Only the Watchers these days know how the Naming verification works, and of course the heads of each House. It is the one of the most guarded secrets of Prydain...if everyone knew then the sanctity and infallibility of the verification would be at possible risk. As it stands, the Watchers verification of noble name is indisputable
---- from the book "Nobles, Names, and Knowledge," the newest book on Prydanian social structure to be published this season in Avindr
The sound of yelling was what awoke Alexandra first. As she slowly opened her eyes, her senses trying to focus, she heard a commotion down in the street. With bleary-eyes, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She stumbled in the darkness to reach the window, her vision still not entirely clear. Looking down she saw villagers running past in the street. There was a lot of yelling and suddenly Alexandra was completely awake.
Had House Cornelius found them? Were the villagers going to turn them in? Quickly sliding her shoes on, Alexandra slipped out the door and hurried down the stairs. No one was inside the pub and she cautiously made her way to the door and peeked outside. There was a light of some kind coming from further in the village where Alexandra could not see, the people running the streets looked like they were heading there. Putting her ear up to the opening in the door, she tried to make out what all the excitement was about. People were running by so fast, she could only catch snippets of what was being said.
"...it'll be gone soon!..."
"...can't believe...."
"...it's burning down!"
Realizing that her own plight and House Cornelius were not the cause of the stir, she pushed open the door and entered the gathering crowd in the street. Moving along with the crowd, the light grew brighter and brighter until Alexandra could finally see what it was: a two-story building at the far end of the village was engulfed in flames! Most of the village had gathered around to see what was going on. Many were talking quickly and excitedly to each other, no one could figure out how the building had caught on fire.
This being a small village, they did not have machinery for putting out fires like one would see in Avindr. They had recently invented a machine that used steam power to push water out of holding tanks through a long metal tube and shoot it out at high-speed. This was a massive blaze, the entire two-story house was lit up and spewing out vicious flames.
"What happened?" Jorge had arrived on the scene, bounding up to the front of the crowd.
"We don't know!" said a man next to him, "little Thomas here," he motioned to a young lad next to him, "saw the fire from his window."
"We're lucky it's this building," Jorge sounded relieved, "it's been abandoned since the Rikeyak family moved to their relatives in Alloa. But still, how did this start?"
"It'll just burn itself out," another farmer added, "we'll have to wait to see if there's any wood we can scavenge from it once it's run its course."
For a moment, it seemed that everything would be all right.
"Geir!" a woman's voice pierced through all other conversations, "Geir!"
A panicked-looking woman pushed her way through the crowd, which made a path for her. She came to the front and just stared at the burning house, her panicked expression growing even more so.
"Olgaa, what is it?" Jorge looked confused, "what is the matter my dear woman?"
"I can't find Geir anywhere!" the words burst from her. "He's only eight you know, I've looked everywhere and I can't find him!"
"Your son?" Jorge glanced around the crowd, "is it possible he is with a friend? I know him and little Jevanko like to play practical jokes..."
"He's not with me sir," little Jevanko spoke up from nearby in the crowd, his father holding his hand.
"You don't think..." Jorge looked back at the blaze.
"Geir!" his mother cried out, staring at the quickly-disappearing house.
"Jorge!" another man came running over.
"What is it Hannsgaar?"
The man was the father of Thomas, the boy who had first woken up and seen the fire.
He was talking to his son who he had in tow, "go on Thomas, tell Jorge what you just told me."
The boy looked shy, he was not comfortable being in front of the whole village like this on the spot.
"What is it Thomas?" Jorge's voice was calm and kind, but the tension behind his words was plain to anyone with ears.
Thomas gulped. "Well, sir, when I saw the fire, I looked out of my window across the street. I saw two men run out of the house as it started catching fire. And, and they had a big empty bag with them."
"Two men?" Jorge's eyes widened, "did you see what they were wearing?"
"It was hard to see because of all the fire," Thomas tried his best to remember, "but I think they were wearing red and black."
"Cornelius!" Jorge bellowed, "it was the two people here to collect the damn taxes!"
Alexandra felt a shiver go up her spine at the name.
"They're punishing us!" another spoke up.
All this time, Alexandra had been slipping through the crowd so she could be closer to the front to hear better.
"The bag..." Olgaa's voice was nothing but despair, "...Jorge...an empty bag!"
"Geir!" Jorge looked back at the house with horror, "they wouldn't... they wouldn't!"
Alexandra knew that they would, she had already seen House Cornelius' treachery and cruelty up close. This peasant village had refused to submit and now they were being taught a lesson.
"I have to save my son!" Olgaa tried to run forward but a rush of hands from the crowd held her back, "let me go! Let me go!"
"It's too hot!" one of the women holding her tried to reason with her, "you'll die! We don't even know if Geir is in there."
"He is! I know he is!" Olgaa struggled to no avail against the other villagers holding her.
