Direction

     Smoke and refuse itched in Reinhardt's nose as he pushed the final tree branch out of his way. Large plumes of dirty air rose through the sky from the buildings of a now visible city. Reinhardt had wanted to avoid the city of Odum, but the only passable roads ran through this trade center. During the winter seasons the bristling economy of Duzee came to a standstill nearly everywhere, except Odum. Looking past the city he could feel where he needed to be.

            Tall stone walls loomed before Reinhardt and, even from this distance, he could see they would be nearly impossible to negotiate around. The fortification did what it was intended to do, deter the unwelcome from stepping inside. Knowing that nobody would care if a lone beggar in rags walked through the gate, he preceded onto the soft dirt road nearby and made his way into the Duzee city.

            Winter began settling onto the wind empire only a few weeks prior to Reinhardt's arrival yet most of the scenery was now covered with a fresh, soft blanket of white. Passing travelers and merchants wore heavy winter cloaks. Some of the richer passers wore furs or rode in heavily insulated carriages pulled by large carriage hounds.

            The large dog-like beasts were used by the wealthy to pull their goods from city to city. Having been bread into docility Reinhardt couldn't recall an instance where one had actually attacked a person. A passing hound sniffed the air curiously trying to get a sense of the passing traveler. Reinhardt looked at it turn its attention back to its meal of what looked like wet wheat. Like all carriage hounds it had no teeth, and no claws.

            Its owner was busy chaining the other hounds back to his cart, ready to continue onto Odum. Shaking themselves clean of snow, the hound team began pulling the goods. Watching them walk was always interesting for Reinhardt. To make up for not having claws the docile creatures had been bred with eight fingers, giving them the gift of climbing, a must have for traveling across the mountains of Duzee.

            Snow crunched beneath Reinhardt's feet as he walked, face hidden behind his old cloak. Typically a lone traveler wouldn't be a strange site, but the people of Duzee could tell Reinhardt was Icileian just by looking at him. Duzee natives typically had silver hair, though cross breeding has lead to a more grayish tint. Their skin often remained light due their altitude and the suns inability to break through the thick clouds above their nation.

            Further south in Icilee the peasants had darker skin due to their time spent outdoors but not as dark as the desert walkers of Rornin far across the Sorrows. Their black hair and above average size made them stand out in polite culture. Reinhardt was no exception to this rule. The lone traveler stood a head taller than most of the Duzee natives and had dark brown hair that matched his eyes. These features would instantly announce him as Icileian.

            During most of the year it wouldn't matter where he was from, but war between the two countries always sparked fiercely during the cold seasons due to the snow. Billions of tiny ice particles resting over the entire country gave ice elementalists the perfect tools for striking back at their northern enemies. Heavy winds raged all year long in the mountains of Duzee but Icilee had very little, preventing wind elementalists from reaching out across the lesser expanse.

            Travelers leaving the city turned their heads up to look at Reinhardt as he walked past, giving him more than proper space to walk. The attention, though subtle, would get him noticed if he didn't get into the city quickly. Once he was within Odum's walls it would be harder to pick him out of the populated streets. He was close enough now to see the guards standing near a fire.

            Each of the men wore uniforms of grey and white, colors of the Duzee army. Like most of the Duzee citizens they were small and pale of skin, but they looked to have had countless hours fighting on the battlefield. One at a time he knew he could handle the soldiers but they had experience fighting and would easily use their numbers and spears to counter Reinhardt's size. Knowing he needed to get into the city without causing a scene would be his only hope.

            Travelers and merchants alike were funneled into lines and questioned by the guards before being allowed entry to Odum. With little choice Reinhardt waited in line for his turn. A strange longing to continue ached in his chest. He hadn't been able to place the feeling but it felt like he was being pulled somewhere. Unable to shake the sensation he let himself be guided by it, driven to exhaustion to reach the mystery location.

            As he approached the guards took a few steps back and lowered their spears, putting the heavy metal tips between themselves and the massive man.

            "Lower the hood, Icileian." Complying with the demand, Reinhardt pulled his head free of the cloak and felt the crisp sting of winter air on his cheeks. A few of the guards nearby grabbed their weapons and joined the two questioning soldiers when they noticed what was going on. Looks of disgust and hate sat firmly on a few faces while others looked worried or nervous. Reinhardt couldn't blame them. It was impossible to know who was an elementalist and who wasn't. At this distance a skilled shifter could kill most of them before they could react.

