Phony Potions

Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

I had chosen to pursue the blotch as a destination to spite Mallow. Thankfully, the signs of other life became obvious as we continued. A trail of horse poop was left by those who were riding ahead of us. The trail of dung marked the distance to civilization. It started with only hints of dry and discolored feces and progressed to fresher specimens. Mallow was so busy dodging one pile that she stepped into another, which was still warm. Shortly after that, from a hilltop higher than the rest, we saw other carriages on the winding road ahead.

"Awful lot of carriages on this road to nowhere." I said, tilting my head back and grinning up at Mallow smugly. She rolled her eyes.

"Big deal, you're right this time. It makes it the first time out of like a hundred."

As we ascended another hill, the traffic now slowed to a steady grind. We heard music streaming through the air. Not near, but not distant. Not a single instrument, either, but rather, a medley of instruments blending in harmony. Mallow and I rarely got to enjoy music, being on the move so often. And if we ever did, it was usually a lone musician picking up some spare coin. This was a band. Out of curiosity, she went to find it. She couldn't find where it was coming from, even when she ran ahead a few carriages. She came back, winded.

"I don't know, it's just as loud no matter what direction I go in. I can't track it."

"Well, let's enjoy it," I said.

We relaxed and took in the sights around us. Not much to see, just rolling grasslands, as we went over the hills. Mallow had a huge grin on her face and she kept asking me what instrument this or that was. My mind wandered back to the best years of my childhood. During that period of more than enough I would often listen to music with my parents.

I would fish, often unsuccessfully, for the name of the instrument. I remembered note by note hearing their melodies. There was nothing to distract us. We had hardly ever ridden so slow. Yet the consistent and sweet music kept us from becoming bored.

We reached the top of the last hill, and I was stunned for a second by the view. A massive city glutted with people stood proud in the late afternoon sun. I guided Flatchert and Gourd as we rode down. The start and stop traffic gave me enough time to analyze what my eyes saw. It certainly wasn't burnt to the ground.

How had the map maker not included such an imposing city? A formidable, sorcerer-quality stone wall circled around it, rising high and cutting off the view of most of the city. The weather tower and an odd, blocky wooden structure that peaked over the top of the wall was visible from our vantage point. Farms and ranches sprawled around the outside of the wall facing the road. In the far distance, forest reached all the way to the unseen section of the stone wall.

Three competing stables, all with multiple levels that rose up to the height of the defensive wall, were taking in horses. I'd never seen anything like it – outside ramps being used by stablehands to guide horses up to their stalls. It was odd, but it was necessary, because a regular stable would never be able to handle this multitude.

In addition to the traffic on our own road, there were two other roads leading toward the city that were both choked with people. I was confused. I examined the map. The capital city of Majikast was in the direction of the most congested road. The other road was connected to a massive port city, Cikine, that was essentially the intake for the entire continent. Two capitals, if you will: one of finance and one of magic. Still, they were so far away, many weeks' journey from here. I double-checked to make sure that was in fact what was in those directions and it was accurate. I lowered the map and scanned the scene again. The musicians were still not visible, but their music continued as a faint whisper on the air. I think a choir had joined in.