It ended up taking the group 3 days to reach Lubran, because now they had
to take an uncooperative Joseph Monk with them, too. Tayli followed at her
leisure-the knights made no more attacking moves and left her alone, for
which she was grateful. The area changed again, from the steep hills it had
been before, covered in wild forests, to huge, rolling mountains that
seemed to stretch on forever. The trees thinned out and became smaller and
stunted as they went up the mountains. In between lay lush valleys, almost
always with their own river winding through them. Most of these valleys
held good farmland, though some were as densely wooded as the rest of the
area.
Tayli was awestruck. She'd never seen mountains before, and these towering mounds of earth defied her every dream. They were solid, immovable chunks of rock, seemingly invincible against time. Tayli's mind reeled as she tried to imagine the force that must have pushed them out of the ground-she simply couldn't imagine anything that was remotely strong enough to do it. Every chance she got, she explored, discovering a world wholly different from the area near Bast that she knew so well. She was fascinated.
When they finally rounded the mountainside that would take them to Lubran late in the afternoon of the third day, Tayli was once again speechless, not that it mattered, but she was. Lubran lay in a large valley between the peaks, covered in lush farmland. On the opposite end of the valley, a waterfall cascaded down between two mountains onto the lower ground, pooling at the bottom.
These two mountains were as different as night and day. The one that, from Tayli's point of view, was to the left of the river was wooded, like the rest. But the one at the right was different. About halfway up the slope it was suddenly bare, the tree line ending without preamble. Then, slightly below the peak on the other side of the mountain, the trees began again, so that the mountain had a circular bare spot that wasn't perfectly on the top. The bare spot was riddled with caves-there must have been at least 15 prominent ones and uncountable small dents and fissures. The mountain was called Old Baldy.
After cascading between these two mountains, the river-named the Syl-made a small curve into the valley, creating an almost round area between it and the concave side of the bare-topped mountain. Then, it changed course and threaded its way between Old Baldy and the mountain on the other side of it, disappearing into the rest of the mountain chain.
The city of Lubran lay between the Syl and Old Baldy, squeezed into the relatively small area there, with 7 bridges branching out across the river, but the farms and outer reaches of Lubran lay peacefully stretched out in the Syl Valley, basking in the glorious sunshine. The crops waved in the light breeze and smoke from the kitchen fires curled lazily up into the sky, twisting itself into idle patterns as the wind batted it back and forth.
The road they were on still had a little bit of descending to do before it became broad and tree-lined when it reached the Valley, and then led straight to the city. Many people were using it to get to and fro, their carriages and horses clearly visible as they moved around below.
The company paused in awe, letting the beautiful scenery sink in, and then Terian let out a whoop and spurred his horse on down the mountain. His knights and Tayli followed, but when the prince wanted to canter once he was at the start of the road, Michael stopped him and winked, saying that they needed to look properly regal. And so the company went down the road at a sedate walk, and the citizens gaped at first, and then turned out to cheer, and some riders were seen racing towards the city to spread the news that the prince had come.
Tayli stayed a slight distance behind, and rode on the other side of the trees that marched down the road, effectively making herself inconspicuous as she blended into the shade and became a mere shadow, that no one but William saw or paid any attention to.
When they made to cross the main bridge, Tayli quickly dismounted and tied Moonflight to a tree, confident that no one would steal him. Then she followed at a light jog, blending into the crowd. As they crossed the bridge, the crowds turned out, cheering the prince and welcoming him. Tayli, surveying them, felt the old fear rise in her chest, making her stomach roll. (A/N: Yes, Tayli is very claustrophobic around crowds.) Casting around desperately for an escape, her eyes fell on the flat roofs of the houses, which were all at the same level, except for the local Lord's house. The normal houses were made out of clay mixed with straw for insulation, and then painted in varying colors, mostly pastel, but sometimes also bright blue, red, or green. She climbed a nearby tree and jumped from there onto the roof of the nearest house, and followed the procession that way.
