Divided Nation

Smuggled

"There are ships on the south side of town. We get in one of those, they'll go anywhere in Gala for the right amount of gold. We'll be out of this Landfall by sunrise."

       We walked through the crowded square of the town as we made our way towards the docks. As far as I was concerned, the Titan's had gave up on us and had headed back to the safety of the castle. 

      Apparently this small fishing town had sprung up right after the First Invasion. We had talked to a couple locals after we were sure that the Titan's weren't following us anymore. Turns out, the town was at the very base of the landfall, where it connected with the mainland. The Golden Sword army had marched through a couple weeks ago, on their way to siege the Landfall, and had taken a load of supplies with them.

      There was a Golden Flag banner raised above the tiny town walls, but there was no garrison in sight. They must have brought all of their forces for the siege. There was no point in leaving valuable soldiers behind to garrison an insignificant town.

      Despite the Blood Fever, the townspeople were still gathered in large droves on the market square, still going about their business. There was a large funeral pyre at the center of the square, but there seemed to be no bodies around it and it hadn't seemed to have been lit in a while.

      Finally, we escaped the crowded corridors of the town center and approached the docks. It was about equally as crowded here, but the smell of meat and vegetables was replaced with salt and fish. All around, venders shouted from their small booths, selling fish and clams.

      "Fresh from the sea," The shouts could be heard, "Best in town! Best clams in town!"

     "Over there," Denver whispered to me over the noise, "That ship. The one with the blue tarp over it."

      I nodded and we made our way towards the ship. It was a very average size fishing vessel, nothing special, but that was probably the reason Denver had chosen it. We needed a way out from the Yellow Kingdom, back into Central Gala.

      "We need a ride," He told the fisherman running the booth, "Two passengers, to Windseeker."

       "Windseeker you say?" The fisherman replied, looking up from unloading his fish, "We're not doing rides there anymore. Only the west and the Regime. That's it."

      "Why not?" I asked, "What happened?"

     "Have you been living under a rock?" He replied.

       "Of a sort," I muttered.

      "The war's turned," He said, "Word is that King Harken died. Blood Fever they're saying, but it's more probable that it was poison. The White Kingdom forces have withdrawn from Birch Hill for his funeral."

       "That's fine," Denver said, "Didn't King Kyxio send thousands of fresh riders to the East? They should've been able to fill in the temporary gaps that the White Kingdom left."

       "Normally, aye," The fisherman resumed unloading his net, "If Harken had any sons. Which he doesn't. Sir Bryden has assumed the crown."

      "The White Hammer?" I asked, "That's impossible. It's treason."

       "Not when it's war," He said, "The White Kingdom turned. The separatist's eastern front has collapsed. They've retreated back to the ruins of GoldRidge. But Woodsford Keep remains unconquered. Sir Bryden's got most of the White Kingdom's army under him, but there are still loyalists inside the island. They're holding down the fort for now."

      "Without Woodsford Keep, Bryden can't lead his troops south," I realized, "But the Eastern fronts collapsed."

     "Aye," The fisherman confirmed, "They're saying the wars as good as over. The central separatists have abandoned the Outpost, Amberstone Hall, and now they're making a stand at GoldRidge. The State army is as good as burnt out. The Beige and Purple might be able to make some difference, but even during the Uprising, couldn't stand against the Regime."