A World Apart (11 page)

The leader saw Dominic and gave the signal to stop.  The formation slowed and came to a halt with the sound of creaking leather and snorting horses.  He raised his gauntleted hand in salute.  Dominic slowed and returned the salute.

He pulled up next to the leader to talk.  Jake thought the leader was in his late twenties, a handsome dark-haired man, apparently of good cheer, with a broad smile on his face.

"Greetings, Dominic."  He said as he gave Dominic a small bow.  "It is good to see you heading back to the capital after many weeks away.  Any success in your hunt?"  The young man asked lightly, his expression like they were sharing a private joke.

"I was able to thin the herd some, Sir Alleon."  Dominic replied dryly. He nodded at the battle axe.  "I see you still look forward to chopping wood."  Soft laughter rose from the men as they shared the comment.

Sir Alleon laughed as well, affectionately patting his ax.  He shook his head and noticed Jake's cloaked and hooded form.  He looked at Dominic with a cocked eyebrow.  "Did you find something else on your hunt?  Something special after all these years, perhaps?"  He asked with a grin.

Dominic's face went flat at that comment and Sir Alleon, suddenly looking abashed, quickly raised both hands.  "Your pardon, Dominic.  I can be so stupid at times. My mouth often runs ahead of my mind.  I did not mean to make light of your grief."

Dominic's face relaxed and he gave a nod of his head and a short wave of his hand.  "Your pardon, Sir Alleon.  I have been away from other people for too long.  No offense was taken."

Sir Alleon gave a weak smile, looking relieved.  "Without giving offense, can I know about your passenger?  You are not known to keep company on the road."

"No.  I think it is best to keep that secret for now.  I'll allow the king to decide who should be told.  Will you be back at court soon?"

"No.  We are heading for the western border forts.  There have been reports of raids and other troubles.  We have been ordered there until further notice."  Sir Alleon replied, not looking happy about it.

"Any news of the capital I should know of?"

Sir Alleon's face turned grim.  "About a week ago, a patrol from my company ran into a large group of half-men only a few miles south of the city.  They had an Imp with them.  About half the patrol was killed before the clerics were able to drive off the Imp and the remaining half-men."  He shook his head sadly.  "They were good men.  Since then, the king has ordered the city gates to be closed at night.  If you want to get in, you will need to be there before the sun goes down."

"Well, I'll not keep you any longer."  Dominic said.  "We both have long journeys.  My thanks and good hunting."  Dominic saluted Sir Alleon and spurred Shadow on, maintaining his salute down the line of soldiers.  They returned the salute, some bowing their heads to Dominic.

Jake glanced back and saw the formation moving out as well.  He turned back, gauging whether Dominic would tell him anything.  He doubted it.

The rest of the day was spent riding down the highway.  They passed by many other travelers as they made their way east.  The traffic seemed to get more crowded the further they went.  Several large crossroads intersected the highway along their route.  As he looked down the crossroads, Jake could see several small towns that sprang up just a mile or so down the road.

"How come there are no towns along the highway?"  Jake asked Dominic.  "They all seem to be down the side roads."

"As with all things, a royal decree."  Dominic replied.  "The kings wanted the highway to speed commerce, as well as allow their armies to march quickly around the realm.  Having towns on the highway could impede that.  So, all towns and villages must be at least half a league off the highway."

Jake also noticed that, at seeming random distances, the types of trees lining the roadway would change.  The large leafy trees gave way to tall evergreens which gave way to oak-like trees and back again.  He asked Dominic about it.

"The whims of kings, boy.  Every new king seemed to feel he could not plant the same tree as his father.  So, they would pick a new tree to be planted during their reign."  Dominic shook his head. "The children learn their history by remembering what tree was planted by which king.  For example, these pine trees are from the reign of King Alderic.  We are getting close now.  You should soon be able to see the capital."  Dominic turned forward, ending the conversation.

As the sun dipped lower behind them, the terrain slowly changed from relatively flat into a series of large hills.  The road rose and fell with the hills.  As they reached the peaks, Jake could see snow-capped mountains looming in the distance.

He asked Dominic if they were the same range he saw when he first arrived.  Dominic nodded.  "It is the Gray Ridges."

They traveled for a few more miles and rode up the last hill.  Dominic halted Shadow at the peak, taking in the view.  Jake could see at the bottom of this hill, a large valley spread out in front of them.  It was bordered to the east by the Gray Ridges and the hills they were in to the west.  The western hills connected with the foothills of the Gray Ridges to form a bowl at the southern end of the valley.  A wide river ran down from the mountains and cut through the valley, its course traveling west-northwest.  The northern part of the valley was open and seemed to go on forever.

In the late afternoon light, Jake could see that the land was dotted with farms and homesteads.  The road they were on made a gray line through the green and browns of the fields.  It headed straight towards the river.  At its end rose a large city.

Even at this distance, Jake saw that it was surrounded on all sides by large stone walls that looked to be at least twenty to thirty feet tall.  Inside the walls, a grid of streets cut through a variety of buildings: homes, businesses and others.  At its center, a large castle rose.  Its walls were painted white, but appeared almost golden as they caught the yellow rays of the setting sun.

"Welcome to Sanduas, boy."  Dominic said as he started Shadow moving again.  "Here we will find Jonas and maybe some answers."

C
HAPTER
E
IGHT

In the reddish light of a nearly setting sun, Dominic and Jake approached the western city gate.  Dominic explained that the Royal Highway originated from the western side of the city; there were other roads that traveled in different directions from the other city gates.