It was only when she had risen above her fear that Tayli noticed something strange. For one thing, there were no children out on the streets at all. Wherever she looked, she could not find a single child. Only adults and adolescents had turned out to cheer the prince. What was more, the cheering was not as totally elated as the cheers in Bast had been. There was a worried air to them, and at the same time, a strange relief and hope, as if the prince was a sort of savior from something. Tayli mulled it over, pondering the strangeness of it, and creeping across the roofs in order to be able to follow Terian and stay out of sight.
When they reached the Duke's house, the crowd had thinned out, enabling Tayli to make her way to the ground again without endangering her sanity. When the Duke, flanked by his friends and advisors, came out, Tayli crept closer in order to pay attention.
His name was Duke Bruno, and he ruled Lubran with a fair hand, as was to be seen by the people's reactions to him. The Duke was a huge man. He was tall and wide, slightly portly but not fat, muscular and seemingly getting on in years-his closely cropped brown beard and shaggy hair were streaked with gray. His eyes were blue and twinkled, and his face showed the handsomeness of youth that had become the regality of age. He had a booming laugh and was an informal, happy man.
When Tayli cast her eyes on his escort, she recognized someone-or rather; she recognized his bright orange crop of hair first. The tall, wiry thin man in fine clothes was introduced to Terian as his chief advisor and friend, Ravernon Ster, but Tayli had known him for 6 years as Rafe, her fun loving but wise older-brother figure. She had been 8 when he, as a 12-year- old, had found her mouthing off to someone who'd apparently been stupid enough to imply that Menlan kept her in out of pity and that she was useless. At first, Rafe had watched, enjoying the show, but when the other, much older boy had started to get properly mad, he'd intervened and whisked Tayli off to the courtyard, where they'd laid the first stones of their friendship.
She looked up to him, and he'd protected her when needed and advised her, and together they'd pulled all sorts of pranks on the rest of the school. He'd been her one true friend, but Rafe had left when he was 18 and she was 14, and she'd only heard from him a few times since-letter-writing was neither of their strong points. But, buried deep down inside, had been the knowledge that she missed him terribly. Now she grinned like a fool at Christmas behind her veil and decided that, no matter what, she had to talk to him. Then maybe she could ask about the absence of children, too.
Tayli only paid a little attention to Duke Bruno's wife-who was pretty but quiet-and children. She did notice that he had 2 daughters and a son, the eldest daughter being about Terian's age, one daughter in between, and the son about ten. She could already see that the eldest daughter was casting shy glances at Terian, who pretended to ignore her for the time being.
Slipping slightly ahead of the party, she hid in a narrow space between the Duke's house and the walls around it, and waited until they passed her. When they did, she waited until she could have taken a step, reached out, and touched the orange hair before hissing,
"Rafe!" and making the hand signal for safety at the same time, knowing that he'd have trouble differentiating her from her shadowy surroundings, but would trust the Kiin's universal signals.
His head whipped around, and when he saw her signal, he glanced around him before slipping into the area between the walls too, and they backed up enough so that they were well hidden.
He was looking at her slightly suspiciously, and she looked into the same trusted features that had changed so little, and then lowered her hood.
He gasped, shock written all over his face. "Tayli?" he half-whispered.
She nodded, and smiled, and then found herself caught in a suffocating grip as he embraced her, laughing. She squeezed him back, and when he set her down, she was still smiling.
"So you're Ravernon now, are you?" she asked, teasing, and he grinned back.
"I couldn't exactly come here and tell a Duke that my name was Rafe, now could I?"
"I don't see why not," she said, shrugging, and he sighed dramatically. "So, did you miss me?"
"Of course I missed you, Li!"
She grinned at his old nickname for her before answering. "You barely wrote."
"I was busy!" he defended himself; grinning at the exchange of 'pleasantries' they were going through.
"Sure. So," Tayli said, casually leaning against a wall as he leaned against the other, "What have you been up to?"
"Oh, you know, the usual: training, fighting, helping the Duke, getting betrothed."
"You're betrothed?" Tayli repeated, shocked.
He smiled at her proudly. "Yup."
