by Thomas Rath
“The whole company?” Jack asked, the shock obvious in his voice. “But why?”
Wess started to shake his head but quickly stopped, realizing it threatened his ability to keep himself upright. “Don’t know. Somethin’ ‘bout not needed us anymore now that the trolls were gone.”
Jack’s face was quite red by now, using all of his strength to hold back the anger that boiled within him.
Wess suddenly laughed. “I don’t think the king realized what he was doing when he called all of us back from the frontiers and then let the company loose on the city. Crime rate has jumped considerably, I bet.”
Jack grabbed Wess by the shirt and pulled him close. The stench of ale on him was suffocating but Jack didn’t seem to notice. “Listen to me, Wess, and listen carefully. Do you think you could find your men?”
“What for?” Wess protested. “I say that Calandra deserves what it gets by them.”
“I agree,” he growled, “but can you find them?”
Wess shrugged, his head bobbing slightly from side to side. “I guess, that is, at least those that haven’t found their way to the dungeon.”
“Good,” Jack said, pulling Wess to his feet and holding him steady. “Now listen to me, and listen straight. You have to remember what I am telling you and do exactly what I say.”
“What’s this all about?” Wess slurred, the annoyance at being bothered growing stronger in his tone.
“Just shut up and listen,” he said, shaking him. “You need to gather all the men you can from your company and get out of Calandra as quickly as possible. Move them southwest toward Bedler’s Keep and we’ll catch up to you there when we can.”
Wess seemed to sober some as he stared at Jack in obvious confusion. “Bedler’s Keep, why in Seless’ name for?”
“You know those trolls the king is convinced have gone for good?”
Wess nodded his head slowly.
“Well, they’re about to come knocking on Calandra’s gate with a host larger than you or I could ever have imagined existed. Haykon has already fallen to them and now they march on us here.”
Wess’ eyes opened wide despite the pain it caused. “Are you certain?”
Jack spat. “Barely got out of Haykon alive myself as they overran the city. They’re coming, and Calandra will fall within hours.”
Wess staggered back from his grip and then fought to maintain his balance. Lifting his hand he saluted, clearly struggling to keep from collapsing back into the street. “I’ll gather everyone that I can, Jack, I promise.”
“Just do it quickly. Try not to spread alarm but get as many people as you can to start leaving the city. We’re on our way now to see if we can’t convince the king to get everyone out, but our hope is faint that he’ll listen”
“And what of my men in the dungeons?”
“We’ll take care of that,” Ranse said, eliciting a strange look from Wess who clearly had no idea in whose presence he found himself.
“Don’t fail me on this, Wess,” Jack said. “Get yourself something to eat and then get your men, and anyone else who’ll listen to reason, and get out.”
Wess nodded, staggering as he did so but able to keep from completely falling over.
Jack glared at him for one last moment and then turned and started walking up the street, followed by the others. No one spoke but Thane couldn’t help but notice the smile playing across Jne’s lips. He wanted to ask her what she found so amusing but decided it best to just keep his mouth shut and follow the others in silence.
“We should have just left him here to his fate,” Dor hissed, just loud enough for Tam and Thane’s ears. Tam looked at him quizzically, the hatred glaring and hot in his eyes.
“What is the matter?” she asked him, but he just shook her off, not offering a reply, and pressed ahead catching up to Jack and whispering something into the old man’s ear.
Tam stopped for a moment and stared after him in confusion before picking up her pace to catch Thane and Jne. “What is wrong with him?” she huffed at Thane.
Thane sighed, wondering how much he should reveal about Dor’s capture by the HuMans. It was not something he wanted to burden her with, especially since they were right in the middle of the HuMan’s seat of power.
“After he had escaped from the trolls, Dor was captured by the HuMans and held in a cell. He would have been brought here when Wess and his men left Hell’s End Station, but we were able to get him free.”
Tam was shocked. She’d never known that Thane and Dor had found one another before, always figuring that they had all been reunited at the same time when Thane found her and saved her life. She opened her mouth as if to say something else but then shut it, apparently thinking better of it.
They continued up the road in silence until all caught sight of another wall and gate. This wall was made of white brick and was approximately the same height as the outer rock wall. True to the other wall, this one’s thickness was no more than two feet and again was not designed to repel an attack. The gate seemed a bit sturdier though still made of wood planks and left open on rusty hinges that appeared to never have been used to close the gate. Again, two guards were posted but as before neither challenged the visitors or stopped them to ask their business.
As before, as they passed through the gates, the buildings changed as did the road. The road they now walked on was of polished cobblestone that seemed to have purpose in how and where it was placed creating a smoother and easier surface to walk upon. A trough had been carved out in the center allowing a free flow of waste that was directed in its path rather than with the previous two areas where it seemed to run wherever the road took it. The buildings were also made of brick and were all two stories in height. Small shops seemed the norm for the first story while strings of line running over their heads, most covered in laundry, revealed the upstairs as living quarters. As the day was growing older, more people were found on the streets, running about their business, which for most meant opening their shops and preparing for the work day.
