Entering the palace

Cowan gave the sturdy wooden door a few more pounds. Not before long a small iron hatch opened and a pair of suspicious eyes peered through the narrow opening.

"Who are you?" a voice boomed from the other side.

Cowan cleared his throat.

"My name is Lord Archibald Gheldric the third.”

"State your business!"

"I am here on to to view the tapestries of the palace. And I would appreciate if you would use my appropriate title when you address me!" Cowan said in his mock noble voice.

"Are you expected?" the voice grunted.

Cowan snapped his fingers to Telina, who handed over the letter of invitation through the hatch.

After a few moments a series of metallic clunks emitted from within and the massive door slid open and Cowan and his new assistant entered the colossal gatehouse.

A silent and surly guard led them through a maze of stairs and corridors to their quarters. Cowan's inner compass told him they were moving away from the main building and into a wing.

Soon they reached one of the palace's many guest rooms - a rather spacious and comfy suite with adjacent servant quarters, accessible both from the suite and the corridor.

"Here is your suite, your grace. I hope you will find it satisfactory," the guard said with a monotone voice. "You will be given a guided tour of the palace tomorrow morning. Please note that visitors are strictly forbidden from wandering the palace at night. If you have any inquiries, direct them to the guard that is posted outside your chambers at all times."

"Unacceptable!" Cowan barked. "My business is of utmost importance and I demand that you will give me access to the tapestries immediately!"

"No," the guard said calmly. "You will be given a guided tour of the palace tomorrow morning. Good night." He closed the door and left.

Cowan cursed to himself as he sat down on the bed. He was wasting valuable time here. He had to come up with something, and fast.

As Cowan pondered he watched as the industrious Telina started unpacking the stolen suitcase, of course, believing that it was Cowan's luggage. She picked up a few expensive articles of clothing and folded them into neat piles, then suddenly she held up a strange object. Cowan almost burst into laughter when he saw what it was.

It was a dildo! A big dildo furthermore, very lifelike and carved out of a single piece of ivory by a master dildomaker no doubt. Then she hauled out another, this one black and obscenely well endowed, made out of some exotic dark hardwood. Telina looked at the strange objects with an inquiring look on her face.

"That, uhm... that is my set of travel paperweights," Cowan said.

Telina then pulled out several dildos of all kind of shapes and sizes.

"Your Lordship sure needs a lot of paperweights," she said.

She then proceeded to unpack bottles of scented oils as well as several smaller bottles and vials containing bright coloured liquids. Cowan recognized them as different kinds of aphrodisiacs and sexual performance potions, not that he ever needed any.

"For my gout," he explained.

A plan started to take shape in his head.