by Eric Vall
We skidded to a halt and groaned at this delay. “We’re Academy students,” I told him with a frown. I dug into my bags and produced my papers and school identification. The soldier took them from me a tad too aggressively, and as his eyes scanned the information, he grumbled and cleared his throat.
“So it seems.” He handed my papers back to me, and I stuffed them back into place. His eyes drifted from me to my friends. “I’ll need to see yours too, of course.”
Of course, they did so in short order, and after that was squared away, we were allowed on the train. Moments later, the horn blared again, and the train lurched forward. Layla nearly fell from the sudden jerk of the train, but I caught her.
“We barely made it,” I told them as I helped Layla to stand back up.
She patted herself down. “See? We were fine.”
Braden scoffed. “I could have done without all the stress.”
“I needed my beauty rest, boys,” Layla joked with a grin.
“Of course,” I remarked sarcastically and with a shake of my head. Layla simply chuckled and moved past me down the aisle to find our seats. This train was more basic than the one I’d taken here originally with Arwyn and Headmaster Sleet. It didn’t have any private booths to sit in, just rows of seats. Each row was four seats, two facing forward and two facing back.
Most of the seats were filled by soldiers and officials. I knew that many in the military went on holiday leave during this break, so I assumed they were all headed to their respective homes. We eventually found a row of empty seats toward the back of the car which was fortunate because I didn’t want to cross to another car at the speed the train was going. I was sure it was safe, but it was still more risk than I wanted to experience on my holiday trip.
We stowed our bags in the overhead storage compartments and took our seats. Layla sat against the window and pressed her hands and face to it. I sat next to her and Braden nearly took up the two whole seats across from Layla and me. As the train picked up speed and the cityscape blurred by even faster, Layla’s eyes seemed to grow wider.
“Never been on a train before?” I asked her.
“Nope,” she replied without taking her eyes off the passing buildings. I could see the reflection of her large eyes in the window. They darted about at every movement. “I’ve actually never been outside the Enclave or even seen the outside of it.”
Braden perked up and furrowed his brows. “How is that possible?” his tone came off a bit too judgmental.
Her head snapped from the window to him. “Sorry, not all of us have several mansions in different Enclaves.” She turned her attention back to the window. I smirked to myself. If she thought Braden had a lot, she would have lost it hearing that Nia’s family literally had over a dozen residences, as I had. But that didn’t need to be said right now.
Layla sighed. “People in the Slums can’t just leave. Most of us are in too much debt. Sure, the work out in the wilds is honest and pays well, but no one wants to risk leaving the protection of the walls.”
I leaned my head back against the cool leather of the seat. “Honestly, it’s not that dangerous. Yeah, there are bandits and monsters, but in twenty years, I’ve only dealt with monsters twice and bandits once.” Of course, both of those instances were rather life-changing for me.
“Yeah, that sounds like two too many to me,” Braden added.
“Exactly,” Layla chimed in.
I shrugged. “Eh, you have to weigh the pros and cons of living out there. I think the benefits of it seal the deal for me.”
Layla puffed out a breath against the window, fogging it. “And what would those benefits be?”
I crossed my arms and thought about it. “Well, for starters, the honest and well-paying work you mentioned. I always loved going from town to town with Maelor and helping people with whatever menial labor they may have needed.”
“That’s not a great motivating pro for me,” Braden mused from his seat, where he’d laid across the whole seat, his back to the window.
“I’m not finished, smart guy.” I smiled and thought over a lifetime of memories in the wilds. “The air is fresh, truly fresh, not like the smog and smell of the Enclaves. Everything is wide open, peaceful. You have room to breathe. The sky has no light pollution, and the views at night are second to none.”
Layla sighed. “That does sound amazing, actually.”
“Yeah,” Braden added as he had his eyes closed now.
I nodded and smiled. “It is amazing. Then there are the people. They’re good, hard working. Strong and hardy, always willing to lend a hand. Always smiling, even in the hardest and darkest of times. They don’t quit.”
