6. Jack
SIX
JACK
Jack tore his gaze from the city wall. He looked at his father, expecting him to explain.
“Here we go.” Marcus ignored his son’s questioning eyes. “They’re letting us through. Try not to fall off your saddle.”
Sure enough, the guards at the gate were motioning them forward.
Jack let Cherub fall in line with the rest of the horses at a steady trot.
Passing through the gates, Jack wasn’t ready to take in the city of New Hope.
Every cobble-paved street led to a new sight.
With every turn deeper into the heart of the city, something else made Jack’s jaw drop.
Jack was used to small cities in the Outland—cities made from wood and hard red clay burned solid by the sun’s strong rays—but he had never seen a city fashioned from brick and metal.
Tall structures rose on every side of the packed streets.
Red, blue, green, and yellow smoke lifted into the air from a dozen factories.
Whistles blew and machines clanked along inside stores, creating whatever goods their masters sold.
Factories hummed under the constant supervision of their owners. The noise level was shocking compared to the silence of the Outland. People yelled to one another, carriages led by teams of horses clopped along the stone pavement, and vendors shouted their wares.
It was nothing like the Outland, and so much more than Jack could have imagined. He smiled as he was introduced to new sight after newer sight. He strained to pick up individual voices beyond the clamor.
“Extra! Extra! Read all about how the Queen has cleaned up New Hope!”
“Shadow spirits terrorizing villages! Buy your tried and tested Shadow Repellent here before becoming a member of the roaming dead!”
“Need a pair of goggles before venturing past the city walls? Be prepared for a sandstorm in the Outland!”
Jack could have spent days wandering around the city and still been content to wander longer.
In his eighteen years of life, nothing else compared.
He knew he should be startled, maybe even scared by the loud noises and the foreign magic-powered machines working in every window, but he wasn’t.
He wanted to see more. He wanted to get a better look inside the factories and at the machines that made the city run.
It was then that he made himself a promise. When their business was done with the Crown, he would get his father to stay in New Hope; maybe not forever, but for a while.
It was while he was thinking about how to overcome his father’s rebuttals to his new idea that the group turned a corner. Jack’s brown eyebrows shot to his hairline. His jaw dropped for what seemed the hundredth time since entering the city.
The royal palace looked like it could be a city in and of itself.
Domed roofs reached for the heavens, towers loomed overhead, and dozens of servants and soldiers ran across the courtyard.
There was a heavy iron fence surrounding the black and grey structure.
Once again, they were halted for security clearance.
“We’ll be walking from here.” Lieutenant Baker jumped off his horse and gave orders for his men to disperse. “It’s not far now.”
Jack and his father followed his example.
After so much riding, Jack was grateful for the break.
They walked with the lieutenant through the iron gate and across the extravagant courtyard.
The courtyard was massive, boasting a fountain in the center spilling forth water from a sculpted bat.
The statue was tall and ominous, its wings extended as if caught mid-flight.
The way the sun glimmered off the water gave the liquid a dull amber glow.
Jack wasn’t the most educated person when it came to art, but he could guess what the sculpture embodied. The fountain practically radiated strength and intimidation.
Flags flapped on the tops of every building carrying the same royal sigil of crossed swords behind a black bat that was also on every soldier’s uniform. The color chosen for the flag itself was a crimson red. The sigil stood for power, advancement, and prosperity.
Jack and his father followed the lieutenant up the long flight of stairs and to the main palace entrance. Guards saluted as they recognized Lieutenant Baker and opened both large doors for the trio to enter.
Dark wood floors draped by thick carpets swallowed their boots as they entered.
The wide halls were covered with portraits of New Hope and New Hope’s past leaders.
The ceiling was twice as high as any Jack had ever seen, but despite all of this, it was how the area was illuminated that stopped Jack and his father mid-step.
Villages and cities in the Outland relied on torches, candles, and lamps for light.
The inside of the Queen’s palace was devoid of any of these things and yet light still shone through the darkness.