"I can't ask anyone to go in," Jorge was downcast, "it's suicide."
"Geir! My boy! Geir!" Olgaa screamed, the words raw with despair.
Alexandra had had enough. She wasn't sure what compelled her, but she rushed forward, pushing people out of her way. With a quick motion of her hand she grabbed a small canteen off one of the belts off one of the surprised villagers as she passed. Breaking from the crowd, Alexandra ran headlong towards the burning house.
"You there!" Jorge yelled out, "stop! Stop right there!"
She moved too quick and was already out of reach by the time anyone realized what was going on. The heat was unbelievable; she squinted, the brightness against the night backdrop being almost too much. Bounding up the steps, she jumped over the last two which had become nothing but flames.
The door was partially-collapsed, part of the ceiling blocking the upper-half of it. She hit the small porch and extended her legs, using her momentum from the jump to slide right under the flaming debris into the house. Putting her foot out, she stopped her slide by kicking off a piece of fallen ceiling in the middle of the floor.
Standing, she covered her mouth and shaded her eyes against the fire. It was almost impossible to see through the thick smoke, spurts of fire bursting up all around her. Alexandra knew she did not have long before the old house just gave way completely.
"Geir!" she yelled out.
No response.
"Geir!" she tried to fan away some of the smoke.
No response.
Fighting her way through the murky smoke and past the flames, she tried to take a quick survey of the ground floor. The kitchen was mostly just a wall of fire now, but she did not see anything that resembled a body inside that inferno. The rest of the rooms on the ground floor were also now mostly engulfed.
Trying to shove down the panic rising in her gut, she looked at the stairs, flames licking at the steps. Smoke was billowing from upstairs as well, where it would be twice as dangerous.. Taking each step carefully, she ascended up to the second level. One of the steps gave way and Alexandra had to balance quickly, flames erupting from the missing step. Reaching the top step, she was knocked backwards by a sudden burst of the flames from the room closest to the top of the stairs. Covering her face she fell back and hit the ground hard. The floorboards creaked under her, flames peeking through the cracks. She heaved herself back up, trying to shield her face from the fire all around.
Coughing violently with the smoke, she tried to call out to Geir once more but all that came out was more coughs.
Turning left, she began to search the rooms upstairs. The fire was crawling up the walls onto the roof, quickly bringing down the entire house. The flames were not as bad here as downstairs but it was quickly catching up. She could not take more than one two steps into a room because of the flames spreading up from the floor. Windows were cracking and shattering with the heat. Protecting her face from the flying glass shards, she tried to search as quickly but as thoroughly as possible.
"What are you doing?" she asked herself, not really having an answer.
She had just run in on instinct, not a lot of thought had gone into the action. She was afraid, she realized she had been very foolish running in as she did, but it was too late for those regrets now. Now all she could do was try to find Geir and escape with their lives. if he was even still alive, if he was even in the house at all.
Seeing nothing but old burning furniture, discarded tables, chairs, and open cabinets in the rooms, she turned back.
With a loud crack, part of the floor next to the stairs suddenly gave way! It went crashing down the lower level. Steadying herself, Alexandra launched into a run and jumped over the gap in the floor. Landing hard on the other side, she rolled but managed to catch herself and bring herself upright again before she ended up in the fire. Becoming dizzy from the smoke inhalation, she put her hand on the wall to balance her walk as she began to check the rooms on the right side of the upper level. The sound of creaking wood and the cracking of fire let her know that she did not have much time left, the place was ready to crash into one big pile of burnt debris.
Each room was its own inferno, with the licks of flame creeping ever more into the hallway. Smoke billowed down from rapidly-expanding cracks in the ceiling. She stepped very carefully, lest the floor give way even more and swallow her whole.
The door to the last room at the end of the hallway was blocked by a piece of burning wood from the roof which had crashed through and lodged in the door-frame, bracing the door itself half-closed. Kneeling, she peered past the obstruction in the room. The room was not entirely burning yet, but she could see a geyser of flames shooting up from a hole in the floorboards, catching on the ceiling above and the walls. Turning her gaze to the left side of the room she suddenly saw something not in the other rooms: the silhouette of a small person. Squinting she saw that it was a small boy, back up against the wall, head buried in his knees covered by his trembling hands.
"Geir!" she yelled as loud as she could.
Two frightened eyes shot up and locked onto hers. Alexandra stood up and with all the force she could muster, kicked the debris out of the door frame. It budged a little and she re-balanced for another strike. She threw her foot forward, connecting dead-on with the flaming piece of fallen wood. The fire licked at her ankle, searing the skin; but the debris was weakened and it fell away as the full-force of the impact reverberated through it.
Ignoring the pain in her leg from where it was burned, she crossed the room to where Geir was frozen with fear against the wall. She fell to her knees in front of him and put her arms around him, pulling him close. He was shaking, but something else was wrong: he could not move. Alexandra saw why he had not tried to leave the house: his hands and feet were tied!
