The palace was unusually clean. I felt put off by the amount of effort the maids must have put into their work. To me, if a space was dirty, it didn't matter, as long as it was only home to people, and not critters. Regardless, the dragoon led me to the chamber where the client was waiting. I assumed I was being hired to protect one of the ladies-in-waiting, but now I was having second thoughts. The dragoon, Captain Tyrell of the 43rd Royal Dragoon Brigade, was one of the personal guards to the princess. Why would he be escorting me if I was guarding a lesser person?
We stopped in front of a large double door padded with crimson velvet. I recognized this as a good deterrent for daemons, but I doubt anyone else did. "This is the place. I must warn you, she will not approve of your state of dress." I looked down at my clothes. I hadn't taken the jumpsuit off since yesterday. "Not my problem." I decided to put the hood down, but the cowl stayed up, and the glasses stayed on. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Wait here. I must announce you first." Captain Tyrell opened the door, slipped inside, and shut it. I could hear him faintly through the door. He returned, holding the door for me.
I stepped in, and the Captain closed the door. "Welcome to the Royal Palace of the country of Soleanna." The princess stood before the throne. "I am Elise, monarch of this land. Who are you, who would have an audience before the princess in such a state of dress?" The black hedgehog from the day before stood to one side. "My dress is my business. You may address me as Alex." The hedgehog stepped forward. "I told you, wear something nice." I scowled, unnoticeable beneath the cowl. "And I told you, I show up wearing what I show up wearing." "Gentlemen, enough. We have business to attend to."
"You're absolutely right, your majesty." The hedgehog, Shadow, had a blank face, but projected a very smug attitude. "Fine, let's get on with it. I take it you've been informed of the conditions?" I tapped the edge of my glasses, waking up LADA. "Yes." "Good. LADA, are you recording?"
"Who is LADA?"
"Legendary Artifact and Data Assistant. I spent time as a treasure hunter, and I acquired LADA for that purpose. She's and AI built into my glasses. I modified her for a wide range of uses. She helps with targeting, tracks vital signs and ammunition levels, and scans targets for information."
"Recording. Ready when you are."
"Ok, first, when did these attacks start?"
"About a month ago. I was in the royal bedchamber, signing some papers, when I heard a noise."
"What kind of noise?" The noises made by a daemon often gave away its identity.
"A kind of hollow scraping of steel, almost like swords in the distance. But there were no soldiers training that day."
"What did you do then?"
"I got up and went to look, and when I did, I was jumped by a strange creature."
"Describe it, if you can."
"It was lizard-like, with black scales, and claws that could shred armor. That's all can remember."
"What happened next?"
"I screamed, and the thing pinned me to the floor. Just then, Shadow burst in, carrying a gun, followed by a platoon of soldiers."
"I see." I turned to Shadow. "And what did you do?"
"I opened fire on the thing, as did the soldiers behind me. We didn't seem to do anything to it, though. It then dissolved, but we could still feel a strange presence in the room afterward."
"Hmm, I see. LADA, any matches in the database?" LADA finished her scan. "Nope. But some the translated fragments of data show that there may be an entry on this one. Unfortunately, I can't seem to locate enough fragments to make a cohesive entry."
"Ok. That's all I need. I'm going to have to access the library, especially any restricted sections. There's a certain book I need to find to translate the fragments I have."
"Done. I will show you to the library, and you will have a copy of each key by the end of the day."
"Have accommodations been secured?"
"Yes. You will be put up in the guest suites."
"Actually, I was wondering what's at the top of that tower in the courtyard."
"It's the old royal bedchamber. It was put into disuse about sixty years ago."
"Could I get inside?"
"No. It's locked up from the inside."
"No problem. I can scale the walls, and open it up. It would be better if I could stay up there. More private, so I can be uninterrupted."
"Ok. I'll see to it that the maids go up to clean sometime. Now, if you'll follow me, we'll go to the library to find this book of yours."
