Peter was starting to get frustrated with waiting. The guard barracks was far too busy for his liking, but he doubted an inn would be any better. The city was massive, yet he couldn’t think of anything he would like to actually do. An idea finally occurred to him that stopped his pacing. Setting out to find Marla and ask her, he walked straight into her as she tried to enter the room he was in.
“Sorry,” he said.
“Oops, should be more careful,” she said at the same time. “You’ve received your verdict.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t open it,” she said, holding out an official looking sealed envelope.
“Why not?”
“It’s yours.”
“Okay, let’s see it.” Marla didn’t hesitate to hand it over, and Peter carefully opened it. “Just as I thought, I can’t read it.” He handed it back.
“Hmm. Well, that’s disappointing. It’s not an answer at all. This is just saying there is a backlog and suggesting those who contribute might get their answer faster.”
“Like a bribe? What do I have? Some uncut gems?”
“That wouldn’t do at all. These people tend to be collectors. The opportunity to brag about possessing something no one else does is worth more than anything.”
“Egbert brought those dragon heads with us,” Peter suggested.
“For the Emperor.”
“I didn’t destroy the eggs, they’re in a crate.”
“You have a crate of dragon eggs that could hatch and attack us in here?”
“Uh, yeah, I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Why?”
“They weren’t causing trouble. I thought they might be able to be snuck into another dragon’s clutch.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I guess. Is this Emperor one of those detached from reality ones that might want to try raising a clutch of dragons?”
“Not exactly. He likes his gladiatorial combat, and he likes his zoo. It’s worth a shot.”
“Any idea why there is a backlog? I’ve been something of a problem solver since arriving here.”
“It doesn’t say here, but I might be able to find out.”
“Oh, and before I ran into you, I was going to ask something. Some people here use magic. Is it something that can be learned? Maybe a school?”
“Well, yes, it can be learned. Most people give up long before they do anything worthwhile. There is a ward in the city where many live, and some are willing to share their knowledge, for a price.”
“If I’m going to be stuck here for any length of time, I might as well do something interesting.”
“You’ve gone from not having anything to do to having three huge tasks.”
“I guess. Though I was hoping you would take care of the bribe and snooping.”
“Yes, I will. You might need to be involved, though.”
“Should I wait, then? It’s tempting to wander down to the magic ward and look around.”
“Go ahead, I’ll need at least two more days. Just remember to come back.”
“Yeah, no worries about that.”