Young Writers Society

The brown palisade of Atheron was now a few hundred yards ahead, a muddy streak across a mottled horizon of the rising cityscape. It was late afternoon, and had there not been a storm the sun would be sinking behind the Agressi mountains to the left, but as it was everything was just a muddy shlock of greys and browns speckled with snow that sat on rooftops and danced in the wind.

Carris wanted to jump up and storm through the gates, even though she knew that would be so much slower than sitting on the buckboard the last few minutes of the ride. But sitting in place was hard for her to do and she found herself rising in her seat. Alec paid no mind, urging Smokey on with a flick of the reins.

"How do you intend to find your wee friend?" he asked.

Carris answered without breaking her eyeline on the approaching gate. "Best guess is to go straight to the magistrate. That's where I was supposed to go. I'm sure that's where Devlin would have gone if he made it."

Alec nodded. "I'll see if we can ride straight into town."

"And why wouldn't we be able to?"

"This is a city not loyal to the crown of Ormen. You think they just let anyone enter," Alec said, more than asked.

Carris shrugged, straining to hear over the rising wind. "I hadn't thought of that, I suppose."

The gate was now within twenty yards. A pair of guards -a stark contrast of red in the drab landscape- held out their hands, one on each side of the ride. Carris sank to her seat, gripping the handle with her right hand.

Best to let Alec do the talking.

And talk he did. Before the guards could scarce get a word out he was rambling on. "Evening gentlemen. Feel free to take a look at an old man's wagon. You'll find nothing but a day's provisions in me feed-sack. No weapons of which to speak, save for this knife." He produced a dagger from his left boot, tossing it to the guard on his side.

The guard reacted slowly, just barely catching the dagger as he tried to not trip backward over his own feet. He tossed it in a wheelbarrow behind him.

"That's all well and good sir, but I will need to insist upon searching you both. Orders from Magistrate Xerdex." the guard said as he put a hand on Smokey's reins.

Alec waved his hand with a "Harumph", but gingerly clambered to the ground. Carris did the same, minus the old man noises, apprehensive as the guard on her side approached, looming over her, dressed in full armor.

"Arms up, miss," he said, revealing teeth stained a dirty orange-ish red. It reminded Carris of Malcolm's father. He always chewed a type of reddish tobacco that stained horribly. It was often on his clothes near the collar and down the front, and Carris had worked hard to remove stains many times over the last two years

"I said arms up." This time the guard gestured with his own.

Carris complied, breaking out of the daydream. "Sorry," she said.

A shiver trickled down her spine as he quickly patted her down, checking her pockets, running his hand down her pants, and giving a kick to her boots. Carris wasn't sure why he felt the need to do that but surmised that perhaps it was a way of checking for blades like the one Alec had so effectively hidden all day.

The guards did a quick check underneath the carriage, and once satisfied waved them through.

The one on Alec's side shouted over the wind that tugged at his leather cap and lapels. "You can find stables near Helix Lane on the east side. I would keep an eye on your steed if I was you though. Never can trust these cityfolks. They take every advantage, like this storm, to cause a ruckus!"

Alec tipped to them and he and Carris remounted the buckboard. "Thank you, Colonel. We'll be out of here before you know it, and many thanks for the warning."

With a flick of the reins they were jostling through the gate which had just a few feet to spare above them. The sight that greeted them was a whirlwind of activity. Hand carts and wheelbarrows, animals and people alike were bustling in every direction, all with the goal to get out of the way of the coming storm. The road split the hubbub in two, but at the moment no one seemed to be heeding the rules of the road. Carris's couldn't stop her leg from shaking as they clopped at a snail's pace, waiting for peopleto notice the larger vehicle and begin to part ways.

"Out of the way!" Carris shouted. She wasn't sure what got into her, but the pit in her stomach told her that they needed to be moving faster. She glanced to her left, watching snow begin to fall in large flakes. Visibility would soon be too low travel if they didn't find Gwyn in a hurry.

Heading back to Riverdale may not be such a bad idea after all. Anything to get away from here.

"Let's go people!" She shouted again. One man, herding a pair of goats simply waved a dismissive hand at her. Someone yelled something incoherent.

"Carris!"

It came from Carris' side. She spun, standing and surveying the crowd. Could it be? Was Gwyn really here, safe? Alive. A second shout much closer than Carris expected answered that. There Gwyn was, accompanied by a tall man in a drab outfit that made Gwyn's blue skirt and red scarf all the more striking.

Carris leaped off the seat as her heart leaped out of her chest. She felt the blood rush to her face and a warmth envelop her body. She nearly fell flat on her face as she hit the ground, her knees buckling. She had temporarily forgotten about the frigid journey down the Gnofen she had taken just days earlier and the strength it had sapped out of her.

"Carris!" Gwyn shrieked, rushing forward with arms outstretched. Carris caught her, stumbling in the mud and snow, but managing to just stay upright. Gwyn buried her head in Carris' chest, and her body began to wrack. It was muffled, but Carris could hear the sobs escape her friend's mouth. Her heart stirred and she choked as she felt her own tears escaping. She squeezed tighter than she ever had. For a moment, that hug was all that she needed. It was all that mattered. They embraced in a tearful mess.

At last, Carris pried Gwyn back enough to look at her face. She laughed a little mixed with tears, wiping her runny nose with her arm. She wicked away tears from Gwyn's rosy cheeks and smiled. She wasn't sure what to say to convey the relief. A voice from behind Gwyn broke the silence.

"You must be Carris?"

