***
The coniferous forest gradually thinned, giving way to open land and meadows with the first sighting of farms. After several hours of walking, they rejoined the Public Road, near a fork which had a weathered sign indicating Sartell was a league away. They had walked half that league when Nevin first spotted the city. It was walled on all sides by large fitted stone blocks, probably limestone judging by the sandy color. The most prominent feature behind the wall was the castle, which had a blue cast to it and rose high above all else around it. The castle appeared to be a large square structure with turrets at each corner and large pennants flying from numerous spire peaks.
As they moved closer, Nevin estimated the city walls were well over a mile in perimeter. Parapets capped the top of the walls, and a ditch ran along the outside. The contrasting colors of the city walls, the castle, and the rich green of new spring grass everywhere made for a lovely sight.
Just before they reached the castle entrance, the troupe came to an arched stone bridge built over a small, swiftly running river, flowing from the northwest to the southeast. A line of trees, primarily basswoods, grew on both banks. From the height of the bridge, Nevin further surveyed the topography of the area. The swift river beneath them was formed by the confluence of two smaller streams several hundred yards to the northwest. From this confluence, along the banks, were numerous small houses, the only structures in sight near the city walls. Off in the distance to the northeast, well past the riverside settlement and the walled city, there were some larger buildings located in a treeless open area. A huge stockpile of logs was massed adjacent to one of the large buildings and two chimneys continuously puffed white and gray billows into the mid-day sky. Nevin concluded that the distant buildings constituted some type of industrial area, probably containing a foundry of some type. The prevailing wind blew the smoke further to the northeast. He was impressed that potential pollution from the industrial area was blown away from the populated areas. As they approached a central gate, the surrounding ditch was filled with water and appeared deep. Nevin could see no obvious channel to the river, which meant there had to be a system of pipes or conduit supplying the ditch. Another impressive feature. Overall, these were signs of good city planning and engineering.
The only visible entrance to the city was through a gate of two mammoth wooden doors, which were currently open. Several posted guards in royal blue uniforms were stationed at or above the gate. Most of these guards took notice of the three travelers stopped a few hundred feet away.
Orris took a few steps ahead and swept an arm with pride to introduce his comrades to the city. “This is Sartell, First City of Antrim. Behind the walls is King Lucan’s castle and a city unmatched by any I have ever seen. It is a beautiful place and it gladdens me to see it again. I welcome you both to it. I think it best if I lead our way,” the soldier added. “They will let me pass with no trouble and hold back their curiosity about our large companion here.”
Orris called up to the gate commander standing on the parapet about twenty feet off the ground, directly above the heavy doors. “A-hey! Keep the gate open for Orris, Captain of the King’s detachment from Huxley, here to report a Gilsum attack! May we pass?”
Nevin was busy estimating the size of the wall, calculating that one side was the equivalent of two or three city blocks in length. A reply came from the parapet above the gate.
“Yo!You are recognized, Orris. We heard of your fight. How many men did you lose?”
“Six. And eight villagers.”
“You are lucky you were not among them. Do you vouch for your two companions?”
Orris gave a salute and slapped the shoulder first of Anson, then Nevin. The gate commander then waved them through. As the three men passed, all eyes stared at Nevin though he failed to notice. Something about the wall caught Nevin’s attention and he stopped to closely examine it. The city wall was made of blocks of sandstone, that much was obvious to someone with even a rudimentary knowledge of geology, but Nevin was amazed to find the stone naturally tinted with pink flecks and streaks. It was extremely unusual for sandstone to have a pink-colored mineral content and that fascinated him. It might be orthoclase, a pink feldspar if he remembered correctly. No, he thought, that occurs in igneous rocks. Strontium salts could cause this coloration, but that was unheard of in sandstone. Nevin became delighted with the little mystery of this mineralization, but his concentration was broken by a voice from the parapet above.
“Orris, you need to feed your troll-size friend! He looks like he wants to take a bite of the wall!”
Laughter broke out from of all the guards within earshot as Orris pulled Nevin by the arm. “Sir Nevin!” he whispered. “Please do not tarry! You will draw too much attention. We should move quickly.”
Once inside the gate, they found themselves at the edge of the market area with all the accompanying shouts and conversations of hagglers at work. There were many booths and vendors selling a large variety of foods and articles. People with all manner of dress and behavior milled about. The variety of skin tones and physical features indicated a mixture of races among those in the market, but all the adults seemed to be at or near Anson’s height. This meant that Nevin was the largest person in sight, and he felt increasingly embarrassed at the mounting stares directed his way. He was eager to move on.
