The First Book of Adeline: Freedom

Chapter 6: The Gates of Luskra

Adeline skipped down the lane, clearly excited. The trio of girls were getting close to Luskra, and Adeline was excited to see the city. Ophelia kept a careful eye on her; the mute girl had swung from excited to sobbing, sobbing to panicked, and back again without warning. Isabel guessed – and Ophelia agreed – that her circumstances before they'd met her had a great deal to do with that.

Ophelia found it difficult to worry too much, however; the young girl frequently assured them she was feeling much better than she had, and the continued trader's tongues leesons with Isabel had a very visible positive impact on both of them.

One afternoon, Adeline stopped suddenly, gasping like a [six-year old at Christmas], pointing excitedly at a tree before sending a flurry of hand gestures at Isabel.

Looking where the young woman had pointed, Isabel asked, "You mean the iridescent blue hummingbirds?", simultaneously moving her hands to say the same thing.

Adeline nodded, repeating the motion for hummingbirds, watching them flit around the flowers on the tree in awe. After only a moment, it flew away, satiated.

Adeline reached after it briefly, her shoulders slumping as it left. Isabel simply harrumphed. "I'm sure more will show up as we go along. Especially with your..." Isabel trailed off as she and Ophelia stared, awestruck, as three of the bright blue creatures flitted over to Adeline. Her face lit up like the sun at noon day, and she began laughing. She held out her hand, and one of the hummingbirds perched half a second on her finger before all three wove around her head and flew back into the glade.

Ophelia whistled softly, and Isabel mused, "You'd think I wouldn't be surprised by things like this anymore. How many times has she befriended this creature or that?"

All Ophelia could do was shrug. She'd thought Evania back in Ohmli had been gifted around animals, but this...this was something else. Whatever force was letting this happen, Ophelia thanked it from the bottom of her heart; she'd grown to care for their new friend over the month they'd been together, and she knew one of Adeline's few joys were the creatures they came across.

She laughed to herself as she remembered the [banana] spider Adeline had found and started carrying around. Isabel refused to get within twenty feet of the girl while the massive thing was perched on her shoulder.

Adeline began signing rapidly to Isabel. *They were so flower! Have you ever seen anything like them before?*

"This," *flower*, "doesn't mean 'beautiful'; it means 'flower'. 'Beautiful' is like this," Isabel corrected, causing the younger girl to blush in embarrassment as she practiced the correct motion several times. "But yes, I do think they were quite beautiful."

As they camped that night, the lights of a city appeared some ways off, although much closer than Ophelia would have guessed. "Almost there," she whispered to Isabel, hope bleeding into her voice.

"Hmph." Isabel was less certain. "Why should it be any different than Palreti was?"

Ophelia fought for something to say. "But Luskra's supposed to be the [City of Dreams]," she finally protested.

"And Palreti's the Great Crossroad," Isabel snorted. "I don't trust trader's tales or fancy names. We'll just take what we can get, I suppose."

Ophelia nodded simply, trepidation setting in as she stared at the lights in the distance.

Late the next afternoon, the trio began passing shanties and dirty-looking shops. Ophelia noted that most of the people they passed glared at them with sunken eyes, drab clothes always stained and dirty. Adeline began visibly shaking, and Ophelia kept her hand near the row of daggers on her belt.

After passing through the slums, the three girls stood before the gates to the city proper. They could see the buildings inside had been built with care, as opposed to the slapped-together lean-tos they'd seen coming in, and what people they could see walking the paved streets were much better dressed; even the air itself seemed less despondent.

Approaching one of the guards, Isabel declared, "I have business with Lord Vahd. Where would I locate his residence?"

The guard gave the three of them an appraising look, and scoffed, "What business would three country bumpkins like you have with him?"

Isabel's eyes narrowed. She stepped up so her face was in the guard's, ignoring the few inches height advantage he had over her, and stated coldly, "I am Isabel Coursande, representing my father, the late Artovian Coursande, a personal friend and business partner to Miseur Vahd." Pulling out the ring Adeline had seen her with before, she added, "If you need proof, here it is," shoving it in the guard's face.

The guard put his hands up and stepped back, saying, "Just asking. If he throws you out, that's on him, not me." Turning towards the city, he said, "You'll want to take Janten Boulevard south out of town. His name is on the gate, hard to miss, about a half mile past the south gate."

Isabel nodded tersely then swept past him, Adeline and Ophelia hurrying to keep up. The taller girl noticed that Adeline was looking at her with renewed awe – probably because of her bluff with the ring. Isabel chose to ignore that for the moment – there would likely be time for explanations later, especially if things worked out the way she hoped.

Several blocks down, Isabel noticed a small clothier and stepped in, casting only a cursory glance at the wares. A woman in her early- to mid-twenties with soft red hair appeared from a row of dresses along the southeast wall and asked, "We're actually closed today; did you need something?"

Isabel took the pack from Ophelia and said, "We need to change out of our travel clothes. Do you have a changing room we could use briefly?"

The woman deliberated for a moment, before inviting them deeper. "Just here in the back." Isabel nodded to Ophelia, who grimaced and grabbed the one dress she'd let Grandma Meranne fit to her.

As Ophelia was changing, the woman asked, "So, where are you all from? This is just a hunch, but I'm guessing you're not from around here."

Isabel hesitated a moment before answering. "We're... from the north. Adeline, here, is actually from a farm just a week or two's travel north of here, but my friend Ophelia and I..." She paused, inhaling deeply before she continued, "We're from the Northlands - we grew up in a village that used to be on an island just above the Quainsmark. Although... now..."

A moment of silence hung over the group, making Adeline squirm a bit. After processing, the woman nodded once to herself and asked, "So this young woman is Adeline, and Ophelia is the name of the girl who is changing. What is your name?"

"Isabel. Isabel Coursande. And yours?"

Tipping her head, the woman replied, "Marina; the proprietor of this dress shop. A pleasure to meet you, Adeline, Isabel."

Adeline nodded shyly, averting her gaze. Isabel also simply nodded, leaving another moment of awkward silence before Marina asked, "Well, what's brought you all the way to Luskra? That's not an easy journey; I'm sure there were other places you could have gone. Do you and Ophelia have family down here, perhaps?"

Adeline noticed Isabel grimace slightly before the older girl replied, "Not exactly. My father had a close friend - kind of a friend to the whole family, actually - who has a home down here, and spends most of his time here when he's not on business. I'd hoped to find him and see if he would take us in, or at least help us find work in the city."

Marina nodded to herself. "Bold plan, but logical, too. I like it. Perhaps I could help you track him down; I've owned this business for a while now, and have become acquainted with a fair number of the businessman who come in and out of the city regularly."

Isabel thought a moment then shrugged. "I definitely wouldn't say no, although I do have directions to his house. Are you familiar with a gentleman named Vahd?"

The air seemed to instantly freeze around them, nothing moving as first shock, then worry covered Marina's face.

"Vahd - you don't mean Vahd Argrist, do you?"