Thistle nodded, causing a beam of sunlight to bounce off his new helm and momentarily blind Grumph, who snorted in annoyance. “I hit on the same conclusion yesterday. You’re right; for all intents and purposes, we’ve probably removed Maplebark from being a potential target of the king’s wrath.”
The road filled with the sound of clopping hooves as Gabrielle abruptly jerked her horse to a halt. “Wait, what? If we saved Maplebark already, then why are we going to Solium? We did what we set out to do.”
“Please note, Gabrielle, I said we probably succeeded. That means we have very good chances of our families and friends not being killed if we die on the road. But there is still a measurable chance. Is ‘probably’ good enough when it comes to the lives of people you love?”
“Oh.” Gabrielle squeezed the horse with her thighs and it began to move once more. “Sorry, I misunderstood.”
“It’s fine,” Thistle assured her. “But I want to pose a question to you, something to ponder on this last leg of our journey. If we make it to Solium, pass off our deception, and complete whatever task King Liadon assigns us, what comes next?”
“Obviously, we’d go home,” Gabrielle said.
“I’m not sure I want that.” Eric’s voice was clear and audible, yet somehow softer than they were accustomed to hearing. “My life back there was… unfulfilling. I’m not saying I want to be an adventurer — these last few days have been beyond terrifying — but I don’t think I can go back to being the laughingstock of the guards. That’s assuming your father would hire me back.”
“My father would… you’d get a job.” Gabrielle trailed off as she spoke, the full realization of what she was proposing hitting her. If she went back, the tug-of-war would begin anew. This time, it would be even worse, actually, because her father would spare no expense on keeping her safe. No more goblin vacations to help keep her mind steady. She’d be stuck in her prim and proper role with no release, no escape.
“Bear in mind, this all hinges on us actually surviving,” Thistle reminded them. “A very thin possibility. I merely wanted to bring up the idea because, if nothing else, it will give us all something to hope for. Sometimes, on these journeys, having a dream at the end of it all is the only thing to keep you going.”
“Sooner or later, you have to tell us how you know so much about adventuring,” Eric said.
“Soon, but not now.”
“After Solium.” Grumph’s rough voice surprised them all; they’d been lulled into a peaceful state by the conversation and sound of hoof beats.
Thistle stared at his old friend for some time before deigning to give a nod. “Aye, very well. If we make it through Solium, I’ll tell you my whole story. Don’t get too excited, it’s not all that fascinating.”
“Then why work so hard to keep it secret?” Eric asked.
“It’s not secret; I don’t really care who knows my past.” Thistle turned his eyes away from his friends and set them on the path before them. “I just hate talking about it. Reliving it all is too… there are painful memories that I don’t like to dwell on. But Grumph is right: if we make it through this, that’s the least I can do. After Solium.”
They rode in silence after that, intently listening for warning sounds and to the worries echoing in their own minds.
18.
The city of Solium announced its presence long before any traveler stepped through the mighty gates in the stone wall that encircled the city. It could be seen in the upkeep of the roads, how they were flat, clean, and showed few signs of wear. It showed in the increase of soldier stations positioned along the way and the decrease in wild animals or bandits that was a direct result of those stations. It could certainly be perceived in the increased road traffic, wagons and caravans and riders of all sorts commuting to the grand city. One could even see it in the farms they passed, all flying banners with the city’s crest atop their house in a fervent attempt to let those that passed by know they were proud of where they lived.
Of course, the most obvious way Solium announced itself was with its massive towers jutting into the sky, visible from over a day’s travel away. Legend said that the three towers had been fashioned by wizards of untold power ages back. This was true in that the wizards had fiddled with gravity enough to permit them to stand and added a few hidden dimensions inside, but, as with most things, the real work had been done by underpaid peasants who were immediately removed from the story. Glory and legend belonged to those who seized it; at least, they did in this kingdom.
By the time the shadow of the gates fell across Grumph’s brow, his party was more than ready to be done with riding and also a touch sick of seeing the damn towers on the horizon. As weary as they were, even the travel-hardened four felt their eyes bulge a bit as the gates gave way and they entered the true city of Solium.
This was not just another large town; it was an entity all its own. The whole place seemed to have been made from stone: the roads, the buildings, even some of the signs directing travelers to assorted locations. The only wooden items in sight were the stalls that ran the length of the entrance road, each housing a vendor shouting louder than the last. Various wares hung from hooks in their stalls: weapons, shields, glowing gems, bottles filled with colorful liquids clearly intended to be potions. Most travelers were road-wise enough to know that real magical items weren’t bandied about by street vendors looking to make a quick gold, but every day enough folks got swindled to keep the trade profitable for the vendors.
The other thing that amazed the adventurers from Maplebark was the amount of people packed into this city. Being from rural areas, they were accustomed to having plenty of room to move, even when in town. Here, the people skittered about, bounding through the roads with no concern for the horses or carriages bearing down on them. More than once, the adventurers would tense as an impending collision threatened to flatten a peasant, only to let out a sigh of relief as the pedestrians emerged unscathed, having darted aside at the last moment.
“Please tell me you know where we’re going,” Gabrielle said, looking over to Thistle. “I really do not want to try and navigate these streets longer than I have to.”
Thistle nodded and pointed up ahead of them. “Our missive said to report to the castle. Judging by the large shape looming in the distance, and that sign we just passed, if we stay on this road, we’ll come right up to it.”
“Now we just have to try and avoid trampling anyone along the way.” Eric jerked his horse to the side, narrowly missing a small, half-elf child who scurried between the horse’s legs.
“First of many hurdles,” Grumph replied. From the way his sharp, yellow teeth were showing, it seemed like he was either trying to threaten everyone or just make a joke. Perhaps it was both.
“All too true,” Thistle agreed. “But we’ve made it this far, and I think we should be proud of that fact. We only need to receive our task, try and survive it, and get out of this town.”
“He makes it sound so easy,” Eric said, winking at Grumph.
“Oh no, we’ll probably die in the process, but since that’s been the situation for so long now, it hardly seemed worth mentioning,” Thistle said.
His words rang true — truer than they’d been intended, likely — and the others had to admit that the constant threat of death was such a persistent companion, it almost felt like they should get it a horse. Regardless, they’d managed to get this far despite the odds. Perhaps luck would hold and see them through the final leg of their journey.