An Unlikely Friend. part 1

Chapter 13: Kiats

Iona

Gracie completes a gentle right hand turn and the canyon disintegrates. The tall peaks suddenly fall away, only to be seen in the side mirrors, and an expanse of green farmland is unleashed, sprawling in every direction. The road bobs along the large rolling hills covered in a variety of crops at different stages of growth with towns interrupting the fields every 50 kilometers or so. Several hours pass by and the rolling hills settle into a gentle slope that runs all the way to a deep blue ocean with lines of white capped waves rolling into the shore. A dense blanket of leafy trees abruptly overruns the farmland, where the afternoon sun ignites red stone buildings poking through the canopy. The city dips up and down with the cliffs and beaches of the varying coastline and only at the heart of the city do the stone buildings become the distinguishing feature.

Thea throws her hand over her mouth. “Oh wow.”

“Neat,” Iona says.

“My Kiats,” Sosimo says. “It’s hard to be gone for so long. I’ll take the long way to show you the best of it.”

Once Gracie pierces the thick layer of trees, the number of buildings and homes that were hidden from view surprises the children. The Borukins they see walking about are dressed slightly more formally than those in Jasmeer and almost all of them have long black hair and some form of ivory white tattoos. As they approach the coast, the buildings grow in size and the stone working becomes more elaborate. The stone structures soon push the trees back and the sky opens up.

“Oooo, can we swim in that?” Thea asks, pointing to a large stone fountain with water spraying from the top and to the sides.

“That’s not for swimming. It was a donation to the city of Kiats from one of the greatest stoneworkers of all times, Tysen Wintello. It’s hundreds of years old.” Sosimo points to the other side of the road where the building facades are made of intricately carved stone and red granite pillars support the roof. “If you look carefully you’ll be able to see Stone's Coliseum where the Games are held."

The buildings part at a road and a portion of Stone's Coliseum peeks through, which sits like a gargantuan stone bowl on a flat table. Enormous granite pillars, as tall as some of the surrounding buildings, support the edges of the bowl.

"Woo.  Where’d they get all that stone?" Iona asks.

"There's a lot of ground to Anterren so it’s just a matter of digging it up. The Coliseum is actually three separate stadiums that have different arrangements for the varying events. Its size is quite daunting. Now look here," he points to the other side where there is a long field of grass with individual statues about the perimeter. "That’s the Lawn of Kings and it has every king of Boruk since our emancipation from the Creators."

Sosimo turns Gracie along the cliff line that drops off to the ocean in several levels like steps made for a giant of unimaginable size. Rectangular pools of turquoise water are framed in stone and spill through falls to lower pools. Walkways and benches line the edges of the cliffs at each level and small bridges span channels of gently flowing water. Between the pools, large flat areas of stone are filled with Borukins in lines following the motions of a master. Monuments and museums meld perfectly with the landscape as countless Borukins stroll the paths between.

"Can we swim in those?" Thea asks.

"Only in the lower area by the ocean are people allowed to swim."

"Aw that totally stinks. Those look fun."

After driving along the coast for a few minutes Sosimo turns Gracie away and weaves through the streets before finally parking down an alley.