Chapter Seven

From the moment I opened my eyes, I knew I was dreaming.

Rather than seeing the rock ceiling of my bed, I saw a stone house in the middle of a field with a woman sat outside of it.

It was the house I had bought with all the money I’d saved up over my years adventuring, back when I actually made money from my adventures.

It looked exactly like it did nine years ago, back when we first got engaged.

And Sarah was smiling happily at me.

“I still can’t believe you’re going.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I sat beside her. “What adventurer worth a damn wouldn’t want to see the beauties of the far eastern kingdom? The Lotus Gardens? Root Town with the last of the Great Sakura Trees in it? The Jade Palace and its collection of art that dates back before the Dread Dawn? What could be more wonderful than seeing those?”

Sarah pouted a little. “I can think of something better.”

“As can I, but.” I smiled. “I wouldn’t be able to settle down without seeing the east. I know I wouldn’t.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Because that was the place that first inspired me to be an adventurer, all those years ago. When I was six, a visiting bard told a grand tale one night about the Great Sakura Tree and how beautifully it bloomed all year long. He described it as if it was the most beautiful thing in the entire world and that captivated me. Whenever I would see the trees around my home, I wondered how much prettier the Sakura Tree was, how much taller it was, just how old it was…how something like that was one of the few things to survive through the Dread Dawn.”

After that, we were silent for almost a minute.

Sarah interlocked her fingers with mine.

“You promise this will be your last adventure?”

“I promise. I just want to make sure I’ve seen everything worth seeing in the Green before I settle down for good. I won’t be gone for more than a year and then, once I’m back, we’ll have the rest of our lives together.”

Sarah smiled at me and we kissed.

“I can’t wait!”

Just after I had turned thirty and was looking back on my life, I wondered when I first wanted to be an adventurer and I realised that it had been because of that story.

Not some grand tale of fighting a dragon, not one of saving the world from danger or rescuing a princess.

It had been to see a single tree.

When I had first started travelling around the Green, I had intended to go north first, then make my way west and travel around the entirety of Carlen, making the east my final stop and, at that time, I had fully intended to do so.

But then, when I was in the city of Lotus where the Great Sakura Tree was located, I desired to see the Eastern Province and so, being the young, naïve adventurer I was, I got on a boat that same day, thinking of how great it’d be to end my journey when I got back to Carlen by seeing the Great Sakura Tree.

I thought, in a way, it would be a poetic ending to my own adventures that bards might speak of one day.

However, I was drawn to another adventure and then another and then another, and, before I knew it, I had met Sarah, gotten engaged, and then still found myself travelling around the world even after seeing the Great Sakura Tree.

It was just as divine and beautiful as the bard had described, but a thought had surfaced in my mind when I saw it.

What other beautiful, wonderful things were there in this world like this that I hadn’t seen?

And so, I travelled again and again in search of more adventures and more wonders.

I scowled as the dream around me began to fade.

I thought that I had been given some sort of blessing by the Gods but, instead, I got a cruel reminder of the old days, when Sarah still saw me off with a smile.

…Honestly, when was the last time I saw her look at me that happily?

***

When I awoke, I pushed everything that I had seen and felt in that dream deep down inside me and got ready to set off.

***

Wiatt and I continued on along the road for four days before we arrived at Atlacoya, the Dry City.

This was one that I was very familiar with and it was one that was well known across all of Carlen, though many believed it to be a myth.

Even I wondered if the city was real.

In Atlacoya, people didn’t need to eat to stave off hunger nor drink to quench their thirst.

There were no lakes or rivers inside the city; the craters where they had once existed were dry and barren.

They had nor grew food; their land was infertile and food rotted inside their walls.

So, how did people manage to live in such a place?

Simple: it was the magic of Atlacoya that kept them alive.

So long as one stayed within the boundaries of the city, you never needed to eat or drink to survive.

You could live a long, healthy and happy life without ever having to worry about two of the most basic needs to stay alive.

Quite unbelievable, right?

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t believe it existed either until we got to the city.

Once we reached the gates, the guards asked us for our food and drinks, offering us a stone chest adorned with strange markings to place them in. I had wanted to object, understandably so, but then I saw a group of people near us placing their supplies in them as if it were the most natural thing to do.

“Sir, if the stories are true, then it shouldn’t be an issue,” Wiatt said to me in a hushed voice.

“Agreed, but that’s a big if, lad.”

Still, it was pretty obvious from the way that the guards were acting that we wouldn’t be allowed entry into the city if we didn’t hand over our food and water.

Begrudgingly, we did so and were permitted entry to the city.