“That’s a hell of a sales pitch, Gryff,” Layla said.
“Yeah,” I said with a laugh. “I suppose it is, but I mean every single word of it.”
We descended into silence after that, and eventually, I slipped snuggly deeper into my seat and drifted off to a nice mid-morning nap.
The blaring of the train’s horn awoke me. I started with a groan and rubbed my eyes. The train had decelerated as we approached the nearest town. As my eyes adjusted to the now very bright sunlight, I could make out our surroundings. Out our window was open fields of wheat and corn and other crops, with smatterings of forest every now and then. Out the window on the other side of the aisle were wooded hills sitting on the far banks of the river that the tracks had been erected next to.
That was the Whitebriar river which wound all the way from the mountains up near Hartmire, skirted around Varle, and went well south past Garvesh. If the train was slowing for a nearby town, that meant we were at Berrec’s Crossing, our stop. I couldn’t see it ahead of us outside of the window though.
When Layla heard me stir, she left her vigil of the window and turned to me with a smile. “Have a good nap?”
I stretched. “Sure did. Have you been staring out the window this whole time?”
She nodded vigorously. “Sure did.”
“She kept muttering about the scenery,” Braden said across from me. He was practically sprawled out over his seat, but as the train started to grind to a halt, he adjusted into a proper sitting position. “That was fun.”
Layla finally unglued herself from the window and put her boots back on, which she must have removed while I was asleep. “The conductor announced that this is Berrec’s Crossing,” she said as she did up the laces. “This is where we get off, right?”
“Yes, it is,” I said as I powered through a yawn.
“Good, because I’m starving,” Braden added quickly. His stomach rumbled then to give some added emphasis on the matter.
Layla and I both laughed. “When aren’t you hungry?” I teased.
He smiled. “Almost never.”
“We skipped breakfast though, so I could eat too.” Layla patted her stomach.
“Agreed,” I said with a nod.
We gathered our things and quickly departed the train when it pulled into the station. The station and tracks, due to their proximity to the river, were raised several stories above the town proper, so we got a good view as we stepped to the wrought-iron fence that penned in the platform.
Barrec’s Crossing was a bustling port town with large, red brick buildings that towered over the streets, for they were built upon large stone columns in case of the seasonal river flooding. The buildings across the town were shallow gabled and roofed with copper sheet metal, all of it glinting in the sun. the cobblestone streets were littered with people going to and from the port, some carrying goods to and from. A low gray-stone wall ringed the town, more decorative than anything.
“Pretty,” Layla mused as she leaned over the railing.
I nodded in agreement though she and Braden didn’t see the gesture. I pumped out my chest with pride. “Welcome to the Wilds, my friends.”
Chapter 16
We descended the stairs of the train platform to the street below. The cobblestone road was clean and wide, and there was plenty of room for car
riages, horses, and walking pedestrians alike. True to my word, the wilds were more open, and I for one was glad to be out of the claustrophobic confines of the walled Enclave.
It was midday, so the town was busy with the heights of the lunch hour rush. There were stands all along the road with farmers showing off their yields. Fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, baked goods… everything could be had. There were cafes and restaurants too, so my friends and I had a wide selection of delicious options to choose from.
We passed through the main market, a huge open square with a bell tower at its center, a common feature of the larger towns of the wilds. This was where the main loot trading took place. While there were shops all over, brick and mortar establishments, the majority of the square was taken up by a labyrinth of merchant stands and stalls that sold all manner of monster remains and loot. I spied scales, claws, teeth, eyes, horns, fur, vials of blood, bones, and everything else that could be taken off a monster haggled over in those stalls.
Of course, there were stands for essence crystals, by far the busiest ones. The largest, a huge stand with a large blue tent top, had at least a dozen men and women inspecting the crystals and asking the merchant and his workers questions. I was sure there were probably some interesting and powerful monsters that I could buy, but I didn’t have unlimited funds for this trip, so I decided to conserve my money.
