Elysium

Chapter 19: Riverport

In a way, it had all started with a river. With the river flowing through my university town; the river in which I once drowned, only to be pulled into the dark void of the universe, and then awakened anew by the titans. The river took, but it also gave. The sea stream - which Brynhilde had described as a river flowing in the sea - had transported the lifeboat of the Nautilus, and us with it, until we arrived at the Secret Brotherhood's island. And once we had flown to Elysium, the river had rescued us from the teeth of the raouhs and carried us to the vicinity of the mahi village. Another river - or was it the same one? - had saved us from the Palatine raid to the Silver Smile tavern and taken us to the meadow. That river - this same one - was now carrying us from the Fishermen's Lodge to Riverport.

We were still outside of the town, in the realm of herons and kingfishers, but as we gradually proceeded downstream, we saw an increasing number of jetties and small huts hidden in the reedbeds on both sides of the river, indicating the gradual spreading of people from Riverport further upstream. The closer to the city Dovakin's boat puffed along with its old, smoky engine, the fewer pelicans or egrets we saw, and the fewer turtles dropping into water from the riverbanks, and the more we saw reedbeds mowed and harvested for building materials of reed huts, the more openings cut in the forest, and the more debris floating in the river. Though it gave me hope to see people thrive in the new world, the inevitable damage they inflicted on these pristine landscapes made me feel a bit sad.

Riverport wasn't a grand city in itself. It was a small town about the size of Anay. It was, however, very different by its character. Riverport was primarily a trading post, the terminal for larger riverboats arriving from Sangriala. From here, you could go further upstream only with smaller vessels. Therefore the riverboats brought goods, produced in the capital and in the other more densely populated parts of Elysium, to Riverport, from where they were taken by caravans and by smaller boats to the bazaars of peripheral places such as Anay and Supa. Similarly, raw materials were brought from the province to Riverport, to be transported from there by riverboats for selling to satisfy the needs of Apion and Sangriala.

Riverport was a place where people always seemed to be either coming or going. One could think that such a lively trading post would produce wealth that would remain in the town, show in its buildings and infrastructure. Compared with this assumption, the town gave a rather dilapidated impression, unless one regarded the administrative palace and the Palatine station within, or the temple dedicated to Upe, a manifestation of the Goddess bathing in the sun-tinted river, or the villas of the wealthier trading houses, which gave the town some grandeur.

The administrative palace with the Palatine station was located in the town's interior, by the central square. The temple, on the other hand, was demonstratively located on the opposite bank of the river, and one had to cross by boat or by ferry, because the town had not wanted to obstruct the access of riverboats by building a bridge. The buildings of trading houses rimmed the centre-side riverbank along with floating riverboats, many of which served as restaurants, bars, or brothels. Along the Corniche there were similar establishments also in the permanent buildings, lined by the river together with the offices of more modest trading houses, a pharmacist named Mandrake, as well as storage and dock houses. The streets leading from the Corniche to the town's interior were narrow and shady but covered with cobblestone in the same way as in Anay.

We had set out from the Fishermen's Lodge early in the morning in faint drizzle. The journey went on mostly in silence. Dovakin stood at the helm, the pipe sticking out of his mouth even when he didn't smoke. Zoria provided a skilful helping hand, staying mostly quiet. She'd been on seas. The girl kept hiding under her hood and seldom smiled, but she liked Roland's company and he smiled for both of them.

Mary and I sat on one side of the boat, Max and Brynhilde on the other. We watched the riverside scenery, animals and birds. Mary's eyes had that look - simultaneously calmly contemplative, yet constantly worried. Occasionally, we asked Bry for names for the creatures we saw. Sometimes she knew, sometimes she didn't.