5. Jack
FIVE
JACK
That night, Jack and his father made camp beside the regiment of soldiers underneath the many stars of the Outland. Jack’s curiosity was running in a dozen different directions. He finally decided to voice his thoughts. “Dad?”
“Yes, son?” Marcus looked up from the whetstone he was using to sharpen his knives.
“Why do you think the Queen called for us?”
“I can’t be sure of the exact reason,” Marcus took a deep breath and pursed his lips.” But I’m guessing it has something to do with the skill set we possess.”
“You mean the Queen wants us to use our ability over magic for her?”
“Maybe. More than likely, the Queen wants something tracked in the Outland. She wouldn’t call us all the way to New Hope if it was a city matter.”
Jack finished setting out the bedrolls and squinted into the darkness. He looked past the soldiers’ campfires, past all the sand in the seemingly never-ending desert, and imagined a city in the distance.
“We’ll be there soon enough, son. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been to New Hope, but with the pace we’ve followed, we should see the city tomorrow afternoon.”
“Do you ever wish you had stayed? I mean, do you ever regret leaving the city?”
“No. It wasn’t a place to raise a family, and when I left, things were only getting worse.”
Something in his father’s tone made Jack hesitate. “Are you worried about what might be waiting for us when we get to the city?”
“Not worried, son, just cautious.” Marcus looked up at his son with a smile.
“It’s not every day the Queen sends a detachment deep into the Outland to summon a pair of tracking sorcerers, no matter how good we are at what we do.
Something big is happening, but there’s no point speculating on what it could be. I’m sure we’ll find out tomorrow.”
That night, Jack fell asleep with thoughts of tall walls and large sprawling cities. His imagination ran wild in his dreams, free to conjure images of large brick structures and new magical instruments.
The next day was a blur as the soldiers and sorcerers ate a quick breakfast while on horseback.
The city was close. It seemed even the most hardened soldier was eager to reach the safety of its walls.
Jack had lived in the Outland his entire life, but he could sympathize with the soldiers.
The world outside the walls of New Hope could be scary to those who only ventured out when they were given the order.
Even the soldiers’ horses seemed eager to return to the city.
Unlike Jack’s and his father’s steeds, who were used to long rides and the Outland’s challenging terrain, the armies’ horses were unaccustomed to traveling more than a few miles outside the city walls.
This was beginning to show as their pace slowed.
Jack noticed the other horses’ mouths begin to foam.
Jack patted the neck of his black horse and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “You’re doing great, Cherub. We’ll be there soon.”
The horse nickered as if she understood and shook her mane.
A few hours later, Jack was debating whether to ask his father how much further they had to go, when he caught a shimmer in the distance.
Jack squinted, craning his neck forward, trying to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him or if there really was something there. Soon, waving black shadows turned into tiny figures of men, and as they closed the distance, hammering filled the air.
Lieutenant Baker and his men seemed as though they expected the sight. To Jack, it was as mysterious as if he had seen a ghost cross their path and wave a greeting. Jack looked at his father, who shrugged.
They soon rode up to the men, who shouted hellos to the soldiers. As Jack got a better look at what was taking place, he realized there were dozens of men laying metal track across the desert floor.
Wide-shouldered workers sweated and grunted, wearing dark overalls and heavy leather work gloves as they laid thick planks in a straight row. Heavy steel bars were then laid across the wooden planks. Everything was hammered in place.
A short, muscular man walked toward the group and waved a welcome to Lieutenant Baker. Jack and his father were close enough to the front of the caravan to hear the conversation.
“Well, hello, Lieutenant. Didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”
“Me either.” Lieutenant Baker slowed his horse beside the man and leaned down to shake hands. “Things went as smooth as I could have hoped. How’s the track coming, Christopher?”
“Well, you know, having the title of ‘Foreman’ means that you carry all the pressure of hitting goals and deadlines. It’s hot, but the boys have been working hard and we’re ahead of the Queen’s schedule.”
“Very good. This undertaking will open a new page in history. People will be talking about this for years to come.”
“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet,” the foreman returned with a smile. “We’re keeping a brutal pace with crews of men working around the clock. Let’s see what happens as we get deeper into the Outland and closer to their cities.”
“Agreed, but we have to stay positive. Keep up the good work, Christopher. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“When you do, we’ll be miles ahead of this spot.” The foreman smiled and waved as Lieutenant Baker nudged his horse forward. The caravan started again.
Jack wanted to ask the lieutenant a dozen questions about what kind of track was being laid and for what purpose, but he bit his barrage of inquiries back.
The caravan pushed hard for the rest of the day.
Their midday meal was again spent in their saddles.
As noon came and went and the sun began to set, Jack found himself once again debating whether or not to ask how much further the city might be.
At that moment, Jack’s eyes made out the outline of New Hope’s walls on the horizon.
For the walls to be this high from so far away, Jack understood just how colossal they had to be up close. A huge wall formed a perfect circle around the city of New Hope. As they got closer, Jack could make out towers and spires inside the city that dwarfed even the wall for height.
So far, the road they journeyed on had only brought them past the occasional traveler. Now as they approached the city, the road was bustling with people coming from and going to New Hope. Merchants, farmers, teachers, and everyone else between gave the soldiers and trackers nods as they passed.
The whole way to the city gates, the same wooden beams and iron bars they encountered men laying earlier that morning followed on their right.
The track sat a few yards off the road. The steel rails on wooden beams seemed new to even the locals.
Jack saw more than a few people stop and point.
They smiled and talked as though they had done the laying of the track themselves.
“They must be moving like the devil to have laid this much track in such a short time.” A chubby businessman nodded to his female companion. “Why, I thought they had just started this morning!”
“Yes, I heard the Queen has men working on it day and night, using only the most advanced tools.”
“Oh, you don’t say?”
“Oh, but I do!”
Jack rode past out of earshot as the two broke into obnoxious laughter. He was left wondering what kind of tools would allow a crew of men to travel so quickly and make so much progress in such a short course of time.
Their party was soon stopped at the entrance of New Hope as Lieutenant Baker conversed with the guards on duty. This time, Jack didn’t try and listen in; compared to the sights that were meeting his eyes, words were meaningless.
Jack was sitting on his horse right underneath the city wall, a wall that he could now do a fair job of measuring. He squinted against the dying sun’s harsh rays.
“What do you think, Jack?” His father pointed to the top of the wall. “Eighty, ninety, a hundred feet high?”
“At least a hundred feet high.” Jack raised a gloved hand to his brow as he shook his head in disbelief. “With the gates closed, I can see how someone would get the impression they’re not wanted inside.”
“I know what you mean. But if you think their walls are impressive, wait ‘til you see what it’s guarding.”