The Wand and The Scepter

Chapter Thirteen - A Closer Look

"Good." Eudo's tone was professional.

"So, I walked around the perimeter of the city. This started out as tedious work, but then I noticed the men on the wall. There are two types, both soldiers. The first, and most frequent, are the guards. They're bare-chested and wear no armor, and each carries either a spear or a bow. These guards are Muggles, but are commanded by wizard sergeants."

"Muggles?" Thaddeus said, taken aback. "That doesn't make sense."

"They're Muggles, or I'm an owl," Arati snapped. "It's my job to read people. Not with magic, but with observation. The sergeants—that's what I call them—were wizards. These wore tunics of some kind and carried wands. They talked to the guards, giving them orders."

"I don't suppose you heard them?" Albion asked. "Could you tell what language they used?"

"Arabic, or the Egyptian version everyone spoke in Cairo. Though I couldn't understand them, I did recognize the language."

"Another anachronism." Thaddeus nodded to Perri, and she smiled grimly. Somehow, the mysterious city didn't seem as scary knowing its occupants were modern people.

"Anyway, they were just keeping watch, so I continued onward. The wall is in perfect shape, and I counted ten guards, plus sergeants. The trip tired me out, as it was a lot of walking after our big march. A scrub tree provided enough cover for me to sit and rest for a spell. Being in an empty region far from the gates, I felt safe enough to remove my boots and rub my feet."

At this point, Arati leveled Perri with a knowing look.

"A bird flew out from behind the wall and began circling the perimeter, some ways out. It was a black bird and I thought immediately of Perri's raven. Quickly, I cast a spell that lengthened the shadow of the tree to better conceal me, and I scrambled to put my boots on. It was no coincidence that a bird resembling the raven would fly from that city while I was on patrol.

"No guards were in sight upon the wall, and it was just the two of us. If only that bird would come lower, I could shoot it down."

"Do you think that was wise?" Perri said, remembering the powerful raven-headed man of her dreams. "It could be dangerous."

Arati gave her a look and Perri realized her error. If anything, the danger of the task would only serve to encourage her.

"Well, before I could decide what to do, the bird went into a spiral above me, coming closer and closer. It saw something by the tree, but I don't think it knew it was a person. I aimed and fired a Stunning Spell, and the bird fell to the ground beside me."

Perri gasped, and looked around the Auror, as though expecting to see a bird-sized bulge in her robes.

"Don't bother, Perri," Arati said, then continued. "It was indeed a raven. I didn't want to Disapparate from my position, as that might call attention from the pair of guards that were now walking into view along the city wall. So, I waited for the little bastard to wake up. I didn't dare transform him while he was stunned, lest I hurt him. Of course, transforming him back to a man that close to the city was a bad idea. So, I waited for the flying rat to wake up.

"It came around and made to move, but at the sight of my wand pointing at it, it froze. Its beady little eyes stared at me, and I got the impression it wanted to kill me. It then looked around, as though searching for a way out of its predicament.

"'My friend Perri Atwood sends her regards,' I said to it. That got its attention and its head snapped back to face me. So, I talked to it for a minute, telling it how I planned to bring it back to my friends, transform it to its human state, and interrogate it. And you know what? That little rat understood me."