(1)
Roran and Zan trekked along the stone pathway until they reached a tunnel. Guards stood on either side along with an officer wearing several badges and pins.
"Fancy seeing you here!" said Zan, grinning from ear to ear. "Just the two of us."
Zan pulled a pair of letters out of his backpack and handed them over to the officer. While the officer read through the visas, one of the guards nodded to Zan.
"Hey kiddo, how's the old man?"
"Hey Ozlan, Pa is still limping around. How're the kids?"
"Good, good. Leonardo just turned four, already talking up a storm. I'll bring him down in the summer for the festival."
Zan and the guard continued making small talk until the officer interrupted them. "Zan, you're fine, I just need to ask your friend a few questions."
"Okay."
"That means you should go ahead, boy."
"Oh, okay. I'll see you in a little bit, Roran." Zan waved and headed into the tunnel, leaving Roran with the officer and the two guards. Roran kept a smile on his face but let his hand wander near his sword.
"Can you confirm your name?" asked the officer.
"Roran Aurandale."
"Profession?"
"Mercenary in the employ of a Talyrian priestess."
"Last time I checked, neither Zan nor his father were a priestess. How did you end up with them? Be honest now if you don't want to get in trouble."
Roran rested his hand on the pommel of his sword, trying to look relaxed. He was still tense from the recent fight. He didn't want to kill any more people today but he would do what needed to be done to move forward. His friends were waiting for him.
"I got separated from my comrades and fell into the ravine. Zan and Vin saved me. As a favor, I'm protecting Zan while he makes his delivery."
"And where did you learn your craft?"
"From my father. He was a mercenary before I was born. Showed me how to look after myself when my mother died."
"I see, well everything looks in order. You're clear to continue on, just try not to kill anyone."
"I don't intend to," said Roran. "I've killed enough people for one day."
The guards laughed and the officer rolled his eyes. Their laughter died off when Roran didn't join them in the joke.
Clearing his throat, the officer asked, "What do you mean?"
"There are thieves on the road, you may want to increase your presence between here and the stairs."
With that, Roran moved past the guards. When nobody called out for him to stop, he increased his pace and hurried onward.
The tunnel was well lit with torches and the occasional lantern lit by fairy rock. Zan was waiting a little ways further in.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
Roran nodded. "They just want to know a little more about me. How deep does this tunnel go?"
"It goes pretty far into the mountain but don't worry, it's warm and there isn't any snow in here. We'll be at the elevators in no time!"
The tunnel itself was large, with plenty of space to walk and stretch out. Similar to the mines, there was a set of tracks running through the tunnel. As they moved deeper into the mountain, they came upon a line of large carts sitting on the rails. Each cart was full of precious ores and metals. Most of the materials had been processed down in the Crags but there were a few carts with raw gemstones in them. Zan led Roran past the line of the carts, cutting straight to the front of the line.
They found another pair of guards standing with an officer. These ones were sitting around a table drinking coffee.
"Morning!" Zan called.
"Morning Zan," one of the guards called back. "How's your Pa?"
"He's still limping around. When is the next elevator due?"
"Soon. They're hauling up foodstuffs now so there should be room for you and your friend."
Zan continued making small talk while Roran examined the end of the tunnel. There were three massive doors set into the wall. Each door had large chains attached to a pulley system that connected to a set of cranks and gears near the guards. Each door was also equipped with a bell.
As Roran was inspecting one of the doors, the bell began to ring, its soft chimes filling the tunnel.
"There's the elevator now," said one of the guards. "Let me signal them real quick." He climbed out of his chair and reached over to pull on a long rope. The rope disappeared into the door and Roran could hear a gentle chiming on the other side of the door. "Okay, we just let them settle and then we'll get you two loaded."
The group settled into silence, listening to gentle grinding sounds coming from beyond the door. Zan bobbed back and forth with a happy grin on his face, while the guards twiddled their thumbs, waiting for something to happen. When the bell on the door sounded again, two of them moved into action, grabbing a large crank handle and beginning to turn it.
Slowly, one of the doors started sliding open. To Roran's surprise, it didn't open outward or inward, but the doors parted down the middle with both halves disappearing into the mountain itself. Beyond the door was a platform surrounded by circular walls. The platform held a couple more guards and several wagons full of foodstuffs.
"You two are good to get on," said the guard. "Be good and tell your father I said hello the next time I see him."
"Thanks Morel."
Zan happily moved through the door and onto the platform where one of the new guards nodded at him. Moving slowly, Roran followed after him. He looked around the platform, wondering where to go next. Behind him, the doors started sliding shut. With a jerk, the platform shifted underneath them and they started rising upwards.
