CHAPTER IV
SMOKEY RISES AND SHARP
BLACK LEAVES
Gaumond is a massive city fortress of many, many levels.
Yes, the Black Forest surrounds the entirety of it like a thick, dark green blanket, but the city rises from above the tree-tops with numerous walls of black granite encircling the whole capitol.
The entry gate is huge, its dark bars looming overhead as our whole company rides under the banners of the Court of Warriors.
Hundreds of shops and vendors greet us through the ground-level gate, but instead of selling the typical trinkets and food you’d see in any other city, all of the shops are melding pieces of black granite into various functions.
Tools clang against the stone to create weapons, armor and intricate slabs that’ll no doubt be fashioned to buildings, while other shops are crafting jewelry and making everyday household items like pots and pans out of the stone.
Everything around us just seems to revolve around the black granite and the blacksmiths who wield it, with every hardened worker in this portion of the city moving with that Warrior purpose.
Crates of fire can be seen lining every shop and road, their red flames reflecting off all the black buildings beautifully and lending a fiery glow to every corner.
There’s so much going on that I barely notice we’re traveling at a gradual incline through the city, the main road slanting up a path until we’ve reached another massive wall that encircles the next section.
We pass under a second gate and meet a new rise that’s completely surrounded by wood, the change to this portion of the city from the last completely striking…
Where the buildings of the first rise were made of the Warrior black granite, the buildings on this rise are primarily made of wood and fashioned in the likeness of large and daunting cottages.
There’s tree everywhere, as if the people of Gaumond didn’t want to forget about the Black Forest that surrounds them, and between those small woods are numerous stables filled with more horses than I could count.
Most of the vendors are crafting wooden bows and other weapons made of wood, while all the large fires along the road have food cooking over them as the scent of pepper dusts the air.
Barnes takes his leave on this rise and bows to the Prince brothers at the front, tuning down a well-lit path filled with torches and beautiful homes into a residential area that’s much quieter than the main road we’re traveling on.
The rest of us continue the steady trek up the incline until we reach another wall and gate, this one catching me by surprise as it opens itself to a large, rolling green hill.
In every direction around us, the land is covered in green, with the hill gradually falling to our left until it plateaus out into a lush plain of even more grass.
There’s no homes or shops or taverns on this rise.
Instead, at the bottom of the hill are lengthy rows of training barracks, exercise arenas, and multiple targets stationed for bow practice.
Many Discerni and human soldiers are on those arenas now, their bodies moving with precision as they practice drills using the broadsword this Court covets.
Past the barracks and the training arenas is a small forest that follows along the full circumference of the wall, the dense trees rising well above the height of the black granite and fading into the shadows of the night, truly resembling the forest that lays just beyond the city.
I watch in amazement as a Warrior Discerni just on the outskirts of that forest raises his arms in the air. The movement lifts a large boulder from the ground and guides it with the sway of his palms, the rock balancing above his head as if with practiced ease.
“Is that man lifting a boulder with his summoning?” I ask no one in particular, my eyes going round.
“He is,” Alanna slows her horse besides mine.
For once I’m not annoyed to see her face.
“Lord Daniel,” she offers, “one of the strongest of our Court.”
I shake my head in awe and watch as the Lord steps forward in attack. The boulder flies straight overhead and hits a large tree in the forest, the crack of the stone hitting the wood so deafening that it sends a thunderous boom up the rise.
“Can all Warrior Discerni summon like that?” I ask in wonder.
The sight is both mesmerizing and terrifying, and I find myself unable to look away as he repeats the motion again.
Alanna’s cool grey eyes narrow on mine. “As I’m sure it is in Knowledge, only the strongest of Discerni can summon.”
Of course I knew that, but my astonishment got the better of me.
While all of the Discerni in the Kingdom of Disce possess magic, only the strongest of them can summon.
The typical magic that lives within the Discerni allows for them to perform simple, everyday tasks that cater to the elemental earth of our Kingdom.
