Beyond the final crest of the final mountain, in the far distance, only barely visible, hidden behind a sheet of clouds, was Sky City. Ben starred in complete awe, finally able to realize a lifelong dream of his, while Fred and Wade looked in their own simple amazement. They knew it would be magical, but neither thought it would be so magnificent, so big, or so far up. You could climb halfway up a mountain and still not be level to it. They wondered what could cause such a thing, what kept the city afloat, but knew the answer was unanswerable itself. It was an ancient magic that simply existed in their time.
Along with awe, there was a shudder of relief that ran through them at the sight of the city. The journey to this moment had been long and hard. All three had wondered at one point or another along the way whether it would even be worth it–that Sky City had been exaggerated.
But it hadn't.
"Woah..." they murmured in unison.
Tilda, who'd seen it before many times, smirked at the amazement they had in their eyes, and she even had some of her own regardless. It was certainly not something one could grow used to, no matter how many times you saw it.
In the expanse of flat land underneath the city, a town could be seen below. Confused, Wade pulled his map out.
"There isn't supposed to be a town under the city," he commented. "Especially not one that size."
Although hard to tell at a distance, it appeared the town was quite large, larger than Ariel even. The buildings, unlike the nice, gold road, were quite flimsy, frail, and temporary looking.
"That is Sky City," Tilda said, pointing at the town on the ground. "At least what's left of it. When the city fell, everyone fled to different parts of the kingdom you see—even the king and queen—but some stayed. They just couldn't leave their home I suppose. They made up those temporary shacks you see there, expecting their powers to come back one day soon. Been waiting ever since."
With a sudden jolt, the carriage came to an abrupt stop as Tilda pulled hard on the reins. Ben barely managed to stop from flying off into the horses' rear with the sudden motion, by gripping tightly the wooden railing in front of him. The sound of Wade and Fred crashing into each other could be heard clearly in the back.
"What is it?" Ben asked Tilda.
"This is my stop."
"You're not taking us the rest of the way?" Fred asked as she struggled to stand.
Her face, as she did, appeared green with nausea. Though, it was not nearly as ill-looking as Wade's, who appeared on the verge of being sick.
"No..." Tilda replied, a nervous quiver in her voice. "I do wish you the best though. I truly do."
"We understand," Ben said politely. "You get back to your kids and let us handle this. We can't begin to express how much we appreciate it."
"For you... anytime."
A little shakily, Ben hopped off his seat on the carriage. After riding for so long, the solid road at his feet felt like it was vibrating, and his legs moaned with discomfort. The thought of flying and removing this stress of gravity seemed lovely, but Ben waited to do it another time.
Fred lowered herself from the back of the carriage, and despite her skills with balance from being a warrior, managed only barely to land without falling. She reached up to take Wade's hand and helped him down as well.
"Oh god..." Wade muttered, holding his stomach once Fred had lifted him off. "I don't feel so good."
"It's just like being seasick," Fred said. "You don't get sick then, do you? That'd be kind of ironic."
"Ha, ha," Wade replied sarcastically. "No, I don't get seasick. But the sea is gentle; it lulls you. It doesn't jerk up from left to down to right to–"
Raising his hand quickly, as though asking for silence, Wade took off, running to a set of snow-covered bushes by the road to be sick. Fred held her own stomach as well, feeling like she might too if she was not careful. Taking a few steps towards the front of the carriage, where Ben was talking to the seated woman, she began to feel a little better with solid ground meeting every step.
"The boy couldn't take my driving, could he?" Tilda smirked down at Fred as she stood at Ben's side.
They can hear Wade yelling from the bushes in response.
"I'm fine!"
"It's those Aqua Kingdom citizens," Tilda said. "They just can't handle any ride that isn't on the water."
Fred almost said that she couldn't handle Tilda's erratic driving either, and she's not an Aqua Kingdom citizen, but she chooses to stay quiet instead, and continue to fight back the fading urge to be sick.
"Thanks again," Ben nodded and waved as Tilda pulled the reins and the horses obediently began to trot, turning around in a circle, and going back home.
"You'd never see compassion like that back at Capital City," Ben said aloud, watching her go.