Tayli squealed-which was very unlike her-and threw her arms around him again as he gasped for breath. "How come you didn't tell me? Congratulations! What's she like? Can I meet her? What's her name? Does she call you Ravernon?" Laughing, Rafe disentangled himself.
"I was going to tell you. She's very nice, and I love her, and yes, you can meet her. Her name's Melanie, and she's the only one who calls me Rafe here."
Tayli found herself grinning like two fools at Christmas this time. Rafe was betrothed! Wow. She was more exited than she'd been in forever-she couldn't remember the last time she'd been this giddy. It was probably since during her initiation.
"So what are you doing here, and dressed like a shadow, too?" Rafe asked, and she stopped grinning like two fools, just smiling slightly, and told him about her mission.
"Wow," he teased, "Tayli's all grown up now."
She grinned. "I could say the same about you. Listen, Rafe, I noticed something weird today-why aren't there any kids around?"
He shook his head and sighed. "You notice too much. All the kids that are left have been staying inside their houses constantly, they're not allowed out anymore because there's been hundreds of kidnappings of children over the last 6 months or so. They're all just suddenly . . . gone."
Tayli absorbed this information slowly, and then nodded. "Listen, Rafe, I'll see you later, alright? They'll be looking for you, and I've got to keep up with the prince. I'll find a way to talk to you."
He nodded before saying goodbye and silently walking down the passage. Tayli waited a minute before following, resettling her hood as she went. She was just looking around to see if it was safe to come out when someone stepped before her, blocking the light, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
$$$$$$$$$$
A/N: Dum dum dum. Cliffy! Review please!
SHAYLEY RAIN: Yeah, thanks. I'm going to add more depth to my characters as I go along. 33 words! Yay!
LONIGIRL: Please review again! I'm glad you like it!
BLUE-LA-SHOO: Yes! I thought it up all by myself! I love kudos! Thank you! I'm a top-chapter-churner now! And the story is only going to get better. Well, while Tayli gets to know William he'll become more interesting.
MAPLEROSE: Yeah, a website would be great . . . Well, you can't really be born into the Kiin because there are no women ('cept for Tayli). Usually they pick up orphans or unwanted kids, and sometimes kids with great potential are 'scouted out' amongst families and are given the choice. And some just find out about the school and try to get in.
Tayli was awestruck. She'd never seen mountains before, and these towering mounds of earth defied her every dream. They were solid, immovable chunks of rock, seemingly invincible against time. Tayli's mind reeled as she tried to imagine the force that must have pushed them out of the ground-she simply couldn't imagine anything that was remotely strong enough to do it. Every chance she got, she explored, discovering a world wholly different from the area near Bast that she knew so well. She was fascinated.
When they finally rounded the mountainside that would take them to Lubran late in the afternoon of the third day, Tayli was once again speechless, not that it mattered, but she was. Lubran lay in a large valley between the peaks, covered in lush farmland. On the opposite end of the valley, a waterfall cascaded down between two mountains onto the lower ground, pooling at the bottom.
These two mountains were as different as night and day. The one that, from Tayli's point of view, was to the left of the river was wooded, like the rest. But the one at the right was different. About halfway up the slope it was suddenly bare, the tree line ending without preamble. Then, slightly below the peak on the other side of the mountain, the trees began again, so that the mountain had a circular bare spot that wasn't perfectly on the top. The bare spot was riddled with caves-there must have been at least 15 prominent ones and uncountable small dents and fissures. The mountain was called Old Baldy.
After cascading between these two mountains, the river-named the Syl-made a small curve into the valley, creating an almost round area between it and the concave side of the bare-topped mountain. Then, it changed course and threaded its way between Old Baldy and the mountain on the other side of it, disappearing into the rest of the mountain chain.
The city of Lubran lay between the Syl and Old Baldy, squeezed into the relatively small area there, with 7 bridges branching out across the river, but the farms and outer reaches of Lubran lay peacefully stretched out in the Syl Valley, basking in the glorious sunshine. The crops waved in the light breeze and smoke from the kitchen fires curled lazily up into the sky, twisting itself into idle patterns as the wind batted it back and forth.