            "What is your business in Odum?" One of the other soldiers asked, almost hidden behind someone else.

            "My farm has been put to the torch by Icilee bandits, my family butchered along with my livestock. I traveled north in hopes of shelter and work." Deciding it was easier to tell most of the truth than lie he told his tale. "Even Duzee has need of workers."

            "We don't need Icileian workers!" One of the men spit.

            "We have no way of knowing if he's a shifter! Gut him and throw him in the fire!" Another one yelled from a safe distance. It was clear these men feared shifters, though he didn't fault them for that. Elementalists could be broken down into different sub groups. Most men and women who could use ice only had the ability to move small amounts, these were known neophyte elementalists. While they were common they could use their gifts for little more than small chores and pranks. Bastion elementalists progressed their skills to the point of being able to use their gifts for defending themselves. The most dangerous were shifters, who honed their skills for combat.

            "Icileian shifters are nobles. Peasants aren't trained in the arts. I have no skill with conventional weapons either." Reinhardt did his best to present himself as non-threatening, but even for an Icileian he was large. Standing almost a full foot and a half taller than all of the soldiers he looked dangerous enough to raise concerns. If they had taken the time to search him they would have been worried further.

            "We can't trust the words of these vultures. Send him away from Odum." This soldier was even further back than the rest. Reinhardt hadn't noticed that nearly two dozen soldiers had gathered now. Nobody was questioning the travelers anymore as they had taken up arms and moved to keep Reinhardt from entering the city. His attempt to enter without causing a stir had turned out to be impossible.

            The door of a nearby guard shack slammed against the wall as another man emerged. His uniform was slightly different from the others, and was silver and grey instead of white, colors of the wind masters guard.

            "What is the hold up? Has one Icileian farmer brought the entire city to a standstill? If this happens every time one of them moves through the gates you all will single handedly have let them end our economy. Peasant, on your way."

            Not bothering to reply with the man's command, Reinhardt returned his hood to its place on covering his head, and walked past the soldiers. Men moved away from him, willing to show their distrust of the Icileian, even though they had been reprimanded for not doing their jobs.

     The guardsman met Reinhardt's eye as they came close. Something about the way the he looked at him made Reinhardt uneasy. From his own travels as a farmer there was never word of being able to tell if someone was an elementalist until they used their gift, but it was impossible to know if the same rules applied to him as the others. Elementalists may be able to tell that something was different about him.

            Finally inside the city Reinhardt soaked in the sights. From outside it was impossible to see the going-ons of Odum, another defense against shifters perhaps, but the city was alive with life. Even with winter underway the streets were full of people. Travelers walked up and down the roads searching through carts of goods. Beggars huddled together for warmth in some of the alleys, fighting over trash and food that clearly should not be eaten.

            It was hard to say how many people actually lived in the market city but it had to be in the tens of thousands. Reinhardt had never been to a city as large as this during any of his trips to sell supplies. every building was crafted with the environment in mind. Harsh winds and heavy storms made the Duzee mountains a hard place to live, especially during the winter months.

            Each building stood one story tall, and was constructed of heavy stone, Reinhardt couldn't place what type it was. Instead of the typical square buildings he saw in Icilee the Odum homes were circular, helping to avoid direct contact with the wind. Small windows limited the exposure to the cold but provided little view from the homes.

     Reinhardt pushed his way through the streets, searching for the closest pub. Spotting a large wooden sign hanging outside one building he decided on giving it a try. People where still eyeing him suspiciously, but they hadn't paid him as close attention since he entered the city.

            The chiseled marks on the sign depicted an interesting scenario of a man being shot multiple times with a barrage of arrows. Reinhardt didn't know much of the Duzee culture so he didn't know if the sign meant anything to them, but it seemed odd for a store's logo.

            With little choice he decided that it would be as good a spot as any to stop for rest. Getting closer he could see the words 'An té nach bhfuil láidir, ní foláir dó bheith glic' scratched into the wood around the picture. Having lived in Icilee for his entire life he couldn't read or understand the Duzee language but something about the phrase just didn't sound right. Not having much of a choice he pushed the door open and went inside.

