Previously on the Dragon Rider Chronicles we found out how Jacob went through the portal and met Bree, Shasta, Hwin, an Aravis. Shasta then related how he and Bree escaped and Aravis explained how when tricked her servants and fled from Tashbaan. We catch up with them the next morning.
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Chapter 3
If you want a rude awakening, I sure received it the next morning. I was dreaming about steam locomotives when someone dumped ice water on my head. I a yelp and shot up, only to plop back down on the ground with a groan.
"Ha, ha, very funny Michal!" I really hoped he could feel the satire leaking through my voice. I laid there for a second longer, closing my eyes as I let out a slow groan. "Oh, holy cow, that was a heck of a dream." I felt a horse muzzle rubbing on me. My hand reached up to scratch its nose absentmindedly.
I got a snickering laugh for a response. "Come, lad, I let you sleep as long as I could, but we need to get on the road."
It was then that everything slammed back into my head. This wasn't a dream. I was in Narnia and I had just heard a horse talk. Yeah, back to the trip through the impossible.
Bree waited for me to crawl out of the tent and stretch before continuing. "Now then, do you know how to saddle and ride?" I looked at him with a smirk before replying, "Uh, yeah. I'm used to riding bareback, but I could figure a saddle out."
"Good," Bree said with a satisfied nod, "help us pack up the tents. Shasta, Aravis, you can finish up while Jacob saddles up the horses." Shasta looked at me with a smirk. "Will you just stop that. Besides, you're just smug because you don't have to do the saddles." Shasta just turned back to the tents without saying anything. I let out a sigh and turned toward the horses.
It took about a half hour for us to get going. Shasta and Aravis finished getting the tents broken down. At that point, Aravis started gathering up the rest of the meager pots and pans. Bree walked over to help Shasta fold up the tents, while I watched the spectacle from Hwin's flank. As a matter of fact, there were a few minutes of Aravis chasing Shasta around with a frying pan. I heard her shout something and saw Shasta look up, white as a sheet. He stood there for a minute and then started running.
…SECTION BREAK…
The saddle was proving to be a pain. The thing was heavier than I figured, and I grunted as I swung it up on Hwin. Wrangled would be a better description. Hwin flinched somewhat, and I silently cursed. "Oh man, sorry! I hope that didn't hurt too much!"
Hwin snorted with the blow. "It's fine, Jacob. There were plenty of young stable boys that did the same in Tashbaan. Besides, it appears the morning festivities come with a show."
I burst out laughing as Bree trotted over, himself getting a smile as he watched me deal with the saddle. "I take it you're learning?" "Yeah. If you can call plopping a saddle down on her learning. Hey. What's the frying pan incident."
Bree snorted and rolled his eyes. "Apparently Shasta didn't finish washing the pans last night. Aravis was rather livid when she found it. Are you going to stand there, or put mine on as well?" "Shasta, Shasta, your one crazy nerd." With that, Hwin helped me get Bree saddled up while the commotion died down.
The two of them finally brought the bundles over to us. I could see at least one ding where Aravis had managed to catch Shasta. I couldn't help but smirk as I looked at them. "So, you had your morning exercise then?" Shasta's smirk depended, and I had to bite my lounge to keep from laughing. "Don't say anything!" "Hey man, I didn't say anything. I just made an observation." Hwin let out a sigh. "Let's just get going."
Aravis and I rode Hwin and Shasta rode Bree. Bree and Hwin talked among themselves most of the time and none of us could come up with anything to say. I didn't mind it too much because it gave me a chance to listen in, learning more abought the geography and history of this world. Bree wasn't intentionally leaving Shasta out of anything, but Hwin and Bree got caught up in their conversation. Aravis didn't talk to Shasta very much, and I could feel the slight tension between them.
I didn't mean to ignore anybody, but after a while, I lost myself in thought. Now that the shock had worn off, I started to realize how lucky I was and how surreal an experience this was. I was in another dimension, a separate niche of time and space. I was doing something that people have written and dreamed about for decades. And to top it all off, the events so far, were dead-on to the original books by C.S. Lewis. Who would have thought! But then the fact that I was trapped here popped into the front of my head.