Though not as disorderly as the previous district, there were still a myriad of side streets and alleyways that broke off from the main road and spindled through the rest of the environs. They did pass one other main road that crossed their path going to the left and right and seemed to follow the curve of the city in a great circle.
The inhabitants still wore clothing that was obviously meant for hard work, but a few more colors and different fabrics were seen among the populace that crossed the streets and moved in and out of the buildings. Some even wore shoes, though most appeared too big or well worn. Thane was starting to get an idea as to how the city worked and what he could expect as they drew closer to the center where he was certain they would find the king.
As he’d thought, another wall and gate suddenly appeared in the distance. The wall was of cut stone blocks that were fit together and mortared in precision. This time the height was half as tall as the previous wall and was at least four feet thick. One of the thick beamed, iron studded gates was closed forcing any who entered to pass through one side where four guards carefully scrutinized any who approached. This time they were not allowed to pass freely as before.
A guard dressed plainly in snug leather pants and a cotton tunic with a hammer emblazoned on the front, held up a gloved hand and called the group to halt. The other three gathered behind him, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords that hung sheathed at their waists.
“What is your business?” the guard called out with a self important sneer.
Jne’s eyes narrowed slightly but a smile played across her lips and Thane knew she had already picked apart every weakness each of the soldiers had and how she could exploit them to her advantage. Had it been just the two of them, he didn’t doubt that all four would be dead by now with Jne holding two of the swords while he held the other’s she’d have passed to him.
Advisedly, Ranse made sure that no one brought any weapons with them knowing that to
do so would only slow their presently hampered progress even more. Even Jace was without his sword though Thane had a very strong feeling that multiple weapons could still be found upon his person expertly hidden and waiting to be called forth at his command.
Ranse didn’t say a word but merely pulled a medallion out from under his shirt and flashed it to the guard who immediately placed a hand to his heart and then moved aside as he and the other guards bowed. Thane tried to get a glimpse at what was on the medallion but was blocked by Jack. He did notice Teek’s eyes suddenly grow larger as he grasped at something hidden under his own shirt.
The street, like the wall, changed as they passed under the archway and was now made of large cut stones that had been placed just so to create a smooth surface worthy of any carriage providing a bump-free ride through the city. Noticeably missing was the trough down the middle of the lane that carried the day’s waste. Instead, Thane noticed small grates on either side of the street that spoke of an underground sewage system.
The buildings were made from a similar cut stone as that of the wall and the street and rose up to three, and sometimes four, stories high. The fronts were also crisscrossed with wood planks mortared into the stone and each story stuck further into the street covering the road in shade. As in the previous section, the lower levels were for business while the stories above held more merchandise and housing. Pubs and inns were found quite frequently and a larger mixture of people and classes seemed to mingle together along the road. It was obvious who was of the higher class as they were carted around in coaches or chairs on wheels that were pulled about by servants. The streets were laid out in a more uniform fashion here, crisscrossed with large avenues at many intersections leading to other parts of the city in such a standardized fashion as to make it appear rather easy to find ones way around with the proper guide or directions.
Though it was still early, the bustle on the streets had increased significantly. It was obvious that this was where the upper end shops and merchants were and that those from the higher class condescended to do their business with them. Although many sent servants to do their dealing there were still a good number of people, women especially, who jaunted about with their entourage of helpers picking through shops and flaunting their wealth. The merchants wore innumerable types of clothing to match the seeming countless goods they hocked on the streets or in their storefronts. Women with too much face paint, large satin dresses that flared out at the bottom and large wigs of all sorts of sizes, shapes, and colors bustled about like peacocks trying to outdo one another in their snooty gaudiness.
The group didn’t have much difficulty pressing through the crowd as most looked down their noses at them like so much trash blowing through their streets. The women pulled scented handkerchiefs from pockets placing them with a look of disgust to their nostrils as the companions passed by. Jne’s smile only broadened finding the whole scene pathetically humorous. It quickly became obvious to Thane that these people had never seen a Tjal-Dihn before and would not recognize one if they were skewered by one’s sword. There was not the same respect, awe, or fear that typically followed the Tjal whenever encountered. To the self important upper class of Calandra, they were all just mere bugs—filthy distractions that were to be quickly shooed away. If they only knew what awaited them. No amount of perfume sprayed on a cloth would extinguish the awful scent that would soon be at their gates.
Thane almost laughed at the looks on Teek’s and Domis’ faces. Domis had lived in Haykon and was no stranger to city life but nothing in his experiences could compare to this. His familiarity was more akin to that part of the city they had just recently left. And Teek, well this was all new to him. Thane suddenly realized that this was all very new to him as well, but he was familiar with the type of people that flocked about. He had seen the same in his own village. Those who thought themselves above everyone else who tried, in his case, to kill that which may be different or threaten what they felt their station should be. It was a sad comedy indeed.
