husband because of you?" she asked, tilting her head forward as she glared from beneath her thin brow.
"Bahsaa's death was caused by the horde that attacked my home. Do you really believe that I'm the only reason for their demise? Although, now that I've seen you again, I know why he would've wanted to come home to the goat cheese between your legs. I think I'd prefer getting mauled to death, wouldn't you?" Leona asked, taking a step forward.
"How dare you…?" Zari seethed, clenching the arm of her throne so tightly it forced her knuckles to turn white as the depth of her grudge became increasingly evident.
"And as for your son: Do you really think that your late husband's suggestion that I give him a tour of the palace didn't have anything to do with it?" she asked, taking another step forward.
Zari's eyelids thinned slightly.
"Have you ever, even for a moment, considered that perhaps they had plans of their own? Because if they did, I wasn't privy to them, but I'm certain that a mediocre performance from your son wasn't in the plan. Perhaps you should have taught him that you don't need to use your teeth when eating honey," Leona said, her temper beginning to slip.
The silence in the heartbeat that followed was deafening.
Adding the humiliation of a dead man to the face of the mother of said dead man to the list of things I know she won't hesitate to do, Bernar thought briefly.
No one dared move a muscle. Even Thorsen was shocked, and it usually took a lot more than mere words to stun him.
"I've given you more courtesy than what you deserve," Zari seethed from beneath her bangs before glancing up with nothing but pure hatred in her eyes. "Bring her to me alive," she said with a snap of her fingers.
Shit, here they come, Bernar thought, immediately pulling more mana into his body.
As if on instinct, Bernar and Gwili drew their swords, while Thorsen ushered Neko and Marte over to Leona and drew his own. "Keep an eye on her, and we'll handle the oth-..." Thorsen trailed, barely blocking a rope dart aimed at his neck. The two younger members did what they could to stand near her, but they quickly realized there was almost no need to.
Gwili moved like water in a riverbed, flowing from one attack to the next as he deflected attacks on multiple fronts from rope darts, bolts, and other small projectiles that were being thrown their way. He was using a mixture of earth and wind attribute spells to help shield against those he couldn't immediately reach with his sword.
Thorsen, on the other hand, had little difficulty angling his plate armor to deflect most of the smaller attacks aimed at him, stomping his foot to create an earthen barrier between Leona and a volley of projectiles.
Neko, Marte, and the other former bandits from Gwili's group struggled to keep up on their own against the invisible enemies.
Well, nearly invisible, anyway.