"It's going to be okay," she tried to sound as calm as humanly possible as she went to work untying the ropes that bound him.
"The men..." his voice was shaky and hoarse from all the smoke.
"Don't talk," she finished with the ropes around his legs and went to work on the ones around his hands. "Just wait until we're okay and out of here. Your mom's waiting outside, we'd better not keep her out there for long."
Finally loosening the last loop and pulling the rope away, she gripped his hand tightly and pulled him up to his feet as she stood up.
"Can you walk okay?"
"I feel sick." He was succumbing to all the smoke just like Alexandra was herself.
"Just a little bit more," she assured him, "you're being very brave and I need you to be brave for just a few more minutes, can you do that for me?"
"Yes," he wiped tears away from his eyes with the hand Alexandra was not holding.
"Okay then," she blinked, trying to re-focus her fuzzy vision, "let's get out here."
Carefully leading him out of the room, they ducked under the door-frame which was falling apart as the flames rolled over its surface and made it out into the perilous hallway. There was a lot more fire in it now since Alexandra had left it just moments before. She zigzagged, pulling Geir along with her, avoiding the collapsed pieces of the floor that were spewing vicious spurts of fire up onto the second-level.
The stairs were thankfully still mostly-standing and were still serviceable. Testing each step before she put her weight on it, Alexandra and Geir made their way down the stairs as fast as possible, avoiding the droplets of pure flame raining down from the ceiling far above which was now just an inferno.
Alexandra saw a new problem, one that stood between them and the outside. The space between the end of the stairs and door was solid flame. There was no way around or through it, it was a wall of fire. Extending the seven feet or so from the door all the way to the stairs, the bottom step had disappeared into the fire as well. Geir pulled back and huddled close behind her as she quickly looked for a way out.
Unhooking the water pouch she had lifted from a villager on the way in, she turned and bent down so she was eye-level with Geir.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," he tried to be brave for her, he had promised.
"We're almost outside," Alexandra wasn't sure if her own panic came across in her voice as she tried to control it, "we just have a little ways to go, okay?"
"Okay," he sniffed.
"I'm going to pour some water on you and that'll make sure we can get outside all safe and sound, is that okay?"
"Okay," he nodded, gripping her hand as tight as she could.
She held the water pouch over his head and poured most of it on him, making sure the water covered him completely in a thin layer. With what little was left, she held it over her own head and poured out the rest on herself. She turned around and stayed kneeling.
"Climb onto my back and hold tight," she instructed, her eyes staring at the fire she was about to face.
Geir put his legs around her waist and locked his arms around her neck. He closed his eyes and buried his head in the back of hers, nestling it in her hair.
With the child safely on, she grabbed onto his arms with her right hand and stood back up slowly, letting her body adjust to the added weight. Swallowing her fear and putting her free hand over her face to protect it, she took one last look at her path so she would have it in her head and then squeezed her eyes shut.
She jumped with all of her strength off the second-to-last step and landed right in the fire halfway to the door. Not waiting to even balance properly, she immediately ran full-tilt to where she knew the door to be, the fire hitting her, wrapping itself around her limbs.
Heat.
Unbearable heat; a tingling sensation across her body.
It was bright, even though her eyes were shut. She knew her legs were moving under her, she could barely feel it now but she knew. She was on full automatic now, scrambling to get out of the collapsing house.
Everything hurt, everything felt like it was starting to burn.
Suddenly the air around her changed, it was cooler than it was a second before. The air was no longer burning her nose as she breathed in.
Alexandra felt her legs giving up under her, her feet stumbling over each other.
She was falling. She felt her body hit something, was it the ground?
Everything got quiet suddenly and she lost all sensation.
She must have blacked out Alexandra realized as feeling returned to her body. She was lying face up on the ground, the night sky coming into partial focus through her blinking eyes. Tilting her head to the side she saw Olgaa holding Geir tightly, crying and kissing him.
She smiled; they had made it out of the house all right. Tilting her head back her eyes made contact with Zooey's blue eyes, who were staring angrily at her.
"You idiot! What in the world were you thinking?!"
"I guess I wasn't," Alexandra admitted.
"I'll say you weren't! You're lucky to be alive! Of all the stupidity!"
"I'm glad to see you too," she tried to manage a smile.
Sophia was kneeling next to her as well. "She's just saying that we're all happy to see you're okay. What you did was incredible"
"It was stupid!" Zooey was still raging. "I can't believe it! You do a lot of crazy things but this takes the cake!"
"You're amazing," Luca was next to Zooey, "I wouldn't have had the courage to go into the house."
"I didn't either," Alexandra coughed, "I don't know, no one else was going to go in and try to save the boy. I'm...I'm not sure why I did. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I made you all worry."
She could feel tears forming in her eyes, the stress, relief, the worry of her friends and how much danger she had put herself in washing over her all at once.