"What's it like?" Fred asked regarding Capital City.
"It's... different. I never knew how different until I left. Everything outside is so much more down to earth. People work with the elements, not against them."
What's strange to Ben was how homesick he felt at this moment. Although he preferred virtually everything about the Sky Kingdom, his mind raced to the small blacksmith cottage his parents must have been waiting at. Part of him wished he were there, warm under his covers instead of chilled in the white wool coat he wore then.
A few moans and groans accompanied Wade as he stumbled out of the bushes to join them. Color slowly returned to his face, and he bent and held his knees to catch his breath.
"You okay there?" Fred laughed.
"I'm... I'm good," he said, lifting his hand to give a thumbs up.
"Let's do it then." Ben said.
None of them were surprised to find the temporary town below the floating city to be filled with Imperial soldiers. Tilda had not been wrong when she had said they all were headed there. To their infinite dismay, the children found the outskirts of the town to be completely infested with patrols, guards, and towers that had recently been built.
Had Fred not been with them, Ben and Wade might not have made it past these Imperial soldiers that stood watch over the town either. Her instinct told her that they not only needed to wisely avoid the road, but also that they should take extreme caution in trying to cross the expanse of flat land before finding cover amongst the makeshift buildings.
Crouched behind snow covered boulders, Fred stuck her head out cautiously to watch a squadron of Imperial soldiers march past. Ben and Wade were silent as mice, waiting for her signal.
Beyond the boulder was a two-hundred-yard area of nothing but flat snow. With patrols of soldiers passing by every few minutes or so, it'd be hard, if not impossible, to cross without being seen. The large, black shadow of the floating city above blocked the sun and created a little cover, but not much. Certainly not enough. True darkness would have been much better.
"How are we going to do this?" Ben leaned in and whispered to her. His sword was already out, anticipating that they could be spotted at any moment.
"I'm not sure... Their patrols are slightly irregular, but there's so many that it's just... It's impossible." Grunting in frustration, Fred pulled her head back, behind the cover of the boulder. "They'd see us before we got even halfway across."
"Why don't you just fly up to the city from here?" Wade asked Ben. "And avoid all that?"
Looking up at the darkness above, Ben could see only the outline of Sky City in its shadow. For the first time, he could get a good look at the underside, though not well as it was darkened by the shade. The city was held up on what seemed to be a metal platform, creating an upside-down pyramid–crosses of metal stuck this way and that, almost haphazardly. The city, from a great distance, looked much like a giant icicle in that way, with bright buildings lit by the sun on top and dark shadow under. Even at this distance, Ben noticed that, despite the dark, he could still see the gold trim along the metal beams that supported the floating structure, and he only imagined that if the bottom were so beautiful than what wonderful architecture and monuments were hidden atop.
He squinted his eyes, trying to figure out the distance it would require to fly up so high, and the more he thought about it, the further it was and the harder it seemed.
Then, looking down at the town below, he spotted a tall building at the center of town. Unlike the rest of the shacks that made this temporary town, there stood the one building that was different, directly below the center of Sky City. It was an extremely large tower, taller than any building Ben had ever seen, even at Capital City. It went up and up, almost endlessly. The ancient marble road that had led them here ran directly to this building, ending finally at its steps. The tower matched the foundation of Sky City, being made mostly of a metal that's decorated in gold and white.
The other wondered what this tower, obviously as old as Sky City itself, was for, but Ben knew its purpose all-too-well, solely from the need he had of it then.
"I can't fly that high yet," Ben told Wade finally. "I could get close, but I think I'd run out of juice before I got to the city. And I don't really feel like freefalling back down."
He pointed to the tower in the distance.
"See that? I'd be willing to bet that tower is there for that exact purpose. People who wanted to visit Sky City, but hadn't quite mastered their power, could climb to the top. From there, the jump and flight is barely two thirds of what it is down here."
"We just need to get you here then," Fred murmured in frustration. She poked her head out to look at the tower and any soldiers that might be coming.
Another squadron passed suddenly, and Fred thrusted her arm out, pushing Ben and Wade back against the boulder to make extra sure they were hidden. They instantly became quiet as the metal footsteps marched off through the snow, eventually in the opposite direction.