The motion threw Roran off-balance and he grabbed a cart to steady himself.
"First time?" asked one of the new guards.
"Yeah, it's his first time. He's never even seen the elevators before!"
Roran looked around. He didn't see any evidence of movement except through two portholes on either side of the chamber. Through the portholes he could only see what looked like another stone wall slowly sliding downwards.
"We're inside a shaft," said the guard. "Once we're up in the Spires you'll get a chance to see the outside but for now we're stuck with looking at the walls."
"Oh...How far does the elevator go up?"
"All the way to the top."
Roran paused, trying to think of how far up that might be.
"Are the Crags the bottom?"
The guard laughed. "Nope, this elevator goes all the way down to the valley floor, makes it easier for us to get food and stuff up to the elites in the Rim."
Frowning, Roran said, "That must be over a mile in height alone."
"It's almost four times that," said the guard. "You're standing inside the cornerstone of Uhlaran technology. These elevators can get several months of supplies from the valley floor to the Upper Rim in a single day." He winked at Roran. "That's why we're the strongest country in the world."
(2)
The elevator crawled steadily upward. Zan made small talk with the guards while Roran watched the tunnel wall slip by. He wished he could stick his head out the porthole and look down to see just how deep the tunnel was, and to look up and see how much farther they had to go.
After a short eternity, there came a loud clang from above and one of the guards reached over to pull on a rope. A bell started ringing outside of the elevator. The jingle of another bell further off answered and the elevator began to slow its ascent.
"Are we stopping at the Spires?" asked Zan.
"Looks like it. Remember, you have to stay on the elevator."
"Yes sir!"
As the elevator crawled to a stop, the doors began sliding open. Roran gasped as the cold wind rushed in and the sunlight hit them. This time the door opened directly to the outside. The sky overhead was bright blue with lazy clouds rolling along.
Squinting, Roran saw that outside the elevator was a wide open platform. It looked as though the mountain around the elevator shaft had been carved away, clearing space for people to move and work. Beyond the platform were massive spires of rock, jutting up towards the sky like talons. Bridges and walkways spanned between them, made from the same dark stone as the mountains themselves.
"Isn't it cool?" asked Zan.
Roran nodded. "Yeah." The spires towered high above them. Even these jagged talons must have been taller than Mount Vassilis, their tips capped with ice and snow. Before Roran could think better of it, he asked, "Does anything green grow up here?"
One of the guards laughed. "Of course not, growing crops is for the valley dwellers. Nothing grows up here but hardy plants and hardier men. This is a place of steel and sturdiness."
"There are some berry bushes that have green leaves," said Zan.
"I wouldn't call those plants, not really. Besides, the leaves are so thorny they'll tear your skin right off."
"Yeah, but they are green."
Roran stood off to the side with Zan while some of the carts were wheeled off, replaced by a handful of soldiers. Though they wore full armor and carried weapons, their helms were off and they were chatting and laughing. Once the soldiers were securely inside the elevator, the doors slid shut and the elevator began climbing once more.
Outside the porthole, there was a view of the Spires and the sky beyond. Roran stared out the makeshift window until the outside was once more obscured by a stone wall, the elevator having climbed back into an interior tunnel.
"Never been on the elevator before?" asked one of the new soldiers.
Roran shook his head.
"You new around here?"
"Just passing through," said Roran.
"What kind of answer is that? How do you just pass through the Upper Rim?"
One of the guards called out to the soldier. "Leave him be, he's with Zan here. They've got perfectly good visas for the Rim."
"I was just asking some questions. Besides, he's got a sword, I'm sure he can handle himself. So what are you, a merchant, a traveler, some kind of wandering swordsman?"
"I'm a mercenary. I'm keeping an eye on Zan as a favor to his father."
"A mercenary huh, you must have seen all sorts of stuff. Been any place exciting?"
Roran shrugged. "I spent most of my time with a priestess, I'll be going back to her employ once Zan is squared away." He went back to staring through the porthole, hoping the soldier would disengage.
"You ever been to the Tyrant Mountains?"
Roran frowned. "Where?"
"You know, the Devil's Horns, the Hell Peaks. The little bit of terror across the continent."
"You mean King's City?"
"There's only one true king, but yeah, I suppose they call it that too."
Slowly, Roran nodded, unsure of where the conversation was going. "I passed through there once. It's where I met the priestess."
"A place like that needs some pious folks. What sort of religion was she peddling? Witchcraft and sorcery, or is she one of those holier-than-thou masochistic types?"
