by Eric Vall
“Nice to meet you, too.” I chuckled. “It seems she’s rather fond of me as well.”
“She is a good judge of character.” Aurora smiled at the pair of us and then moved to pat Nerfrina on her side.
Her eyes then went to the saddle that perched on the horse’s back, and a frown worked its way onto her face. I realized the problem a moment after she did.
“Let me drive,” I offered and then backtracked as I realized that colloquialism didn’t make sense here. “I mean let me steer Nerfrina. I can ride in front, and you can ride behind me and direct me where to go. That way your arm isn’t jostled too much.”
“I don’t need to be coddled,” Aurora replied as she narrowed her eyes.
“I would never suggest such a thing,” I hastily responded as I held up my hands. “I only meant to offer my assistance since you also saved my life and are going out of your way to help me.”
“Fine,” Aurora finally sighed. Then she untied the reins from around the tree and tapped at the back of Nerfina’s front leg. The horse immediately knelt in response. Aurora flippantly gestured for me to go ahead as if she expected me to be a novice about horses like I was about magic.
The joke was on her though because at all those renaissance festivals I had attended, I always became fast friends with the stable boys and their charges. Horses had somehow always made sense to me. After Nemris’s revelation about my past lives, now I knew why.
With practice ease, I swung my leg over the horse’s back. I then turned to help Aurora climb on behind me, careful not to hurt her arm. When we were both settled, I grabbed the reins and clicked my tongue. Nerfrina rose smoothly beneath me, and Aurora’s uninjured arm hastily wrapped around my ribs.
“Which way, my lady?” I asked with a grin as I looked over my shoulder. Aurora rolled her eyes as she lifted her uninjured arm to point to the left.
“Head due east,” she instructed. “The woods end not far from here, and then we’ll find the road. When we reach the road, turn right. It will lead us straight to the capital’s walls.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied. I gently nudged my heels into Nefrina’s side and clicked my tongue again as I tugged at the reins. The horse responded instantly to my instructions, and we set off with barely a lurch.
“Serin, here we come,” I declared loudly as we left the grove.
Aurora chuckled against my back and wrapped her arm tight around me again. A moment later, I felt her lean the side of her head against my spine.
I couldn’t help the happy grin that stretched across my face.
Yesterday, I was stuck in a boring life, working a meaningless nine-to-five job. And now, here I was, smack in the middle of a magical, fantastical realm, sitting on the back of a beautiful horse, with a gorgeous elf maiden that clung tightly to my back and a mystical power that thrummed through my veins.
I silently sent my thanks to the goddess Nemris.
Life was great.
Chapter 4
I followed Aurora’s instructions to the letter, and in no time at all, we had found the road. However, as we took the first bend in the path and left the cover of the forest behind us, I slowed the horse to a halt and gasped.
Before us, the land of Illaria stretched wide and beautiful toward the distant horizon. It was a lush and green country, full of emerald hills and little blue rivers that gleamed molten in the setting sun. The small, dark shapes of birds soared high against the orange-streaked sky and then swooped low to glide over the trees and hilltops. In the far distance, right where the sky and land blended into the horizon, I could barely make out the vague outlines of mountains.
A warm breeze danced through my hair, and it smelled like summer, heady and enticing. I took a deep breath of this new world in and closed my eyes. As I exhaled, the power beneath my ribs stirred and a feeling of contentment washed over me.
I felt like I was home.
I opened my eyes as the realization truly struck me. Not once in my life on Earth did I ever experience this feeling, not even when my adoptive parents took me out of the foster care system and welcomed me sincerely into their lives. No matter how hard I tried, I could never think of their house as a home, and the feeling had followed me into adulthood. Even though I had lived in my last apartment for almost five years, it still felt and looked like an austere hotel room, a place of transition and storage, not a place to call home.
But Illaria was different. I could feel it deep inside of me. My spirit or soul or whatever made up my fundamental core felt comfortable in this world, welcomed even. I felt like I belonged here.
“What’s wrong?” Aurora asked into my ear. I felt her shift in the saddle behind me to look around my shoulder. “Are you alright?”