Layla whistled at the bustle of the market. “This is a mess,” she said as her head swiveled around to take it all in.
“Yeah, this is pretty much how all the largest towns in the wilds operate,” I explained. “They’re hubs of trade, especially the ones like this one on rivers and on the rails.”
“Will Tallington be like this, too?” Braden asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s a small town. Now, let’s grab that food. I’m starved.”
Braden and Layla were hungry as well, so we made our way through to the other side of the market, where a comfy looking tavern with an open-air balcony beckoned us in with the smell of baked bread and fried fish. Sure enough, there was a blackboard sign out front that read “Lunch Special: Fresh cooked salmon, caught this morning,” written in chalk.
I thumbed at the sign. “You two okay with salmon?”
Braden moaned and rubbed his stomach with both his hands. “I… love salmon, Gryff.”
I chuckled. “Good to hear it, and you, Miss Bethel?”
“I’ll eat anything at this point,” she readily admitted.
“Then it’s settled,” I declared and marched us into the tavern.
We took one of the tables on the balcony and ordered some cider and cooked salmon. Layla and I had half a fish each while Braden chowed down on a whole one. Thankfully, he was paying for himself, and his allowance was a tad more than what Layla or I had. As for the food itself, the salmon was delightful and the cider was sweet just like honey.
As we ate, I pulled out the map of the wilds I’d bought years ago and studied it briefly. “So,” I started, “if we follow the road west out of town, we should get to Tallington in two to three days. Maybe more if we get some bad weather.”
“And what if we run into bandits?” Layla asked without a hint of worry at the question as if she was merely asking about the weather.
I leaned back and crossed my arms. “Well, that depends.”
“On what?” asked Braden.
“Depends on if we see them first, or if they see us first. If they catch us off guard… well, let’s just say we might be in for a delay.
Layla swallowed and downed some cider. “Sounds fun.”
“Where will we sleep?” Braden asked through a full mouth. I always found it odd how bad his table manners were sometimes despite his noble upbringing. Maybe he did it out of spite.
“There are a few towns along the way that should have inns.” I shrugged nonchalantly as I refolded the map to put it away. “Worse comes to worst, we’ll camp out a night.”
I could tell Braden wasn’t fond of that suggestion, but he didn’t offer a complaint. Besides, we’d most likely find inns. Probably.
After we finished and paid for our meal, we headed west to the edge of town. There was a stable there with a wide selection of horses for us to rent. The deposit was steep, but the owners needed collateral in case we stole the horses and never returned. But once we returned, we’d get half of our payment, so long as the horses were fine. Now I was glad I hadn’t bought anything in the market.
The horses weren’t wild about us riding them though, not with the essence crystals we had with us that riled them up. Layla and Braden each had a few while I had most of my stock. I never went anywhere without them. Eventually, though, we were able to calm them down with the stable hand’s help so we could mount up.
Since I wasn’t used to it, I struggled up into my saddle, but eventually, I managed it. My horse, a beautiful brown roan named Cas, whinnied with what I perceived as frustration at my sloppy mounting. Layla tried desperately to mount her own white and brown mare, but she couldn’t manage to hook her leg over the back of the horse. So, Braden had to pick her up around the waist and plant her onto the back of it. She crossed her arms and pouted, embarrassed, as he did so. That made Braden and I laugh.
As I settled down into the saddle, I sighed. “I can’t wait to surprise Maelor. I’m so excited to see him.”
Layla whipped around from where she sat. “Wait, he doesn’t know you’re coming?”
“Nope, I forgot to write him back,” I said as I shook my head.
Braden effortlessly mounted his horse, a large black monster that was nearly as thick as an ox. “How do you know he’s still there then? You two traveled around a lot didn’t you?”
“We did, but no need to worry,” I smiled. “Maelor said in his letter that he’d be there for a few months, so he still should be there.”
