Torghan couldn't deny it—they were masters of woodworking.
He leaned back, nearly sinking into the plush bench of the carriage. The gentle sway as it moved was soothing, almost hypnotic. He let his eyes close for a mont, trying to process everything.
It had been less than a week since their arrival, yet he had already seen things that threatened to unravel his understanding of the world.Creatures unlike anything his tribe had ever known paraded through the streets, their forms so strange they seed like spirits from another realm. But none had baffled him more than the one he had seen earlier.
It walked on four legs, yet it was nothing like the animals he had hunted in the mountains. Its body was sleek and powerful, its muscles shifting beneath a smooth coat. A long mane flowed like river grass caught in the wind, and when it moved, its hooves struck the ground in a steady rhythm—strong, confident, unshaken by the weight of the world.Torghan had stared, awestruck.
It was a horse, they had told him—a beast of speed and strength, a companion to the people here. But to him, it seed like sothing pulled from a dream.
At first, they had been offered the animals to ride, but as the tribe mbers gathered around, murmuring in hushed wonder, it beca painfully clear that none of them had the slightest idea how.
Aron, quick to read the situation, suggested they not take the risk, one could only image what the reaction would be if the son of the tribe leader died as their guest.
Of course all deals that he could have made would no longer be doable, and probably all of them would be treated as hostiles.
Torghan had nodded, though a part of him burned with curiosity. What would it feel like to mount such a creature? To command its strength, to move with its grace? But for now, he pushed the thought aside.
And so, instead of horses, they were given carriages.The idea of riding inside a wooden box pulled by one of these creatures was almost as strange as riding one outright, but the tribe accepted with a mix of excitent and hesitation.
"Do they feel the wind when they run, like we do?"
"Are they spirits too, like those great turtles that carried us over the water?"
"They must be a gift from the wind, then!" Torghan had declared, half to himself, when Aron shook his head at both questions
.As the journey continued, Torghan's endless questions about the beasts only deepened the fascination of his tribesn. Each answer Aron gave seed to strengthen their conviction—these creatures were no ordinary animals. Surely, the spirits of the sea and wind had blessed the people of this land, granting them such wondrous beasts to command.
The last ti any of their kin had laid eyes on a horse had been during the third Azanian campaign, when the empire sought to bring the mountain tribes under its heel. Even then, the sight had been rare, for the Azanians quickly learned that cavalry was useless in the jagged, winding passes.
Their horses had struggled, their riders floundering on treacherous ground, and soon they abandoned the idea altogether.
For those tribes living near the Azanian borders, the mory of the beasts still lingered. But for Varaku's people, the sight of a horse was nothing short of a revelation. Not one among them had ever laid eyes on such a creature before, let alone imagined riding one.
To them, the idea was as foreign as the towering cities they now found themselves in.
For half a week, the carriage had rumbled along the well-worn road, carrying them deeper into this strange land.
The days had blurred together—rolling hills, vast plains, and scattered villages passing by as they adjusted to the foreign world around them.Then, without warning, the carriage ca to a halt.Torghan and his n exchanged confused glances.
Why had they stopped? Was sothing wrong? Their hands instinctively moved toward their weapons, though the days of travel had dulled their initial wariness.
Aron, noticing their tension, raised a calming hand. "It's all right," he assured them. "We're close to the capital now. It's just over the horizon."He stepped down first, gesturing for them to follow.
One by one, the tribesn climbed out, stretching their legs and blinking against the bright midday sun. When their eyes adjusted, they saw it—the first distant sight of the capital. Even from this far, they could make out the grand walls, their stone gleaming under the sky.
The sheer scale of it made their stomachs tighten.Before they could fully take it in, movent nearby caught their attention. From the side of the road, servants led eight horses forward, their polished coats gleaming in the sunlight. The sight alone was enough to make a few n hesitate.
Aron turned to them with an encouraging smile. "We are close now, and there is no longer any risk. It's ti you rode."The tribesn eyed the creatures warily. The carriages had been strange enough, but now they were being asked to mount these beasts? They watched as the servants approached, gentle hands offering aid. One by one, they were helped into the saddles, their bodies stiff with uncertainty.
Aron walked among them, giving quiet reassurances. "They are docile," he explained, patting the neck of one horse. "They will not throw you, so long as you do not panic. Hold the reins lightly, guide them with your legs, give them a small hit with your ankle to make them move."The tribesn murmured to one another, so still uneasy, others marveling at how easily the outsiders commanded such creatures.
Though doubt lingered in their eyes, they did as they were told, gripping the reins with cautious fingers. The capital awaited them, and whether they were ready or not, they would enter it on the backs of these spirits of the wind.Still the reason why they were to do this was lost on them,
Torghan in fact had no qualms about asking as he turned to his translator with a questioning look. After a brief exchange in their own tongue, the translator quickly addressed Aron.
"Why can we not continue with the carriage?" he asked, his tone carrying the sa confusion as the tribesn around him.Aron smiled slightly, as if he had been expecting the question. "The city is only a few minutes' ride from here," he explained.
"Things have been prepared to welco you properly.Things that should be seen clearly out in the air "He let that statent settle for a mont before adding, "It is also poor manners for a man to arrive before a prince in a carriage. Unless one is a woman or an elder, they are expected to present themselves in a manner no higher than the prince himself. Since I am here, it would not be fitting for you to be brought to him in greater comfort than he take for himself."
The tribesn exchanged glances, so grumbling under their breath, others simply processing the strange custom. Begrudgingly, they accepted the explanation, though the unease of riding remained evident in their expressions.
The horses moved forward at a slow, cautious pace, their riders shifting uneasily in their saddles. The tribesn, unfamiliar with the rhythm of the beasts beneath them, gripped the reins tightly, so muttering quiet prayers to the spirits of the land.
As they crested a small rise, the full sight of the city unfurled before them, and in an instant, they understood.The towering walls of the capital stretched wide, standing like a mountain of stone shaped by the hands of n. It was clear now. They had been made to ride not for re ceremony, but to witness firsthand the strength of those they had co to treat with.
The ssage was unspoken, yet undeniable—power was not simply told, it was shown.The walls of the capital lood ahead, rising to an imposing four ters—far taller than the humble fortifications of Aracina, which barely stood at two and a half. The thick stone barriers stretched endlessly in both directions.Yet, as grand as the city itself was, the true strength they had been brought to witness did not lie behind those walls.
It stood outside, in the vast field beyond the gates.There, stretching as far as the eye could see, were the soldiers of their host. Rows upon rows of armored n, their polished breastplates gleaming in the sun, banners swaying with the wind. Infantry stood in tight formations, their strange spears planted firmly into the ground, shields at the ready.
Cavalry units trotted in perfect lines, their horses adorned with chainmail and their riders with plud helts. Further backupon the wall there were even so catapults, small one built as to lower the kick back as much as possible.
The tribesn stared in stunned silence. This was no re show of power—it was to impress them whom the stronger party was, a lesson that for sure they would not forget.
As they were made to witness the steel, discipline, and an army that could sweep across the land like an unrelenting tide.
User Comments
0 comments from readers