Fred let out a shiver as soon as they were gone. Despite the wool jacket, she was finding it very hard to stay warm. Wade noticed, and not being bothered by the cold as much as this Magma Kingdom girl who wasn't used to the weather, he quickly removed his scarf and wrapped it around her neck. She jumped at first, but then let him—a look of surprised gratitude on her face.
"Thanks," she said awkwardly.
"I'm thinking you need it more than I do."
All ears flinched as yelling suddenly could be heard coming from the town. Even from a vast distance, many voices could be heard, and the Imperial soldiers that had just passed turned their heads in that direction as well. Grunting under the weight of their armor, and the strained steps in the thick snow, they ran towards the town.
"What on earth is that?" Wade asked.
"Whatever it is," Fred said, peeking out to see that all the Imperial soldiers had fled into the town. "It's exactly what we needed. Come on."
Light on their feet at first, with weapons drawn just in case, Ben, Wade, and Fred crossed the open ground. As they got further, and the yelling in the distance became louder, it was apparent that whatever the commotion was, its source was that of multiple voices. The three quickened their pace and abandoned stealth for speed, wanting to get to cover before their distraction ran out.
A shack up ahead, apparently abandoned by the look of it, seems good enough for cover. It was made of rotten timber, and the door hung loosely on its hinges. Pointing at it, Fred led them there. Without stopping, she held her shoulder down and plowed through, shattering the hinges, into the snowless inside.
Quick to follow, Ben hesitated at the doorway for only a moment, to peek his head at the other shacks, where the sounds of yelling, accompanied by some kind of commotion could still be heard. He felt a hand grab at his jacket, and soon Wade had pulled him inside.
"Okay, the hard part is over," Fred declared, wiping broken pieces of wood off her. "Now we just have to—"
A crash of metal scared the three of them and they quickly pointed their weapons at the darkened corner of the shack where it'd come from. A metal pot wobbled on the floor as three figures exited the darkness. One was a man of about forty years of age, with a white complexion and bright blonde hair and beard. The other, a woman of the same age, with long, unkempt brown hair and green eyes. And finally, a small child, a girl of maybe six, that looked identical to her mother.
With fierce eyes, the man and woman both raised a sword at them.
"You're not looting this place," the man declared.
"Move on somewhere else," the woman joined in. "We have nothing worth stealing."
"We're not thieves," Fred said, lowering her daggers.
The man and woman kept theirs held high. Their nerves were beyond edgy, and the trio did their best not to make any sudden movements.
"Just... lower your weapons," Ben's soft voice asked.
Noticing him for the first time, the man and woman immediately did as he asked. Their faces lit up with an expression he couldn't quite figure out.
"You're..." the woman looked at the three of them, noticing their features fully. "You're them! And you..." She pointed at Ben with her free hand, the tip of her sword safely touching the floor now. "You're him. You're the Elementalist!"
Her excitement got the better of her, and her husband quickly shushed her, gently placing his hands on her shoulder.
Each looked rougher than the other. They both wore torn clothes made from cheap, brown leather. The daughter had on a nice white wool cloth like Ben, Wade, and Fred, but it was obviously a few sizes two big, an adult jacket by the look of it.
"I'm so sorry about the door," Fred said, looking back at it. "We can help you fix it when this is all over."
Fred wasn't sure what she even meant by all over. When was it all over? When the city's core was relit? When all four cities' cores were relit? When Emperor Krane was dethroned? She often wondered just how long this journey would be.
"D-Don't worry about it," the man said weakly. "It's not even our house. We just...We've been living here a while."
His eyes drifted to the blankets in the corner they'd emerged from—makeshift beds. The remains of old firewood could be seen in the shack's old, cast-iron stove, with one or two pots laid about, obviously having been their source of food. Besides that, the shack was completely empty other than cobwebs and bugs crawling around the floor and ceiling.
Slinging his pack over his shoulder, Ben was quick to remove his water jug and an orange. Approaching slowly, he held both out for the little girl to take. She seemed hesitant at first, and completely silent, but eventually she snatched them, retreating at once to hide behind her mother.