Jake was awed by the sight of the thick city walls.  As he got closer, he could see that the walls were thirty-five to forty feet tall, made from large sections of interlocking stone, so tightly packed together that the wall almost looked like it was made from one solid piece. The walls were painted white, reflecting the colors of the setting sun.  The top of the wall had a raised section of stone that had cut outs at regular intervals, obviously for defense. As he looked up at the wall, he could see soldiers walking behind the cut outs.

As they had ridden out of the hills and through the farms and homesteads surrounding the city, Dominic had explained the general layout of the city.  As seen from the hills, the city was set up in a diamond configuration, protected on all four sides by the city walls, the only entrances to the city from the city gates.  The Royal Palace was in the center of the city, surrounded by a large open courtyard.  The main streets that started from the gates all converged to that courtyard.  Because of this, the city was divided into four quarters.  Each quarter had a mix of businesses, shops and homes, but each had a name given to it by the city residents.  The Military Quarter was to the south-east, home to the main military training area.  The Perfume Quarter was to the south-west, with a large concentration of perfume and soap merchants.  The Holy Quarter was in the north-west, with a large cathedral built near the royal courtyard.  The River Quarter was in the north-east, closest to the river that ran next to the walls.

The gates themselves were built into each corner where the massive city walls came together.  Each gate was actually made up of three distinct gates.  There were the large outer doors, made of thick metal; hanging on huge hinges, which, when opened, swung back towards the walls.  These could be opened and closed though a pulley system controlled by the gate guards.  Inside the short tunnel, a large metal grate was retracted into the ceiling; it could be dropped to block the tunnel in an emergency.  On the inside of the city wall, massive iron-bound wooden doors could be closed and buttressed as the last line of defense.  The tunnel itself had multiple murder holes where the defenders could shoot arrows or pour pitch on any invaders.

They were forced to slow, then stop, as they came upon a crowd gathered at the gate, waiting to pass the guards and go inside the walls.  The guards were searching wagons and asking questions of those seeking entry.  Nervous glances were cast back at the sun; people worried about when the guards would declare nightfall and close the gates.  The guards, short but polite in their dealings, appeared to be aware of the concern of the crowd and were making an attempt to speed things along.  Jake was wondering if they would make it in as well when one of the guards saw Dominic.

The guard was dressed like all of the rest in a metal breastplate with a raised image of a golden eagle, greaves over leather leggings, arms protected by chainmail and leather gauntlets, and an open-face metal helmet outlining his sweating face.  He carried a shield strapped across his back and a sheathed heavy sword hanging from his belt.  Unlike the others, he had a looped yellow cord hanging from his left shoulder.  He pushed his way through the crowd back to where Dominic and Jake sat on Shadow's back and made a short bow.

"Good evening, Sir Dominic."  The man said.  "I'm Sergeant Jeffreys.  If you will be patient, I will see if I can get you through this crowd."

"Only Dominic, Sergeant Jeffreys."  Dominic replied, with a nod his head in acknowledgement of the bow.  "I gave up that title years ago."  Jeffreys bowed again.

Dominic gestured at the crowd.  "Is there trouble in the area?  I have never seen so many people trying to get into the city at once."

"More rumors than actual troubles."  Jeffreys replied.  "Did you hear about the patrol that encountered an Imp with some half-men to the south a week or so ago?"  Dominic nodded.  "Now, people see an Imp behind every tree.  With all due respect to the king, I'm afraid his order to close the gates at night has only added to that sense of panic."

"Have you increased your patrols?"  Dominic asked, frowning as he watched the nervous crowd.

"Yes, we send several patrols out each day, ensuring that we ride through the villages and towns so the people can see us doing it.  We have also sent platoons of soldiers to stay in the remote villages to reassure the public.  Yet, many still come to the city at night to stay.  The innkeepers are doing brisk business."

"I'm sure."  Dominic stated absently, still looking at the crowd at the gate.  After a moment, he turned back to face Jeffreys.  "I normally wouldn't ask for favors, but I need to get in tonight, Sergeant Jeffreys."  He nodded back at Jake's cloaked form.  "Please see to it."

"One moment, if you please."  Jeffreys replied with a slight bow.  "I will need a few of my men to get you through the crowd."  He turned and signaled for his men.  Several responded and pushed their way through the crowd, telling people to move while reassuring them that they will get in.  Once they reached him, Jeffreys told them their orders and they started back to the gate, surrounding Shadow.

Jake could hear the angry mutterings in the crowd as they made their way to the gate, but it was soon replaced by sounds of relief as the word spread that it was Dominic.  Jake could see that Dominic was held in high regard and more than just a simple warrior, first by the people at the waystation, then Sir Alleon and now this.  Several people reached out to touch him as he rode past.  Dominic stared straight ahead, face unreadable, not acknowledging the crowd.

Once they had passed through the gates and past the press of people, the road opened into a wide paved plaza that reminded Jake of a baseball diamond.  The gate was where home plate would be, the city walls acting like the foul ball lines and a line of buildings across the plaza would be the outfield wall.  For the pitcher mound, there was a fountain in the middle of the plaza, with a statue of a knight on horseback, the horse rearing.

The crowd was dispersing into the city, with a good number heading for the buildings.  The buildings, facing out into the plaza, were either two or three stories tall, made with stone walls and wooden roofs.  They each had two large windows on the first floor and several smaller windows on the second and third.  The doorways had large solid wooden doors, some open and some closed.  Jake could hear the sounds of music and voices coming from the open doorways.  Smoke rose from chimneys and signs hung from their porches, with the smell of cooking food drifting over, causing Jake's stomach to rumble.  He assumed that they were inns or restaurants.  There were about four buildings on each side of the main road leading directly away from the gate.  Jake looked up the paved street and saw the palace looming in the distance.