Death's Sword Book 1: Finding and Seeking

Chapter 14, part 2: Day 21 continued

"Well, boy, how much do you owe me now?" asked the gnome from his basket, as they approached the city walls that loomed over them. "Two hundred and thirty seven bu, seventeen maisu," replied Kleymin from memory, not bothering to cease scanning the area on either side of the road. They drew closer to the walls, entering their shadow already. Kleymin gazed up at the fortifications; they made Cheikatoma look like a childs' rendition of a castle. Here, the walls stated, here is a real castle. Here is strength; here is safety, if you are within; here is your doom, if you are without. "Vartansberg," stated Burrowwold, not looking impressed by the vast pile of masonry that glowered down upon them, "It looks in better shape than when last I saw it."

"When was that?" asked Kleymin, unable to take his eyes off the turrets, towers and arrow-slits that dotted the walls. He ignored the crowded shacks, tents and 'temporary' dwellings that clustered up to the walls away from the main gate-house to which the road led. "Oh, fifty years ago or more," replied the gnome, in an off-hand manner, "The tuigrahan had just tried to march a couple of their armies through here, in their usual murderous fashion. I decided that it was a good time to leave. Seems like things have settled down now, though."

The gnome quietly cocked the crossbow in his pannier, then made sure his kodachi to hand. The trio approached the main gate-house. A squad of ten guards stood beside the open gates, studying the travellers. Kleymin studied them in his turn. He noticed that their armour was plentiful and, like their weapons, made of iron. Their hands looked calloused and rough, used to handling their weapons. Grim warriors, who would be skilful and dangerous in a fight. The boy felt the weight and glow of Namarth at his hip, waiting for trouble.

The travellers eased in through the gate without being stopped. They rode in darkness for several second, with Kleymin measuring the thickness of the outer wall. He was impressed; over twenty-five metres. From the echoes and sounds of their passage, he detected numerous murder-holes and portcullis along the length of the tunnel. The gate would not prove an easy route into the city for an enemy, even for the ninjas he was sure would be on his trail by now.

Once through the passage, they found themselves in a comparatively narrow open space, gazing across at another wall, even higher and more substantial than the first. On either side, further walls, lower than the others, ran between the inner and outer defences. If an enemy broke through in one section of the wall, the protected walk-ways on each interior wall would enable the defenders to retreat to the inner wall in relative safety. Virtually the whole area was in shadow, the late afternoon sun already sinking low.

Feeling terribly exposed as they crossed the killing ground between the walls, the companions kept huddled closer together and hurried their mounts along. Two gates, each wide enough for a single wagon, stood open in each dividing wall, allowing glimpses of crowded streets and houses beyond.

The inner wall boasted another gate-house and a wider pair of gates, only one of which stood open. Burrowwold led them directly towards the inner gate-house, past two more guards who looked bored but still ran expert eyes over everyone. Kleymin noted that these, too, had the look of veteran warriors. Whoever ruled in this city obviously maintained a strict discipline.

The killing ground, as Burrowwold pointed out, was level and neatly tended, with no bushes or saplings to offer cover to any attackers. Small flocks of nearsheep cropped the tough reddish mountain grass, preventing even that from growing too tall. "With the way things are," muttered the gnome out of the side of his mouth, "I'd rather we were as far inside as we can get. Even though everything is much more expensive in there."

Kleymin agreed, "There's enough of a crowd to lose ourselves in here for a while. And who knows? Perhaps you'll find someone else to take money off and give my pockets a chance to recover." The gnome gave him a sharp look at this before grinning, spitting on the floor and saying, "Found another bit of good humour, have you? Well done, lad!"