NOVEL FROG Chapter 46: Journey Part 1
We talked a bit more after that and discussed our travel arrangements. An imperial ship would get us across the lake, then we would be using a carriage fitting for our noble status. Thanks to some magical gear the horses could move faster and would not tire as quickly. Still, the journey would take us five days. We could probably cover the same distance in two days with our animal forms. Our party included Loriel, Elnora, Lucy, myself, 2 maids and 5 guards. I wondered if the maids would be agents in disguise.
The next day we had little to do. With a magical storage there was no need to pack things. We did wander the markets and stocked up on some tasty food though. One can never have enough snacks. Lucy disappeared for a while and came back with a big grin on her face. She refused to tell me what she bought though. Aside from that mystery she also got brushes. That reminded me that I had not brushed my hair since I arrived in this world. Interestingly it still looked good. I wondered if my hair was magical. Still, a brush could not hurt. It might even feel nice.
We left early the next morning. Crossing the lake was really enjoyable. The mountains surrounding the lake made for great scenery and the soothing noise of the water put me in a relaxed mood. The city we arrived at was far less impressive than Iron Rock. They did have an imposing honour guard waiting for us though. About a hundred knights in shining armour. Some of them even had banners. I had to admit it looked really cool. I suspected they were meant to impress and intimidate. Since we did not bring our own carriages across the lake we now used what the Empire provided. I had to admit they looked rather comfortable.
When I inspected our ride I found some runes that looked like a listening spell. They were hidden underneath the cushions, but thanks to my eyes I spotted the faint glow of active magic. I briefly pondered if we should use it to feed the Empire false information. In the end I wanted privacy though. Having to watch my tongue for days sounded tedious.
I removed the cushions and showed the rune to Loriel and Lucy, then I dispelled it. Loriel was impressed that I found it but not surprised that it existed. Afterwards Lucy went to Iron Rock’s delegation to inform them, while I walked over to the dwarves. “Hi. We just found a listening rune in our ride, do you want me to check yours? I can also remove it for you.”
It was Hilda who answered. “Amaya! It’s good to see you again. I have been rather busy the last couple of days. We appreciate the offer.”
The dwarfs looked angry once I showed them the hidden rune and were rather grateful that I removed it. While I cleansed all dwarven carriages Lucy took care of Iron Rock. Loriel was in a conversation with an imperial who tried to apologise. He called it a misunderstanding and tried to explain that those were meant for communication between carriages. I doubt anyone believed him.
After that bit of excitement we were on our way again. Loriel, Lucy and myself shared a carriage. Elnora was in a different one with the maids. “Do you think they have more hidden listening runes?” Lucy asked.
“Possibly, but they would be hard to hide from my eyes when active.” I answered.
“Would a privacy spell stop them?” Lucy wondered.
“Not if they are close enough. A privacy spell stops sound from leaving an area. If the listening rune is inside the area of the spell it still works. That is probably why it was under the cushions. They need it hidden, close and still keep an easy access for maintenance.”
“Your magical knowledge is impressive.” Loriel said. “A lot of sorcerers lack formal education since their magic is intuitive.”
“Rituals are rather useful.” I answered. I was not ready to reveal my magical origins yet. Not that I could really explain why or how my reincarnation happened anyway.
“So we can talk freely here?” Lucy asked.
“Yes,” Loriel answered. “But be wary once we arrive at the capital. Elnora has tools to check for listening runes. We will make sure that our quarters are safe but be careful in other rooms and hallways.”
“Why would the Empire put runes in our ride in the first place? Did they not expect us to have a way of finding them?” Lucy wondered.
“It could be arrogance, or incompetence.” Loriel said. “Those carriages are usually used for imperial nobles. I am sure that the inquisition likes to listen to them. Especially the lower nobility won’t have the resources to find or counter them. So they might have forgotten to remove them for us. It also could have been a test, or a calculated insult. They certainly had an excuse ready very quickly.”
I suppose a listening rune was rather due but also tame. I wondered what else the Empire had in store for us.