Tress walks out from the darkness of the alleyway into the middle of the street. Faith and Hope come up next to me and look around the corner. The street leads up to the twin pillars of rock that glow with internal light. A bridge spans the two towers high above our heads, topping the gate with a crenellated line of stone. Rajika guards stand watch on from the top of the bridge, the windows of the towers, and the road below. The gate itself is a matrix of black iron with three iron rods interlocking over the seam. The nearest guard snaps his head towards Tress and steps forward.
"Halt. What business do you have leaving the city in the middle of the night?"
Tress stops in front of him and dwarfs him with her height. "I am a traveler and must continue my journey now. I have friends which will be coming with me."
She motions to us and I step out. The staff gives a little tug. Faith hasn't moved.
"Come on.'" I hiss.
"I'm scared." She whimpers.
The tears in her eyes are cracks in green glass. The clarity startles me. Faith doesn't know what she's running from. Neither does Hope. Her nightmares will inform her if I don't explain.
We have to move.
"Just follow me. Everything will work out, okay?"
"But how do you know?"
"Somehow I knew that I would come back before. You'll just have to trust me when I say it will all work out."
She nods and follows me into the road.
"Who are those girls?" The guard demands
She flicks her trunk to the right as she booms back,"Were you not listening? They are coming with me."
The guard growls and then barks to us,"Come closer."
Tress motions us to come closer. Once we have, we advance towards the firelight of the guards' torches. The street pops with every step we make.
"None of you are wearing shoes," the guard comments.
"My people have no need for shoes. Our feet are stronger than your leather socks."
"But the Olvitten's feet are weak," He points at us, "they will not survive in the desert."
"Perhaps you could lend us some shoes? Then they would be able to travel."
"You are too ill equipped to be travelers." He glares at us. Tress steps closer and I follow. The staff jars when Faith hesitates, but I pull her forward. The guard plants himself for a moment, trying to look at Tress' face. When she towers over him, he takes a step back and wraps his fist around his sword.
"There was an emergency and now we must leave."
"An emergency should be reported to the city guard."
Tress smiles and her trunk curls up to her mouth, "Well, guards can't know everything can they?"
I can see the scimitar looped through his belt, gleaming in the moonlight. The odor of his unwashed body slinks through the air. Guards have gathered behind him, their hands poised on top of their swords. Shards of silver glint on the towers and battlements: arrows ready to fire. The guards' horns reach up into the sky like dead trees. The wind is still and the silence is thick.
The guard grits his teeth, "Watch yourself, traveler. We are the conquerors of this city."
"That does not make you omnipotent nor omniscient," Tress warns with a wicked smile. She motions to us towards the gate and I take a step.
YOU ARE READING
Faith, Hope, and Charity
FantasíaTwelve years ago, Charity became a slave. Her mother sold her and her two sisters, Hope and Faith, and then disappeared. Since then, Charity has been searching for a way to escape the desert city where she is held captive, but she is no closer to le...
