by Andra Leigh
Eliscity found Drae a street out from the greasy messhouse on Travellors Lane where they had agreed to meet, looking completely turned around. She had picked the messhouse as a meeting place because, despite it being nameless, it was famous in the city. Everyone knew it. She figured anyone would be able to point Drae toward it. What she hadn’t counted on was Drae’s complete inexperience with cities.
He smiled sheepishly as she approached. “Cities are a little more confusing than I thought they’d be.”
She grinned back, taking Kitten’s reins from him. The horses looked displeased with the sights and sounds of the city, flicking their tails and ears at the flies.
“Do you want to find a place to change?”
“I’ll dry quickly,” she said with a shake of her head. “Come on, let’s get moving. We’re drawing attention.”
It was actually the horses drawing the attention. Horses were expensive, especially in a city like Hynxt, so they weren’t a common sight. Eliscity didn’t like some of the greedy eyes and sneaky glances the horses were getting. She had grown fond of Kitten over the past weeks and had no desire to have her stolen and sold off. Or worse, butchered and eaten.
They slunk through the streets as subtly as two horses and a dripping woman would allow, heading for the area of the city she knew best. She was amazed at how filthy everything was. She had noticed the dirt previously, but it hadn’t necessarily bothered her before. Now though, all she could smell was rancid meat. Every surface was smeared and caked in mess. How she ever felt remotely clean in this place was beyond her. It was a far cry from the beautiful, fresh oak clearing.
Once they reached their destination Eliscity sighed nervously. The scary part of her day was about to begin. She glanced over at Drae, liking just how out of place he looked in the middle of the dirty city.
“Ready?”
“Nope.”
“Great.” She pointed to the dilapidated building rising one and a half storeys to her right. “That one.”
It had originally been three storeys, but poor construction and rotted beams had seen to that and now, like many of the buildings in Hynxt, it had been abandoned of trade and left to the scavengers and homeless families of Hynxt. Unlike the other buildings, Eliscity knew this one was empty. The only way in was through the gaping hole where the rest of the second level used to be. The collapsed levels had fallen around the outside of the ground level, barring any chance of people getting inside. The rubble was so dense and heavy that it couldn’t be moved by human strength.
Luckily they had the strength of two horses.
Drae studied the building with a skilled eye. “Right supports are a light breeze away from collapsing. But the other side seems okay. In fact, that section of fallen roof is giving it some extra strength, rather than just knocking it in.”
“It’ll work?” she asked.
“Possibly.”
Deciding it was better than ‘definitely not’, she stamped down all the thoughts of what could go wrong.
She left Drae, Kitten and Chaser to get to work and made her way toward the city’s market centre at a light run. She wanted her body warm for the rather brisk sprint she would soon be doing.
The market place was a siege of smells and noise. People were haggling over trades, sweat pouring off those who ventured too close to the smoked meat vendors. Eliscity passed a toothless woman selling pendants, a boy picking the pocket of a big bellied man and two men loudly debating the significance of their wives’ taste in under-dresses, before she finally spotted the guardhouse.
The small wooden shelter was receiving a wide berth and disdainful scowls. A pair of guards were sitting inside, neither paying much attention to the market happenings as they played some sort of game with animal teeth. Due to their investment in the game, the hardest part of Eliscity’s plan soon became being seen ‘by accident’. She waited for them to glance up at the market they were assigned to patrol. She wandered past the open shutters a few times, whistling an irritating tune. She insulted a nearby vendor’s wares, starting a loud back and forth of angry exchanges.
Nothing.
Obviously the game that involved tossing and swiping teeth was so interesting the guards had forgotten to pretend to do their job.
She was contemplating singing a raunchy ballad Raiden had once taught her from his Post days, when one of the guards – a red head with far too many muscles – yawned and stretched his arms out, looking across the market place.
His eyes met hers.
She tensed, preparing to bolt as the recognition hit. But it didn’t hit. And the guard’s eyes returned to the game.
Eliscity cursed.
Had she managed to find the only two guards in the Realm not looking for her?
But then everything happened very quickly. Red-Head jumped to his feet. Teeth clattered to the floor boards. The other guard – dark skinned and perpetually bored looking – frowned at his partner who was frantically scanning the market place.
Then she was running.
Carts overturned as the guards yelled at her to stop and chased after her. Animals dashed for cover and the toothless woman gave her a gummy smile then proceeded to hurl a bulky pendant at her pursuers, scoring Bored-Guard between the eyes.
Eliscity made it through the market place a good half minute before the guards. It hadn’t just been the toothless woman who hindered their journey. Many of the folk had placed themselves or their products between them and her. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know her or that she was clearly wanted for something. The Southern Cities didn’t care for guards or their authority. Something Eliscity had been counting on when she had picked the market place to be seen in.
She sprinted down a narrow alley, skidded around a corner and burst out onto another street, the guards still behind her. She made it a few streets before she could practically feel one of the guards breathing down her neck.
Too close.
She dropped to the ground.