The road they were on still had a little bit of descending to do before it became broad and tree-lined when it reached the Valley, and then led straight to the city. Many people were using it to get to and fro, their carriages and horses clearly visible as they moved around below.
The company paused in awe, letting the beautiful scenery sink in, and then Terian let out a whoop and spurred his horse on down the mountain. His knights and Tayli followed, but when the prince wanted to canter once he was at the start of the road, Michael stopped him and winked, saying that they needed to look properly regal. And so the company went down the road at a sedate walk, and the citizens gaped at first, and then turned out to cheer, and some riders were seen racing towards the city to spread the news that the prince had come.
Tayli stayed a slight distance behind, and rode on the other side of the trees that marched down the road, effectively making herself inconspicuous as she blended into the shade and became a mere shadow, that no one but William saw or paid any attention to.
When they made to cross the main bridge, Tayli quickly dismounted and tied Moonflight to a tree, confident that no one would steal him. Then she followed at a light jog, blending into the crowd. As they crossed the bridge, the crowds turned out, cheering the prince and welcoming him. Tayli, surveying them, felt the old fear rise in her chest, making her stomach roll. (A/N: Yes, Tayli is very claustrophobic around crowds.) Casting around desperately for an escape, her eyes fell on the flat roofs of the houses, which were all at the same level, except for the local Lord's house. The normal houses were made out of clay mixed with straw for insulation, and then painted in varying colors, mostly pastel, but sometimes also bright blue, red, or green. She climbed a nearby tree and jumped from there onto the roof of the nearest house, and followed the procession that way.
It was only when she had risen above her fear that Tayli noticed something strange. For one thing, there were no children out on the streets at all. Wherever she looked, she could not find a single child. Only adults and adolescents had turned out to cheer the prince. What was more, the cheering was not as totally elated as the cheers in Bast had been. There was a worried air to them, and at the same time, a strange relief and hope, as if the prince was a sort of savior from something. Tayli mulled it over, pondering the strangeness of it, and creeping across the roofs in order to be able to follow Terian and stay out of sight.
When they reached the Duke's house, the crowd had thinned out, enabling Tayli to make her way to the ground again without endangering her sanity. When the Duke, flanked by his friends and advisors, came out, Tayli crept closer in order to pay attention.
His name was Duke Bruno, and he ruled Lubran with a fair hand, as was to be seen by the people's reactions to him. The Duke was a huge man. He was tall and wide, slightly portly but not fat, muscular and seemingly getting on in years-his closely cropped brown beard and shaggy hair were streaked with gray. His eyes were blue and twinkled, and his face showed the handsomeness of youth that had become the regality of age. He had a booming laugh and was an informal, happy man.
When Tayli cast her eyes on his escort, she recognized someone-or rather; she recognized his bright orange crop of hair first. The tall, wiry thin man in fine clothes was introduced to Terian as his chief advisor and friend, Ravernon Ster, but Tayli had known him for 6 years as Rafe, her fun loving but wise older-brother figure. She had been 8 when he, as a 12-year- old, had found her mouthing off to someone who'd apparently been stupid enough to imply that Menlan kept her in out of pity and that she was useless. At first, Rafe had watched, enjoying the show, but when the other, much older boy had started to get properly mad, he'd intervened and whisked Tayli off to the courtyard, where they'd laid the first stones of their friendship.
She looked up to him, and he'd protected her when needed and advised her, and together they'd pulled all sorts of pranks on the rest of the school. He'd been her one true friend, but Rafe had left when he was 18 and she was 14, and she'd only heard from him a few times since-letter-writing was neither of their strong points. But, buried deep down inside, had been the knowledge that she missed him terribly. Now she grinned like a fool at Christmas behind her veil and decided that, no matter what, she had to talk to him. Then maybe she could ask about the absence of children, too.
