by Eric Vall
Fog drifted in the valleys and clung to the roofs of a few farms in their pastures, and the fiery golden glow of the sun as it peeked over the horizon made everything seem to ignite. Off in the far distance, the river Asris curled northward to the capital, and the dirt road that would take us there rose and fell over rolling hills.
The first time I’d ever seen Serin, the sun had been setting, but returning now at the start of a new day felt like being there for the first time again. The same sense of calm and belonging washed over me, and I grinned as I turned my head to admire the beautiful half-elf perched over my shoulder.
Aurora’s eyes glittered as she looked out across the hills, and I realized I hadn’t seen her so deliriously happy in weeks.
“Welcome home,” I murmured, and I reached back to stroke Aurora’s cheek.
Her grin stretched from ear to ear, and she let out a sigh of contentment.
“You too,” she said and brushed a kiss on my cheek. Then she gasped lightly and pointed ahead. “Mason, look!”
I reluctantly dragged my gaze away from the beautiful half-elf, and far off beyond the hills where the western lands evened out, a silvery train was caught in the gleaming sunlight.
It was barreling southward to the border of Cedis, and there were more than a dozen loaded cars hitched behind the engine.
“Damn,” I mused. “Looks good from here.”
Pride swelled in my chest as we watched the train slide across the land, and Deya shifted on my shoulder as the blazing sun finally woke her from her sleep.
She yawned and stretched languidly, and then Aurora turned her head forward for her.
“Wanna see a train?” she asked the elf with an eager smile.
“A what?” Deya asked sleepily, and she squinted into the sun.
Then her violet eyes went wide as she took in the beauty of Illaria and the train coursing by in the distance.
“Is it a type of snake?” the elf asked with sheer wonder.
“No,” I chuckled heartily, “it’s a means of transporting things long distances. Kind of like Bobbie, but it moves on a series of railways made of long metal things called tracks.”
“Mason made it,” Aurora announced importantly.
“We made it,” I corrected. “A lot of hard-working mages have dedicated months to that train. Don’t sell them short.”
Aurora smirked. “Yeah, but Mason invented it, built the engine, and taught everyone how to--”
I reached back to cover the half-elf’s mouth, and she snorted into my palm as I leveled her with a pointed look.
“You’re not going to spend this entire tour bragging about me,” I informed the woman. “Serin was here long before I was, and Deya wants to see Serin, not hear a hundred details about a guy she already knows.”
“But I want to hear everything,” Deya insisted. “I want to see what you have all done here and learn about the ways of the mages and the humans. Tell me everything.” She looked expectantly at Aurora, and the half-elf smugly pried my hand from her lips.
“Gladly,” she said with a glittering smile. “We’ll start with Mason’s train.”
I sighed and shook my head as I brought Bobbie back to life, and Haragh gave a gravelly cough as he woke up. This was loud enough to wake the dead of course, so the women in the back seat slowly stirred as well, and by the time we were cresting the next hill, all of the women were prattling away with Deya about building the train that connected Cedis, Illaria, and Orebane.
I cut them off when they’d carried on for well over a half hour and promptly redirected the conversation to the Order of Elementa, since I knew Aurora could probably go on about this nearly as much as she could about me.
Deya kept sending me giddy little smiles while they detailed everything they could think of, and with the morning sun glowing throughout the car, her soft pink hair seemed to blend into the scenery.
The fog in the valleys had dissipated in the cool air, and the tufts of clouds were beginning to shift from orange to vibrant pink. More pasturelands rolled by, and several of the farmhands were out in the fields bringing their sheep out or tending to their other livestock.
I could see several of the workers pause in their work, and they shielded the sun from their eyes as they watched the Mustang drive down the road. Dirt kicked up in a cloud behind us, and the brushed metal shimmered in the growing daylight. I grinned to myself as I imagined taking Bobbie up to Orebane sometime to show the dwarves, but the streets of Serin would no doubt be just as interesting.
