Poe stopped when he approached the carriage; the blinds were up and it was clearly empty.
"Something happen to Abby last night that I should know about?"
Sven looked down with the wry smile and shook his head.
"She rode on ahead to check on your patient."
Poe climbed up and sat for a minute to take in the cemetery and surrounding miles of stones and winged figures along with the foliage which also appeared thicker here with warped brush that spread out to act as a natural barrier wall of sorts.
"She didn't need her beacon?" Poe mused as he pulled out his pipe to light it.
"Past that tree line, our escort is no longer required if you've been here and they know that you're coming."
Poe nodded.
"Makes sense, I suppose."
He snapped the fresh horses into action as they moved through the dark edge of the ring and out into the open air of flattened grasslands.
The area was so open that it almost seemed strange the further that they crossed into it.
He had also begun to notice several odd rounded white stones placed at regular intervals across the plain amongst short grasses that would offer little or no cover.
Even the roadway seemed hard enough to show little or no track from their passing.
In the distance a small range of rock outcropping jutted up and out of the middle of the open field behind the unmistakable straight line of a man made wall.
Poe suddenly realized what the white stones had been for; they were crossing was an open range marked for easy targeting and distance measurement.
"Mighty hard to miss someone who might otherwise be in a hurry to leave without proper permission ..." He mused.
Flicker of intermittent flash along the wall also indicated that they were being watched with glasses or possibly scopes.
More likely scopes than glasses Poe corrected himself.
Detail of the wall's massive size became clear as they neared it, with gargoyle busts that protruded along the top ledges at regular interval to give clear warning to any unplanned visitors.
Black banners flew as flags while he noticed the hint of helmets of the wall guards that watched their approach from secure locations.
Poe could only whistle in awe.
"It would seem that someone took a design page from a certain wall that you mentioned not so long ago."
Sven chuckled.
"They built walls Hadrian himself could only wish that he'd been able to build. LaRouchette was never known as a supporter of that particular individual back in the day, even when he was under the man's ugly thumb."
Poe estimated that it cleared more than twenty five feet, the surface smooth and flat, broken only for the arch that contained the main gates.
Above the arch were yet more soldiers that watched them approach.
A helmetless woman appeared amongst them, clearly in charge as they parted and made room for her.
Dark hair fell across what looked like black armor.
"Who's the boss?" Poe asked in a side whisper.
"That would be Rubicon." Sven replied casually before he slowly stood and Poe reined the horses to a halt.
YOU ARE READING
Blood-Born
ParanormalWelcome back to the Weird Wild West The streets here are dusty and lead often runs hot as the women are fast and the cards prove even faster. All around you there are people who are not as they appear and others who watch them. Supernatural and mor...