Now, to be perfectly clear, when I had first heard about Atlacoya when I was a young lad, I had been a bit of a religious boy, believing in the glorious ‘Kingdom of the Clouds’ where we could live in peace for eternity, never needing to eat, sleep or drink.

To my seven-year-old mind, Atlacoya was that kingdom realised in our world.

I imagined walls made of pure white stone, marble paving spreading for miles and miles without end, with beautiful gardens and oases filled with divine smelling flowers too beautiful to describe with the words of mortals.

Well, reality is a bitch.

Atlacoya looked more like a ruin than a city.

Dried, cracked land and rocks decorated the ground. In the empty holes where the rivers and lakes had once been were the buildings of the city, nestled against the banks. Depths, even the gates we had entered into the city from were connected to one of the dried-up rivers and there were armed guards protecting the staircases up and out of the trenches we found ourselves in.

The buildings were not made of marble or gold, nor were they a pure white. They were a dull, muddy brown with cracks in them, and old wooden supports to keep them standing.

Truth be told, I was a bit disappointed in what I saw, and not just because of what I’d thought it look like.

Compared to the rest of the Narrow’s cities, Atlacoya was underwhelmingly dull.

“So, sir, shall we get exploring?” Wiatt cheerfully asked, though he was not as enthusiastic as normal.

We spent most of the day exploring the city, hoping to find something of note worth seeing or investigating, but, alas, we found nothing.

It was just a plain city with none of the charm the rest of the Narrow had.

With that said, by the time the sun started to set, and we had to begin searching for an inn to stay at, Wiatt and I both looked at one another and asked practically the same thing.

“Are you hungry?”

“Are you thirsty?”

Despite being on our feet all day and doing nothing but walking, we didn’t feel like we had to eat or drink anything, not even a little bit.

Huh, I guess the stories about Atlacoya might have some truth to them after all.

We found an inn close to the gates, rested and, when we woke in the morning, neither of us felt any different.

Normally, when you wake up, you’d want something to eat or drink, so not having that feeling was bizarre.

It was very strange.

Still, there was no reason for us to stay in the city any longer so we promptly left and reclaimed our supplies.

They had been left untouched in the chest and they handed them back to us before we had even given them our names.

Then, we rode off towards the next city: Ehecatl.

It wasn’t until the next morning that we felt hunger and thirst again.

I think I’ve begun to understand why people would be so willing to stay in such a remote city like Atlacoya now.

Though, I can’t help but feel like something is lost when you don’t need to eat or drink, like it’s something that makes us alive

If we lost that, then it’d be like we’re undead.

We ate a slightly larger breakfast than normal just to be sure before heading off and, after just three more days, we were getting close to Ehecatl: the City of Storms.

It didn’t take long for me to see how it earnt its name.

Out of nowhere, the sky above us became greyer and, ahead of us along the Great Stone Road, we could see rain and lightning relentlessly attacking the mountainside in a terrifying display of Mother Nature’s power.

The thunder roared at us like a lion, warning us of its strength and that to get too close to it was the same as asking for death.

“Damn, I guess we were too late in getting here,” Wiatt lamented. “I’m sorry, sir, but we won’t be getting to Ehecatl any time soon.”

“Why? Surely, we just have to wait for the storm to-” Before I even finished my sentence, I cut myself off and lowered my head. “Lad, I think I know, but explain why we can’t get to Ehecatl soon?”

“Ever since the city was built, the City of Storms has always been beset by terrible and powerful storms during this time of the year. The storms, like that one we can see, can last for days, maybe even weeks, on end without relief. The longest recorded storm in Ehecatl’s history was almost two months long.”

“Seriously?! That long?”

Wiatt nodded. “I had hoped we’d be fast enough to avoid it.” He turned away from me and clicked his tongue. “Shit.”

…

I think that might be the first time I’ve ever heard Wiatt swear or, at the very least, with such ferocity.

“So, lad, what do we do? Wait it out? Maybe find a village nearby to stay in for a while, or head back to-?”

“We can’t!” Wiatt yelled, spinning to glare at me, scaring the shit out of me. He quickly composed himself and said, “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to yell.”

I smiled reassuringly at him. “It’s fine. I’m just as annoyed.” I surveyed our surroundings and saw several dirt paths split off from the Great Stone Road, and I pointed at one that seemed to lead us down more towards the coast. “Why don’t we try that path?”

Wiatt spun to see where I was pointing and thought it over. “That might work, but it could end up taking us right into the heart of the storm if we aren’t careful.”

“…I mean, as long as we keep an eye on it, I don’t think it’ll sneak up on us.”

