The street they turned onto was much wider than any of the others they had traveled down. There was a pale blue glow ahead, stretched out in a line. Shah looked through the Rig's scope to see a large contingent of soldiers up ahead, maybe thirty or more, all carrying fire-tipped spears and standing side-by-side.

"Hepsguard," Shah said to Dresden.

"I see the glow of their lances, Shah. If they are here, then the battle is truly over."

"How so?"

"There is no further need for concealment. The guardsmen will allow the return of those who need to be above-ground, to help with repair."

Shah was once more impressed. "Hep Duatab is a formidable township, Dresden."

"You say thus?"

"I do. These preparations are well executed, as are your methods for dealing with the aftermath."

"Are the towns in your land the same?"

Shah briefly considered the more famous historical battles of Earth – Stalingrad, Saigon, Fallujah, Herat – and then added Hiroshima and Nagasaki to his mental list. "No, Dresden. The towns in my land are not the same. Neither are the weapons used."

"You must tell me more of yours and Sonic's land someday."

"I will. And we are almost at the guards."

The Hespguard were visible now, less than dozen yards away. If anything, the glow of Shah and Dresden's footsteps on the cobblestone would have announced their arrival better than anything else.

"Halt, in the name of Queen Rylenia!" one of the guards called out, stepping forward. His helmet was plumed, and he wore the gold-colored pauldrons Shah associated with their leadership.

"Hepsguard!" Dresden replied, raising one hand up in greeting. "I am Sire Faramay! We seek entry to the underwall!"

"Sire Faramay?"

"It is I. And you are Major Riwel, yes? I recognize your mark."

"Correct, Sire. Is that the – who is that with you?"

"One of the outsiders. A friend."

The Major did not appear to be surprised at Shah's presence, and Shah was immediately alert. "Sire Faramay," the Major said slowly, "the Queen has ordered the apprehension of any outsiders we encounter."

"It is not necessary. My mother has made a mistake, Major."

At this, Shah couldn't help but think: She made a majorly major mistake, Major, and had to stifle a giggle. But he knew that the soldier had clearly been expecting them. Which meant... things are about to get interesting.

"I am surprised you believe this of the Queen, Sire of Faramay."

"The outsider is here to help, not hinder," Dresden said. "He wishes to find his friend, also an outsider. A boy."

The Major appeared to give this some thought. "The boy is within."

At this pronouncement, Shah breathed a sigh of relief. Rusty made it after all! As for whatever awaited... well, he'd find out soon enough, he knew.

"But we need to apprehend this outsider, Sire Faramay," the Major continued. "I am sorry. It is the order of the Queen."

Dresden was about to reply, when Shah inserted himself into the conversation. "Major Riwel, it is fine," he said, thinking: If these guys are going to make a move, best they do it sooner rather than later. "Apprehend me if you will. But please escort me to the other outsider. I need to make sure he is safe."

Dresden was startled. "Shah, what are you asking?"

"My objective is Rooster, Dresden. Everything else, even my own well-being, is secondary."

"There is no need to apprehend you. You will enter the underwall freely and without binds."

Shah smiled. As much as he was beginning to like this kid, Dresden was being fairly naïve about the Major's unspoken subtext. "Very well, Sire Faramay."

"Sire Faramay, I think you should know – " the Major began, before Dresden cut him off.

"I mean what I say, Major Riwel," Dresden said firmly. "The outsider is allowed to pass into the underwall. Let us through."

The Major appeared to consider this. "If you insist," he said. "But I... the Queen – "

"I will handle my mother. Open the passage."

The Major nodded. There was the sound of a door clunking open to their left (the doorway itself was indistinct in the near-darkness) and they went to it, the line of Hepsguard closing behind them in a wide semi-circle. Dresden did not seem to notice, but the maneuver was patently obvious to Shah, and he sighed. He slung the Rig back over his shoulder – the weapon was not going to be much use indoors – and thought about taking the one-five into his hands, figuring if his 'capture' was imminent, it would also be on his terms. But then he thought: Nah, I'm done fighting for the day. It was an incorrect thought, but not consequentially so.

The light spilling from the doorway was dim, mostly because of the significant number of shadows within. They're not even bothering with concealment, Shah thought, and grimaced. He and Dresden walked through the entrance of the 'Whitecrown Inn'...

...and straight into the regiment of Hepsguard elite that awaited them, swords out, fire-spears lowered, bows nocked and drawn. The Queen stood at the far end of encirclement, and she carried no weapon. On her left side was a soldier clad entirely in golden armor (General Weylin, Shah knew), while on her right, she had her hand on none other than Richard 'Rusty' Miller, who stood there looking totally nonplussed, almost blissful. The boy's wrists had been tied in front of him with a luminescent red rope, and his dirty hair dangled down his face, but Shah was happy to see the young Australian was entirely unhurt. He also spotted Tayra standing to one side. The captain, being an honor-bound soldier, had very likely told the Queen where to go and what to expect, so Shah held no animus toward her.

Dresden stood frozen in place, his mouth an 'O' of shock. Shah, meanwhile, completed his rapid survey of the large room – there were around fifty soldiers in total here – then finally settled his gaze on Rusty, and said: "Richard Miller, hey."

Rusty's eyes widened. "Holy hector. You must be Sonic's mate, yeah?"

Shah grinned. "Certainly am," he said, and held his hands out for binding.