CHAPTER IX #2
“Rumors,” Keane repeats, “I’ve never seen anything that alludes to it being true, outside of the fortress.”
“Oh,” I frown in my seat.
“But you do get to see that, Lady Alexis,” Lord Daniel looks my way curiously, “you have the Greenstone Mountain in Bardot. I’ve been told the castle is built into it just as the fortress is here.”
Daniel gives me a look of genuine innocence, his question not meant as a snide.
“While Castle Bardot rests against the mountain,” I smile in agreement, “we do not have cities or full livelihoods living within it. There are a few meeting rooms, yes, and the stairs that lead up to the Palisades, but the true city rests on top of the mountain.”
“It would indeed be a sight to see,” he nods.
The sound of another large group ahead steals our attention down the road. Pyre’s bannermen ride towards us, their horses galloping to a slow as Keane and Desmond trot up to meet them. I glance back at Cal again and smile when he catches my gaze this time.
A total of eight Pyrenese men greet the two Princes, all of them wearing the same maroon undershirt and silver armor with their pants a deep red in color, almost black.
Keane clasps his hand on one of the men’s shoulders in familiarity as Desmond does the same, the three of them laughing at something from afar as we wait for their direction.
My eyes narrow on that man, wondering if he’s the Prince though noting that there is nothing overly regal that stands out about him.
The answer comes when Keane turns back around and addresses our group, the man whispering something to Desmond that actually makes the Master Informer smile.
“The soldiers will escort us through the gates of the city and to Fall Fortress,” Keane announces, “Prince McQuoid will greet us upon arrival while the Princess will meet us all at court later in the evening.”
We all nod and follow behind him and Desmond as the Pyrenese soldiers fan out within our group and ride with us. I ride side by side with Lord Daniel and notice that he’s looking at the ground below us in assessment.
“I’m in awe of your summoning, Lord Daniel,” I say quietly so that only he can hear.
A soldier comes up to ride beside us, his eyes trained on the road ahead.
Lord Daniel smiles at me, his brown eyes kind in their appreciation. “It’s taken many years to perfect but it still leaves me in awe as well, Lady Alexis.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the sight of magic,” I sigh, “and yours just keeps surprising me at every turn.”
He chuckles, “trust me, the elemental earth still surprises me to this day.”
I smile and look at the road ahead of us, watching as the soldier Keane and Desmond greeted is now riding alongside them and engaging in a friendly chat. They talk until a massive stone wall comes into view ahead, all three of them turning to the large archway that’s cut in the middle.
Through the archway and below a raised gate is the bustle of the city beyond.
There’s carts and people walking across the main road while the smell of campfire becomes more prominent in the air.
The sun is dipping low on the horizon, though my eyes immediately land on the vast mountain that rests as a background to the sky.
The mountain is dominating and white, so massive in its expanse that it towers over the town below without an end in sight.
The buildings of this city are cut in stone and wood, while fires dance in every direction and the large maroon banners of Pyre fly with the cold breeze.
The city actually reminds me a bit of Gaumond with its flames and banners, but it doesn’t have the steep incline or the many levels of buildings that are made of black granite.
Everything here is mostly flat, with the shops and homes never reaching over a single story.
The sweet smell of cold berries in the air mixes with the burning of the wood, and I watch as small red cranberries are passed along from vendor to patron over pieces of bread.
Walnuts are seen roasting over fires, the slight smell of cinnamon and sugar reaching my nose and reminding me of home.
It’s a beautiful smell to accompany the simple surroundings, though it’s not as cozy as Fumagalli or as lively as Gaumond.
I watch in astonishment as the mountains beyond begin to creep higher and higher into the sky. The white mass is unforgiving on the horizon and truly a sight to see, but I find myself yearning for the deep greens of our own forests and woods.
My eyes peel off the landscape to look at all the Pyrenese walking the road with us.
Where I’m bundled in two different layers and a cloak, both the kids and adults are walking around in shirts and pants with no other clothing needed.