The surprised guard tripped over her. Sailing through the air he landed in front of her in a sprawling mess. It was Bored-Guard, looking more dazed than bored. Eliscity was back up and running before Dazed-Bored-Guard had a chance to register what had happened. Red-Head was still lumbering after her, his muscles getting in the way of him achieving any real speed. Though he was more than qualified to barrel through any crowds and obstacles she put in his way. Including a wall. The man deserved his own show at the Performers Square in Stource. He’d fit right in next to the juggling six fingered woman and the man who broke planks with his head.
She bolted into a herb store, the pungent aromas smacking her in the face. Jumping the counter she dashed around the shrieking owner and up the tight stairwell, bursting onto the roof where racks upon racks of herbs were being dried. She took a moment to catch her breath. Then, hearing thunderous footfalls on the stairs, took a running leap off the roof. She landed on the neighbouring roof’s sloped shingles. Red-Head appeared on the herb store roof, his head whipping around until he found her.
She gave him a cheery wave.
He was livid, eyeing the gap between them. He was trying to gauge whether or not he could make it. He couldn’t. Not unless he possessed wings way more real than hers. He had too much weight on him to fling himself across the space.
All Red-Head could do was yell at her to stop as she tiptoed her way carefully along the roof, making another jump to the next building.
She went as far as the roof jumping would take her, then backtracked a few buildings in case the guards had figured out where she would end up and climbed down. She wove in and out of streets and alleys, looping back around a few times to ensure she wasn’t being followed. Finally she made it back to the street she had left Drae on. He was nowhere in sight and she hoped that meant everything had gone as planned.
She ducked inside a door a few buildings away from the blocked off one she had pointed out to Drae. Assuring the jumpy family that was squatting in it that she was just p
assing through, she made her way to the roof. This time jumping from roof to roof was harder. All the buildings on the street were in disrepair. One wrong step and she would be falling through ceilings. As it was her feet kept busting through tiles and boards, causing her to hop around dangerously. She spent a few minutes on each roof, crouched low and scanning the street level for pursuers. She was certain she had lost Bored-Guard and Red-Head but she wasn’t taking chances.
When she made it to the partial remains of the roof next to the blocked off building, she heaved a sigh of relief. From her vantage point she could see into the fallen apart second level of her destination. It had once been a floor of bedrooms, perhaps worker rooms. There were remnants of bed-frames, half walls and collapsed doors all over the floor. Due to where the partial roof she crouched on ended, the gap between her and the landing was too far for her to jump. The building was truly isolated from the horseless, wingless folk of Hynxt.
It was barely midday so she wasn’t pleased about having to let her wings leak from the two slits she’d put in her loose shirt, but waiting for the cover of night would leave her in the open for hours. There was less chance of her being seen soaring a gap a storey up in the air than shifting rubble on the street. And this was a place she didn’t want to be seen entering.
Focusing on feeling the wind pressing against her wings she backed up a careful few steps. Then she ran and leapt. For a glorious second she was soaring. Her wings snapped in and out, propelling her forward just enough to touch down on the open landing over the gap. Picking her way carefully across the floor she could see the stairwell down to the ground level was blocked by a portion of fallen roof. It didn’t matter, there were plenty of holes big enough to fit down. She skittered across the floorboards, peering down into the blackness of each one. Remembering what Drae had said about the weak right support beams she moved toward the left side of the building and peeked down one of the holes. An orange flicker was bouncing off the dark space. She tried to make out a floor beneath the dull glow but couldn’t. As she dropped through the hole, her wings wrapping protectively around her body, she hoped she wasn’t about to land on broken floorboards or in another gaping hole. She didn’t. But she did hit the ground hard, jarring her ankle. She cursed.
“‘City?” Drae’s voice sounded panicked as it trembled on the darkness.
“Yes,” she called back. “Yeah, it’s me.”
The orange glow shook then grew. Eliscity stood perfectly still, unable to make out her surroundings. Then the dull orange glow erupted into a strong light as Drae appeared with a candle. The hallway she had dropped into was cast into eerie shadows.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did it work?” Drae’s face was tight with worry.
“They saw me,” she nodded. “I’m alright, I promise. I saw the outside. It barely looks any different. No one should be able to tell we’re even in here.”
Drae took her hand, leading her into a candle lit room. Kitten and Chaser snorted at her from behind a counter, which penned them in the hollowed shell of a storeroom. Drae had set up the candles on the other side of the counter in what looked to be an old Stitches store front. Display shelves, cabinets and racks were still set up around the area, hung with musty clothes and material.
“Was lucky. Only had to move one beam.” Drae pointed at a wall of roof blocking where she assumed the front door had once been. “Tied the horses to that section and had them haul back. Like sliding open a cupboard. Then had them pull it back once we were in. This part of the building seems sound, but I still wouldn’t recommend testing it.”
Eliscity grinned. “So no parties.”
“No parties,” Drae agreed with a laugh.
●
“Does this make me look fat?”
Drae looked up as she toddled into the room. Amusement flickered across his face.
“Yes.”
Eliscity patted her thickened waist. “Excellent.”
“You look like you had Kitten for breakfast,” he laughed.
Kitten gave a disgruntled snort.
“But do I look like me?” she asked seriously.
