Then they could put Free City's formidable publicity machine to work. Every channel would hammer home Blackwatch's loyalty to the Empire as an established fact, forcing the Judgment Hall to bow to public opinion.
Finally, Annan would visit the Mountain-Ring Palace Gardens and meet the emperor he had yet to see. With the Golden Skull Bracelet, convincing him shouldn't be too hard.
The more Annan thought about it, the more workable it seemed. The Judgment Hall answered only to the emperor. If he could persuade the emperor...
Come to think of it, why hadn't the carriage stopped?
"Hey, you're not taking me back to Free City, are you?"
Whether anyone outside was listening or not, Annan went on. "Give it up. Do you know how many steps it takes to get to Montreal Mountain? Three. First, open a Portal. Second, walk through it. Third, close the Portal."
After speaking, Annan pressed himself against the carriage wall, hoping for a laugh or some other response. All he heard was the rattling of the wheels.
If he Teleported back to Montreal Mountain now, they would open the carriage when they arrived and find him gone. That would be fun. But then Annan noticed that a familiar Anti-Magic Field had sealed the carriage.
He had no choice but to sit quietly in the enclosed carriage. Just as his patience was about to run out, it slowed and finally came to a stop.
Clatter—
A Judgment Hall cleric opened the carriage door. Annan squinted, ducked his head, and jumped down. "Let's see where you've brought me..."
A winding path stretched through the trees ahead. At its end sat a quiet little town.
"Where did you bring me? Is this even still the Empire?" Annan blurted out. He turned around and found no one there.