When my stomach began to growl, I glanced back at my other women as we continued to wind our way through the emerald hills of Illaria, and Shoshanne sent me a sleepy wink from where she had her delicate feet propped up out the window. Her copper curls rustled lightly in the breeze, and she had Cayla laid out with her head in her plush lap.
The princess looked as content as a cat while she toyed with the silken frills on Aurora’s bodice, and she pointed out details the half-elf missed while she carried on with Deya.
“Should we stop for some food?” I asked the lounging women, but they shook their heads.
“The king will have something for us,” Cayla pointed out.
“The king would entertain you personally?” Deya gasped.
“I doubt it,” I clarified. “The king has a lot he’s dealing with right now. We’ll stop off and let him know we’ve arrived, and then we can get some grub in the city. He probably won’t have time to meet with me right this second.”
“Oh, he’ll make time,” Haragh assured me.
“I’ve never met a king before,” Deya said nervously.
“He’s a kind man,” Aurora replied, “and if you’re with Mason, I’d expect he’ll treat you like a noblewoman.”
I snorted. “You guys make it sound like I’m a lord or something,” I muttered.
Cayla propped herself up on her elbows. “That could probably be arranged,” she mused. “King Temin and my father both adore you. We could get you a lordship, if you want.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” I chuckled. “Defender of the Order of Elementa is as much as I’ve ever aspired to.”
“Do all of the Defenders work for the king personally?” Deya asked curiously.
The women in the backseat giggled, and I rolled my eyes.
“No,” Aurora assured the beautiful elf. “Just Mason, who doesn’t aspire to much apparently.”
I let them carry on making ridiculous claims about me, but when we came to the banks of the river Asris, Aurora was finally too overcome with excitement to do much more than lean far out the window and smile.
Ruela looked oddly similar to her as she did the same, and Haragh patted the massive wolf on his lap with a smirk.
“Not a bad beast,” he admitted. “Most dogs I gotta worry I’ll squash ‘em by accident.”
“Ruela cannot be squashed,” Deya told him with a giggle. “You two will be happy together.”
“No, ma’am,” Haragh warned. “I’m with Mason on this one. The dog belongs to you ladies. I’m not wranglin’ a damn wolf.”
I nodded my agreement, but then Aurora made an extremely strange noise, and I glanced back to see her shimmying her legs excitedly.
“There’s the gate!” she announced.
I grinned at the smile on the beautiful woman’s face, and I slowed us down a bit as we passed the large station platform outside the walls of the capital. The foothills of the Draconis Mountains jutted up on either side of Serin, and the turrets and spires of King Temin’s castle rose high above the city where it nestled within the rocky enclosure.
The gates of Serin stretched twenty feet above us as I brought Bobbie to a stop, and two stout guards in silver armor gaped as they stood up. They’d been slumped just to the side of the gate and apparently still working on getting their day started, but the moment Aurora popped her head out the back window of the Mustang, they abruptly removed their helmets to reveal the wonky smiles on their faces.
“D
-defender Solana,” one of them stammered. “You have returned.”
“I have,” Aurora replied happily. “How are you, Simun? Gorath?”
The two guards’ eyes took on a dreamy cast as she addressed them both by name, and then their gaze drifted longingly to her cleavage.
Some things hadn’t changed at least.
I cleared my throat loudly before I tilted my head out the driver’s window, and the moment the two guards saw me, they straightened up, saluted, and dropped their helmets into the dirt in their frazzled state.
“Defender Flynt, sir!” they both barked diligently.
I cocked a brow. “Hey guys,” I called back. “How’s it goin’?”
“G-good, sir,” Gorath stammered. His thick black mustache twitched nervously, and with my heightened eyesight, I could even see the beads of sweat that had suddenly appeared on his brow. “King Temin told my aunt’s gardener you might be returning. I heard from his niece’s friend at the pub the other night. Is it true you’ve been in Nalnora, sir?”