Drae narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at her.
Her hair was blackened and pulled straight and limp with ink. She was wearing a frumpy dress that swamped her in layers. Beneath she had stuffed and tied other clothes from the buried Stitches store around her middle. She had even padded out her backside and thighs. It caused her to walk with a distinct waddle and made her appear paler than she actually was.
“Yes,” Drae said uncertainly. “But, then again, I know it’s you. I don’t know. With me and the horses it’ll be like another disguise on top of this one. We’ll be okay.”
He was trying to sound confident. But a worried look in his eye gave him away. She nodded her agreement anyway.
They climbed onto the horses. Well, Drae did. Eliscity teetered over to Kitten and tried to swing herself onto the mare’s back. And tried again. And again. Her new bulk was proving an awkward obstacle. Finally Drae took pity on her, helping her onto Kitten before returning to Chaser. The horses were stomping their hooves impatiently. They were tethered to the movable wall of rubble and knew that meant they were escaping their storeroom home. After three days of being caged in the barricaded building they were eager to get outside. So was Eliscity. Even if outside was a hot city and she was currently wearing piles of clothes.
Hynxt had become a guarded city. The guards were everywhere. Every corner, every street, checking every store and possible hiding place. It was as if the Full-Post had been crammed into the already packed city just to search Eliscity out.
Though she knew it couldn’t be the Full-Post, she had to wonder how many guards the Reigner and his commanders had bothered to leave in the other cities and townships.
Just about every second person they passed as they rode through the streets wore the Posts insignia. Their overwhelming presence was aided by the strange absence of many of the Hynxt folk. The ones that were on the streets were scuttling to and fro, heads bowed. Most importantly they weren’t throwing anything at the guards. Not even an unimpressed look. Clearly the new found guard numbers had them scared into hiding.
Eliscity and Drae tried to copy the wary expressions and steady pace of the merchants and travellers moving through the main streets of Hynxt. She did her best not to flinch or duck away when guards eyed her suspiciously. Keeping her head up and stare forward, she acted like she had nothing to hide.
“How far to the border?” Drae shot to her under his breath.
“A few hours,” she estimated.
“Maybe we should have given some more thought to doing this trip at night.”
She shook her head lightly. “I still think that would have made them more suspicious of us.”
Two hours later they were almost at the border between Hynxt and Wrethic, when Eliscity suddenly felt like she was being watched. The feeling shivered down her spine and she pulled Kitten to a halt. Her eyes darted around the street. There were enough guards to start a game of streetball, but none of them were specifically watching her. She was getting some glances from people hurrying down the lanes but nothing to elicit the tingling sensation rippling across the nape of her neck. It was possible it was someone she couldn’t see. There were slated shutters on store and home fronts that anyone could be watching through. Despite this she found her gaze skimming the roof lines.
“‘City?” Drae said in a cautious whisper. As he checked the closest guard hadn’t heard him, she realised he had probably been trying to get her attention by calling her the name they had agreed on hours ago. He gave her a questioning look.
She frowned. “I don’t know.”
She urged Kitten back into a walk and continued on toward the border, casting nervous glances over her shoulder the entire way.
As they approached the border the shiver in her spine was replaced with cold fear. The city wall was overrun with guards. She had expected it. A last line of defence to keep her
from escaping Hynxt. But the sight still doused her in panic. Every person leaving Hynxt was being stopped and thoroughly stared at. Their carts, wagons and in some cases belongings, were all being searched. Merchants and traders were being asked for their papers to verify they were who they claimed to be. Travellers were being questioned harshly. Where were they from? What was their purpose in crossing the border? Had they been approached by any suspicious people lately?
Eliscity and Drae negotiated the horses into the slow moving queue, exchanging a nervous look. There would be no convenient river to pass the border this time. As they neared the line’s front Eliscity tried to shift her weight low to help the bulk stuffed under her dress to look real. As they made it to the front of the border line Eliscity plastered a huge smile on her face.
“How goes it,” Drae said cheerfully, thickening his Tequailian lint.
“Names?” a blond guard drawled, as two of his colleagues paced around glaring up at them and another marked down everything said. Like all the guards they had seen so far they were more heavily armed than usual. It wasn’t just with boltbows either. They had daggers and dart blades. She could even see arrow heads poking out of a few of their belts.
“Oh well, I’m Teris and this is Marqilane. Do you need our family names? We’re not sure how this works, I’m afraid. The guards on our way into Hynxt didn’t stop us. Is this a usual thing? See, this is me and Marqi’s first time outta Tequail and we ain’t used to the big guard numbers. Marqi, here, thinks it’s something more than just city ways though, don’t you?”
“I’m telling you, Teris,” Eliscity adopted the Tequailian lint the same as Drae. “It’s just like the story Da used to tell me over again.” She made sure to use the Tequailian form of Papa as she grinned wide. “Just a lad and one day while out working the bank guards by the numbers swept through and took control. Like poof. One moment a usual day, the next everyone’s being searched. Even our old soil house was searched, can’t say that wasn’t normal guard behaviour, now can you? Da reckons they were looking for someone wanted.”