"You did it because you've a good heart," Sophia told her. "It is strong and you care about others."
"Because you're an idiot!" Zooey sneered, turning her back and stomping off back to the inn.
Luca scooted over next to Sophia. "She was pacing around out here screaming at people to try to put the fire out. It took four village men to hold her back to stop her from going in after you."
"You," Jorge was standing over her now, "you have saved Geir and helped this village even though you are a stranger here."
Alexandra was helped to her feet by Sophia and Luca, strength slowly returning to her legs.
"I didn't do anything that anyone else wouldn't do."
"But you did. We are in your debt, you have saved a soul in this village."
"He was tied up," she blurted out, "someone did this on purpose."
"Oh my," Sophia's hand went to her mouth in shock.
Jorge's eyes flashed with anger but he quickly regained his composure.
"I am sure it was the envoys from House Cornelius trying to teach us a lesson for refusing to pay their new taxes. I fear what they will do when they return later to extort further payments. But we are a united village, they have tried to harm us and thanks to you we have emerged unharmed. I said I fear for what they will do when they return, but I retract that: I fear for them. I fear for them because of what we will do if they come back to enforce their illegal taxes after what they've done here tonight."
Olgaa, holding Geir's hand, had now come over as well. "You saved my son."
"He's brave," Alexandra smiled at Geir, "he didn't give up."
"You risked your life to save him even though you are unknown to us. You are not kin or a member of this village, but you saved him. There is nothing I can do to repay you. Nothing I have or could do is worth the gift you have given me, the life of my only son."
"You don't have to repay me or anything," Alexandra tried to tell her, a little embarrassed at the attention, "I'm just glad he's okay."
"I can't believe someone like you exists," Olgaa was in tears, "no one would do that and not expect to be re-paid. No one has that big a heart in this day and age."
"Alexandra does," Sophia interjected firmly, her arm around Alexandra's shoulders.
"She does indeed!" Jorge laughed. "You are family here now."
"You are family, an angel," Olgaa affirmed, "you gave my son back to me."
"Thank you," Alexandra did not know what else to say.
She had not done what she did for praise or adulation, she had just done it. She saw someone in need and helped, there was not much more thought to it than that.
Or was there?
She was not sure. Was she punishing herself for all the trouble she had caused her friends by putting herself purposely in harm's way?
No, she wanted to help, she was sure she just wanted to help. The fire had consumed the entire house now and was just a bright conflagration now, the structure disappearing into the light. It cracked and sent sparks high up into the air, a huge bonfire in middle of the village.
"We'll just have to let it burn out," Jorge looked at the fire, "I have to admit that seeing you come out through the fire was like watching a phoenix of some kind."
"If you don't mind," Alexandra's voice was scratchy, "I think I'd just like to get back to bed."
"Of course," he chuckled, "good night and thank you."
As Alexandra slowly walked away from the fire, followed by Sophia and Luca, the villagers whispered as she passed by.
Who was this girl?
She was brave, she was crazy, she was a hero here.
She looked familiar.
Her ears were still ringing from the fire, she did not hear them whispering as she weaved her way back out of the crowd and headed wearily to the inn. The villagers stayed where they were, watching her all the way until she disappeared through the door of the establishment. The excitement mostly over for the night, most of the villagers went back to bed, some staying to make sure the fire did not spread by chance anywhere else.
Zooey was already asleep in bed, or at least she was pretending to be when the others finally got to the room. Alexandra walked to her bed and just let herself fall on it. She did not even bother taking her shoes off or cleaning her hair, she just went right to sleep, her body taxed to exhaustion.
Sophia knelt over and undid each of Alexandra's singed shoes and set them aside next to the bed. Luca helped her and they pulled her legs onto the bed and covered her with a blanket. Alexandra slept soundly through the rest of the night and did not awake again until noon the following morning.
Fire. Burning. She was on fire.
No. She was okay, she was in her room.
Alexandra started and almost fell out of bed. She blinked twice and yawned loudly. It had just been a bad dream, she was safe.
Still tired, Alexandra lay in bed for a few moments, letting herself wake up further and orient herself. She was in bed in their room at the inn. The others were apparently up and about as evidenced by the three other empty beds in the room. The window was open and letting in the sun and fresh air and a lot of noise actually. It sounded very busy outside, strange for a small village like that. Of course, the last time Alexandra had heard activity from that window it led to her running headlong into a burning house, but this sound was different, it was not chaotic.
Mustering her strength and yawning once more for good measure, she slung her legs over the bed and walked over to the window. There was indeed a great many people in the street, a lot of new people. For a moment she was afraid, had soldiers come for them? Had soldiers come to take over the village?