Trapped.
No way out.
Unknown territory and unknown dangers. God, I was stuck and absolutely terrified.
But then I remembered I had to be calm, worrying wouldn't get me out of here any faster. Then I did the only thing I could to stay calm. I prayed. The time seemed to fly by as I recited Psalms 38 to myself.
…SECTION BREAK….
We finally started getting close to Tashbaan. That also meant well-traveled roads, more people, and a higher chance to be recognized.
My thoughts were interrupted when I felt Bree pull to a stop. He turned around and Aravis said to me, "Jacob, we're going to have to get you more appropriate clothes. Everybody has been noticing you and we don't need the attention."
"What? Oh, bloody heck. Alright, what did you guys have in mind?"
After stealing some clothes, Bree called it "raiding", I looked like a regular apprentice. Except for the fact I couldn't stop scratching myself. I was expecting the itch factor. I wasn't expecting it to feel like a wall of ants on me. It took everything to keep from tearing the smock and pants off. I wanted my jeans and T-shirt back.
With an itchy groan from me and a snort from the horses, we kept going. Two hours passed as I slowly got used to the coarse fabric. The traffic density steadily increased as we crept closer to Tashbaan. By this point, everyone had stopped talking. The risk of someone being recognized was simply too high.
There wasn't much to do so I drifted into daydreams and observations to keep calm. The impression Arvis's story left was a very strict class separation. The other impression I gleaned was that Tash was a very cruel and deplorable god. The state of the people walking by could be summed up in one word. Hopelessness. The ones who were dressed like me or Shasta hardly looked up from the ground. When I caught the eyes of the few that did, the eyes were a lifeless and dull gray. Shivers ran up and down my spine at the hopelessness in their expressions. Aravis still looked smug, although it was probably automatic because of her upbringing. Whenever one of the peasants or beggar boys bumped into Bree, their eyes showed absolute fear for a nanosecond before they shrunk away from the former warhorse.
The two hours finally passed, and we came to a halt. The shadow of Tashbaan loomed in the distance. Far enough that we still had roughly half a day of riding, but close enough that we could see it's grayish blue color on the horizon.
Unfortunately, that also meant we finally had to deal with how to make it through Tashbaan. The nervousness started welling up in me again. I mean, if they were worried, then making it through was even more dangerous than I imagined.
We followed a secondary path that branched off the main road, taking shelter in an empty house. The building was far enough away that the condition wouldn't draw any attention. More importantly, though, we wouldn't be overheard.
I groaned as I slid down off the saddle. My whole backside was sore, and the inside of my thighs was numb. I started rubbing them to get the circulation going, feeling the painful tingle as they started to come back to life. With a sigh to myself, I made my way back over to the others. Shasta had ended up with Bree on his left and Hwin on his right. Aravis has slid down off the saddle, adjusting a few of the saddle straps before ducking around under Arvis's head. Both she and Bree plopped down on the ground. I sprawled out next to Bree's head with a groan, too achy and tried to care about grass itch.
The others meanwhile, had started arguing about how best to make it through the city. Yeah, this would be fun. The disagreement was almost constant now. Bree finally became exasperated, suggesting we should establish a meeting place in case we were separated in Tashbaan. I wanted to ask that myself, but I didn't feel like getting in the middle of the argument. Bree suggested the Tombs of the Ancient Kings as the meeting spot. Mainly because, as he put it, they were things "like great beehives, you can't possibly miss them."
…SECTION BREAK…
I took issue on that one. "Well good grief, if they're that obvious then wouldn't the Calormenes be able to just chase us there if we were found out? I mean, there's good hiding places and then there's unworkable ones."
Bree let out a pure snort of contempt. "Oh please, haunted! Those tombs are about as haunted as a Tarkaans stomach at a royal feast."
Aravis had glanced over at Shasta and noticed the sheet of white on his face. "Shasta, you don't believe that silly nonsense about ghosts, do you?"
Shasta jerked his head up and stammered as he tried to answer. "I, ah – well – the thing is – oh, bother. I have no idea how to say it."
