by B J Hanlon
A bell, then another began echoing throughout the town. “That should draw the soldiers,” Edin said.
People began streaming from houses, women and children mostly. Some older or sickly-looking men were interspersed with them. It was more populous than he’d imagined.
“Now we have to slip through that,” Arianne observed, “and it’s still broad daylight.”
Out of the window he spied a group of four men charging down a side road.
“Grab your bow.” Edin put on his pack and went to the door. As he opened it he saw a groggy soldier wiping his eyes.
“What…”
“Fire. What are you waiting for? Go help,” Edin shouted. Around him, he heard the shuffling of people as if the inn was waking up. They had two shifts, Edin thought. Day and night.
He closed the door.
After a stampede, It grew quiet outside. Edin carried the quarterstaff and they both had the hoods of their cloaks up. Arianne’s bow poked out from behind her like it was a new limb.
The great room was silent and Edin saw the old man peering out a front window with a wrinkled hand above his eyes as if trying to see into a sunrise.
With heads low, they scampered toward the back and through the kitchen. He paused at the back door with a hint of daylight poking through. He opened it and his heart skipped a beat.
Four men were sitting around a stone fire pit. Each had a sword at their waist but were dressed in normal clothes.
“What’s going on? Sounds like there’s a ruckus…” one said, his eyes glazed from drink.
“There’s a fire!”
“Fire!” One of them said nearly falling off the stone bench he was straddling. “Where?”
Edin pointed toward the inn. The men scrambled to their drunken feet and ran toward the building.
The last one, who’d nearly tripped trying to stand, stopped and turned toward Edin. “You look familiar… do I know you?” He wobbled and leaned into the stone wall.
Edin took a step as if to steady the man before crossing his chin with a heavy elbow.
Then, they ran. Through a back gate and down a thin alley. Tall trees loomed in the distance not too far away. They moved quickly, their hoods pulled over their heads. A pack of about ten soldiers, all in matching tabards and gangly armor ran past. None noticed Edin and Arianne.
Somehow, they made it to the tree line as soon as the bell ceased its incessant peals. The excitement was short-lived as there was very little undergrowth and Edin could see the road a hundred feet away. Their feet squished and crunched the leaves that’d fallen last autumn. As they jogged.
“This stinks,” Arianne said. She was right and not just about the smell. The trees were tall and seemed open but it was uneven ground. Clefts of dirt, fractured mounds, and unseen holes covered by the leaves made the moving difficult.
A half hour later, Edin saw movement at the road. After a moment, he could see their helms hovering above the shields across their backs.
He didn’t have to say anything to Arianne, they instinctively ducked and waited behind one of the small ridges. Roots from a tall tree sprang from the dark soil nearly snagging his arm. Then they continued.
Birds sang around them and fallen leaves continued to crunch beneath their feet and cause more noise than Edin would’ve liked.
The afternoon sun was beginning to fade. They took a break behind a rock about ten feet wide and four tall and snacked on some of the leftover preserves from the ship.
Then they started again.
Another hour or two later, Edin guessed they were a league or so out of town and he knew they were both exhausted. Normal hiking would be too bad… but hurdling the damn forest obstacles…
Edin turned back to see Arianne struggling to stay upright. They hadn’t seen any more soldiers in a few hours.
“The road,” Edin said and Arianne nodded. As they reached it he heard quick pounding hoof beats.
Edin looked back at Arianne only to see her scampering back into the forest and diving behind another cleft. Edin took a position behind a tall tree with a trunk the size of an ox cart. The pounding grew louder. It thumped in his head and seemed to speed up his heart until the organ was beating in time with the horses.
He closed his eyes and could feel the power of the horse beating into the ground. Suddenly, it neighed and the horse skidded to a stop on the other side of the tree.
Edin swallowed. Did they leave a trail?
The jangling of metal sounded as a boot hit the road. Then another. Two men.
They were silent after a moment; he could imagine them peering at the tree Edin hid behind as if they were able to see through it.
Quietly, Edin unsheathed the blade. He adjusted his grip and pressed it against his thigh, ready to leap up and attack.
It took a moment, before he noticed a man standing even with him. His eyes darting along the forest floor. Slowly, his eyes moved toward Edin.
He raised the blade in front of him, light shimmering from the weapon. The man’s nose looked crooked and he wore a large scar across his cheek.
They locked eyes, or Edin thought they did before the man disappeared back the way he came.
“Anything?”
“Nothing,” the man said. “I feel a presence, but…”
“Come on then, I’m hungry.”
“Something came this way.”
There was movement and Edin heard one of the men climbing on a horse.
“We’ll get the trackers, they’ll find out…” The man stopped short and let out a terrible scream.
Then Edin heard the crash of an armored man on the ground. A horse whined and began pounding down the road.
“Out here, now,” the man said, “I know you’re there.”
Edin glanced at Arianne, her hands were shaking and her hair was matted with sweat. Edin put a finger to his lips. He leapt from the hiding spot and turned to face the man. The smell hit him first, burning flesh like that off a barbeque. A human barbeque… and he could taste the acrid odor.
