Vendetta's Rise (The Dragon Realms Saga: Book 1)

Chapter 53

Imperious City was a dark metropolis. Ominous black-stone walls spanned the city's perimeter. They loomed over the shadowy city, standing one hundred feet tall. Hardened stone and mortar reinforced the walls and blades guarded them from any who would dare attempt to breach them. If the sun were in reach, no doubt this city would have blocked that out as well.

The city itself bloomed from the center outward. The fine architecture of noble establishments could be found closest to the center, forming a gradient of deteriorating buildings and poverty that reached toward the shadow of the walls. The Estinian castle was the centerpiece of it all.

Inle and Vada found themselves moving through the city streets with a personal escort. The soldiers made sure no one came close to their carriage, going so far as to brutally beat any civilian that dared come within an arm's length of it.

"You look nervous, dear Vada. Have you never been to a city such as this before?" Inle asked half-mockingly. His knees were crossed, and he seemed to be enjoying the ride as best he could. But no matter how much of a front he put on for Vada and the Estinian soldiers, it was merely a mask that covered his true thoughts. On the boat trip to Estinia he had heard horror stories of the king and queen. One admittedly drunken sailor told of how the king had ordered a peasant to be publicly disemboweled for having the audacity to criticize a lesser nobleman. Others sang the praises of the monarchs. Inle surmised that the truth must lie somewhere in between, but was nevertheless grotesque. However, his training as a performer allowed him to swallow his unease and move forward. After all, he had performed in front of much tougher crowds than this.

"I have done my fair share of traveling," Vada calmly replied, "I have seen many cultures, but none such as this. If we do not watch our step, we may trip into a cell." Vada kept a keen eye on their escorts who marched alongside the carriage just beyond the window.

"You traveled as far as the deserts of Scorch, yes? My troupe never made it out there. What was it like?"

Vada took her attention off of a soldier and his blackened, imposing armor to face her shadow elf companion, "Lawless," she simply said before turning to look back out the window.

"I see," said Inle, smirking under his steel clown mask.

The carriage passed over several bridges before entering a smaller inner wall, but stopped just outside the castle itself. Its looming towers sent a chill down Vada's spine as she exited the carriage. The entire city, including the Gothic castle, was a far cry from Lost Dawns. She was in awe of the city. It was a different kind of impressive. The very architecture of the buildings around her sent chills scrambling down her spine. Imperious City commanded respect, and few would dare to refuse.

As Inle stepped out of the carriage, a tall, thin man stepped before him. He was flanked on either side by a squad of men in shining black armor. Each stood as tall as a bear. Their armor was decorated with etchings of ravens. Their left pauldrons looked liked outstretched wings, with each feather denoting their different ranks in the metallic colors of gold, silver, and bronze.

The man in the middle was unarmored, instead wearing regal noble clothing of reds and silvers. His sniveling face and slicked-back, black hair gave him the appearance of a rat. He spoke with an air of boredom and bowed in an exotic over-exaggerated manner. His thick Estinian accent would have been difficult to understand if it were not for the extensive traveling that both Inle and Vada had done in the past.

"Velcome to de home of de Div'Rah. Bow to Osalin."

"Div'Rah. That is the title they have given their king. It means 'God-King'," Inle explained. Although the Ebonpaths had never traveled to Estinia, he had heard countless stories from merchants of the Div'Rah and his great army.