With the heat making their hands sweat and Marmorel's constant complaining, they finally arrived at the station. A large rose window covered the main facade and under it stood the columns that supported the ceiling, creating a porch that anticipated the entrance.
They lost a few minutes searching for the contact and Aran found him near the station entrance. The man was Polkan, Katia's brother, the Allet family's maid. After the greetings, they discovered that he worked in the Kharzanian mines near the city of Lafkai. Older than Cora expected. He exchanged the race tickets, gave them the cards to enter Kharzan and handed him a piece of paper with notes. Aran was not his only client that day, Polkan had other tickets for the Grand Prix and they bought one for Elidana and one for Marmorel. After a couple of jokes about the old times at the Allet mansion, Polkan greeted them affectionately, hugging Aran, and walked away in the direction of the main street.
"First of all, we need to find the exchange office. Fez, check near the ticket booths, Cora and I will look between the tracks," Aran said.
Cora wandered through the station with his eyes darting here and there, confused. He had never seen so many people in one place. All the men were dressed in extremely refined clothing and with a long cylinder on their heads even at that temperature. He observed the large clock above the tracks and stared at the roof of the building for a long time. Very high, more than was necessary. The long metal beams supported a glass base, but the windows were partially obscured and the light struggled to penetrate.
"Hey, I think the exchange office is over there," Elidana shouted, indicating its location to Cora and Aran.
"Dragging these bags has been a nightmare," grumbled Marmorel. Fez approached. "You can't stay here alone. I'll keep you company!" He looked at the others with eyes shining like a mirror in the daylight. "You guys go ahead! Take your time, okay. There's no hurry!
Cora raised an eyebrow and elbowed Aran.
"Yes, we're in a hurry," the latter replied, shaking his head.
The exchange counter official was old and wrinkled, with a prominent gold tooth. He seemed tired of the working day, slumped over the table fiddling with a feather.
"What do kids want?" he asked.
Aran glanced right and left, and finally put the heavy luggage on the table. "I want to exchange them for shields." He also brought the green card given to him by Polkan. The man opened the sack and took a look inside.
He widened his eyes, which suddenly became alert and snapping. "Hmm ... where did you find all this gold?" the man blustered.
Aran slammed his hand on the table. "It's not your business! Do you have the shields? Or do we have to go somewhere else?" he said irritably.
"No no, of course ... excuse me. It's rare to see someone your age with such a treasure," the man quickly counted the coins to assess their value. "Fifteen thousand gold coins. Calculating the exchange rate, it's seven thousand seven hundred shields." He bent down under the counter and handed Aran a metal box the size of a finger. He took the sack of gold coins and pushed it into the safe behind him.
"That's it?" asked Cora. He shook the insignificant object in search of the money. Inside was a charged Seorite shard, visible from a small indentation.
"That's it, boy? This is a 'Piggy Bank', you already know how it works?" asked the man.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you just need to swipe it next to a similar system and it makes the payment," Aran replied.
The old man nodded and showed Cora how to use the device he was holding. The amount of shields appeared in bright numbers. "Just remember, you must not lose it. No one will refund the contents and remember that it is valuable only within the Kharzanian borders."
"I understand," concluded Aran. "We will be careful." Elidana tightened her expression. "Is he messing with us?" she whispered to Cora.
"I wouldn't know, Aran seems calm," he replied.
Back to Fez and Marmorel, Cora continued to twist the gadget in his fingers.
"Where are the shields?" Marmorel asked with a furrowed brow.
"I think he's fooled us," Cora threw the piggy bank at her, she caught it and Aran repeated the explanation.
"I don't think my father would accept numbers on a piece of iron instead of shiny gold coins," said Fez.
"Come on, let's move," huffed Aran.
They headed for the trains, many of which were now worn out and patched up with metal plates. The seats looked like a copy of the old armchair that Mr. Shadid kept in his shop and the passengers were packed like cattle. Among the trains, however, stood out a long, shiny profile of silver metal with a tapering tip and composed of a dozen wagons. The many passengers boarded orderly; they were mostly foreigners, but wealthy citizens of Clodia dressed up for special occasions were also visible.
"I'd say we've found our train, look at those men," Cora said, pointing to four soldiers wearing green and black uniforms. The emblem they had on their chest was made up of three lines starting from the sides and joining in a triangle with a downward pointing tip. Cora was sure, they were Kharzanian soldiers.
"Let's go. Actually, let's try to choose the best seats," suggested Aran. He presented himself in front of the automatic door. Fez lowered his head when a soldier looked at him.
After showing the card and tickets, the boys entered as a group. They advanced until they reached the first wagon. The environment was aseptic and the flow of people did not affect the sense of order that was perceived. Cora stared at some employees who were carrying two bulky glass cylinders filled with Seorite to the engine room.
Cora and Elidana sat in the first free row, Marmorel and Aran behind them. Fez settled between the seats of the next row.
"If you want, you can sit here, near the window," Fez whispered to Marmorel.
"Maybe on the way back, I already know that I'll sleep for most of the journey, I'm really tired."
"That's okay," Fez whispered in a low tone.
Marmorel leaned her head on Aran's shoulder as if nothing was wrong, and he found her red hair on his face.
