CHAPTER V #5
Golem nods as we ride into the bustling city made of black granite.
We navigate through the busy roads and pass under the gate leading to the training rise, my smile widening when I spot Hollis aiming his bow at a set of targets while his brother spars in one of the arenas with another Discerni man.
Down the rolling green hill and past the barracks, I glace at the forest just beyond and smile again when the black reflection of the Shadow Oak shines from the tree line.
I’ll see you tonight, I salute in greeting.
Down the hill and through another set of gates has us riding into the rise of wood and smoke.
The village here is heavily populated and curiously fascinating, truly seeming to dedicate itself to the craftsmanship and use of only wood.
There’s people selling different bows and arrows at every corner, others with homemade wooden items that can be used in the kitchen.
Thick trees are carted around by horses, their trunks lifted and placed before shops so that the men can chop them down for kindling.
Chickens and roosters are bounding about aimlessly, most of them being chased by kids as their parents urge them to secure the animals better in their wooden pens.
Everything is just wooden residences next to wooden shops, the only part of Gaumond not completely riddled in black granite fixtures.
We finally arrive at the lowest rise, the one that reminded me so much of a blacksmith’s haven on our arrival.
The sound of stone clanging against stone fills the air like some sort of heavy music, while the same wooden carts from the rise above are now carrying slabs of black granite down the roads.
Countless iron grates filled with fire are littered along every shop corner and side alley, the kids all running around and jutting past the flames as if they’re used to the heat.
Broadswords of every size and thickness are being molded between hammers and stone, the clanking maintaining a steady rhythm like the beat of a heart at every turn.
I take the ride slowly and just appreciate the midday commotion, enjoying the smell of campfire, metal and stone that never leaves the air. Eventually my stomach starts to grumble for a morning snack, so I stop for a small bite at a vendor who’s selling smoked peppered trout.
“You’ll be able to handle it,” the Discerni laughs when I ask her how much of the spice is used.
I cross my fingers and take a bite of the best thing I’ve ever tasted, groaning as the smokey taste of the fish mixes with the small amount of pepper.
I make a mental note of the location of her shop and promise the woman I’ll be back tomorrow morning.
Through numerous back alleys and hidden paths, Golem and I end up next in what looks to be a jeweler’s road.
The shops are all selling trinkets through their storefronts, most of the jewelry fashioned with the dark black granite and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
I dismount in front of one of those stores and leave Millie with Golem, chuckling when the magical creature looks uncomfortable as he holds her reins.
“She’s a gentle mare, Golem. If anything, you scare her more than she scares you.”
My magical friend sends me a scowl before I walk into the shop.
The place is cozy, lighted by the sunlight through the front window and a small fire set into the wall at the back of the store.
An elderly human woman greets me when I walk in, her grey hair pulled behind her face and showing off a neck adorned with the black jewelry she sells.
I smile in greeting and browse through her work, my eyes going wide as I look at the impressive pieces she’s created out of the dark stone.
Where Bardot and the Palisades’ jewelers all favor the shining gold around their gems, this shop uses the black granite as its main attraction.
The stone is buffed so raw that it reflects beautifully against the various jewels, the dark pieces truly looking nothing at all like the traditional gold jewelry of Knowledge, nor the dainty silver of Woodlands.
This jewelry is fit for a Warrior, the black cuffs and rings and daring necklaces all regal in their flare for the dramatic.
“Anything in particular you like?” the woman asks.
“I have a beautiful gold dress that I’ll be wearing tonight at court,” I reply, watching as she glances over my clothes.
The woman gives a nod in understanding and leads me to a small section of pieces that aren’t quite as daring as the others but still just as formidable.
My eyes immediately spot a pair of earrings that make me stare in disbelief, the black granite oak leaves almost uncanny in how similar they look like the Shadow Oak’s.
“Those,” I smile, admiring the thin streaks of gold around the leaves that outline the sharp curves, “they’re perfect.”
The woman smiles and lets me hold the jewels to my ears.
They’re a bit larger than what I typically wear, dangling off the bottom of my lobes in a bold statement, but they’re no less perfect.
They’re a perfect mix that pays homage to the Court of Warriors I’m visiting while still leaving a small golden reminder of the Knowledge that is my home. I pay the woman for them graciously.
Golem and I continue exploring the lower rise, Warrior’s Row, as called by the locals, until well after the noon apex.
I spend a good deal of that time watching all of the blacksmiths, fascinated by the work around me and how the men meld the black granite into different objects over their fires.
Every one of them seems to share a common love for the job, each of them smiling over the roaring flames and using their muscles to shape the stone and metal.
It’s a wholesome sight to see, one that I’m not soon to forget, as is the surprising new display that currently grips the Row’s attention.
A young man is on his knee in the middle of the main road, his soot-stained hand reaching out to a young brunette while a large crowd gathers around the two of them.
He smiles and speaks to her with a look of pure love in his eyes, a single red rose hidden behind his back while the other holds out a ring.
The woman cries and says yes as the full of the crowd cheers, the man quickly standing up and grabbing her with a kiss.
He dips her low and finally hands her the rose, the two of them looking back at eachother in pure happiness
Immediately, as if the people around the couple knew this event was going to take place, the full of the crowd begins to offer their own red roses to the woman in congratulations.