No, there was no fighting, there were no soldiers or an abundance of weaponry she could see. At the far end of the village road she could see carriages of some kind, but they were a type of carriage she had never seen before. Each was long, at least ten feet, and five feet across with rounded ends. Mostly constructed with wood, they also had metal side plating and metallic roofs. There was no place for horses to be attached that she could see either, but each did have a large steam-stack jutting out of the back. There were also numerous metal protrusions that were folded up along the bottom length of each carriage but Alexandra could not make out what those were exactly. A lot of boxes and livestock were being moved through the street, trade-goods as far as she could tell.
Deciding she needed a better and look and also needed to find her friends, Alexandra put her shoes back on and headed out.
Downstairs, the pub was filled with villagers and newcomers alike. All seemed to be having a grand time, drinking and swapping stories. Trade deals were also happening in the pub over drinks as well.
"Must me a merchant caravan." Alexandra reasoned.
She had heard stories of merchant caravans while looking for work in the Market District. These caravans were the trade lifeblood in the great countryside of Prydain. They would travel between Avindr and the other large cities, bringing supplies and other goods between them, stopping off at many smaller towns and villages on the way as well. They were basically a moving Market District, just smaller. These caravans were how many of the towns and villages in the far-flung reaches of Prydain got supplies and news from the rest of the country. These moving markets were also quite large, sometimes over a hundred people in a single caravan!
The door to the pub was propped open with a bucket and Alexandra stepped out into the hustle and bustle of the crowd in the street.
For a moment she could almost imagine she was back in Avindr, standing the flowing crowd of people in the street. She made her way through the sea of villagers and merchants, dodging out of the way of handcarts being pushed by laborers from the caravan full of foodstuffs and other curiosities. The entire village was out and about, seeing the newcomers, buying and selling goods of all sorts.
The seasonal stop of the caravan at this village was probably one of the biggest days of the year for the people who lived here, a chance to get new and exotic goods and a chance to sell what they had made and produced. It was also a great way to meet new people and get new news and stories. Of course, that may be a problem for the group of four newcomers if these merchants brought stories of a group of young fugitives that supposedly murdered several Watchers.
"Alexandra! Over here!" Luca was waiving at her from a nearby street-side stall that had been set up by a merchant from the caravan.
"What's up here?" she weaved over to the side of the road where her friends her.
"Food." Zooey's answer was short.
"Pies and spiced meats," Luca's eyes were watering just looking at the selection, if such a thing was even possible.
"Made from recipes from all over Prydain," Sophia explained, "they gather the recipes from every town, city, and village the caravan stops at."
Alexandra took in an intoxicating whiff from the cart.
"Hmm. Smells good."
"Brought the money?" Zooey did not look at her.
Apparently she was still carrying her bad mood from the night before.
"Of course," Alexandra handed the money pouch to Sophia, "get whatever, this all smells delicious."
"It is, I can assure you!" the merchant held his arms out wide. "I'm quite proud of my recipe collection: meals from the country over, from all the thousands of places we've stopped."
"I'll be honest with you," Alexandra could not believe there were many towns out there, "we've been traveling for awhile and really haven't come across too many towns or villages."
"Well you wouldn't on this highway," explained the merchant, "the west highway which runs from the capitol all the way almost to the Rotsen Mountains is probably the least densely populated route in Prydain. The central or eastern highways wide through many towns and villages, especially in central Prydain or the south east."
"Ah," Alexandra mulled that over, "Miss Florence sent us on a way where we would not come across many others then."
"Are you kids enjoying the shopping?" it was Jorge's voice behind them.
"Good morning," nodded Alexandra, "it certainly seems like a different village with the caravan here."
"It's the busiest day of the entire season for us. We sell livestock and the food we've grown, as well as the items we've made. From furniture to blankets to trinkets, this is the big day for us. We also buy most of what we'll need for the coming season. It's fortunate you arrived when we did, the caravan won't be back this way until the end of the next harvest."
"Is the fire okay?" Luca was remembering the events of the night before.
"It burned itself out, no one else was hurt. Again," he looked at Alexandra, "we cannot thank you enough for what you did."
"Stupid," muttered Zooey.
"It's okay," she did not want any more praise or attention, "how is Geir doing?"
"He's fine," Jorge paused but then started laughing, "his mother won't let him out of her sight, he probably is more annoyed at that than being in the burning house."
"What happened to the people who did this horrible thing?" Sophia hoped they were long gone.
"Gone probably," Jorge reported that no one had seen them since the day before, "did their deed and moved on to cause trouble for others most likely. The caravan brings more than trade here, it also brings news."
Alexandra tensed, had they been found out?
"It sounds like things are getting bad all over," Jorge did not notice Alexandra's nervousness, "a lot of other villages and towns have already been forced to pay new ridiculous taxes to House Cornelius. It's a travesty, completely undermines the entire system by which the Landskyp has successfully governed for centuries. They say it's to build up Prydain, load of hogwash if you ask me. City folk just having their way."
"Can you ask for help for the next National Patrol?" Sophia inquired, "surely they come this way as well."