            Before the heavy wooden door closed Reinhardt could see soldiers walking the streets, emerging from the street connecting to the gate. It was pure luck that the door closed as the guardsman turned the corner and walked into the street he had just been on. Reinhardt was hoping he was not the reason these guards had left their post, but wasn't going to bet money on it.

            Smoke filled his nose as he turned into the Pub. Consisting of one visible room, the small building had one other exit and he assumed that was back into the kitchen or storage room. For a place as deceivingly small as it was there was there was plenty of space. Able to fit nearly twice as many tables as was currently available, everybody was more than comfortably.

            A faint odor caught his attention but he couldn't place where he had smelled it before. The limited light made it nearly impossible to see through the thick smoke of lush leaves, a commonly smoked plant, especially by middle class citizens. Mimicking the effects of alcohol, the leaves were popular nearly everywhere in Icilee and Duzee.

    Everyone was looking at him as he moved further into the pub. Even though nobody moved from where they were sitting it was clear that they all had weapons readily available. Moving quickly yet smoothly between tables wasn't hard considering the distance between each table, but he still did his best to not move too close to any single group of patrons. Something about them all made him feel uneasy and they probably felt the same way with him in the room.

     Before he reached the bar a large mug of beer was already waiting for him. It was a bit surprising to see somebody being kind to him, though he suspected much of that was due to the prospect of money. The shorter man behind the counter was thin and looked to be decently strong. It wasn't exactly what he was expecting from a bartender but he had never met too many of them in his life so his idea of them was probably wrong.

     "How can I help ya this morn'". His accent was thick and he didn't recognize it at all. It didn't carry the simple grace that the Duzee language did, it seemed more harsh and clunky, almost drunken. Even stranger was the man's eyes. Unlike most drunks he had ever met there was a strange sharpness to his dark green eyes. Reinhardt had heard rumors of the Ental people but had never met enough to verify the belief.

     "Just looking to lay low and let the chill pass, and a few pints wouldn't hurt." The bartender slid another large mug down to him and pulled out a rag so he could clean some that had been returned to him by the other patrons. Sitting at a tall stool near the counter Reinhardt let the time pass. Hoping that the searching guards would pass the place and then he would be able to continue on.

     While he had some time he tried to figure out where he was going. Something seemed to be pulling him in this direction though he didn't know what. On the other side of this city would be the mountain range that it was tucked near, and after that should be a forests and then the ocean. There was nothing out there that even shows up on a map, but something was pulling him towards the coastline.

     "Looks like we have guests." At the mention of guests Reinhardt turned back around and saw that the elementalist who had been following him had walked into the pub and he wasn't alone. Conversation in the room had dropped to nothing and everybody was watching the guards, and especially the brightly dressed man who wore the colors of the Duzee guard. Where people had only watched Reinhardt walk in they stood now. It was clear the room was teetering between calmness and chaos and this man could be the one who tipped it.

     "I've come for him." He pointed at Reinhardt and began to walk forward. When somebody moved to cut him off the man drew his sword. "Remove yourself and I won't kill you, we only want that man but we will cut down anybody who tries to stop us."

     "May I ask why ya want him so badly? Seems harmless to me?" The bartender had finally stopped cleaning mugs and was giving his new guests his complete attention. His accent had almost faded completely and Reinhardt wondered why he was hiding it.

     "I'm taking him to the Nivged for questioning. The rest isn't your concern." With a motion of his head two of the soldiers who had come in with him moved towards Reinhardt but couldn't get close to him. Some of the men in the room drew their own swords and moved to cut the Duzee soldiers off. Tension in the room grew as both sides prepared for a fight.

     "Enough." Reinhardt's heavy boots hit the floor as he lowered himself from the stool he had been watching from. A few of the nearby men lowered their weapons. "There is no need for a fight here." Removing the old sword he wore around his waist he handed it over to the Duzee soldiers willingly and left with the group. Soldiers waited for him to leave before continuing out the door. The bartender watched him carefully as he was rushed into the streets. Reinhardt was glad he had avoided any unnecessary bloodshed but was altogether shocked that they hadn't checked him for any more weapons. A small smile crossed his face but he tried to not let anybody see it.

Author's Note

How is the story flowing so far? By this point I really need to get the reader hooked on the story to get them to keep reading. Is it understandable, easy to follow? What should I elaborate on to make it more clear? As always how is the grammar and level of interest?

Reviews

[Bri 810]

I really like the detail that you've put into this book so far!