Jack stared at tiny bulbs placed along the walls and ceilings of the palace.
The bulbs varied in dimension from the size of his fist to no more than the width of two of his fingers.
The bulbs themselves were no more than a thin glass holding what looked like nothing but pure white light. No visible source of fuel burned, but the light of a hundred candles emitted.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Lieutenant Baker smiled at his two guests. “I had a similar reaction when I first witnessed them.”
“What—what is it?” Marcus asked.
“It was accidentally developed by our weapons and armory specialist. It’s called mage light. Power enough to brighten even the darkest room.”
“This will be a turning point for mankind,” Marcus breathed.
The three men stood in the hall, each evaluating Marcus’ last comment.
“I know how beautiful it is, and trust me, I could stand here and talk about the Queen’s advancements for hours, but she is waiting.”
Jack and Marcus tore their eyes from the lights and looked at one another. They remained speechless as they continued to follow the lieutenant down the twisting halls of the palace.
A few moments later, they heard panicked wheezing and booted feet against the floor.
Lieutenant Baker stopped in his tracks, a gloved hand on the hilt of his sword.
He relaxed his grip as a group of four soldiers appeared and made their way down the hall supporting a large man who gasped and coughed with every step.
The soldiers supporting their injured comrade tried to do a half salute but stopped midway as another fit of coughs came from their wounded counterpart. As they passed, Jack could see the large man’s injuries better. He was grabbing at his swollen neck.
“Private Pia, a word?”
A female soldier trusted the weight she carried to the other three soldiers, who hurried down the hall. She saluted smartly. “Yes, Lieutenant Baker?”
“Who is that man and where exactly are you taking him?”
“It was Captain Sloan, sir.” Private Pia bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. “Ummm—this man volunteered to, uhhh—he volunteered for a sparring session.”
“I see.” Lieutenant Baker nodded, his eyes twinkling with understanding. “But why are you taking him through the palace halls? The medic office is on the other side of the stronghold.”
“Oh yes, sir. We tried going to the medic first, but they already have their hands full with soldiers involved in a bar fight earlier today. So we have to take him to the infirmary.”
“Bar fight?”
“Yes, sir. Not what you would think. They were on an assignment following orders. It seems they were in over their head. I’m sorry, but I don’t know more.”
“Thank you, Private. You are dismissed.” Lieutenant Baker and Private Pia saluted one another and she took off down the hall with a curious look at Marcus. Her eyes played across Jack’s shoulders and chest for a moment too long before she realized he was looking at her. She blushed and hurried off.
“I apologize for the scene. Usually, we don’t have injured soldiers being carried down the palace halls.”
“It happens.” Marcus shrugged.
As the three men continued their journey into the belly of the palace, Lieutenant Baker’s strides quickened.
“Okay, gentlemen, the Queen’s conference room is just ahead.
I’ll have to ask you to remove any weapons you may have.
I’ll take them and have them waiting for you in your rooms for the night. ”
“Rooms?” Jack repeated as he removed both pieces of his staff. “We’re staying here?”
“Of course. You are honored guests of the Queen. You will be invited to stay the night.”
Jack and his father handed over the staffs slung on their backs. Jack thought about how much had changed in the last few days.
One day you’re sleeping on the forest floor, thinking about where your next meal’s coming from, and now you’re in the Queen’s palace with mage light glowing from glass.
Jack shook his head and let air come from his lips in a low whistle. Soon Lieutenant Baker and the sorcerers stood in front of another door guarded by two large men wearing the Queen’s emblem and colors.
The lieutenant talked in a low voice with the men before he turned to address his guests. “Well, it looks as though our time has come to an end. I’ll make sure your weapons are in your rooms waiting for you. The Queen is expecting you.”
“Thank you,” Jack and his father said at the same time.
Lieutenant Baker smiled then retreated down the hall. The two guards in front of them opened the doors and ushered them inside without a word.