Jorge shook his head, "they do ride through pretty regularly, but it sounds as if most of those now are made up of Cornelius' soldiers. I can't believe the Landskyp has given so much power to one House. Backwards nobles, they have no idea what it's like to be a commoner these days. Things were different when Archdeacon was around."
"Why were they so good?" Luca had heard many stories of the magnanimous and wise House Archdeacon.
"They were very powerful, but they were not greedy and they actually cared for the people of the country. They had a lot of control over Prydain, more so than even Cornelius does now, but they did not exercise it, they let people be and it worked. But then they had to go and get themselves killed by land pirates. A tragedy, for everyone in this land."
"Nobles," Zooey scoffed, "all of 'em are rotten."
She took a bite from a piece of bread she had just bought and walked off into the crowd.
"Is your friend okay?" Jorge sensed something was wrong.
"She's mad at me," Alexandra sighed, "I think she's mad I didn't ask her for help last night. I don't know, I'm sure we'll work it out, she just needs time. We've been friends for a long time and that won't change anytime soon."
"Well," Jorge did his best to change the subject, "if your friends could spare you for a moment, I'd like you to come with me and meet the leader of the caravan."
"What?" Alexandra was puzzled, she could not imagine why this man would want to meet her.
"When you came here you said you and your friends were traveling to Alloa. That trip will take you I don't even know how long on foot, probably until halfway through the next season. The caravan is heading straight for Alloa as soon as they're done here and I spoke with the leader, he said he may be willing to let you and your friends travel with them."
"It is much appreciated," Alexandra felt overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness, "I cannot thank you enough."
"No, it is the opposite," he assured her, "this is just a small way I can thank you for what you have done for this village. The head of the caravan wants to meet you though before he makes a decision though, he is responsible for the entire caravan, the animals, supplies, and people."
"Go on," Sophia nodded, "we'll be fine here. Luca and I will look for food for whatever travels come next."
"You could both stay here..." Alexandra tried.
"No chance," Luca disagreed instantly, "all three of us are coming with you all the way. Now hurry, not walking to the Mountains sounds good to me."
"Okay okay, I'll catch up with you guys."
Alexandra followed Jorge, leaving Sophia and Luca happily sampling food at the stall. Many other temporary stalls had been set up all throughout the village where the residents were buying and selling. It was impractical for the townsfolk to move their goods to a large market in a city, none were close enough, so the market would come to them.
Winding through the village, Jorge led Alexandra to the town square where the head of the caravan was holding court, overseeing the deals the caravan was making and making sure they themselves were sufficiently re-supplied. He was a tall man, wide shoulders, and a full black beard. They waited for him to finish speaking with another worker from the caravan before he turned his attention to them.
"Jorge," the man's voice was deep, you could hear the gravel of time and experience in it, "you were right, the sheep are very plump this year, you've outdone yourself. We'll buy up all of them."
"Andry," Jorge presented Alexandra, "this is the young hero I spoke of."
Alexandra did not like the title, she just wanted to be normal, to not stand out as much as possible.
"I see," Andry scratched his chin as he looked her over, "from the stories we hear around Gylesmoore it would have you as a brave and crazy angel who's invincible."
She blushed a little, realizing that she had probably been the only topic of conversation for the entire village since the night before.
She tried to think of something to say to deflect the attention, "ah, that's probably a bit of an exaggeration."
"I also hear you are wanting to get to Alloa and have been walking there for quite some time?"
She decided on the partial truth and a little lie. "Yes, my friends and I are visiting a cousin of mine who lives there. We were invited to season there, for a change of scenery and all but I didn't realize it was so far."
"The north end of Prydain," Andry slapped his knee, "it's far away from everywhere."
"We have realized that," Alexandra concurred, but her face became very somber, "but sir, I must share with you a fact we have kept secret. We are Oonskat from the slums of Avindr. I realize that perhaps you would not wish us to travel with you because of it."
Best to get that out in the open at least, the prejudice of caste was more prevalent in the larger centers of civilization, but could run deep everywhere nonetheless.
"Doesn't matter out here," Andry told her, "that may bother some people but not myself. I judge people as I see them and how they act. I've been around this country more than a few times and seen all sorts."
"That is very kind," Alexandra acknowledged, "but more than that sir. We are wanted for stealing food to survive. We, well, we upset House Cornelius."
She knew it was a weak lie but it was all she could come up with on the spot.
Alexandra had not planned on ever telling any stranger that fact, lest they get the idea to turn them in. But, if this man was considering taking them along, he would be responsible for them and might be held accountable if they were discovered in their midst. That was an unfair burden to put on someone unknowingly and Alexandra knew it was only right to tell him despite the risk.