"She's a Talyrian Priestess. I don't know the details of her religion, but she practices her art with death by her side." It was a stretch, but the statement was technically true.
"She knows the Fel Miner?" asked Zan, his eyes wide.
Out of habit, Roran glanced around looking for Sarah. She was still absent. Turning back to Zan, he said, "Something like that."
"You sure are interesting. Hey, while you were in the Tyrant Mountains, did you see any of their Demons?"
Roran resisted the urge to pull his sleeves down. The only etching visible on him was behind his ear and that was partially covered by his hair.
"Maybe," he said, "though they didn't look like Demons to me, just people."
The soldier looked back to his companions. "That's what I keep telling people. All the fresh soldiers around here are scared shitless of the Tyrant's Demons but they're just people. We're the ones with Warrior Crests, we can't lose. With how big our army is getting, we'll walk all over them."
"Do you need more people?" asked Zan, a little too eager. "I'm ready to sign up if you need more people."
The soldier laughed and the guard rolled his eyes.
"We do need more men, but you're not a man. Come back when you're taller than my mother's dog."
"I'm strong! I've got Miner's Manacles, been using them for years. I can fight!"
"Calm down pipsqueak. Maybe ask again when you hit puberty."
"Why does the army need so many people?" asked Roran.
"That's what armies do, they grow. I guess the advance scouts ran into a little trouble so they want a proper army backing them up."
"How many scouts did they send?" asked Roran.
"Just a handful."
Roran thought of the thousands of Uhlaran soldiers that had died to King Vassilis. Given their numbers and how well armed they were, they must have comprised the bulk of the army. Roran held back a shudder.
"Why are you so curious?" asked the soldier. "Want to join the army?"
Roran shook his head.
"Good, we only take born and bred Uhlarans. We don't give Warrior Crests out to mercs that sell their loyalty."
Roran shrugged.
"Say, would you fight for the Tyrants if they paid you?"
"I'd fight in the arena, but I'd never fight in their army. They killed my people and took my home from me."
"Oh, even if they paid you your weight in gold?"
Roran shook his head. "I'd rather see them all burn." Zan caught Roran's eye, a worried look on his face. Roran realized he was clenching his fists. Taking a breath, Roran forced himself to relax. "It's a cruel world they've created."
(3)
After another short eternity, there came another clang and the elevator began slowing again. There was no exchange of bells this time.
"Here we are," said the guard. "Welcome to the Upper Rim."
The doors slid open to reveal a busy warehouse. People rushed about, pushing carts on rails and carrying sacks full of foodstuffs. Officers and attendants milled about with clipboards and large notepads, inspecting various goods and accounting for everything coming and going.
"See you around merc," said the soldier before he departed.
"You look after yourself, Zan," said the guard.
"I've got Roran to look after me. We'll see you in a week or so!"
With that, Zan left the elevator. Roran followed after him, his eyes darting around the warehouse, trying to absorb every detail.
It was bigger than any warehouse he'd seen in Millgrove or even King's City. Lights decorated the walls and hung from the ceiling, the hue indicating that every light source was fairy rock. A large group of soldiers was gathering near the entrance.
"What's up with the soldiers?" asked Roran.
"It's probably time for one of their ceremonies. They hold celebrations for all sorts of things every few months or so."
"And they need extra soldiers for that?"
Zan shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not a soldier yet."
"Right."
Zan led them past the officers and attendants and soldiers, all the way to the front of the warehouse where two large doors waited for them. There was a pair of guards and an officer sitting at a desk. Zan stopped in front of him and handed over their visas.
"Two visiting from the Crags," he said.
The old officer slid on his glasses and read through the visas. "Jewelry and rough gems is it?"
"Yes sir," said Zan. "Best the Crags have to offer."
"If you say so. You look familiar but I don't recognize your friend. You're a shade darker than most Uhlarans."
Roran wasn't sure how to take that.
"This is Roran, he's a mercenary. My Pa asked him to keep an eye on me during the trip."
"I see, are things getting that bad in the Crags?"
Zan shrugged. "I don't know. There are good things and bad things. They come and go."
"That's wisdom beyond your years child. Roran is it? Tell me, how did you end up in Uhlara?"
"Traveling with a priestess. I had to stay behind while they went ahead, I'm supposed to meet her and my friends at the library."
"Do these friends have a name?"
Roran hesitated. When the officer peered at him over his glasses, Roran hurried to say, "The priestess is called Karyn. She's a Talyrian Priestess, it's a rare thing these days. The others are Nul and Kell."