"What are you doing?" Allet asked, sounding surprised.
"I would sleep more comfortably leaning on you," Marmorel whispered.
Aran, very delicately, lifted her head, turned to Fez and said, "Do you want to switch places?"
Fez jumped up. "Yes, of course!"
"He didn't hesitate," Cora said with a chuckle.
But when Aran stood up, Marmorel was faster than both of them and overtook Fez, exchanging with him.
"Fine, I understand! Fez, sit next to Aran," she growled, pointing to the two boys with her hand. "What manners!" she grumbled, crossing her arms.
In about ten minutes, the train engine was already in motion, and the speakers placed at the corners of the carriages broadcast a sweet music, but loud enough to partially cover the screech of the Seorite.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the train departing from Clodia and heading to Edel starts its journey: please stay in your seats until arrival. Any personal needs must be notified to our attendants located in each wagon. For a better service experience, please keep the central aisle free. Have a good journey." The doors closed with a single dull movement.
The train started to move and slowly gained speed. The city of Clodia was quickly passing by the windows. Then, the long train entered a dark tunnel and increased the light inside the carriages.
"Excuse me. Is that seat taken?" asked a young Kharzanian military man who had just emerged behind Marmorel, in an polite tone. Cora turned around sharply.
The girl shot a quick glance at Aran and, after a small gesture of annoyance, said, "No, it's very free, feel free to sit down."
The soldier put his luggage in the overhead compartment and sat down, sliding on the comfortable padding. He ran his hand through his short hair and touched the dangling earring he was wearing. "My vacation start," he sighed and winked at Marmorel. "Nice to meet you, my name is Lucas." He handed her the hand with confidence. She responded, visibly embarrassed. "Marmorel Olysser, nice to meet you."
Lucas smiled widely. "Are you from Clodia?"
Marmorel leaned back. "No, I'm from Lud. Me and my friends are going to attend the Grand Prix," she said. She bit her lip and looked away at the seats in front. She took a breath and returned to Lucas. "What about you? Are you a soldier?"
Fez and Aran also turned around.
"Yes, I'm part of the fourth foreign detachment... we're a few kilometers from Clodia." He adjusted his uniform collar, rolled up his sleeves, and relaxed. "I just got promoted and now I'm part of the operational section, and when I return from leave, I'll have to join the field.
"So, you wear battle armor?" Cora asked in a mix of awe and curiosity.
Elidana, who had been calm until that point, so much so that she seemed asleep, turned towards him. "Cora, damn it! Can you sit down please? Stop raising your voice!" She pulled on him fiercely, but he continued to lean towards Lucas, twisting his torso unnaturally.
"I've read something about Kharzanian battle armor. Is it true what they say? Can you run faster than a horse or cut down a tree trunk with your sword?" Fez asked.
"Yes... well... I guess so, but I can't give you any other information," Lucas replied. "Orders."
Aran turned towards the window and grumbled under his breath.
Marmorel pulled her hair back. "Are you going to attend the Grand Prix too?" she asked.
"My brother surely already bought the tickets. It seems like a good opportunity for a reunion."
The train passed through the tunnel and in a few minutes it emerged onto a plain, in the distance you could see houses along the sea. The sunset filled the water surface with red, pink, and orange, as the panorama slipped out of view.
Some hours went by as Cora listened to Lucas's long story about the military academy and the nightlife of the young people in Edel. An adolescence completely different from what he and his friends had experienced. Lud never allowed anything beyond the few local parties, but the capital of Kharzan, according to the words of the soldier, seemed like a fairy tale. Places to dance until late at night, concerts and student gatherings. Cora, so used to life with Mrs. Flint, wanted to know what it was like to grow up in Kharzan.
"In a few minutes we will reach Orielm," Aran explained, interrupting Lucas's story.
The Silver Bullet slowed down to enter the city, but the walls of the houses attached to the tracks prevented a full view of Orielm's decay. The station was on the pier and the train passed onto a floating platform.
The wagon swayed up onto a massive ship, from whose masts three large sails were spread. "Calm down, it's normal. Relax, the journey to Boros is still long," Lucas said.
Cora nodded: Lucas was right. It was better to get comfortable, he thought, and he worked to find a position, if not satisfying, at least stable in his seat.
Night fell before the other shore could be seen. There, Cora saw an imposing tower made entirely of granite, supporting the flame that marked the position of the port, visible from a long distance.
"That's the tower of knowledge. From here on in begins the glorious nation of Kharzan," Lucas explained.
"Is that real fire?" Marmorel asked.
"It was once, now it's little more than an illusion, obtained by the refraction of light, mirrors, and Seorite."
The ship docked at the harbor after a quick maneuver. The train moved to a rotating platform that made a half turn on its axis and hooked up to the track that would take it to Edel, above the mountains.
By now, the windows no longer offered anything but the black of the evening. There wasn't much else to do, so Fez started flipping through magazines found next to his seat, while Elidana, with a well-held pebble in her hand, fell asleep; Aran also rested his head on the back of the seat and closed his eyes. Cora, on the other hand, placed Ethan's tag on the palm of his hand, letting himself be carried away by the frenetic noise of the iron wheels on the rails. For him, everything on that train became a pleasant discovery.