I smirked and glanced at Haragh.
“Told ye’,” he muttered. “Talk of the town.”
I shook my head and turned back to the guards.
“Yeah,” I hollered and gestured to the gates. “Uh … you mind if we enter the city?”
The two guards fumbled and tripped over their helmets as they both lurched to open the gate, and once they’d managed to coordinate a bit better, the gates were parted, and I drove us forward.
“Good day, sir,” Gorath said as he saluted once more.
Simun crouched to bid Aurora a good day as well, but when he caught sight of Deya beside me, his jaw completely unhinged, and he forgot what he was doing.
We left him still hunched forward and gawking as we rolled into the tradesmen’s quarters of Serin, and my focus was immediately overrun with the many sounds echoing around the waking city.
Deya shifted nervously beside me, and Ruela began to pant heavily as the anxiety of the carts and the many clanging hammers set in.
I took a steadying breath and furrowed my brow against all of the sounds coming to me from every direction, and the crowd slowly parted as the Mustang drove along the road and into the belly of the capital.
Murmuring echoed all around as we passed, and it didn’t take long for me to notice a common theme. Somehow, even the Mustang wasn’t as exciting as “Defender Flynt.”
A few young boys hollered out to me and ran along with the car, and they reached their grubby hands out for high fives. I chuckled and gladly returned the gesture, and then they laughed wildly and sprinted off into the gathering crowd.
When I glanced at the women in the back seat, they all sent me smug smirks.
“It’s good to be back,” Aurora sighed.
“City’s changed a bit,” I muttered half to myself. “Look, they’re rebuilding the houses down here.”
Several of the wooden structures of the tradesmen’s quarters were being replaced with solid stone buildings, and the once shanty-like portion of the city seemed to be moving up in caste.
Several tradesmen waved their sweaty caps at us as we passed, and Haragh hollered out a greeting to those who he knew personally. By the time we got to the gates of the craftsman’s quarters, there was a line of people trailing behind the Mustang, and even though they stopped at the gate without following further, I could see them still waving and admiring the car in the rearview mirror.
The same occurred all the way to the gates of King Temin’s castle, and I heard many servants rushing off to tell their lords that “Defender Flynt had returned.”
I hadn’t expected my arrival in Serin to warrant quite so much chatter, but the reaction I got from the guards at the castle gate genuinely confused me.
“Defender Flynt, sir!” the three guards barked, and they saluted diligently like I was a general or something. I’d assumed Gorath and Simun were just flustered to see my beautiful half-elf again, but this time, it was clear the guards were all under orders to address me this way.
“Hey guys,” I muttered uncomfortably. “I think King Temin wants to see me. I just thought I’d drop a word that I was back in town. Would you mind delivering the message?”
“Yes sir!” the youngest of the three guards immediately barked, but the others nudged him hard in the armor.
“Please, sir,” one of them said next. “King Temin is awaiting your arrival. We will alert his highness immediately, if you would like to bring your … contraption … to the stables--”
“Not the stable,” the eldest guard growled. “Begging your pardon, Defender Flynt, sir. You may leave the, uh … contraption anywhere it pleases you, sir.”
I nodded slowly as I eyed the guards who still stood strictly at attention.
“Cool,” I finally replied. “We’ll do that.”
With another crisp salute, the guards parted the gates to King Temin’s castle grounds, and Aurora snorted as I shifted a little in my seat.
“Anyone else getting weird vibes?” I mumbled.
Cayla chuckled and leaned over the seat to rest her cheek on my shoulder.
“You’ve been in Nalnora too long,” the princess murmured in my ear. “Get used to being treated like a human again.”
“Most humans don’t get saluted by the king’s guard,” I countered.
Cayla shrugged. “So, get used to that, too.”
I parked the Mustang at the edge of the entrance courtyard and turned to smirk at the princess.