The woman leaned down and whispered in her daughter's ear, and the girl looked at her, shaking her head hard. Firmly, the mother whispered to her again, and pushed her towards the back door. The girl hesitated, then took off, leaving them to talk alone.
"What happened here?" Ben asked, not sure how to broach the topic, but knowing they were limited for time.
Sighing, the man gently took the sword from his wife's hand. Reaching down, he hid both weapons under the blankets they'd been sleeping on. The floor creaked as he did.
"It was roughly a week ago, I can't really remember."
The look of restlessness on his face showed that he truly couldn't remember.
"Soldiers began pouring into town by the dozens, if not the hundreds. They..." his voice cracked. Tears began filling his eyes, but he sniffed hard and pushed them back.
"They went to every house," the wife continued. "Any house that had a boy. They took all the sons, all of them, and burned down the house of anyone who resisted. But of course, everyone resisted."
"What were they looking for?" Wade asked naively.
The women's eyes darted to Ben.
"They were looking for me..." Ben said, a chill in his voice that ran down his spine, down into his soul.
Ben felt his throat begin to close as he stumbled backward in disbelief. Sweat poured from his forehead, despite the freezing temperatures.
"They took your son, didn't they?" he asked
The woman nodded, tears in her eyes as well.
"B-Because of me?"
"Hey!" Wade yelled, grabbing his friend's arm.
He turned Ben, still in a daze, so they were face to face. There was a rocky exterior to Wade in this action and in the tone of his voice that Ben had never seen before.
"You can't blame yourself for this. You can't."
"But it is my fault. This whole town. All of those sons they took. It's all because of me."
"No," Fred said. "Wade is right. You can't blame yourself. This wasn't you. This was Emperor Krane. He did this."
Again, this time louder than before, a thunder of voices, angry voices, echoed outside the shack. The unmistakable sound of steel hitting steel could be heard, and Fred knew all too well that somewhere swords were meeting swords and a fight was taking place.
"Some of us are still fighting," the man told them. "Skirmishes between rebels and the Imperial soldiers have popped up again and again, more frequently lately."
Thrusting her daggers into her boots, Fred turned to Ben and Wade. They nodded at her, knowing just what she meant to do. There was no point in sitting here waiting as more suffered. It was time to sneak off to the tower and end this torment. The quicker they did, the quicker these people would have their powers and could properly fight back.
"Don't worry," Ben told the man and woman as he headed for the broken doorway. "We'll fix this. I promise."
As Ben goes, he can't help but notice a look on the family's face, one that was not of despair but almost of shame. The look was unnerving to Ben, and made him nervous for some reason that he couldn't understand.
"What is it?" Wade asked.
"I don't know... It's just—"
Fred's eyes widened instantly once out the door, as she grabbed her daggers quickly from her boots, and spun to face Imperial soldiers that swarmed around them. With eyes jarred open in surprise, the three froze to notice from all directions, hidden and waiting, all these soldiers. Ben and Wade, whose fighting instincts weren't as refined, realized far too late that they were surrounded.
The Imperial soldiers don't give them time to think or to plan as they charge immediately, from all sides. Ben and Wade went to reach for their weapons, but had barely grabbed them before being hit over the head with the back end of swords and swiftly knocked unconscious.
Dancing and spinning, Fred was less easy to defeat. She slashed, blocked, and attacked the soldiers surrounding her, the movements like a frantic dance. Soon, more poured in from the back of the shed, blocking the doorway inside as well, and she managed to keep them at bay, but only barely. For every soldier she managed to disarm or knock to their feet, three replaced them. Like a trapped wolf, she fought to the very end, until her arms were simply too tired to be effective. Blows from every side caused her to lose balance and she fell to the dirt, finally being subdued as well.
As Fred's eyes began to fade, her daggers stripped viciously from her hands by the enemy, she saw the little girl from before. The girl had led the Imperial soldiers there. Her parents, with shame in their eyes, talked to the soldiers, pointing at the unconscious Ben.
"That's him," the wife said. "That's the Elementalist!"