The officer's pen scrabbled along his ledger. "Nul and Kell, are those nicknames?"
"Kell is short for Kellsinora. I don't know about Nul."
The officer's pen stopped. "Kellsinora...that's an Uhlaran name. Does she have family here?"
Roran shrugged. "I wouldn't know, she doesn't talk about her family."
Tapping his pen to his chin, the officer muttered, "Kellsinora...Kellsinora...That name sounds familiar. Oh well, it doesn't matter. Your visas are in order. Zan, you behave, otherwise we'll arrest you and toss your friend back down into the Crags."
"Yes sir!"
Zan collected their visas from the officer and pulled Roran out of the warehouse. Outside was still bright and sunny, but the air was even colder than before. Snow and ice blanketed the ground. A long, winding road stretched away from the warehouse to a city a little ways further up the mountain.
"Welcome to the Upper Rim!"
Roran stared up at the city. It appeared both large and small at the same time, the angles and distance playing tricks on his eyes.
"Why do they call it that?"
"Because the city circles that peak in the center. The peak is where the King lives and holds court. We're not allowed in there because we aren't special, but it's cool getting to see it."
Zan headed up the pathway, rushing past the laborers and soldiers slowly making their way up the hill. Smiling to himself, Roran followed after the boy. As he walked, he thought back to what the officer had said. Were Sarah here, he would have asked her about it. Out of habit, he glanced around, looking for her. Nothing.
Roran followed Zan all the way into the city. Houses and stores began cropping up on either side of the road. The buildings were built from brick and covered in metal shingles. Pipes ran from building to building and each structure was covered in vents and chimneys giving off steam.
"The whole place is heated by hot springs. They run water through the buildings to keep everything warm, then pump it back into the mountain so it heats back up again. It's way nicer than what we have in the Crags, but it also gets colder up here so they need it."
Away from the city center were large houses and manors surrounded by massive yards and cordoned off by stone walls and fences.
"Who lives out there?"
"The important people. They're the ones that own land and run businesses and work for the king. Most of the factories in the Crags and the Spires are owned and managed by the people here. They're the ones that buy the stuff Pa makes."
The city grew thick around them. The streets were devoid of snow and Roran could feel heat coming up through his boots. The bitter winds ceased as they walked between the tightly packed buildings and the cold abated, the city creating its own little microclimate of humid heat. Keeping his eyes on the alleys and the street corners, Roran followed Zan down a sidestreet and through a maze of alleyways.
He stopped at an unmarked, nondescript door, knocking twice, then knocking again once. There was a knock from the other side of the door.
"Hey Astori, it's me."
The door opened and a man with a ratty tophat opened the door. He peered down at Zan. Zan grinned up at him. The man stepped back and motioned for them to enter.
Behind the door was a cramped room with a single work bench covered in magnifying glasses, vices, and a variety of grinding implements.
"You're early," said the man.
"No we're not. This is Roran by the way. He's my bodyguard. Roran, this is Astori, he sells Pa's jewelry and helps us sell the gemstones."
Astoria eyed Roran. He was a man of contradictions. His clothes looked like they had once been expensive but were now ratty. He wore heeled boots but appeared short. He had large eyes that were constantly squinting. Roran decided not to say anything, he just nodded. Astori returned the gesture and went back to Zan.
"Did you bring samples?"
"Oh yeah, Pa gave me lots this time." Zan dropped his bag and fished out a copper necklace and a raw ruby.
Astori grabbed the ruby, ignoring the necklace altogether. He put it under a magnifying glass and stared at it long and hard. Roran and Zan waited in silence until Roran felt awkward and Zan started bouncing around in place.
"Well?" asked Zan.
"I need more time. Go away."
"Go where?" asked Roran.
Astori jumped, as if startled by Roran's voice. He peered at Roran, a shade paler than before, almost as if he'd forgotten Roran was there at all. "Go to the Wandering Bird, you two have reservations. I'll send for you when I'm ready."
"Thanks Astori!" Zan turned on his heel and walked back out into the alleyway. "Come on Roran."
Following Zan outside, and back on to a main road, Roran breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is he always like that?" asked Roran.
"No, he normally makes me wait longer. Let's go settle in, it usually takes a couple days for him to pay out. Don't worry, the lodging is paid for. Now we can explore the city and talk to people and hide from the shadows. It's like an adventure."
"Shadows?"
"People that want to murder and rob us! They haven't got me yet."
"Right. Zan, how many people try to rob you on a regular basis?"
Zan shrugged. "Dunno, can't count that high. Come on, let's go get some food!"