I shook my head and cleared my throat. “Yes, sorry,” I replied as I clicked my tongue and nudged Nerfrina forward. “I was just admiring the view. I hadn’t seen the kingdom fully yet. It’s… beautiful.”
“Yes, it is,” the half-elf maiden replied, and I could hear by the tone of her voice that she was smiling. “And today, you have helped to keep it so.”
My own thrill of pride raced up my spine, and I sat up a little straighter.
With Aurora pressed tight against my back, and her horse steady and sure beneath us, we continued down the incline of the road. Unlike most of the modern roads of Earth, the path that we followed moved with the land instead of cutting through it. Sure, that meant we climbed up and down our fair share of hills, but damn if the scenic route wasn’t absolutely breathtaking.
As we dipped into the first shallow valley and the land leveled out under us, we were able to pick up a little speed. Not so much that Aurora’s arm was jostled, but enough that we seemed almost neck in neck with the sun that was currently dipping below the horizon to our left. The sunset was a magnificent spectacle of vibrant oranges, fierce golds, and fiery reds. When the land began to tilt up again, and we climbed the next hill, a dazzling river seemed to rise up out of the landscape to our right. The clear, rushing water acted as a mirror for the setting sun, and both the sky and land looked to have been set aflame.
We rode on to the north as the day continued toward its close. As we wove our way through the hills and valleys, sometimes I’d spot a house or a small collection of cottages set a ways back from the road. Most of them were small farms with fields of crops, others had pastures of livestock with herds of cattle, horses, or sheep. As twilight began to take hold, lights shone brightly from the houses’ windows, and a few times I heard a beckoning cry echo out across the hills, a wife or mother’s dinner call to bring home their husbands and sons.
Unfortunately, we hadn’t quite reached Serin by the time the sun slipped beneath the horizon, but we were at least in the final stretch. We rode down the center of a deeper valley now, and before us rose the towering shapes of the foothills that led to the northern mountains. Right smack in between the two tallest hills lay the capital city of Illaria.
Hemmed in by rock and stone, Serin extended south along the river as it grew and expanded. I could make out the shapes of houses, the lights in their windows, the smoke of a city’s worth of fires rising into the twilight sky. Beyond them all, a castle towered over Serin. It was partially built into the foothills themselves, and so it rose high over the other rooftops. The walls were made of white stone, and its turrets and spires gleamed faintly in the dim light. The moon had risen in the east to cast its pale glow on the final leg of our journey as if in benediction. I thought of Nemris as I glanced up at the stars above me, and I couldn’t help but smile.
As we approached the outskirts of the city, Aurora tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the river that we had followed northward through the hills.
“That is the river Asris,” she called into my ear. “It runs down from the mountains, through Serin, and then on toward the southern border.” She had to speak up over the sound of the rushing wind. Nerfrina must have realized we were close to home and had started to pick up speed.
“What are
the mountains called?” I asked over my shoulder. Their shadows were an imposing presence that loomed over and beyond the city. Their peaks were so tall, they seemed to disappear into the clouds.
“They are named the Draconis Montibus,” Aurora responded. She had to lean up and into me to be heard, and her lips brushed the outside edge of my ear. I suppressed a shudder of lust, but then the blue-haired maiden’s words registered.
I might not be fluent in Latin, but I knew enough that anything with the word ‘draco’ in it could not be good. “As in there are dragons up there? Actual dragons?” I asked as I tugged on the horse’s reins. The road narrowed before us and, about a hundred yards down the path, a gate cut across it. That’s when I finally noticed a wall nearly twenty feet high that stretched out to the right and left of the city and extended all the way to the rock walls of the foothills. I hadn’t noticed it before because it had blended into the shadows incredibly well.
Aurora laughed in my ear, and that laugh vibrated through my back and chest. “I presume you did not have dragons and drakes in your kingdom either?”
“Nope,” I replied as I shook my head. “We had our fair share of reptiles, but nothing quite so big and bloodthirsty.”