I rolled my eyes and worked myself into a sitting position. "Shasta, thinking about it will only make it that much harder to say. Just spit it out man."
"Well, kind of. I mean, something pushed me to Arsheesh's hut. There wasn't any wind that day and the water was as calm as it could be. I know the man wasn't much of a father and downright mean to me sometimes, but he was honest without a fault."
I sat there pulling up blades of grass as I thought about what to say to him. "Shasta, just because there wasn't waves or wind doesn't automatically mean something supernatural. There are such things as tides and ocean currents and most of the time you don't even know about them. I'm not discounting the supernatural, just warning you to be careful. People can go through some pretty dark doors when they get in too deep."
Shasta's eyes got wide for a minute. "No, no. It's nothing like that. It's just that I've always had this feeling of being watched."
Arvis's head bobbed up and down in a silent nod. "Thank you for telling us Shasta, I understand now why you would be nervous about it." Shasta didn't say anything, just sat there pulling grass.
Bree cleared his throat, grabbing our attention as he brought the conversation to a close. "Well, then. I believe we should call it a night. The shadows are starting to get long, and our best bet is to blend in with the early morning crowds."
It took us a bout a half hour to set up camp. We were all strangely quiet, no doubt thinking about tomorrow. The specter of Tashbaan was looming large in both the background and our minds. As for my thoughts, they were focusing on the future. This was real. The trip so far had burned that into my head, and I had finally accepted this whole thing was really happening. Maybe this wasn't a curse, but a blessing. My whole thought process had gone from shocked, to scared, and now an apprehensive confidence with Tashbaan on the horizon. The only thing I initially wanted was to get home. I still wanted that, but there was something else starting to come through. A chance. A chance to be the brave hero I had in my mind. I knew if I didn't learn how to just 'do it', I would balk at every hard opportunity in life. I was in a place where no one I knew could see me screw up. That was the confidence part. This whole thing was an experience and I had the opportunity to stand up and be a man or let my tendency to freeze define the rest of my life. One point was clear, I was NOT going to do the second. I prayed hard that night, for courage, for strength, but mainly for a reckless courage.
Morning rammed the current predicament back to my mind. Making it through a capital like Tashbaan was much easier said than done. Aravis suggested swimming across the river below the city rather than above it.
Bree had two reasons against that. One, the amount of shipping would make us stand out like a sore thumb. The other reason being that it was too much of a swim for Hwin. I suspected it was too far for Bree as well, though I didn't vocalize it.
Shasta countered with crossing upriver where it was narrower. Unfortunately, summer houses and estates lined both banks for miles and that meant recognition for Aravis, Bree, or Hwin.
Ultimately, it was Hwin who came up with the best idea. We would simply disguise everything other than the saddles as pack bundles. Of course, we had to "borrow" some rope and smear enough dirt on ourselves for the beggar look. It took the rest of the evening to round everything up, before turning in for the night.
…SECTION BREAK…
The sun was creeping over the horizon as we finished the horses tails and started tying the bundles on. If I had to pick, the most hilarious part was when Aravis took her scimitar and went to work on the horse's tails. Hwin twitched a little bit, but I figured it would be somewhat annoying. I know horses don't have nerves in their tails, but still.
Bree, on the other hand, was a total ham. Bree acted like we were trying to pull his tail completely out!
"My word! If I wasn't a talking horse, what a lovely kick in the face I could give you! I thought you were going to cut it, not pull it out. That's what it feels like."
I had been watching them and trying so hard not to laugh, but I couldn't take it anymore. "Bree, My poor, poor horse, you're killing me here! Stop it."
Hwin looked kind of shocked. "Jacob, it's obviously hurting him somewhat."
"I know, sorry Hwin. It's one of those things that looks funny but doesn't feel very funny right now. I bet if you look back at it a couple years, it probably will be." No one said anything to that. Despite the cold wetness, we eventually finished everything as the sun started to peek above the horizon
My jaw dropped when I saw Tashbaan. I don't know which part of our world the Calormenes came from, but I swear it was the Middle East. The whole city screamed "Arabian Nights". The city was an island in the middle of the river delta where it emptied into the ocean. Every inch was covered with stairs, houses, terraces, and tons of vegetation, including a dozen different types of fruit trees. A broad bridge connected the main road on the north and south side of the city. At first, it looked like both banks of the river were covered in a forest, but as you looked closer, you would see the white walls of dozens of mansions peeking out.
