Prophecies and Lies

Chapter Four

Sorry it took so long for me to write this. It was a busy weekend, I didn't get any writing done until today. This chapter is a bit small, I think, and not much is happening. I am not sure, perhaps I could have described some more...

Anyways, enjoy!

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          The night went by without any trouble, and although it had to be exhausting for Marc and Terrance, standing guard throughout the night with only the two of them, neither of them showed any sign of tiredness in the morning. Breakfast was served cold, so they would not spend too long on making a new campfire. Terrance seemed very driven to travel on as soon as possible, and with June's help, he quickly took down the tents. After that, they left the campsite.

          The horse in front of the wagon, a beautiful, black creature, pulled the cart without breaks. It barely showed any exhaustion. It must have been an expensive horse, Nadia noted, for it would be fit for a King—at least, if it wasn't so nervous all the time. Marc did not seem to mind it though; the driver simply guided the horse over the back roads without complaints.

          They made good speed, only stopping once for lunch, and eventually, still a long while before the sunset, the city of Oakes appeared at the horizon. The city walls, the towers—the large bell tower of the cathedral—grew higher and higher and they stared in awe as they came closer.

          Terrance began humming his cheerful tune, much to Maya's liking, and both Nadia and Steven joined in with their instruments. They were surprised to see a guard at the gate though; usually, at times of a festival, the city guard was not as watchful about who entered the city.

          “Do you expect something to happen at the festival?” they asked him.

          The guard barely answered, saying, “As a precaution, no weapons of any kind are allowed. You'd be wise to leave any swords, knifes, daggers, axes, bows, arrows, or warhammers at the gate.”

          “Warhammers?” Terrance said surprised, as Marc handed over his sword. “You must be joking. What is this—are you expecting a full invasion of the city?”

          “We cannot be too careful. The Captain said no weapons, so we make sure no weapons are allowed.” He glanced at the simple iron sword that Marc had given him, then to the instruments of the musicians. “But you look okay now. You may pass.”

          Marc spurred on the horse and drove the cart through the high stone gate, and into the city. It was very unlike Dew, the city with narrow streets, small houses and countless alleyways; Oakes was filled with all kinds of squares and broad streets, which made it easy to drive the cart through the town. Overhead hung ropes from one side of the street to the other, adorned by little flags of all colors, and the fronts of the houses were decorated with white sheets.

          “The holy light conquers all,” Terrance muttered as he watched the decorations. “They don't remember the days that it were other Gods that protected them from evil.”

          June glanced at her companion, and only now she realized that he was a heathen—he would not like the celebration of the Christian God. But before she could say something of it, he shrugged.