The woman walks down the road and accepts them all with the biggest grin on her face, the couple enjoying what is no doubt one of the happiest moments of their lives.
I engrain every detail of the display in my mind, every feeling of love that comes from the Discerni and humans who celebrate in attendance.
Even Golem is smiling at my side as I guide Millie back up to Castle Gaumond, our grins staying with us all the way until we arrive at what I’ve now dubbed as the soldier’s rise.
Holis and Mana join me when I reach the fields, the twins quietly smiling when I offer them company and a break from training. We find a decent tree to sit under and trade the small snacks we have packed in our bags.
“Have either of you been told when we’ll leave tomorrow?” I ask, still anxious for the travel ahead.
“I assume at dawn,” Holis replies, reaching over to grab one of Chef’s chocolates from my hands.
“There’s no way,” I shake my head, “everyone will still be drunk from court.”
“True,” he laughs, “I’d like to see how they tackle that.”
“As would I,” I sigh against the tree at my back.
The twins return to their exercises after our break, the two of them parting ways as Holis heads for the archery field again and Mana walks back into the small arena.
Golem, Millie and I remain under the tree in quiet contentment, the two of them standing next to me leisurely while I pull out my book for reading.
“Lady Alexis,” a voice pulls me from the text.
I look up at the man standing in front of me, his blonde hair shining in the sunlight.
“Lord Tadeo,” I nod in greeting, hiding my grimace with a small smile.
His eyes flick to the book in my hands as I quickly shield the title in my lap.
“How is your day so far?” I ask.
He looks down at me with a small smirk, his eyes flicking from the book back to my face.
“Better now that I’m talking to you. Did you enjoy your first night at court?”
“I did,” I nod in reply, though not in small part for actively avoiding you the whole time.
“And can we expect you again tonight?”
“I believe we will all be there, Lord Tadeo,” I flick my eyes to Mana and Holis in the fields behind him.
“Grand. I look forward to seeing you,” he grins.
I give him a tight smile and watch as his eyes land on my book again, the Lord saying nothing else as he walks away. I make sure he’s well out of earshot before I whisper to Golem.
“There’s something off about him, Golem.”
The magical creature nods in silent agreement.
“Are you ready to make our way back to the castle?” I ask, “we can stop at Marybeth’s for a drink and then head back up before the night starts.”
Golem nods as I stand up and move to Millie. The three of us head back up the hill towards the main road but turn around when a whistle calls from behind us at the barracks. I smile in my seat and spot Barnett waving at me next to a couple of his buddies
“I’ll see you tonight!” he yells.
“See you tonight!”
The men around him whoop and slap his back, pushing him around in a celebratory gesture as he nods to me from afar, his hazel eyes sparkling.
The tavern is busy when Golem and I walk in. I smile at Marybeth in greeting and meet her at the end of the pub counter, shaking my head at the many people inside that are already starting their day’s drinking.
“Alexis” she smiles, black hair flowing behind her as she reaches towards a barrel, “ale or toddy, love?”
“You remember my name,” I grin in appreciation, “ale, please.”
“It’s not every day two Knowledge humans walk into my pub and down their toddy straight,” she fills the mug and turns to drop it on the counter, “or out-smoke even my most seasoned patrons into the end of the night.”
“It was a good night,” I beam, remembering my time with Cal at the table.
And Keane.
Ancients. Can’t forget him.
I give her a few cinerin and turn behind me, pointing at Golem who’s standing near an empty table against a far wall. “That’s my friend, Golem.”
Marybeth takes notice of his face and robes with wide eyes, offering a deep bow of respect from behind the counter. Golem does the same in return before moving back into the shadows.
“You keep an interesting set of friends, Alexis,” she says thoughtfully, “the King’s Golem, a Prince, a ruggedly handsome mountain of a man, and my little sister.”
While I don’t know if I would consider Prince Keane a friend, I stand confused about her comment regarding a sister.
“Your sister?”
“Alanna,” her eyes meet mine in small amusement.
“I had no idea,” I shake my head, though not surprised by the revelation at all. I did notice the similarities between them on that first night.
Marybeth smiles as I take a drink of ale and cleans a few mugs with the towel at her hip.
“You two are so different from eachother,” I think aloud.
That prompts an airy laugh from the Discerni.
“Oh yes, that we are.”
I thank her for the ale and make my way to the table with Golem, once again pulling out my book and cracking it’s spine. I read all the way through a second ale and only stop when I notice the slight change in sunlight outside, the door to the pub opening and bringing in the setting sun with it.
The warm light is quickly blocked when a blonde man walks in and takes in the room around him. He glances over me and moves to sit at the counter in a familiar way I can’t place, his hand flagging down Marybeth as the woman takes his drink.
“The sun is setting, Golem. Are you ready to head back?
I turn in my seat and see his eyes fixated on the stranger that just walked in.
“Golem?” I frown.
The magical creature nods just as I stand and leave a few cinerin on the table. We both make our way to the door as I wave goodbye to Marybeth, then head down the alleyway to the stables under her townhouse.
It hits me, then, when I hoist myself into Millie’s saddle, that the man’s seated posture seemed so familiar because it reminded me of the blonde at the café in the Palisades… the same man I thought I saw following me outside the window from the clothing boutique.