"House Cornelius," the name did not sit well with Andry, "there is no love between us merchants and them I assure you. They restrict trade and levy astronomical taxes. They pull their grip tighter and tighter across the nation, affecting everyone's livelihood. It seems they're in charge these days. I am a business man responsible for my goods and people, politics don't concern me, neither do the wishes of Cornelius. If we do take you with us, you and your friends will have to work. We are a large merchant caravan of over two hundred and there is much to be done on the road maintaining trade-goods and livestock."
"We'll work," she assured him, "we do not expect nor wish for charity. We are more than happy to work our way to Alloa. We..."
Andry was still sizing her up, he could not stop staring at her face, there was something about it that would not leave him. She was still speaking, explaining how her and her friends would be a good addition to the caravan but Andry was not hearing her, all his attention was focused through his eyes. It was not that she was attractive, she was, but that is not what was holding his attention. Something he had seen before, he could not put a finger on it but he knew something was different about this young girl now before him.
Suddenly his eyes got wide, but he did his best to shake the expression of. He realized why this girl's look was haunting him. His soul stirred and he almost cried. Coughing, he maintained his stoic expression, albeit barely.
"You and your friends can come," he interrupted her.
"Sir?" she was startled that he had agreed so readily, she was still making her case.
"You and your friends will be fine. We leave at the end of the day, get whatever things you are traveling with and find me at the caravan parked on the highway when we are ready to go."
"Thank you!" she could not believe it, "thank you! I'll go find my friends and share with them the good news."
She bowed her head slightly in respect and departed quickly to find the others.
"It can't be." Andry could not shake her look from his mind.
Alexandra darted through the crowd, making her way back to the stall where she had left the others. She was bursting with joy, their journey to the Mountains had been cut from several months to just several weeks! Soon they would be there and this whole crazy and dangerous journey could be over.
The end was in sight and she was excited. She hoped beyond hope that would find what she was looking for; the chase of the specter was almost done. In just several weeks she would have the answers she had wished for all her life. She would learn everything her mother Heloise had for some reason hidden from her. Alexandra did not care if it was bad and that's why she was never told, not knowing was worse.
The long hall was lit only with torches affixed in gold holders on the wall. The carpet was red, leading all the way down the room to a large seat on a raised marble platform. It was more a throne room than anything else really.
Ulfarr Cornelius entered and crossed quickly to the other end. He stood before the large throne where his father was seated.
"Father," he bowed his head, "some of our tax collectors are reporting back."
"And?" Radulfus Cornelius' voice was deep and raspy.
"Most of the villages and towns have accepted our new levies without incident, those that haven't were taught a lesson and were subdued after that. The city of Mae Anbrelin was resistant but once the National Patrols made up of our loyal men showed up and removed their Lederan . After that, they quickly came around to our way of thinking."
"What of the northern cities?"
"Our men are still traveling between them. They should have been able to get to all the scattered villages by now, they'll probably be nearing Alloa shortly."
"Lerwick," Radulfus hissed.
"Yes, unfortunate," Ulfarr was nervous when his father was angry, "it's in control of the commoners now, electing a new Lederan."
"Once the rest of the National Patrols report back to Avindr and are replaced with all our men, send several to Lerwick to restore our control there."
"It will be done," Ulfarr bowed again.
"It was her wasn't it?"
Radulfus' eyes were filled with hate.
"It sounds like it," Ulfarr knew that it would displease his powerful father, "Alexandra Benham."
"Oonskat whore!" Radulfus spit.
"Do you really think she's who the gossip says she is?"
Ulfarr had heard the whispers in the street himself.
"If she is we have a problem, one we may have created ourselves when we cowed House Benham. But," he refocused his attention on his son and heir, "it will not be a problem, will it?"
"No father!" the younger man assured him, "we will find her and those traveling with her. All the National Patrols going out now have her description and kill orders."
Radulfus sat back in his chair, pleased, if only a little.
"How soon until we have completely replaced the National Patrols?"
"The last are still coming in from the north."
"Was there any trouble passing that resolution through the Landskyp?"
A mere formality at this point, but one still needed to ensure the populace remained calm and in line.
Ulfarr tried to recall exact names, "as predicted, a great majority of the Houses readily embraced our proposals. Most because they hope to stay on our good graces. Some out of fear of what will happen if they go against our will, and well, of course then there are the Houses that dance to our strings. There were still a few vocal holdouts causing problems."
"They will be swept aside soon," Radulfus had a far-reaching plan, "once we are in place we can dissolve the Landskyp, waste of time it is. We'll allow most of the Noble Houses to remain, just to keep the commoners happy. Eventually though we can do away with them; there will only be the mighty House Cornelius and I will be king."
"You will be the mightiest ruler of the land! Surpassing even the Brand Vogel of old!" Ulfarr announced.
