"So, you're really going to the castle?" Vella asked, as they ate some food they bought for the road, standing on the side of a fountain somewhere in the city.
"Well, we don't really have much of a choice." Ili said, drinking some warm tea. "I doubt we'd be allowed to just exit the city, and even if we managed to do that, they would probably send somebody after us. Besides, if he wanted to kill us, he would have already sent somebody to try. I don't see why he would go through the trouble of inviting us anywhere."
"That's true," Zephyr spoke. "And if something really happens, we'll manage to find a way out, so you don't have to worry about it."
"I understand..." Vella looked at the ground, holding her hands to one another. "I'm sorry, but I can't... I can't go back there..."
Zephyr and Ililith looked at her confused.
"What do you mean, Vella?" Ili asked.
"I used to be a maid at the lord's castle until one year ago, when me and a few other maids managed to run away."
"What happened? Why did you run away?" Ili continued, looking at Vella with a sad, understanding look.
"We were... Not real maids... We were slaves, taken under the name of 'maids'. The normal girls there had a somewhat... easier life. But we, the lower races, were treated like animals... We were beaten for things we didn't do, we were harassed... We had to be maids of the castle, while also being toys for the amusement of others. That's why we ran..."
Ili clenched her fist, shaken by the girl's story, but soon regained her composure, speaking in a calm, gentle tone. "We won't force you to come to the castle if you don't want to... We'll get you a room at an inn, and you can stay there until we're back. Would that be alright?"
The succubus softly nodded her head. "Yes, thank you..."
Ili smiled, gently patting the girl on the head. "Don't worry about it."
As time passed and they finished eating, Ili and Zephyr did as they promised, and bought a room at an inn to let Vella stay there until they were back.
With the girl safe, they finally exited the inn. In the distance, through the buildings, standing atop a hill surrounded by walls, was standing the castle, imposingly, looking over the whole city.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Zephyr asked, looking at Ili, unsure.
Ili turned her head back to Zephyr, but her eyes were determined. "Yes, we are. But if you want, I can go alone..."
"No way that's happening." Zephyr responded, determined. "If we go, we go together. After all, we make the best team there is, no?"
"Yeah, I guess we do..." Ili smiled softly, turning her head back to the castle. "Let's go."
As they got closer to the castle, the imposing walls started to be seen more clearly. However, despite the many towers, they seemed empty, with barely any soldiers around.
The castle was surrounded by two rows of walls, each higher up the cliff and closer towards the castle. The building itself seemed more like a fortress than a luxurious building, with many fortified towers in sight, looking over the city from its peaks.
Around the castle was a small moat, with water flowing between the main road and the walls. Although, that seemed to be more of a natural occurrence than a defensive decision, as the moat was so shallow that even a kid could pass through to the other side.
After some time, the two finally reached the main gate of the castle, a heavily guarded gate with two towers, and three reinforced gates, two of which were of pure metal, and one of wood in between. On the other side of the gates, on the large distance between the first and second walls, were large fields on which people were working.
This was also a common practice all around, as the rich people would allow the poor to come and work on their lands, to receive a small portion of what they worked to take home, and the rest to come to the lord. These inside fields would also be useful in times of war, in case of a siege in which the soldiers can't get out to get food, although this practice could be easily stopped by a few flaming arrows.
As the two got to the gate, they were immediately approached by five or so armed bwovnine soldiers, all with their spears drawn.
Dressed in dark grey, heavy armour, they were easily told apart from the people of the Iron Gates. The bwovnines, people grown in the deep north, were much larger and stronger than the usual humans. They were told to be far stronger than normal humans, and most had distinctive cervidae antlers, rumored to be the outcome of ancient rituals their people practiced.
Needless to say, they weren't like the average soldier...
"State your business!" one of them ordered, keeping their lances a little too close for comfort.
"Bezdušnʹa mladi, skazka karmaniki." one of the soldiers said, eyeing the two up. "Ne byla by protiv prodatʹ tu bielovlasku. Vyglyadit, budto tsenna na paru monět." A few mocking laughs were heard from the other soldiers.
Phrase in akkar, language commonly used in north and north-eastern parts of the world, and in the Bwovn Empire.
"Worthless kids, probably beggars." (...) "Wouldn't mind selling that white haired one. Looks like she could be worth some pretty coin."
Ili looked coldly at them, before taking out the envelope with the invitation. "To tak li?" ("Is that so?")
The soldier's smile faded, turning into a cold glare. "You speak akkar."
"I know some." Ili responded, moving her hand to the hilt of her sword.
The soldier took the bloody envelope. "How do I know you haven't stolen it?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ili responded coldly.
The soldier looked some more at the envelope and the letter inside, but finally signaled the others to get out of the way. "Let them through." the soldier spoke, glaring at the two.
As Ili passed by him, he handed her the envelope back. Ili took it without even looking at him, passing by the soldiers with Zephyr.
"I would be careful if I were you." the soldier said darkly before they passed completely. "Demons have been known to eat people in these lands."
Ili stopped in her tracks, turning her head slightly towards the soldier. "Thank you for the warning. But the demons aren't picky about who they eat."
The soldier didn't say anything anymore, only looking as the two continued on the road towards the second walls of the castle, before finally turning back around and spitting on the ground. "Skara." ( bwovnine profanity )