Behind the man he’d locked eyes with, was a soldier… or more accurately, flames dancing on the soldier’s charred remains.
It took Edin a moment to notice the blue Por Fen monk badge on the man’s chest. The upright man…
Edin raised the blade and stared into large green eyes. The man looked to be about forty, his head was shaven in the manner of all the men of his order. But he had the look of a shaven bear with bushy red eyebrows.
“I knew you were here Edin de Yaultan, where is your lady friend.”
“Gone.” Edin moved his eyes from the man, to the soldier, and back to the man. “You’re a mage?” The man said nothing. “And a Por Fen?”
“That is true.”
Edin raised his blade but the man made no movement. He just had a curious gaze. “What do you want from us?”
Slowly, a grim smile rose from his lips. “I was sent to find you… my master is very much looking to meet you again.”
“Diophin,” Edin spat, “how’s he doing?”
“Not well,” the mage chuckled. “Not since you came through and struck him.”
Edin raised an eyebrow.
“That enchanted blade has some gift, tell me what you see when you look at me.”
“What?” Edin said, where was this going?
“What do you see, do I look whole to you?”
“Whole? Like as a real person…I guess so.” Edin said. He was extremely confused now.
“Good, I’ve never seen an enchanted blade before… my master.” The man spit on the ground, “keeps me far from magical objects, thinks I… may turn against him…” The mage… the Por Fen, gave a maniacal laugh that seemed to convey he’s already done so.
Edin heard rustling behind him and Arianne appeared out of the corner of his eye, her bow drawn and an arrow notched.
“This one will hit exactly where I aim,” Arianne said.
A slight grin came from the man’s face. “I wish you no harm
… I am merely my master’s hound, or such as he believes. We do not have much time. The horse will reach the town in short order, they’ll dispatch soldiers and hunt for you. When they find his corpse, it will draw the rest of the hunters here.”
“Why are you telling us this?”
“Diophin forgets that dogs can bite. We are more powerful then they’ll ever be, yet our kind hide in the forests or have to flee a land that once belonged to us.”
Edin glanced at Arianne before lowering his blade.
“Ahh, now I can see you. Take my horse, seek out the Darsol Rose in Carrow. Be swift about it.”
“And you? You just killed that man?”
“I did not… you did. But I will return to my master’s side as a good dog would do.” A wicked smile rose on his face. “The Vestion and the Por Fen are planning something… a fellow hound of mine has gone missing.”
“Come with us,” Arianne offered, “you do not need to be in service to that monster.”
The man just smiled. “I have my part to play, all of the gates to Carrow are likely to be watched. Get in however you can and seek out Le Fie. He will help you find your way. Now go.”
Arianne and Edin looked at each other. The smell of the burning soldier was beginning to overwhelm him. Edin kept his eye on the mage and took the horse’s reins. He helped Arianne up and then sat behind her.
“Tell Le Fie, Acso Bret Magus.”
“Long life magi,” Arianne said.
The man raised an eyebrow now at her. “You know the old tongue.”
“Flaor ocroto del crinn.”
“And also, to you,” the man said bowing his head.
As they galloped Edin asked what she said.
“Be safe my brother,” Arianne answered.
The horse was slowing as the night dragged on. Only sparse windows in the canopy let through glowing moonlight. Edin kept an eye out for any more patrols. He sensed nothing of the other magi, whose name he did not know. How did he sense Edin?
Hounds used their noses. Did magi give off a distinct odor? Something to tell them apart from the rest of the mundane world?
He was not keen to do so, but they finally stopped at a small glade fifty feet off the road. A beaten trail led to a small stone circle with gray and black ashes in the center. The grass was well trodden.
Edin was against starting a fire but Arianne’s shivers made him relent. The temperature had dropped significantly, twenty, maybe thirty degrees, since the deep night had come on.
In the coziness of the soft fire, Arianne and Edin sat not speaking about the mage. When Dephina told him that the nobles had mages, he could hardly believe it. If the Por Fen monks have magi in their ranks, there’s no doubt the aristocrats had them too.
Chirping woke him causing Edin to nearly leap from his comfortable spot holding Arianne. But it wasn’t the chirping but a small furry squirrel had leapt from a fallen log inches over his head and disappear behind him. It was early morning; the forest was coming alive.
Arianne looked up at him through red, sleep-filled eyes. “I’m trying to sleep…”
They were both tired, but they needed to get to the city and figure a way in… that could take some time. “We really should get back on the road.”
She agreed. Edin rode in front with Arianne hugging his midsection. He didn’t even mind the dull ache in his gut anymore. The combination of her mundane and magical skills had healed the skewering nearly fully.
Slowly, the large trees began to fade away as huge hills and small mountains formed to the west before growing into larger ones. They passed a home high on a hill and beyond it, row after row of posts that looked to be scarecrow like without the head.
“Grape vines,” Arianne said following his gaze. “They must be making wine somewhere near here.”
“I could use a glass…” Edin said and immediately regretted it. She had just started warming up to him again after the last encounter with booze.