House Cornelius was dangerously close to holding all power in Prydain. As soon as the last of the National Patrols were made up of their men they would hold all military might in the capitol and out of it as well. They would effectively be the law across the land with no one to challenge them. Doing all this under the guise of protecting the traditions and society of Prydain, House Cornelius was positioning itself as the only ruler of the country. They still passed all their decrees through the Landskyp, which they mostly controlled, for appearances sake. But soon they would have no need for charade and could rule openly and any way they so desired.
Sophia and Luca were excited that they had passage with the merchant procession. Not only because they would not have to walk the rest of the incredible distance to Alloa, but they would be a part of one of the great trade caravans! Their life now was a completely different one from when they were still in the capitol. They had heard talk of the trade caravans when in the Market District, none of them ever imagined they would be a part of one! Even Zooey was happy, but she tried to hide it. When Alexandra finally tracked her down and told her the good news, her only audible response was "huh. That's good."
Alexandra tried to talk to her but Zooey just shrugged her off and walked away saying she would get her things. She could not figure out why Zooey staying so angry, they had been the best of friends for many years now and had gone through so much together in the slums and out. Was it only because Alexandra had acted without thinking the night before? Was it because she made her worry? Was it because she had not woken Zooey up to help her? It plagued Alexandra's heart, she did not like her friend being angry at her. If it was her fault she wanted to apologize and make it right, but she knew Zooey was a very passionate and prideful person, she would need time to deal with her anger before Alexandra could make any headway with her. At least Zooey was still traveling with them, but Alexandra knew that she was still her friend and no matter how angry she got she would not abandon her.
Deep down though, she kind of wish she would abandon her. If the others had enough of Alexandra and her personal mission they could stay somewhere safe and not have to worry about being caught or killed.
Alexandra spent the rest of the day shopping with Sophia and Luca. They all got new shoes, and an extra one for Zooey as well. They knew they would not really need food rations in their packs, they would be traveling with a mobile market and would be crew members of the caravan, but stocked up on some non-perishables just in case there was an emergency or if worse came to worse they might have to flee.
There was the chance of course that the caravan would turn them over to a National Patrol or at Alloa for the reward on their heads, but Alexandra sensed that Andry was a good man. She was not sure why she thought that, but she was confident enough that betrayal for a reward was not the reason they were being taken along.
With dusk upon them, they made their way to trade caravan as it prepared to leave. The workers and merchants were loading the last of the boxes and livestock into the myriad of carriages that made up the convoy. Zooey was already waiting for them to arrive, she had arrived early and already spoke with Andry about where they would be staying.
One of the more empty carriages near the middle of the caravan would be theirs. It had previously housed food supplies but most of those had been sold in Gylesmoore and now the carriage was mostly empty. Blankets and pillows had been placed in it for their comfort during the journey as it would be there home for the next few weeks.
They tossed their backpacks in and climbed aboard. Alexandra noticed as they got in a metal pipe with many bendable joints running along the underside of the carriage that connected to the carriages before and after it. Glancing up and down the length of the caravan she realized that the pipe connected all the carriages together. Up in the lead carriage, the one with several steam-stacks extending from the top, Andry made sure the water tanks were full, then turned the large gear in front of him which began the steam production.
In no time at all, the first of the water tanks had been heated up and steam was funneling through the pipe that connected all the carriages together. As the steam reached every carriage and filled their hidden under workings, the metal protrusions that lined the bottom of each carriage Alexandra had noticed earlier from the window at the inn began to move! They pushed out and then began extending upwards, raising the carriage off the ground.
Leaning out the window with the others, Alexandra realized what they were: metal legs! They fully extended, six legs per side of each of the carriages, and stood the carriage at least six or seven feet off the ground.
"It's a giant centipede!" she realized, looking down the length of the convoy.
It was possibly the strangest thing she had seen yet! It was amazing! Much odder than any of the machines in Avindr. Perhaps this design was best for traversing the open and unpredictable roads of the countryside.
The people of the village waved as the legs began to move and the carriages lurched forward with the first step of the metal legs. It embarrassed Alexandra, most of the villagers were calling her name and waiving at her. She waived back, a little unsure of how to respond. In front of the crowd was Olgaa and Geir. They were both waiving too, Olgaa mouthing 'thank you' as they passed. Alexandra smiled at little Geir and waived to him. He was excited that he was acknowledged and waived back with great vigor.
Gylesmoore finally passed by and now it was only the country out of the window, the village fading in the distance. It took some getting used to the movement of the carriage at first, they spent the first few hours falling over each other as the carriage walked along in procession like some kind of insect. They finally found their 'sea legs' as it were and hardly noticed the peculiar movement after awhile.
Traveling much faster now, Alloa was only a few weeks away. The end of their journey was almost palpable now, Alexandra could not wait for it to be over. When she had first set off in Avindr to ask the Watchers about her pendant, she thought getting to the Watchers would be the most difficult part, she could never have imagined all the events that had transpired since then.
Sophia pulled out some dried fruit she had obtained in town and they happily ate their first meal back on the road, on what they believed to be the last leg of their journey.