Wiatt laughed and said, “The lightning bolts from the clouds can shoot as far as a mile from the edge of the storms of Ehecatl. See that there, sir.” He pointed to a very blackened piece of ground that I had somehow managed to miss by the side of the road. “That was where one struck, quite recently too as well from the looks of things.”

I didn’t say anything to that.

Though, I did ride my horse forward a few paces before stopping beside Wiatt.

“So, shall we give it a go then?”

We followed the dirt path, praying that it’d take us down to the coast or, at the very least, a good distance away from the storm. Then, we’d be able to loop back up to the Great Stone Road much further along and far away from the raging storm.

Alas, this time, we would not get to see Ehecatl in all its glory.

As we were riding, my mind was filled with questions that, annoyingly, I wouldn’t get answers to in a long, long time.

How did the city’s buildings not get destroyed by the storms every time they came?

What was it like to be within a city during a storm that lasted for days on end?

How could they sleep in peace or do anything without the storm disturbing them?

Could they grow crops or fish safely within the city itself, or did they have to gather those from outside the city and risk being caught off-guard by a sudden storm?

Well, all these questions I’d have to hang onto until the next time I came to visit the Narrow.

A shame, without a doubt, but at least now I had something to definitively achieve when I came back to the Narrow.

Even though we were missing out on the city, we were much safer travelling down this path than we were taking the Great Stone Road at least.

***

If I ever get the chance, I’m going to kill all the fucking Gods in the world.

“Afternoon, fine gentlemen,” a man with very few teeth and a drawn sword said as he emerged from the bushes. “Dangerous to travel round these parts.”

Whenever I think I’m having a good day, those damned deities must cackle amongst themselves before thrusting crap like this my way.

Toothless here and four of his friends surrounded us, on foot, two with swords, one with a spear and two with one handed axes. They weren’t wearing proper armour but they definitely had a fair number of scars on their faces and limbs.

…Fuck the Gods.

Fuck ‘em.

Wordlessly, we stared at them for a few moments, neither Wiatt nor I moved as we assessed the situation.

I imagine, based on their lack of muscles and proper form, that these men weren’t trained warriors, but common cutthroats that preyed on villagers and caravans without guards. Or maybe they were refugees who had managed to sneak out of the Westerlands, or they were just common bandits.

Whatever the reason, I couldn’t care less.

They dared to threaten my life and that was enough for me to kill them.

“What can we do for you men?” Wiatt asked with his usual bright smile on his face.

I could tell that he was faking it. They, somehow, could not.

Toothless let out a small laugh and said, “We don’t ‘ave time to waste on chatting, not with the storm raging up ‘ere. So, ‘ere’s the deal. Give us ya valuables, or die. Simple as.”

Well, at least he wasn’t wasting our time.

It meant we’d get to kill him sooner.

Wiatt, still smiling, got off his horse and didn’t take his sword as he did, and slowly moved towards Toothless. The bandits raised their weapons and I dropped my hands to my side, preparing myself to leap off my horse at one of the bandits with an axe.

If Wiatt is who I think he is, he can hold his own in a fight.

I already had my dagger strapped in its sheath at my thigh, and I could definitely kill the bandit without my sword, so it was just a matter of timing.

I’d strike when Wiatt did.

Toothless moved right in front of Wiatt and the two stood staring at each other for a small eternity, neither moving, Wiatt still smiling, and Toothless still aiming his sword at Wiatt’s chest.

“Ya want to die?” Toothless barked.

Wiatt slowly, and purposefully, shook his head from side to side. “No. Do you?”

Furious, Toothless stabbed at Wiatt, but Wiatt used the back of his arm to knock the flat part of the blade upwards, making the strike miss. Wiatt then kicked Toothless hard in the shin, dropping him down onto one knee, before kicking him in the chest.

The bandits were, for a second, too stunned to move and I struck right there and then.

I leapt off my horse, drew my dagger and ran up to the bandit with the axe. He swung at me, so I dodged it, then grabbed his wrist and stabbed him in the heart.

I removed my dagger and the bandit fell down dead.

I grabbed his axe and threw it towards the one with the spear, catching the man in the thigh, causing him to scream wildly in pain.

I saw Wiatt run back to his horse and draw his sword, just before the other bandit charged at him. Wiatt blocked his first few swings, then beautifully parried one and sliced the man’s stomach open.

The other bandit with an axe ran at me, swinging madly. His attacks were slow and easy enough to dodge, so all I had to do was wait for the best time to strike. He swung wide and I stabbed him in the throat, killing him instantly.

I turned to Wiatt just to see him get struck in the back by the bandit I had seen him strike down.