“Count yourself among the lucky,” the half-elf maiden muttered against my shoulder.
I turned in the saddle as much as I could to catch her eye. “Oh, I’m definitely feeling lucky right now.”
Aurora blushed but then jerked her chin to motion in front of me. “We’re almost to the gate.”
I faced forward again, and the gate into Serin rose up before us. It was big enough for at least five wagons to enter abreast. Two guards stood on either side of the door and a third perched in a turret centered directly above the gate.
“Let me do the talking,” Aurora whispered in my ear, and then she cleared her throat.
We were one of a handful of individuals looking to enter the city after dark, so I slowed Nerfrina to a stop as we joined the queue. Each traveler was asked a series of rote, boring questions before the guard lazily waved them through. However, when it was our turn, I felt Aurora lean out of the saddle slightly to peak around my shoulder.
“Hello Simun, Goreth,” the half-elf maiden addressed each of the guards. Confusion crossed both of their faces before recognition entered their eyes.
“D-defender Solana,” the one named Simun stammered. “You’ve returned!” He fumbled out a hasty salute by thumping his right fist against his chest. The silver, armored plate that covered his torso clanged loudly. The other guard, Goreth, hurried to follow suit and even went so far as to bow his head.
I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Aurora out of the corner of my eye. A smirk played over her lips, and she raised her chin proudly.
“I have,” she replied to the guard’s nervous utterance. Her demeanor was calm, cool, collected, but I had to say it was also hot as hell. The guards obviously thought so, too. The pair were practically drooling at the sight of the half-elf maiden.
“Did you complete your mission?” Goreth blurted out. “Did you stop the deaths in the southern villages?” He was a pudgy looking man with close-set blue eyes and a thick, black mustache. He practically undressed Aurora with his eyes, like I wasn’t even there, but before I could say anything, Aurora tightened her arm around my ribs and sat up a little straighter behind me.
“Don’t you think I should give my report first to Mage Abrus and the king?” the blue-haired woman asked, and her voice was practically frigid.
Both the guards’ eyes went wide. “O-of course, of course,” they stammered in unison, but then Simun’s eyes finally clicked over to me.
Before they could question who I was, Aurora cut in again. “He is an acquaintance of mine that has business in the city. Now, will you waylay us here until the sun rises again while you ask asinine questions, or may we enter Serin tonight?”
The two guards practically jumped out of our way. “Yes, go right ahead,” Simun replied hastily.
Goreth nodded and bowed again to the half-elf mage. “We apologize for the delay, Defender Solana. Welcome home.”
They gestured for us to enter the city, and I clicked my tongue to get Nerfrina moving again. Once we were out of sight and earshot of the gate, I turned in the saddle to raise an eyebrow at Aurora.
“What?” the half-elf maiden asked, her beautiful face creased by a small frown.
“‘Defender Solana?’” I repeated sarcastically. “Really?”
Aurora flushed darkly in the pale light of the moon. “That is my name and title.”
“Yeah, but those guys were saying one thing and doing another,” I retorted with my own frown. “They kept pretending to be respectful, but their eyes were hungry.”
The blue-haired maiden tipped back her head and laughed, and the sound echoed around the empty streets that we clopped through. “Are you trying to defend my honor, Mason Flynt?”
“And if I say that I am?” I countered as Nerfrina took the first left as we reached an intersection between houses. The horse seemed to know exactly where she was going.
Aurora was quiet for long enough that I turned to glance over my shoulder again. When I did, I found her smiling softly at me. Her eyes were dark and fathomless, and the gold flecks in their depths reflecting the pale lights of the moon and city.
“Then I would say thank you,” she responded sincerely, “but it is not necessary. The men of Serin might have wandering eyes, but I taught them long ago to keep their words respectful and their hands to themselves.”
“I imagine there are a few stories there,” I said.
“Oh, yes.” She grinned sharply, and I made a note to myself to never cross this gorgeous, formidable woman, who could just as easily cut someone in half as burn them to ashes and cinders.