Tayli only paid a little attention to Duke Bruno's wife-who was pretty but quiet-and children. She did notice that he had 2 daughters and a son, the eldest daughter being about Terian's age, one daughter in between, and the son about ten. She could already see that the eldest daughter was casting shy glances at Terian, who pretended to ignore her for the time being.
Slipping slightly ahead of the party, she hid in a narrow space between the Duke's house and the walls around it, and waited until they passed her. When they did, she waited until she could have taken a step, reached out, and touched the orange hair before hissing,
"Rafe!" and making the hand signal for safety at the same time, knowing that he'd have trouble differentiating her from her shadowy surroundings, but would trust the Kiin's universal signals.
His head whipped around, and when he saw her signal, he glanced around him before slipping into the area between the walls too, and they backed up enough so that they were well hidden.
He was looking at her slightly suspiciously, and she looked into the same trusted features that had changed so little, and then lowered her hood.
He gasped, shock written all over his face. "Tayli?" he half-whispered.
She nodded, and smiled, and then found herself caught in a suffocating grip as he embraced her, laughing. She squeezed him back, and when he set her down, she was still smiling.
"So you're Ravernon now, are you?" she asked, teasing, and he grinned back.
"I couldn't exactly come here and tell a Duke that my name was Rafe, now could I?"
"I don't see why not," she said, shrugging, and he sighed dramatically. "So, did you miss me?"
"Of course I missed you, Li!"
She grinned at his old nickname for her before answering. "You barely wrote."
"I was busy!" he defended himself; grinning at the exchange of 'pleasantries' they were going through.
"Sure. So," Tayli said, casually leaning against a wall as he leaned against the other, "What have you been up to?"
"Oh, you know, the usual: training, fighting, helping the Duke, getting betrothed."
"You're betrothed?" Tayli repeated, shocked.
He smiled at her proudly. "Yup."
Tayli squealed-which was very unlike her-and threw her arms around him again as he gasped for breath. "How come you didn't tell me? Congratulations! What's she like? Can I meet her? What's her name? Does she call you Ravernon?" Laughing, Rafe disentangled himself.
"I was going to tell you. She's very nice, and I love her, and yes, you can meet her. Her name's Melanie, and she's the only one who calls me Rafe here."
Tayli found herself grinning like two fools at Christmas this time. Rafe was betrothed! Wow. She was more exited than she'd been in forever-she couldn't remember the last time she'd been this giddy. It was probably since during her initiation.
"So what are you doing here, and dressed like a shadow, too?" Rafe asked, and she stopped grinning like two fools, just smiling slightly, and told him about her mission.
"Wow," he teased, "Tayli's all grown up now."
She grinned. "I could say the same about you. Listen, Rafe, I noticed something weird today-why aren't there any kids around?"
He shook his head and sighed. "You notice too much. All the kids that are left have been staying inside their houses constantly, they're not allowed out anymore because there's been hundreds of kidnappings of children over the last 6 months or so. They're all just suddenly . . . gone."
Tayli absorbed this information slowly, and then nodded. "Listen, Rafe, I'll see you later, alright? They'll be looking for you, and I've got to keep up with the prince. I'll find a way to talk to you."
He nodded before saying goodbye and silently walking down the passage. Tayli waited a minute before following, resettling her hood as she went. She was just looking around to see if it was safe to come out when someone stepped before her, blocking the light, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
$$$$$$$$$$
A/N: Dum dum dum. Cliffy! Review please!
SHAYLEY RAIN: Yeah, thanks. I'm going to add more depth to my characters as I go along. 33 words! Yay!
LONIGIRL: Please review again! I'm glad you like it!
BLUE-LA-SHOO: Yes! I thought it up all by myself! I love kudos! Thank you! I'm a top-chapter-churner now! And the story is only going to get better. Well, while Tayli gets to know William he'll become more interesting.
MAPLEROSE: Yeah, a website would be great . . . Well, you can't really be born into the Kiin because there are no women ('cept for Tayli). Usually they pick up orphans or unwanted kids, and sometimes kids with great potential are 'scouted out' amongst families and are given the choice. And some just find out about the school and try to get in.