“You’re enjoying this,” I pointed out.
“Of course I am,” she purred, and her bright blue eyes sparkled with affection. “For weeks you’ve been putting up with the elves and the Elite houses. I much prefer watching others treat you as you deserve.”
Cayla leaned forward to kiss me, and I brushed her lightly on the cheek when she pulled away.
“Same goes for all of you,” I chuckled. “At least in Serin I know my women will be treated like queens.”
“Princess,” Cayla corrected.
Deya fidgeted nervously beside me, and the two of us glanced to see she was much paler than usual.
“You’ll be just fine,” Cayla told the beautiful elf. “Try to relax and enjoy yourself.”
Deya gave a little squeak that sounded like an agreement, and I offered her my hand as I unsealed the doors of the Mustang.
We all climbed out with a riled Ruela close behind, and the wolfish beast trotted in nervous circles around the Mustang while we stretched our legs and took a look around the courtyard.
Several of the noble subjects of Serin had ceased their strolling to talk quietly together and stare at us, and I tried to ignore the many times I heard my own name being whispered.
I cleared my throat and looped Deya’s trembling arm in mine, and I nodded my respect to the elegantly dressed subjects we passed on our way to the steps of the castle. Most of them had noticed Deya and Ruela by now though, and they froze mid sentence to stare at the massive fangs of the sable beast that panted anxiously beside me.
The three other women and Haragh followed at our backs as we mounted the steps of the castle, and the white stonework of the place stood in stark contrast against the rugged rock of the foothills flanking it on either side. I craned my neck up toward the turrets that glinted brightly against the blue sky, and then I nudged Deya.
“Not so gaudy as the castles of the Elite,” I muttered with a smirk.
Deya giggled nervously, but she was clearly too on edge to say anything in response.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” I asked with concern. “You’re a little pale and shaky.”
“F-fine,” she stuttered with another awkward squeak. “Just walking. To see the king. I’m fine.”
“He doesn’t stand on too much ceremony,” I assured her. “Last I was here, anyway.”
Then I turned forward to see five armored guards standing at attention with their arms already raised in a salute.
“Defender Flynt, sir!” they barked.
“Gods,” I sighed to myself. “This is gonna keep happening.”
Haragh caught the look on my face and stepped ahead of me, but I noticed he straightened up rather haughtily as he addressed the king’s guards.
“King Temin has commissioned me to deliver Defender Mason Flynt. He is expected to hold an audience with his majesty post haste.”
The guards immediately opened the doors of the castle, and Haragh strolled through like he was a member of the king’s guard himself.
I smirked as I realized he was really enjoying the pomp and circumstance of everything so far, but I was honestly glad he was up to it.
I was exhausted from driving most of the night, and the many sights and sounds of the city were already taking their toll on my ability to stay present. More than anything, I wanted to bury my head in a dense and dark pillow just to get a break from the overloading of my senses, but I knew I’d only find more noise there. The runes were muttering on and on, and they remained as hard to ignore as the heavy panting of the wolf at my side.
Ruela hadn’t caused any trouble, yet, but the notion that she could attack at any second made me more nervous as we strolled through the prestigious halls of the castle. The last thing we needed was the wolfish beast tearing the limbs off one of King Temin’s subjects.
Still, despite her raised hackles and her gaping expression, Ruela remained obediently in line, and with her on my right and Deya on my left, we came to the doors of the great hall of the king.
I could hear the conversation taking place in the large chamber on the other side, and there was clearly an important meeting in session with the lords of his land.
They were discussing the trade tariffs instilled since the railway began operating across the three regions, and from the sound of it, an argument was about to take place.
A few of the lords slammed their fists on the arms of their chairs as they countered one another’s views, but considering no daggers were flying in there, it sounded pretty tame compared to the meetings in Nalnora.
Haragh was speaking with the two guards ahead of us, and then he rejoined us a few paces back.
