Legacy

Chapter 19 - The House of Thane

The journey to Cold Moon arc from Nowhere took another nineteen days. The fair weather held for most of the trip but lacked the jovial conversation that the first half had held. Events were moving rapidly and the days had passed so quickly since leaving the village that it was nearly time for the prince's naming day. He would soon be a man and able to make his own decisions and way in the world. It would take some doing, but Kane hoped that Caladus Thane would be able to arrange a suitably lavish celebration for the event.

If things had turned out differently and the empire had not fallen, then the prince's naming day would have been celebrated across the empire. A day of rest and celebration, lavish parties and street fairs held in every village, town, and city. The entire court gathered in the capital, the sixteen Caladus and their families, the imperial advisors and even Kane would have had a seat at the table, as was customary for such an event.

The feast would have lasted long into the night – fourteen courses of the finest delicacies in the land, each course more ostentatious than the last. There would have been displays of original poetry, song, and dance all composed specially for the day. The prince would have taken his place at the head of the table and given his speech, proclaiming his name and path in life.

Afterwards his parents would have taken him quietly aside and presented him with the traditional gifts – a wooden poppet from his father and a blank piece of slate from his mother – their meaning long since lost but the tradition still practiced in every household. It would have been an unrivalled spectacle but alas, was not meant to be. That golden future was long gone, the present was now one of black rock and iron.

***

The sun peaked one more time over the horizon as the carts weaved along the wide track up the side of the steep hill. The road passed back and forth across the hill creating a steady but gentle incline that was useable year round and not closed off by the snow like so many of the other paths in Cold Moon arc. The first snowfall of the season had begun just before dawn and was now blanketing the countryside. Large fat snowflakes fell with growing intensity and the air had a bite to it that brought an unfamiliar chill to the travellers.

Kane was glad for the cloaks he had bought so long ago in at the small way station. They were warm and kept out most of the cold. The years of living in the balmy climate of the Mid-Morning arc had lessened his taste for the cold and it was hard adjusting to it. For the prince it was all new – he'd never experienced anything but long warm days and nights and was experiencing his first frigid winter.

"Snow! Kane, it's snow! I've heard about it but it's even more spectacular than I thought." The prince exclaimed.

"I'm glad you like it, young one. You'll be seeing a lot of it from now on. Behold the splendour and majesty of Cold Moon arc and the gates of The City of Winter's Breath, the last bastion of the former empire before the World's Edge Mountains. Riddled with a network of black rock mines that fuel the great engines of Praxis and the rest of their machines. All of it flowing through The Castle, a fortressed mining town that stands watch at the main road to Heidenguard. We may be a long way from the lands of Praxis but this is its heartland. They have invested more wealth and expertise here than anywhere else," Kane explained.

"Is this why they invaded all those years ago, to plunder our land for worthless rocks?" the prince asked.

"Hardly worthless to the Praxis. I'm sure that the wealth of resources contained within these mountains played a part in their decision to invade. How much, I can't say."

"To think that a small nation such as Praxis could so thoroughly crush the greatest empire the world has ever known. It doesn't seem possible."

"There were many who felt that way at the time. When they first invaded, it almost seemed like a joke but the speed and efficiency with which they made their way to the capital soon dismissed such sentiments. The march of Praxis seemed unstoppable and no one could stand against their might. They may have once been a small nation but their people are talented and the black rock gave them an edge that no one expected. To say they changed the nature of warfare is an understatement."