He sighed audibly when they finally reached another wall and gate. This time the wall was built of smooth mortar covering six feet thick large cut stone blocks with a cap of polished wood running along the very top. The height was not as grand as the previous wall but was reduced to approximately twice Thane’s height. He reasoned that the upper class that most likely lived behind these walls were not so afraid that the merchants, the people with whom they were so free with their money, were apt to attempt to break in. The two gates, both extremely ornate and polished but lacking any real strength, were both closed with two guards posted in small cylindrical rooms on either side. They were dressed similarly to the previous guards but with more pomp and ornamentation hanging from their helmets and shoulders. The thought of peacocks returned again to Thane’s mind as he took in the ridiculous looking plumes jutting from their head pieces.
As the group approached they were stopped but this time the guards had spears leveled as if they faced a real threat. “And what, may I ask,” the first guard spat, “are the likes of you doing in the Merchant’s Quarter?”
Ranse stepped forward once again and without so much as a single word revealed the medallion he wore to the same end as that of the previous gate. In quick order the group was ushered through the entry but this time a guard of four, who were stationed just inside the walls, was dispatched to escort them. Thane couldn’t be sure whether it was really for their benefit or to satisfy the inhabitants.
As with the walls and streets of the previous areas, the street changed to a smooth, hard surface that looked to have been poured, leveled and then cured leaving it completely smooth and white. The street also opened up to twice its original size.
Thane couldn’t keep back the gasp that escaped his lips at the buildings and foliage that greeted them. The buildings were not pressed together as with the other areas but were set far apart with spacious lawns, gardens, flowers of every sort and pools with intricate fountain displays. Though one who preferred the natural beauties found in nature, what greeted him here was nothing less then breathtaking. The buildings were all exquisitely white with rounded blue and green tops that capped most of the attached structures. The walls were smooth, like the street, and each house was grander than the next as they made their way up the road. He figured that even in the upper class there must be class distinctions that grew the closer one lived to the king’s quarters. Trees lent their shade along the wide street with benches scattered about to rest oneself, though it appeared that only the servants walked. There were very few people out, and those who were, rested lazily in a servant pulled chair or carriage. It was then that Thane noticed the complete lack of horses. Any who rode in a vehicle were pulled by servants.
Though decadent to the extreme, he had to admit that the architecture and landscaping was exquisite in its design and presentation. Something so magnificent just waiting to be burned and pillaged by an army of hatred and malice. He suddenly felt extremely sad and tired. He didn’t approve of how these people lived while so many suffered in squalor just three gates beyond, but he still felt sad that it would all be destroyed in as few as seven days.
To his surprise, it took very little time to reach the final wall and gate. Most of Calandra’s population lived just outside and within the first two walls. Its wealthy class was extremely small in comparison. This time the wall was quite large reaching well above thirty feet and made from the purest marble. The seams in the blocks were so tight as to make them almost completely invisible. The two gates were quite large but were not solid in their design rendering the walls completely useless in their protection. These gates, though made of iron, were merely ornate bars of metal twisted every which way in all sorts of patterns while allowing any to see through to the other side. As a defensive position it was useless. They were a mere mockery of status to those on the outside who, though able see through to the other side, would not be allowed to enter—unless by a tiny bit of force.
Only one g
uard patrolled the gates keeping himself just inside. He was dressed, if at all possible, even more elaborately than their escort. He wore a large metal helmet with a horsetail plume that draped down his back over a fine red silk cloak. His tunic was white satin with a blue sash across his midsection while his pants were a deep azure and appeared to be velvet and were tucked neatly into knee high black leather boots. The sword he wore at his waist was covered in gold ornaments about the hilt and then laced through the sheath that appeared to be polished ivory. His hair was a dark brown growing long out the back and matched the color of a long mustache that grew almost straight out to either side.
This time Thane could hear Jne’s laugh of disgust at one so obviously a mere showpiece without the slightest skill with which to back himself. The honor guard moved forward announcing the presence of the prince. The king’s guardsman did not move to open the gate though but merely sneered at the roughly dressed group with a turned up nose and an expression that clearly showed his disgust.
“I will need more proof than your word,” he spat, but whether addressing the other guard or the prince himself, Thane could not tell.
Ranse stepped forward without the slightest show of annoyance and for the final time produced the medallion chained around his neck. The guard called for it through the gate forcing the prince to press himself against the bars as the guard grabbed it for his personal examination. After long moments of turning it first in one direction and then another, the guard finally let it drop allowing the prince to resume his previous stance. Pausing, he eyed the prince up and down again before finally moving to unlock the gate and allow them to enter. Though he was now in the presence of one of the royal family he didn’t show any sort of courtesy or solute as they passed through the gate.
“I will call an escort for you,” he said, not even attempting to mask his annoyance at being put out to do so.
“That will not be necessary,” was all Ranse said while motioning the group forward, his medallion left to hang prominently against the front of his tunic. Thane now understood what it truly meant to be the youngest of three royal brothers and the last to have claim to the throne. But Ranse didn’t seem bothered by it. In fact, Thane could almost sense a feeling of relief in the prince at having so much freedom from such ridiculous ceremony and pomp.