“Okay, good,” Layla responded quickly. “I wouldn’t want to waste this trip.”
I shrugged. “Even if he’s gone, we’re still gonna have a good ole time. It’s all about the journey and not the destination, ain’t it?”
Layla smiled and snorted. “That’s true.”
“I’m just glad to be with you two,” Braden chimed with a whimsical smile. I think he was just happy that he was able to eat a whole salmon.
“Awe, that’s sweet, Flint.” Layla snickered.
“Agreed,” I said. I took in a deep breath and let it out in a full, smiling sigh. “Okay, let’s get to it, shall we?”
We traveled the roads to Tallington for two days and nights, taking in the beauty of the countryside as we went. Beyond the scenery, our days weren’t too exciting, mostly us telling stories and jokes as we rode. Braden sometimes sang which came as a surprise to both Layla and me, for he’d never volunteered that information to us at the Academy. His speaking voice was low, but he had a surprising singing range.
So, our days were enjoyable, if not mundane. But our nights… our nights were fun.
The first night we stopped in a small little hamlet called Vallia, a cute name for a cute little collection of wooden homes with thatched roofs. Vallia was home to a stone inn called the Bed of Flowers Inn. Their quirk was that all the bedrooms were decorated with a wild assortment of wild blooms picked from the nearby fields. It was aesthetically pleasing, and the rooms smelled nice, so I guess it worked. What we did that night, however, was far from the type of dainty atmosphere the inn gave off. Layla and I challenged a troop of four mercenaries to a drinking contest. I lost, but I had fifteen shots, and my challenger bested me by mere seconds of consciousness.
It was a hell of a time. Even Braden got drunk and serenaded the inn.
The next night we stayed at a solitary inn on the side of the road. Just an inn, not a hamlet or anything around. It was a tall, ornate wood and stucco structure with red tiled shingles and windows made of thick bluish glass. It was called The Tipsy Wizard which would have been a much more appropriate name the previous night. This night, Braden was the tipsy wizard and chall
enged all the other half dozen patrons to an arm-wrestling contest. He defeated everyone including a lumberjack that was as big as him. Their war of arms lasted a solid ten minutes and was the greatest thing I’d ever seen, at least that’s what my alcohol-addled mind believed. Nevertheless, it was an incredible display of strength and willpower.
In the end, Braden was victorious, and everyone again drank. And to top it off, as Layla and I left to retire to our room and entertain each other in bed, I spied Braden sneak off with the bartender, a thin, gorgeous girl with blue eyes and a tall head of blonde hair.
So, it was a successful night, and thus our journey and holiday started with a ton of fun, and we hadn’t even made it to Tallington yet.
It was around midday of our third day on the road that our destination finally came into view.
As we passed a couple of windmills and some wheat fields, golden in the sunlight, we spotted Tallington. The town was situated at the edge of a large expanse of forest that stretched for miles along the horizon. The town itself was a collection of a few dozen wood and stone buildings, no more than a story tall each. It was a quaint little place.
The town was buzzing with peaceful life. We rode past farmers working their fields, and a rancher herding a slew of cows into a pen on the edge of town. I heard the ring of a hammer on an anvil at a smithy and could catch a whiff of the smell of bread and other cooked foods. Children ran around without a care in the world. I spied smiles all around, domestic bliss on the townspeople’s faces. Folks waved at us as we passed, and we returned their smiles with our own.
I’d been through dozens of towns like this one, but it never grew monotonous or annoying. The joy these people had was just what I’d come to expect out in the wilds. They had their problems, certainly, but they didn’t let that get them down.
I didn’t catch a glimpse of Maelor, but we didn’t go that deep into the town. There was an inn on the main road at the entrance to the town, with the same stone foundation and wooden supports as the rest of the buildings, its walls stucco. It was called the Tall Pint. A pint sounded great right about then, but we had things to do first. My friends and I hitched our horses to the post out front and made our way in.