It was an inviting voice, light and playful. Carris took a good look at the man that had been next to Gwyn. He was tall, young, smiling with some of the pearliest teeth Carris had seen. Very different from the guard at the gate. He had his hands clasped behind his back. He was also bald, a bold move in such a frigid landscape.

Carris cleared her throat. She eyed him up and down. Rather than answering she looked at Gwyn who was just now catching her breath, still shuddering slightly.

"Who's your new friend?" she asked.

Gwyn inhaled deeply and, with balled fists, rubbed her reddened eyes. "Um, his name is Miles. He's been helping us."

"Us? So, Devlin, he made it?"

Gwyn nodded and Miles answered. "Yes. Malcolm as well. Although I take it that news does not encourage you as much as seeing your dear friend once more."

Carris stiffened but decided safety was more important than discussing Malcom. "Have you talked to the magistrate? Are you leaving? That knight could be here any moment."

"Yes, no, and he certainly could." Miles said.

Carris shook her head. "What? You're not leaving? You don't understand how dangerous it is."

Miles shrugged. "I have heard, yes. And I don't doubt that you're telling the truth. But I'm not a civilian like you girls. I'm in the royal circle. I have a duty to my country, to my king. You should go though. Leave this place before any desolation occurs."

"You soldiers are all so excited to die." Carris took a breath. "That's your choice though. We are leaving. Now. Gwyn, get on the wagon."

Carris turned to help her up, and Alec leaned over to give a hand as well. Carris let Gwyn take the seat and was mounting the back as Alec began to speak.

"We should give the lad a chance to come with us."

"The lad?" Carris asked. "You mean Malcolm?"

"Yes. I told you, I'm here to offer my help." Alec said.

"We don't have time!" Carris implored, feeling the heat in her neck. Her hands became clammy and sweaty.

"Have you not listened to a word I've said, miss? I will not leave a child here in danger because of a feud I have no part in. You can discuss your grievances once we depart from this place. I will not deny him the opportunity to escape this place when the possibility of danger looms so large."

Carris squeezed her fists tight. This was not supposed to happen. Eridan could be here any moment. She glanced back at the gate where the snow was swirling in little vortexes. Still, Alec was not going to budge, that much was obvious.

"Fine," Carris snapped. "Where is he?"

Miles raised his hands helplessly. "I'm afraid I don't know. We were supposed to meet near the gate rampart in under twenty minutes, but we had not seen them yet when you arrived." He put a hand to his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "Now, if I know Devlin half as well as I think I do, he's going to try to find the militaristic details of an infiltration. He would want to know the ins and outs of the city. If the Bull, Eridan as you called him, is going to enter with nuance and subtlety, as opposed to a storm, then it would need to be discreet. His appearance is mythos. He would want to appear as the Black Bull, not as a man."

"Then he would be bringing his armor." Carris said. "And it is not subtle."

Miles began to walk toward the inner part of the city. "I think the best move would be to find the library. See if we can find early records of the city's buildings. Secret entries, sewers, the likes."

Carris wrung her hands. She wasn't sure she wanted to be any more involved in this. She wanted to leave. She didn't care about this war, as long as she wasn't a part of it. Still, the sooner Miles found Devlin, the sooner they would find Malcolm and give him the choice to leave or stay.

"Devlin thinks he was raised here. Something he said when we saw him after Potter's Creek. He mentioned Atheron like it was home." Carris offered.

Miles snapped his fingers. "And we know his name. Or the one he's using at the very least. There could be records of his family. We should start at the library."

"And where might that be?" Alec chimed in.

"I don't know." Miles looked back toward a clothing shop behind the permanent vendor stalls that had now cleared out. "But I know someone who might. and he could be willing to help us. But," Miles clapped his hands together, "and I cannot emphasis this enough, he thinks we are on Eridan's side."

"What do you mean?" Carris growled. "What did you say to him?"

Miles let out a short bark of laughter. "I thought that perhaps instead of winning people over by convincing them we are not Astorian, it would be easier to convince them that we are Sadorian. After all, we know more about Eridan than most people in the city probably do."

"So, now we're supposed to pretend we're on the side of the lunatic that destroyed my home?" Carris spat out. She wasn't sure where the vehemence about home was coming from when she had been so ready to leave it a week before.

Gwyn shifted in her seat. "Is that what you were saying to that man in the shop? You were lying to him?"

"I did not lie to him, Gwyn. I merely implied that I was on his side. We're not dealing with just any enemy. We're dealing with someone very powerful, very crafty, and very determined. I'm not going to make you a part of this. If you wish to stay out of it you can all go back to the Inn and simply wait for me to find and send Malcolm your way. Then be on your way." Miles wagged a finger. "I can tell you this though: Malcolm seems determined to have his punch at Eridan. There is an anger in that boy."

"See, you heard it. Malcolm won't leave. We should go now." Carris urged Alec.

Alec seemed about ready to answer when there was a dull thud behind them. Carris' heart sunk to her stomach. The gate had shut. The two guards were already laying the crossbeam to secure the gate.

Miles' head dropped. "It would appear they do not risk the chance of entry or exit during storms. I think the best course of action would be to get to the stables and wait out the storm. I will find the library and meet you this evening."

Carris shifted her weight. She had been sitting around for half a week. She glanced at Gwyn who was already looking her way. Then she looked back at the storm. Or was she looking at Eridan's wrath?

"We're coming with you," she said matter-of-factly.

Miles laughed, although it was barely heard as a heavy gust of frigid air blew through. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with this?"

"I don't. But I can't stand being cooped up for another day. I've done nothing but sit around and worry about Gwyn all week. When the storm passes, if it passes, we'll leave, and hopefully, I'll never see you again. Deal?"