As we slowly made our way through Illaria’s capital city presumably to the castle that towered overhead, it seemed this kingdom and realm very closely mirrored the medieval, pre-industrial era on Earth. I analyzed and admired the design, layout, and architecture of Serin. The outer portions of the city were obviously the most recently built. The houses and buildings were constructed of more wood than stone, but there were finesse and skill to their construction. The people of Illaria were obviously highly civilized if not incredibly technologically advanced.
Then again, how much was technology really needed when magic existed? I’d take this newfound power in my veins over Wifi any day.
Something else caught my eye though. The buildings weren’t set in straight lines, which meant they had been constructed as needed, one by one and then groups at a time as more people migrated to live in the capital. However, despite there being so many buildings, we passed very few people in this section of the city, and the ones we did see were dressed a bit shabbily. They kept their eyes downcast as they scurried by, and I noted that their cheeks were hollow, as if they hadn’t had a solid meal in a long time.
Finally, my curiosity got the better of me. “What part of Serin is this?” I asked Aurora quietly, mindful of how hushed the streets were. “Why are there so few people?”
“This is the tradesmen’s quarter,” the half-elf replied with a shrug. “Most of the buildings are residential, although there are a few shops.” She leaned her chin against my shoulder and pointed to various buildings. “There’s a butcher, a blacksmith, and a tailor, and maybe a half a dozen more. As for where people are, perhaps they’ve already turned in for the night. Early to bed, early to rise, and all that. Nevertheless, we still have a few more gates to pass through to reach our final destination.”
“Wait, there are more gates?” I asked in surprise. I stretched upward in the saddle and craned my neck, but the buildings blocked anything else from view.
“There are four,” Aurora replied as she nodded against my spine. “It is a defensive measure that was established soon after the city was formed, in case of invasion or attack.” The half-elf maiden lifted her uninjured hand in front of my face and held up four
fingers.
“Makes sense,” I replied.
“We’ve gone through the first one and entered the city’s official limits and the tradesmen’s quarter,” Aurora went on as she dropped one slender finger. “The second gate will bring us into the craftsman’s quarter. This is where the jewelers and carpenters and artisans live. The nobility of Serin also make their homes there.” She dropped the second finger. “Gate number three lets us through into the king’s castle, and gate number four leads us to the Order. That is where we’ll find Mage Abrus.”
She tucked in her last two fingers to make a fist, and I found my gaze drawn to the Mage’s Mark on the back of her hand. I had so many questions, and the source of my answers resided in the castle above me. I lifted my eyes and craned my neck back. Now that we were in the city proper and moving toward the eastern slope Serin butted up against, the road started to rise upward again. The ‘foothill’ was more like a cliff above us, with the king’s castle perched near, but not quite at, the top.
“So how many subjects does the king have?” I asked curiously as we swayed through the streets atop Nerfrina’s back toward the second gate. “How many people does he oversee and care for?”
Aurora hummed contemplatively. “In Serin alone or throughout Illaria?”
I shrugged. “Both,” I replied. “Either.”
“Serin is home to a few thousand citizens,” the half-elf replied. “However, I could not say how many live in the whole kingdom as it is vast. King Temin does have a retinue of vassals and lesser lords that have pledged fealty to him though. They help him maintain the peace in Illaria, and he grants them some territory, a little autonomy, and a few vassals and serfs of their own.”
Huh. A feudal system. That would be very interesting to witness firsthand.
I tried to contain my excitement at the prospects of meeting an actual king.
As the moon slowly rose higher into the night sky, Aurora and I crossed the second gate into the craftsmen’s quarter with ease. The guards were more professional at this one, and they merely nodded to the blue-haired half-elf as we slowly rode past. Once I got a look at this new section of the city, I let out a low whistle. The craftsmen’s quarter made the outskirts of Serin look like a shantytown. Here, the buildings were all arranged in perfect rows. The streets were made from cobblestones, and the shops and homes were crafted from pale rock like the castle that rose above us. More people were here as well, dozens and scores of them that walked through the streets. There were restaurants, and bars and, somewhere, music was playing while drunken laughter glided through the warm, summer night air.