“Always wanting a drink,” Arianne sighed. “Do they still do tastings? I used to love to do tastings around Yaultan…”
“There aren’t any vineyards around,” Edin said.
“That’s too bad…” She said in a wistful voice and then rested her head on his shoulder. A sign for the winery was at the intersection of a dirt road heading west.
“There will be wine in the city,” Arianne said.
“Hopefully we can find it.”
“The wine or the city?”
“Both.” Edin said.
Just then, he noticed a twinkle rising beyond a hill. As they crested it he saw the forest disappear completely and give way to farm fields and hills saturated with grapevines. Then there was the city, gray and tall, standing on a bluff over the dark blue sea like a shepherd watching his flock.
This had to be it. A smile grew on his face.
“Carrow…” Arianne said confirming his suspicion.
Edin pulled the horse to a stop. He saw a large stone bridge leading into a massive open gate. Even from about half a league away, he could see the guards standing on their side of the bridge. Folks were lined up and shuffling down it in single file. Carts were stopped and inspected.
It took a moment to realize that there was a river flowing beneath that bridge and as he followed it with his eyes he saw the land just drop off.
“It’s the most dangerous moat in the world,” Arianne said. “The river splits around the city and then falls on either side. The cliff was said to have been created by a terestio a few thousand years ago. Supposedly he was the ruler of this land and was sick of northern tribesmen—hunter and gatherer types—attacking the city. So, he grew a huge island bluff in the middle of the river.”
“That seems like a lot of work, couldn’t he just use diplomacy or, I don’t know, attack them?”
“He tried, but the woods were crawling with these people and they knew it better than any of his own men. Their tactics were to jump out of hiding places, attack quickly, and disappear back into the forest. It’s the reason no tree is within half a league of the city.”
“Huh.”
“The old ruler wagered that eventually these wild men would come around to their way of living and become a civilized people,” Arianne said.
“I’m guessing they did.”
“It took many years and many lives. Some people are born different, cultures don’t always mesh. Imagine being brought up a certain way and that’s all you know, then someone tries to get you to conform to a new way of life, one that may be in complete disagreement with your old way of life. It’s difficult, to say the least. The eventual integration of these people into the cities caused much strife and a lot of death.”
Edin nodded, while that was all interesting, a history lesson could wait. “I don’t think we should walk up to the gates…” He said. thought he could feel Arianne nodding behind him.
“Obviously, the moat and walls pose a problem.”
“Obviously,” Edin echoed.
“I don’t want to be caught on the road plotting.” Arianne said. “Let’s head into the forest before someone sees us.”
Edin turned the horse reluctantly into the trees. They went for a hundred or so yards over the uneven earth, littered with fallen limbs, tangles of ground cover. The dead leaves smelled sweat and peaty but was difficult terrain for a horse.
“So, what is the plan?” Arianne said as they stopped.
They heard the crashing of waves through the trees and Edin began to see the expanse of blue beyond leaf and limb.
The horse neighed as they reached the bluff. From there, Edin had a clear view for leagues out over the expansive ocean. Edin dismounted and tied the horse to a tree.
“We could enter separately? They’ll be looking for a pair, not just one person,” Arianne said.
He hesitantly answered, “Maybe.” Though he didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone even for a few minutes. One slip and either could be caught and held by the Por Fen.
Edin woul
d go after her, but if it was the other way around, he’d rather she saved herself.
Edin looked below at the waves smashing on large water-hewn boulders, the spew leaping into the air like sparks from metal being beaten into shape by a smithy.
Edin stood behind a tree at the edge of the forest and stared out at the city.
Ships dotted the piers. Some were farther out to sea waiting for space to dock. But the city stood almost a hundred feet above sea level. “How do they move cargo to the city?” Edin asked.
“See the brown structure on the cliff face? Those are stairs and elevators,” Arianne said pointing at the wooden lattice-type structures nearest the water. “Elevators are wooden platforms attached by a pulley system to raise and lower objects.”
“Like in silos.” He could see them now, large platforms holding men and goods rose up into the air as if being plucked by a giant. Other men climbed stairs that seemed to go on forever. At a point half way up, Edin saw men getting off and walking directly into the cliff face. Others went to the top.
“Not sure farm boy…”
Edin ignored that. “Why are they stopping halfway up the cliff?”
“The undertown, or so it was called in my time. It’s a city on top of a city.”
“How could they…”
“Good engineering. A lot of arches and the like…” Arianne said.
“I doubt anyone could do that anymore.”
“Probably not. I’m sure the engineers were all burned during the rebellion.”
Little specs stood on the walls, a lot of them. Guards, he assumed, as the sun glinted off their metal helms.
Edin heard the distinct ringing of Vestion bells, he counted five before the chimes stopped.
“I have an idea. But we will need to enter separately.” Arianne said.
“I don’t think–”
“You never do,” she interrupted. “Like when you lied to me about being a noble.” She shot a quick glance at him. There wasn’t anger in it though he was certain she hadn’t forgiven him either. “We can’t look like ourselves.” Arianne stopped and turned toward him getting very close. Her hand reached and tugged at his belt. He heard the shink of a sword being drawn.