I guess both Shasta and I must have slowed down a little bit because the horses kept nudging us to get going.
Shasta was the one to finally say something. "I say! This is a wonderful place!"
Bree snorted softly and whispered to the rest of us. "I dare say. But I wish we were safely through it and out on the other side. Narnia and the North!
Shasta and I were slightly startled when a trumpet started out real low and gradually swelled to a crescendo.
Bree answered the obvious question. "That is the signal for the city gates to be opened. We shall be there in a minute. Now Aravis, do droop your shoulders a bit and step heavier and try to look less like a princess. Try to imagine you've been beaten and cuffed and kicked your whole life.
Aravis looked back at him with a smirk. "If it comes to that, what about you dropping your head a bit more and arching your neck a bit less, and trying to look less like a war horse!"
"Oh, for the love of Pete," I retorted back, "if we each focus on ourselves instead of each other, we'll be a lot more convincing!"
"Hush," said Bree, "here we are!"
…SECTION BREAK….
We had made it to the bridge and started across. Unfortunately, Aravis didn't like being told what to do, because she retorted to Bree as loud and savagely as she could in the circumstances. "Oh, it's all very well for you! What would you care about Tashbaan! I should be riding in on a litter with soldiers before me and slaves behind!"
We funneled into to the crowd of peasants, tradesmen, and their pack animals inching across the bridge.
Nearing the other bank allowed an in-depth glance at the city fortifications. The walls were at least five feet thick, and the gates were two huge wood slabs with bronze-covered steel bracing. I would estimate guard towers were placed every 30 – 50 feet. A dozen guards, six on each side of the road stood armed with a scimitar and a spear and looked about 5'5" More guards roamed the top of the walls, eyes scanning everyone trying to enter. As much as I would come to despise Calormene, I must give them some points for security. The whole deal gave me the opportunity to just sit there and observe. When I had first read the books, I thought the Calormenes sounded like something out of Arabian Nights. Turbans, Middle Eastern clothing, and scimitars were how I pictured them. The reality was an exact match.
I couldn't help but feel slightly impressed and thoroughly disgusted at the same time. I had expected the poverty, unsanitary conditions and everything else that came with medieval living. But it was also a very potent reminder of man's sin nature and what happens when the sanctity of human life is forgotten. People are turned into commodities, and thousands of people's lives hang on a whim. The whole experience made me increasingly grateful to live in America.
…SECTION BREAK…
Hopefully, no one would be curious enough to ask a question. We didn't have any trouble at the gate, but for a second I thought we had been found out. One of the guards grabbed a carrot out of a basket and threw it at Shasta.
"Hey! Horse boy! You'll catch it if your master finds you've been using his saddle-horse for pack work!"
I paled at what Shasta did next. "It's my master's orders, so there!"
The guard had a look of incredulity on his face for a minute before it changed to anger and insult. My heart jumped into my throat and all I could think about was getting caught. The guard reached over and decked Shasta so hard it almost knocked him down.
"Take that, young filth, that will teach you how to talk to free men." I left out a breath I barely knew I was holding. The rest of the crossing was uneventful as we slunk into the city.
Shasta, much less me, had any sense of direction. The others obviously did, so they would nudge us in the right direction when we came to a junction. After heading along the wall, we swung left and started up the main street. Trees flanked both sides and the houses started to become grander. Through every arch, you saw more branches and gardens inside. Criers frequently came up the street shouting at us to make way for some noble, or lord, or "the fifteenth vizier". I lost track of the authority chain in five minutes. Let's just say the ranking in Tashbaan was insanely ridiculous.
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Will everyone make it through? And in this sea of people, will someone recognize the horses, or worse yet, Aravis? The action is getting ready to pick up and a case of mistaken identity will send our group on two separate paths to Narnia.
Thank – you so much for reading everyone! READ AND REVIEW PEOPLE!
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