A Sunday on La Grande Jatte

Pilom’s Tent wasn’t the most remarkable of towns.

Far from a hub for travelers and merchants, it was a rather sleepy town without much to its name. Small wooden buildings made up the town square—the tallest of those, the inn, only got to three floors in height.

The people who lived around these parts only contributed more to the content atmosphere. They wore simple, clean dresses and trousers, barely a stain to be found.

Not that the people around here were anything close to rich. They didn’t have anything resembling the complex pipe system of Gallai. Instead, brickwellers helped to fill giant gallons of riverwater on every street corner. The people simply came and took what they needed.

Lilly took the lead as we headed into the inn. As we stepped inside, for the first time, a building here started to match the world of those light novels.

As was typical in those books, tables and chairs covered the first floor. Waiters rushed from table to table with steaming meals and cold beer. My stomach rumbled at the sight, not that I had much money on me to spare.

“Welcome!” The girl behind the desk called out to us. “How can I help you?”
“One night,” Lilly slammed a few coins on the table. “Nothing else,”

“S-sounds good,” The girl stuttered as she collected Lilly’s money. “Follow me.”

Upstairs wasn’t much different. With the restaurant noise muffled, the creaking wood under our feet was the only thing that broke the silence. There were around ten rooms in total on the floor, most of their doors locked shut.

The girl led us into the one room still ajar. Three beds lined the back wall, a simple oak desk serving as the only other bit of furniture in the room.

“We leave in the morning,” Lilly snapped her fingers. A cloud of shadow emerged from the bed, leaving a simple cloth bag behind as it disappeared. “Get some rest.”

“That’s it?” Aila marched over toward Lilly. “At least give us some information on this crucible!”

“Give her a chance,” I sighed and collapsed on my bed. It felt like a pile of rocks. “Now that we're safe in our hotel room, there's no reason she wouldn’t tell us at least that.”

Deep down it hurt me to talk like this, but for Aila’s and my sake, I didn’t have a choice. I needed to know this just as much as she did.

“It’s Riverlight’s home base. Seth can explain it better than me but something about the place makes it invisible to Thien.” Lilly laid down in her bed. “Seth isn’t the most sociable. Just a warning.”

“You’re one to talk,” Aila muttered.

“Lilly,” I sighed. “I need to apologize. We’ve just met, and all we’ve been doing is judging you. I don’t blame you for getting short with us.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “Compared to my last two years, this is nothing for a girl like me.”

That last part brought a bit of hope to my heart. “Let’s get to bed.” The suns were setting, and if we didn’t want to be dead tomorrow getting rest was the way to go.

“Fine,” Aila collapsed into her bed, clearly still annoyed at the both of us. It was going to be a long morning

֎ ֎ ֎

BANG BANG BANG

“Rin!” Lilly’s sharp voice jolted me awake. “Get your Senn ready!”
“What?” I groggily leaped from my bed. Aila and Lilly both held their weapons at the ready.

Footsteps, dozens of them, came from downstairs. It wasn’t the typical soft creaking of a workman's boot either. “We’ve been found out.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Lilly said. “They seem hesitant to blow down the door.”

“The window then?” I back up towards the faded glass panel. Outside, the sleepy streets showed no signs of the army. “Or do you have a better idea?”

She responded by smashing the glass.

“Fair enough,” Lilly jumped out in a shadowy cloud, joining Aila who seemed to teleport down there before I could react.

I crawled out the rickety window. In the morning breeze the window frame shifted like sand. My feet dangled fifteen feet in the air, the hard red grass below the only thing to soften my fall.

As the pounding grew, I shoved myself outside, only hanging by my fingertips.

“Coming down!” I let go, letting myself fall victim to gravity.

The grass crunched under my feet, a sound not too unlike bones breaking. Yet, when I opened my eyes, a cloud of light shimmered below my feet.

Sadly, I didn’t have much time to enjoy my landing. “Come on,” Lilly took my hand, nearly sending me flying as I got to my feet. “The guards aren’t that stupid.”

We snuck around back, Lilly leading the way. While our footsteps softly sent the crimson grass underground, somehow Lilly didn’t leave a trace. There wasn’t a single sound from where she stepped, like she’d never been there at all.

Guards poured from the inn’s entrance. We hid in the shadow of a set of water barrels as a small battalion walked past us.

“They’re not here,” I overheard the annoyed voice of a nearby guard. His hat slammed against the floor, a river of curse words following as he addressed a group of his lackeys. “General Blackwell was right yet again.”

“Sergeant?” One of the soldiers asked.

“He didn’t even bother coming to catch the criminals. Instead, while they're right on our trail, he decided to flock off to Cottol of all places! Cottol! This isn’t time for a dammed vacation!”

“Cottol, sir? Why would he head to the Holy Kingdom of Eastol?”

“Apparently, he expects the fugitives to head there. Why they’d bother I have no idea.” The man rolled his eyes. “Our famous general is losing his touch.”

“Shit,” This time it was Lilly who cursed under her breath.

The two guards continued. “Shh,” he eyed the general mass of soldiers. “If one of the other sergeants heard you say that-”

“Let them!” He scowled. “Grandpa needs to head toward the retirement home. Screw history.”

We stayed hidden as they passed by. The frustration was clear in every guard we passed by. Somehow, the idea that we’d simply escaped apparently hadn’t occurred to any of them. Overconfidence could strike like a dagger sometimes.

“Move out! They must have hit the next town!” After what felt like an eternity the same sergeant who had been complaining moments ago shouted to the entire battalion. Five minutes later and the city was guard-free.

Once I felt it was safe to speak, I turned to Lilly. “What did Thien mean by us heading to Eastol?”
“He meant that’s exactly where we’re going,” she scowled. “Come on. The day’s still early and we need to move.”