But in some instances that magic can manifest into something more powerful, oftentimes at a young age, and when it does it’s a tell-tale sign that a Discerni will be strong enough to summon.
Lord Daniel, if I can guess from the show below us, found his summoning in the stone and rock of the earth, manipulating it to his will in a way not many can do.
And while summoning isn’t rare in Disce, it’s also not common, and those that are powerful enough usually align themselves within the army or take various titles of Sirs and Lords throughout the Kingdom.
King Zander is able to summon, as can Troy.
Both of them summon the thoughts and feelings from the mind so long as their feet and the others are resting on earth.
That gift of magic is rumored to pass along in the Bardot family line, a branch of summoning that came directly from one of their ancestors who struck a deal with one of the Ancient Ten, Sianoa.
I also know from rumors that both Prince Keane and Desmond can summon, and it’s even whispered that the eldest son of the Bardots is the strongest Discerni in over eight centuries.
“Is it only the rock he manipulates or can he move more of the earth?” I ask Alanna, glancing back at Lord Daniel as I envision him flinging a tree through the air.
The blonde Discerni scoffs. “Is the boulder not enough for you, human?”
“It’s definitely more than enough,” I nod fervently, “it’s outright amazing.”
“It is,” she replies, giving me a rare smile.
We continue to ride next to each other at the back of the group and move up the incline towards another encircled wall and gate.
The massive castle of Gaumond bursts into view once we pass through, the black of its facade both imposing and proud like it’s trying to warn and welcome us at the same time.
Everything about it is mesmerizing… a castle unlike anything I’ve seen before in my life.
There’s hundreds of twists and turns that protrude from the black granite and reach for the clouds in open challenge, the castle extending itself with towers, stairs and glass windows that are larger than anything I’ve seen before.
The whole of it is ominous and lively, dark and yet sparkling.
It’s a contradiction of a castle that I have no word for yet…
I have to pull my eyes away because the main road on this new rise suddenly becomes so dense that it feels like we’re riding through an outdoor festival.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the heart of the city, as every person that walks past us is bustling in a way that reminds me of a darker Palisades.
There’s a shift in the air. Energetic and lively.
Though it still surprises me when I see that almost everyone is walking around with mugs in their hands.
They dip between pubs and greet neighbors at their homes, take simple strolls past the stores with their arm’s slung over their friend’s shoulder.
Everyone is talkative and joyful as if they know everyone else, the smiles and downright friendly faces never ending no matter where I look.
There’s a difference here than there is in the Palisades, and I’m starting to think it’s attributed to the Discerni and humans that call this rise home.
The pubs that we pass by are more raucous and rowdy than anything I’ve seen before, so much so that it puts Brierman to shame.
Voices yell from inside the taverns, the doors swinging open as clanking mugs and glasses greet us loudly from the road.
The early night is in full swing, with every single person embracing the call to just live.
I laugh as I spot a drunken Discerni male standing outside one of those loud pubs, his wobbly stance swaying under a door marked Mary’s Tavern. His arm is flanked around another drunken human man in tight embrace, the two of them laughing as they both salute their ale and decide where next to go.
It’s a rare scene to watch, the sight of a Discerni and human so affectionate with eachother, and it’s one that I look on with both confusion and happiness. I’m not accustomed to this type of exchange- The two men look like they’re friends who’ve just had the time of their lives.
“I want to stop here,” I say aloud.
Alanna glances at me in shock, her grey eyes roaming over the pub and back on me with quiet suspicion and hesitation. I give her a look that lets her know I’m going with or without her company, then steer Millie into the crowd and away from our group.
I think the Discerni sees my commitment because she quickly urges her horse to follow mine.
“We can go in,” she glances at the group disappearing down the road with a frown, “but we don’t have much time. They’ll notice we’re not with them once they reach the castle.”
I send Alanna a grin and watch her roll her eyes, her head tilting to the side as she angles her horse down a small alley to the right of the pub.