Journey To Light: Part I of the High Duties of Pacia

by Bob Craton

CHAPTER 26

  Caelia § 4

  Goodbyes went better than Caelia expected. Although her mother surprised Caelia by shedding a tear, Escol kept his composure and only hugged her three times. Many people came to see off friends and family members and each one of them also said goodbye to Caelia. “Be careful, darling,” one woman told her. “You’re important to all of us.”

  Leaving the cavern afterwards proved to be slightly anticlimactic but as the group trekked down the mountain, Caelia’s excitement began to build. She was actually outside and proving she could do anything a mere adult could. The hike was more arduous than she had expected but tired muscles did not lessen her fortitude. The trail down the mountainside was narrow and camouflaged. Stairways made the hike easier in steep places but these were so well hidden that frequently it was difficult to tell which stones were part of the stairs and which were just loose rocks. Everyone wore a backpack and groups of men carefully lowered carts with good brakes down the slope; thus the manufactured products of Annâles-Scientia were carried on the first leg toward the outside world.

  Due to the overriding need for secrecy combined with the exertion necessary to get down the mountain, the artifexers, anginears, and tekniks in the Chamber produced only small but valuable trade items. Most were made of metal but component parts of ceramic and carved wood were common and their appeal to customers came not from size but from exceptional workmanship and ingenuity. The loads contained many tools – never large hammers or saws but very precise implements which craftsmen would want for their most meticulous work. Caelia’s pack, for example, contained kits of fine carving knives rolled into the pockets of strips of leather. Others carried scales which were always accurate. Honest shopkeepers, and there were many in towns and small cities, bought these scales to weigh merchandise so customers would be assured of a fair deal. People throughout the northland recognized the trademark stamp as a sign of quality. In the markets of the Great Cities, however, such marks were often forgeries. Always the traders took a few clever inventions which were used to attract attention. Macon’s air-darters were only the latest gadgets in that category.

  At the end of a long day, the group reached the first stop on their journey – the cave at the foot of the mountain where the wagons were hidden. Once inside, Matrika told Caelia and Tabari to get a kettle from one of the wagons. Cooking gear, tents, blankets, and other such things were kept stored in the wagons rather than carried up and down again and again. The last expedition had also left sealed urns filled with rice, dried beans, and ground maize. Soon fires were built and simple dinners prepared. Messengers were sent to contact the trustworthy local shepherds who watched over the oxen between expeditions.

  The next day, everything was assembled and ready. Wagons were divided into groups of three or four and Dagan called everyone together.

  “Large trains of wagons traveling together would be out of place this far north and that would make us conspicuous,” he told them. “That’s why we need to leave here in small groups. Each band will depart separately and you all have your own directions to follow. The routes are slightly different but we won’t be all that far apart. We’ll reach the by-pass road on the second day.” He referred to a road than ran east-west through the area between the mountains and the Hartgan Forest. Although not a highway, it was a well-built thoroughfare notwithstanding the fact that few people used it anymore. Everyone in the group knew how meticulous Dagan and Matrika were and patiently listened even though the route had been outlined many times earlier.

  “Those of you who will take the road should remember to not get bunched together,” said Matrika as she continued the briefing. “Some of us will head southwest until we reach the edge of the forest before turning west. Our first destination is a town named Catai which you already know about. When we rendezvous in Catai, we’ll begin our trading. Once we’ve made enough coin, we’ll continue on to the Feluvial Valley to buy our food.”

  Each member of the expedition nodded. They had their maps and knew where to go. Wagons started rolling.