They also look a lot alike, with their skin light and their hair auburn, red or brown in shade.
The men have a lot of facial hair, probably to cover their faces from the cold around us, while the women all host their hair down their backs in thick braids and intimate twists throughout the front.
There’s no distinguishing features on their faces as there are with our Discerni, nothing that tells me if they are human or magically gifted, though I do start to notice the fire under the arms of some of the men and women, mostly on those who wear cropped shirts or dresses.
Actually, there’s no mistaking those flames now.
I know without a doubt that what I saw on the handful of Pyrenese that have visited Bardot was the fire I’m seeing in this city. The flames dart across their arms in red swirls and move in different patterns and strength under their skin, each set of flames unique to that individual.
We ride on through the town until a thick white layer starts to take over the ground below us. I stare at the mounds of frost at the side of the road and smile in awe, loving the way it surrounds all the buildings in a soft embrace.
“This is snow?” I whisper to Lord Daniel, staring at a pile at the foot of one of the homes.
“It is,” his light brown eyes twinkle in response.
I look at the white layer in wonder and pat Millie’s neck, reminding myself to unpack a blanket for her when we get to the stables. The cobblestone road begins to narrow just as we turn a bend, the sound of running water filling the air and splashing up ahead.
To the left is a raging stream that cuts through the homes around it, the deep blue strong in its current and hitting against stone walls that directs its movements south.
Our group continues to ride parallel to the stream as it grows wide into a larger river, and end up following it all the way to a bridge that juts over the gushing water.
“Fall Fortress,” Lord Daniel tilts his chin forward.
I turn and look ahead, my mouth nearly dropping at the sight as the fortress comes into view.
Hundreds of large openings span along the mountainside at every level, each of them serving as windows to the city below.
Torches flame alongside the snowy peaks as verandas push out of the mountain, the stone ledges acting as balconies for people to gather outside.
In fact, if I squint my eyes hard enough, I can see people on those balconies now, most of them laughing and socializing around bonfires of red.
Different towers and structures protrude from the mountain’s front, as if someone decided that they also wanted a space to be outside and with the fresh air.
The full of the mountain almost reminds me of the Palisades, but where our buildings are constructed at the very top, this fortress is built into it.
And that’s not to take away from the massive waterfall in the middle of those structures, its water falling down from the snow-covered peaks and feeding into the strong river that runs through the city now behind us.
“We have to ride under that fall to enter the fortress,” Lord Daniel notes, catching my glance.
“Under?” I ask in astonishment, stroking Millie’s neck.
Lord Daniel smiles and nods his head, his hand coming out to his front as he points down the road.
“We’re coming up on it now. See how the road turns left and disappears from view? It bends behind the fall…”
Keane, Desmond, and the Pyrenese soldier are the first to lead our group down that bend behind the fall. All three of them disappear into a thin cloud of mist that rises from the massive pool of water below.
I turn to Lord Daniel and see him watching me with that twinkling kindness still in his eyes, his smile beaming as he reassures me of our steps. He clicks his tongue at the horses and leads us along the path as the water falls loudly to our left.
Almost instantly, my face and body are coated by that thin sheen of mist. The thickness in the air hides Daniel from my view for a moment, but the Discerni Lord appears when we reach the other side of the bend.
Keane and Desmond are there as well, as is another man, the three of them sitting tall and proud atop their horses and waiting for the rest of the group to pass through.
I peer at the new man next to Prince Keane.
He’s large, wearing a simple pair of worn-down riding boots and pants that look like they’ve seen better days.
The beaten down fabric is then paired with a rich, black fur coat that falls over his shoulders, the ensemble leaving his whole chest naked and exposed to the air around us.
His chest is pale and accentuates the muscles moving down his abdomen, while a large, faded scar juts across the tip of his heart and works its way down towards his hip.
He also has red flames darting under his skin, except they’re much stronger and vibrant than anyone else’s I saw in the city.