Theurgy: The Journey's Dawn (Book One)

Chapter 5 Silondras

The central road that controlled the direction of the city finally ended at a moat that ran like a river around the entirety of a fortress-like construct on a grand scale. A brick-laden bridge flanked by two rows of waiting guards, shields locked into position and staring in the distance, like watching a distant battle and waiting to join in the tumult. As they passed, they gave no notice to them. They couldn't even see a shred of detail from their faces as they were guarded by wide brim helmets. The only thing that told Lyse they were even human was the slight shifts in motion when they breathed. They were not dressed like knights, whose attire included colors of iron and yellow-gold linen. Instead, they were dressed in blacked, studded leather and metal armor plates with larte pauldrons. Their rectangular, slightly curved shields that they held with one hand before them were also decorated in this manner. The face mask of the helmet was that of a lion, roaring in outrage. They stood like death itself, and it made Lyse uneasy. A cluster of them stood at the gates, holding spears and looking down the bridge through them. Makyra did not stop for them, and they did nothing to stop her as she entered through the first gate of the fortress. A cobblestone courtyard lay beyond them, a few knights walking around and talking, and a few women in fine dresses sat on the stone benches while a bard sang for them. A few carts and carriages were dotted around, but they paid no mind to these. Instead, they approached the grand doors of their destination.

"I-I can't believe it," Edlund was speechless till now, as was Lyse. But as they dismounted their horses, handing their leashes to some guards promising to take care of them, their hearts seized from the excitement.

"Take breath, boys," Makyra warned them as she approached the large set of wooden doors that would lead to the main structure. "This is where things will get interesting."

"Have you been here before?" Lyse asked, following her up the set of stairs. She nodded in response but said nothing of the topic and left it in the air. She opened the door, which led into the barbican, the first layer of defense for this small town within the fortress. The twin towers, peeling into the sky, also had mounted ballista aimed at the courtyard. The gatehouse leads them deeper and deeper through rounded pathways, in and through more gates and men. Lyse and Edlund saw more soldiers, younger-looking ones that arrayed themselves in neat rows and marched with swords too long and shield too wide for their frames. All noble children, Lyse guessed as he walked past them. Their instructors were lecturing them on proper marching formations, and it brought Lyse back to his own training out in the hills, running alongside dozens of other squires in tight formations. These, of course, turned into full races at times as Edlund tried to compete with Lyse, and Gabbes would strictly punish them both with a nice list of chores and maintenance around the training grounds.

The last chamber they entered was not the throne room, which Lyse expected to find the king, but in one of the northern towers, the shortest of them all and the stockiest of builds. Once they entered, they closed the door, and it was then as if he had stepped into another world. The beautiful and bustling city was replaced with a quiet, sour smell. Lyse felt that few actually entered this place, even if it was unguarded and unsupervised. Makyra led them inside, down a hall flanked by rows of candles that lit the interior. It was deathly quiet, and for a moment, Lyse felt like he was back in the Forest of Silence.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"The king, right now, is in a meeting with some of his advisors," he told him. "It's always around this time of day. It should be over soon."

"So I get the impression you've spent a great deal of time around here then?" Edlund asked her.

"Not long," she replied. "When I was younger . . . my father was a diplomat, so I traveled with him to Silondras, and oftentimes he was granted audiences by the kings."