Farthest to their left, past the market area, the street was lined with permanent structures, most of which were shops marked by hand-painted signs. These shops were small by Nevin’s standards, even those with living quarters above them. To the right, the street had a few more shops and larger buildings, some with three stories. The appearance of many small windows in these larger buildings suggested they were apartment-type residences, reminding Nevin of the urbanization of ancient Rome. Orris led them swiftly down this street to the right, reminding his companions it was best to ignore the stares and comments aimed at them. Anson considered casting a spell of indifference to avoid attention, but it would be risky to publicly show himself as a mage. It was better to keep his identity secret. Besides, he did not know if he could cover the three of them with that spell.
From the vantage point past the apartment houses, the layout of the town was revealed. In the center stood the castle, around which there was a network of streets that formed nested squares bordering the castle. All the houses were tidy in appearance; most had windows with flower boxes decked with brightly colored blossoms. There was no sign of litter or disorderliness anywhere. The closer the homes were to the castle, the more stylish they became with trimwork and colorful touches.
Nevin was impressed with the layout of the city. Access to the castle was controllable and secured by the cordon of nested squares and dwellings. In addition, the residents could retreat to the safety of the castle without engaging attackers who might storm the walls. Once again, this was evidence of good planning. Sartell was better built and conceived than he expected. Better yet, there was no foul odor so there must be a sewer sytem or other method of siphoning waste.
At this moment, the trio was standing in the southeast corner of the city. The route to the castle was a narrow lane that cut through the inner and outer residential squares straight to the castle’s front door. Orris suggested they go there directly and request permission to enter.
They went to their left and turned down the center lane. After passing three rows of houses, they stopped at the front of the castle. A single castle door was considerably smaller than the gate of the city, but it was similarly made of smoothly hewn heavy-looking timbers. Uniformed guards were positioned at either side of the door, armed with swords and pikes. A third guard stood between them, and it was to him that Orris spoke.
“I am Orris, Captain of the King’s detachment in Huxley. I come to meet with the King concerning an attack from Gilsum curs. I am accompanied by a King’s subject from Huxley, and a traveler from a far-off land.”
“Stand fast, Orris. I will report your request,” the door
guard responded, then turned on his heels and briskly entered the castle.
The remaining guards kept their positions, although their eyes flitted nervously to glimpse at Nevin. Meanwhile, Nevin’s attention returned to geological matters as he eyed the stone construction of the castle. It was made entirely of marble blocks. The basic color of the marble was off-white with a marked blue pigmentation. Nevin had previously seen many samples of mineralized marble with flecks of color, but never blue. This blue marble was as unique as the pink-flecked sandstone of the outer walls. A copper compound might cause this effect on marble, though copper would probably be more greenish. The only other blue pigmentation Nevin could think of was derived from cobalt. How rare it would be to find marble mixed with cobalt compounds. First strontium in sandstone, and now cobalt in marble! These unique finds were exciting. What other extraordinary geology might he find in this place? Nevin was about to ask if there might be some kind of scholar or quasi-scientist available for consultation when the door guard returned.
“The King’s Chancellor says he will meet with you tomorrow. Return at noon.”
Anson was visibly disturbed by this rebuff, which alerted the guards. Orris acted quickly to turn the mage away and said calmly, “I am not surprised the Chancellor put us off, Anson. We had better wait until tomorrow and not raise a stir now.”
Orris turned around and saluted the main guard before hurrying off with Anson and Nevin in tow.
“What should we do now?” Nevin asked.
“We have to speak with the King. Not the Chancellor!”Anson was still disturbed.
“We also have to follow the protocol of the court, Anson. The Chancellor decides who sees the King. It is difficult to say how much of a problem the old duck will be for us. The thing to do now is find an inn for the night where the two of you can stay. I must go to the Armory to replace my uniform and I should also be seen by one of the Army bone cutters.”
Anson took a breath to release some of his anxiety. “Go ahead, Orris, and tend to your duties. You are, first of all, an Armsman for King Lucan and you must follow your orders. I can take Sir Nevin and find lodging.”
Orris told them to go to a place called The Hogshead, which was located in the southwest corner of the city, just off the market area. The owner was a friend and should help them out, and they could all meet there for breakfast in the morning. Orris added with wink as he moved off, “But not too early in the morning.”