The Call of Nys #5 (Waverly Stump and The 7 Realms)

20 - J U D S O N

Nine times out of ten, when being given directions, Judson liked to be told of the opportunities and obstacles that came with them. Apart from being able to handle some situations in spite of any bane, he actually preferred to be ready first.

The only thing that made his infiltration of a military base a tad easier than expected was Ayariel.

As fate would have it, she proved a lot more resourceful than he gave her credit for. During their last stop in a certain town, she successfully obtained a seal of permission from a Lady of The High Houses who was in charge there. The woman, Adoette Dellburn, was a very distant relative, who married an estranged cousin of Ayariel's father. It took a lot of wheedling and cosseting, but in the end, Adoette caved. The town, called Rherimar, was only half a mile away from Oldland and sixty miles from Hillbay, Ayariel's home of nativity.

Initially reluctant to waste any more time by gallivanting, he came to appreciate the opportunity of Ayariel lugging him the whole way to visit The Household of Monarchs because the moment he stepped foot on the soil, he felt himself open up again.

The ruins were great and ancient – decrepit remnants of an old kingdom and a once powerful citadel, the first area of settlement in the entire realm. Its walls had been crafted from gigantic bricks that were moss-grown and timeworn, but still as impressive, perhaps, as it were the first time it was built. The padded earth was strewn with tall grasses. Huge gates stood at the forefront of the city, one side of it bending inwardly as if it had been struck with something greater.

What Judson found truly fascinating were the ruins. Two villages, Aldfield and Aldwinter, collared the entrance to the kingdom and every brick of it had collapsed to naught, making Oldland the first and largest collection of disrepairs he ever saw.

Yet, the place was so magnificent, he could hardly acknowledge those broken stones as the remains of a homeland. Everything – from every blade of grass to every bit of stone – was bleeding with eldern power. When he touched them, he felt transported through time, plummeting right into the stories that had raised the kingdom. Eduron, it was called in those days, and it once contained the largest ever number of knights in the history of the world. Yet nobody that was alive could remember the fact.

It was heartbreaking to Judson and stayed in his mind until they left the ruins.

Presently, he looked on at the military base in the distance and thought of many more heartbreaking things; the greatest being a fine stud made to lug overweight loads up a flight of stone steps. The horse could have thrived well in its own natural habitat and sired a mighty breed after itself. Yet it was being forced to play the role of a donkey. It pained Judson to see the creature whipped often for its sluggish movements. He wished more than anything to toss the animal's punisher, a brawny Outcast, over the edge.

Sigoric sat on an isolated mound of great jagged stone ornamented with radiant greenery and flowers, a natural spring, and a lagoon nestled in the forest on its left flank. Far behind the cliff stood a complicated puzzle of gray pinnacles tall enough to pass as mountains.

"That is going to be our escape route." Ayariel pointed out, unhanding the satchel around her midsection. Upon her own request, he allowed her carry it all the way. Their aim was to travel light and fast, so she had forsaken her baggage, hiding it within the safe ruins of Eduron.

"Where does it lead?" Judson asked, squatting beside her. Over time, they had both found a rhythm to work with. Whomever held the most knowledge on a current situation was given the reins. Consequently, he also found that he liked her company apart from the fact that she was attracted to him and showed it very often.

"I don't know for sure." She was squinting into the distance as if her eyes could zoom in on the passage. "It could lead anywhere, but as long as we'll be far from harm, then that's alright."