Tipping the Scales

23

Lukas' carriage ride was short, but by no means uninteresting.

He had been picked up by an elaborate carriage in the middle of the night, decorated in the Winthrope colours and crest. He had been strictly forbidden to leave the carriage until it had reached it's destination, and was not even permitted to look outside. Pairs of curtains had been drawn to conceal him, despite being under cover of darkness. His journey to Winthrope Manor was highly confidential.

Lukas couldn't help but peer out through a gap in the curtains however, especially after getting a glimpse of what was outside. The moonlight cast a brilliant white glow, enough to illuminate the entire city of Ferlandia below. Despite the late hour, the city was alive and bustling with torch light on the streets and in the windows of buildings. The city was surrounded by the calm, slow moving waters of the River Genesis, which glistened white as it reflected the moon. He cursed the short span of the bridge they were on as the view was lost behind a plain, stone gateway.

Beyond the threshold of the imposing stone ramparts was another site to behold, the Ardour District. Gigantic mansions lined the streets, built from colourful stones of the like Lukas had never seen. Grand white pillars supported speckled red roofing tiles; jet black walls were embedded with soft grey decorations. The grounds around the manors were all illuminated in torch light, lighting up the mansions as if to display them to the empty streets at night. Brighter lights shone from the grand, clear windows like sparkling beacons. Lukas' eyes stung as he was blinded by each one they passed; eventually deciding to close the curtains, plunging the carriage into darkness. Even then, the faint glow crept under the bottom of the fabric, invading his secluded space.

Without outside distractions, Lukas' thoughts turned to processing the events of the last few days. Ever since he had departed from Fort Aspen, Lukas had witnessed many amazing things he had not ever imagined existed. In a matter of a week, he had explored more of the world than he had in the first sixteen years of his life. There was sure to be so much more to witness, to the boundaries of Ferlandia and beyond. He decided to not even try and imagine what the world outside Ferlandia could be like, as the reality was sure to be more remarkable.

The carriage turned suddenly to one side, throwing an unprepared Lukas against the side of the cart. He peered through the curtains to see they were passing through a tall metal gate with terrifying orange, metal dragons prowling just under the golden spikes along the top. The street they had turned onto was an entryway to Winthrope Manor, which was huge, even by the standard of noble's manors. Golden braziers lined the sides of the street, as if directing them to the house. Lukas wondered how so many fires were constantly kept lit night and day.

The carriage veered off down another street before they reached the front of the manor, taking them around one side. The further around they got, the fewer braziers illuminated them in fire light. Once the main street was out of sight, the ornate braziers were replaced by more conventional torches – enough to light the way.

The carriage followed the towering walls round the back of the manor house until they finally came to a stand-still. Almost instantly, the doors were opened by an unknown man.

"Hurry inside, quickly please."

Lukas did as he was told, exiting the carriage and following the man towards the rear of the mansion. Within seconds, they were through a tall wooden door, which was promptly closed behind them. The man sighed with relief. "Lukas is it? Sorry for the haste, you understand we had to be discreet. The other families couldn't know you're here." He paused, taking a breath. "Apologies for not introducing myself, my name is Henri." He extended a hand. "I am a ward of the Winthrope family."