Tracy held a hand up, hoping to bring the chatter to a halt. “Hold on, hold on. Just a mo. You say you don’t have clearance? For defensive spellwork? That’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard! Wot kind of - clearance, really?”
Never mind their bickering, what Tracy was really interested in was the situation surrounding them. A lock down, magical restrictions, Unseelie in the area… it was all a bit much. It made him a bit dizzy just to think about, which wasn’t truly that difficult considering his headache still hadn’t quite subsided yet.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes. Right, of course. Glamours, understood. But - last time I checked, mates, the Citadel had its own defenses. The Queen doesn’t allow glamours inside the walls, the whole place is enchanted up to its ears by the staff, innit? What could possibly have her so spooked that she’s got her gardeners locking the exits?”
Tracy knew, of course: any threat of the Unseelie came with the Unseelie Queen following close behind. But something, some improbability itched away at the back of his mind.
“The Unseelie Queen,” he started, deliberately, trying to make sense of it all. “In’t she gone? All her little monsters - shouldn’t be a problem anymore. Why now?”
The two of them looked blankly at him. There was a certain doubtful quality to their stares that suggested they were having increasing trouble equating the fact of the big shiny seal on the card in front of their faces, with the questions he was asking.
“Um, hi,” said the purplewing. “Constant vigilance? Even if She’s gone-”
“And she’s not saying She is-” cut in Aloe, anxiously.
“-even if She’s gone, thank you Aloe, there’s still the ever-present threat of Unseelie radicals among us. They could strike at any time. Are you testing us, or are you just thick?”
