A Fractured Land (Working Title)

Part 4

With Leah and I waving to our father until we could no longer see him, we made our way through the apple orchards that we'd spent so many years climbing in, followed by the fields of carrots in which my sister and I had competed in hundreds of competitions for who could find the largest carrot. I could tell that Leah was reading my thoughts.

"Feels like yesterday." She said, distantly.

"Even sooner than that." I replied.

The wagon was large enough for the two of us to have plenty of personal space, with two long benches down each side, a length that allowed for the comforts of prostrate sleeping, The cart wasn't fancy, but it was built sturdily, and though I knew the road to be in slight disrepair, it seemed that the axles were absorbing much of the shock from the rivets in the road. Callum had told me about the expensive carts you could buy in towns further from Smalltown; if I remembered correctly, the mechanisms they had begun inserting into the axles of more expensive carts were called "shocks." After this train of thought, the reasoning behind the name finally clicked.

Because these wagons were built for longer distances than the cheap wagons built in Smalltown, meant only for journeys between towns, there was a wall of wood meant for the driver of the wagon to lean back on during extended trips. This same wall of wood allowed for a bit of privacy in the bed of the wagon. I realized that Leah and I could take another look at the book before we reached our destination, if we so desired.

"How far to Velstand?" I shouted to the dispatch.

"Three days' ride. We'll be spending the nights in Riverwood and Perivale, and joining with larger companies in that time, en route to Velstand. Your lodgings have already been arranged." The dispatch almost sounded as if he was reading from a script.

"Larger companies?" I wondered aloud, looking at Leah, who looked as curious as I felt.

"Yes, sir. We'll be meeting the rest of our train in Smalltown, and linking up with four other trains at Riverwood." The dispatch answered.

"Wagon trains?" Leah asked, "Is it just safer to find a group of people to travel with?"

"No, ma'am, these trains were designed by the Goddess. She took great care to make sure she gets what she needs." Our driver explained.

"What she needs?" I asked.

"I'm just a driver. I don't know what this is all about. But I've been traveling this land since, oh, before you were born, and I've never seen this many carts on the roads at once. They built 'em quick, too." I heard the dispatch slap the wood of the cart, "Ain't a damn pad anywhere on this thing."

"Are there more comfortable carts?" Leah posed.

"Yes ma'am, this is the cheapest model they make in the city." Our driver said, "I'm just glad they've started putting shocks on all of 'em."

"Perivale... isn't that a ghost town?" Leah asked the dispatch.

"Was. Getting bigger." The dispatch replied dryly.

Leah could feel me looking at her, wondering how this random bit of information found its way into her mind. "Egan grew up in Velstand. His family moved to Smalltown when he was young, and I forced him to tell me about the cities he passed through. He said Perivale could hardly even be considered a town when he passed through."

I remembered Callum telling a story about when he'd visited Riverwood with a group of the Soturi before he joined. He said it was the center of trade with the Rölnik and Velstand, so there was more kinds of food than you could possibly imagine there.

"Riverwood is a large town, I've heard. Why are we stopping in Perivale?" I inquired.

"Route of the convoy." The dispatch said, "I don't make the orders. Just follow 'em."