I grinned. “Sorry about that.”
“No, you're not.” He grinned back. “Why don't you show me around your city, King Ru'din?”
“I wish I could. But we've got to get you into Raltven territory and off the streets. You need to stay inside until I've secured your place here.”
“Secured my place?” He chuckled. “I'm the King.”
“Not here, you're not. Come on, it's this way.”
“Yes, I recall the way to your home, Ru. I was just here last night.”
“Do you?” I stopped walking. “Which way is it?”
The King looked around, then frowned.
“The street signs disappeared long ago,” I said. “Only the residents know their names.”
“It's that way.” He nodded to the left.
“Nope.” I led him right.
“Damn it all,” the King muttered.
“The Forgotten has a lot of tricks to confuse strangers. Last night, your soldiers had tracks to follow, but it's snowed since then.”
“How do you find your way? The streets look the same.”
“Landmarks.”
“What landmarks? Everything is covered in snow.”
“I recognize them under the snow. For example, coming up on our left is a set of stairs with a broken railing. That means we're on Lujik Street. We need to take the next right.”
“Impressive.”
“I've lived here all my life. It would be shocking if I didn't know my way around.”
“I meant the Forgotten. It's the only district in Dralbara that has found a way to protect itself.”
“As with most things, it was born of necessity. The Talons don't patrol these streets, and the only time I've seen Horns here was last night. Although to be honest, we prefer it that way.”
Cyn went silent as I led him through the maze of nameless streets until we reached my apartment building. We had to go singly up the stairs to the second floor. The steps were too narrow for us to continue side-by-side. After disabling the trap under the threshold, I waved him inside my humble home. Coming in quickly behind him, I shut, locked, and barred the door with an iron crossbar. Then I turned to find the King watching me with wide eyes. He had taken off his cloak but couldn't find a place to set it down.
“Welcome to my palace,” I said.
“It's very secure,” he said. Then he did a circuit of the main room, running his hand over the wooden frame of the double bed—my one luxury. He finally set his cloak on the trunk at the foot of the bed. “Cozy.”
“Cozy?” I barked out a laugh. “Sure, that's a word.”
King Cynric went to the rickety dining table and hesitantly pulled out the single chair. “Will this break if I sit on it?”
“I don't know. Why don't you sit on the bed instead?”
“You're trying to get me in bed already?” Cyn grinned. “We've just arrived.”
“You have to admit, it's the best spot in the house.”
“This is not a house.”
