The sun rose over Neo Osgard, the Royal Capital.
It was a city of breathtaking beauty. White marble towers reached for the sky, connected by arched bridges. Banners of gold and crimson snapped in the wind. The streets were paved with clean cobblestones, and the air smelled of roasting meat and expensive perfume.
But a mile outside the city walls, in a muddy ditch near the river, the air smelled very different.
"I refuse," Julian stated flatly.
He was standing next to the Pendelton Cruiser, holding a pair of greasy, grey canvas overalls.
"It is the only way," Arthur said, pulling his own overalls up over his clothes. He smeared a handful of engine grease on his face. "We cannot drive the car through the front gate. The guards will recognize us. They will recognize the car."
"So we walk in?" Vivian asked, tugging at the collar of her disguise. She had hidden her rapier inside a roll of blueprints.
"We don't walk in as guests," Arthur explained. "We walk in as Laborers."
