Iorrjaer

Chapter 17

Yophiel and Victor walked through the city discussing their respective plans. His eagerness to talk about the upcoming feast and how he rued the idea of it failing made Yophiel feel uneasy. It was like he was trying to secure a secret plan that she did not know about. She stressed and reassured that she was only really after the coin that had been agreed upon. That her mission really was to just deliver the wagon, collect the coin, and return to Ockburt.

Victor thoughtfully tried different approaches to see if there was really anything else Yophiel wanted or if there was any other mission. She grew impatient of having to repeat herself several times and boasted about her position and rank and Victor took the hint. Still, she felt, he was not convinced. There was something odd about his eyes.

Not wanting their relationship to become foul so quickly, Yophiel asked Victor about the feast that he was so keen on happening. What was it? Why was it something that needed to happen? Why was he so dire about it?

Victor relaxed a little after her questions. He was relieved that she was interested in his affairs and that bought her a little more respect. He told her that the feast was something that he and his family had been putting on for the town since his great-grandfather had been mayor. He was so keen on it because this night marked a special occasion and that his mother had poured a lot of effort into preparing the meals.

Yophiel curiously asked him what this special occasion was and Victor suddenly got silent and pensive. He told her not to worry her pretty little head about it and that it would soon be revealed. She was unhappy with his answer but accepted it. She would berate him later about his insolence once she had her coin. The spore's influence was still lingering but she felt that it had significantly weakened. She still could not hear Chami's voice but the impulses, the wants, the needs, to make her rank and position and divinity known were back and stronger than ever. Still, she had learned, despite herself, that aggressive beratement would not help her here. So, she swallowed her pride and followed Victor through the town.

The town of Ockburg was compact and neatly organized within its walls. The buildings were not as well built as they were in Ockburt, but they were sturdy. Finished cedar, pine and maple reinforced with granite and sandstone made for nice looking buildings. The houses were not as sturdy looking as the larger buildings used for the forge or the inn. The houses were thatched roofed and humbly constructed and tucked nicely into the Southern corner of the city. The homes all served as farms and each family was responsible for some type of food.

The largest building that dominated the small city was not the tavern where the people met to eat and celebrate nor was it Victor's manor that sat on the outside of the rest of the city. It was the ziggurat that sat in the middle of the city. It was a huge clay and stone structure with a tower spire at its zenith that reached towards the heavens.

"That's quite structure." Yophiel said as she and Victor walked along a hillside looking down into the modest city. "Looks old."

"Aye, it is." Victor said with a smile. "We actually built the town around it. When my great-grandfather came here that structure was abandoned. He liked the looks of it and knew that he could use it as a centerpiece. Like a beacon. So, he settled and put his life into building this town. My grandmother, father, mother and even myself have continued his legacy to keep that old thing the centerpiece of this city. Oh, and we prefer to call it our Holy Ziggurat, as it is not a simple structure."

"You know that I'm a Paladin," She waited for her eyes to droop but they did not and she felt immensely justified. "Calling something that is not a church 'holy' is blasphemous." I should have you hanged for that false claim, you cur!