“Wiatt!” I screamed, rushing towards them.

Wiatt howled in pain, kicked behind him, pushing the bandit back, spun around and cut the man’s head off. Toothless went to stab Wiatt in the back, but I stabbed him in the stomach and then threw him to the ground.

The last living bandit, the one with the spear, tried to limp away, but I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I picked up the other axe and threw it at him. It landed in the square of his back and the man fell flat on his face dead.

After that, I quickly went to check that the other bandits were dead.

I wasn’t going to let them sneak attack us again.

I sheathed my dagger and ran to Wiatt. He was on his hands and knees, breathing heavily.

“Wiatt!” I crouched beside him and could see blood trickling through his shirt. “Shit! I’ll bandage you up, just give me a sec!”

“I’ll…manage, sir…” Wiatt said through gritted teeth. “It’s…not as bad…as it looks.”

“The fuck are you on about?” I grabbed the bandages and herbs from my pack and ran to his side. “Get your shirt off so I can-”

“No!”

I was speechless.

That shout was louder than the one he had made when he been sliced by that bandit.

Why?

Seeing the confusion in my eyes, Wiatt’s expression became even more pained than it already was, and he turned to face the ground. “As long as you don’t…look at my front…please…”

I nodded and went behind Wiatt.

I took off his chest piece, then lifted up his shirt as Wiatt held it down at the front and began tending to the wound.

Thankfully, it wasn’t deep.

His armour had taken most of the impact, but it had still gotten through and cut the skin, albeit quite lightly.

I cleaned the wound with water from my waterskin, then applied herbs to it and then began bandaging it, passing them forwards to Wiatt to help me pass it across his chest. After two minutes, his wound was patched and I helped him sit up right against a nearby tree.

“How’s the pain?”

“…Better,” he muttered with a thin smile. “Still hurts like a bitch though.”

I smiled. “Do you want to set up camp here and rest for the night?”

He shook his head. “Can’t risk it. The storm could…grow…and hit us.”

“Then, we should get moving soon. If these guys were here, then there’s a good chance that there’s a village nearby.”

“How do you figure?”

“Bandits hit often travelled roads, so there must be somewhere nearby that travellers rest in, a village I reckon.”

“…Sir, if you don’t mind…could you help me up onto my horse?”

“Just this once, lad.”

I slowly helped him up onto his feet, then carefully got him back onto his horse, and we continued onwards. I had tried to insist that we move slower so we didn’t upset his wound, but Wiatt was very adamant that we keep to our original pace.

I don’t know why but within the space of a few hours I feel like I’ve seen a side to Wiatt that he wanted to keep hidden from me.

We were on the road for three hours before we came across a fishing village, just as the sun was beginning to set. We inquired with a local herbalist who spoke Carlian if there was somewhere that we could stay, but they told us that there were no inns in the village.

“I could try asking the villagers, but they might not want foreigners staying with…” The herbalist trailed off as he was staring at Wiatt whose face I’d only just realised was much paler than normal. “Is your friend sick?”

“We were attacked by bandits on the road and he was wounded in the fight. I treated his wounds as best I could, but I guess that it wasn’t enough.”

“If it is alright with you, I could take a look at it and give you shelter for the night.”

“I thought you said the villagers didn’t trust foreigners,” Wiatt said.

The herbalist smiled sadly. “They don’t, nor do I. But I cannot leave a sick person alone.”

“…Then, we’ll take you up on your invitation.”

We followed the man to his home where he showed Wiatt to one room and then asked me to stay in another, so that I could go to sleep first whilst he tended to Wiatt’s wounds. I had wanted to protest initially, but then I remembered how Wiatt had acted before about his front when I treated his wounds on the road.

“Make sure he’s okay,” I said, before closing the door to my room.

I changed out of my gear, lay down on the bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling for ten minutes before I even felt remotely tired.

My mind was busy processing everything that had happened today.

The great storms I’d seen, the bandits we’d fought and whose lives we’d taken, and the thing that stuck with me the most: how Wiatt acted when I tried to tend to his wounds.

I’d never heard him lash out like that and it scared me.

Then, just as I felt myself about to drift off to sleep, I heard someone shouting.

It was loud, very loud, but I couldn’t tell who it was that had been shouting. The walls were thicker than I had thought, so it was impossible to tell, though I could guess who.

After that, there was nothing.

I waited for a few minutes, my hand reflexively reaching for my sword, before I heard the herbalist say, “Good night and I hope you feel better in the morning,” to Wiatt and retire to his own room.

Whatever had just happened, Wiatt was alright for now.