The wind howled, carrying the sharp alkali scent of the Sea of Grass on wings of sand and dust.
The contrivance continued to grind on behind her. She did not like the thing or the creature that dwelt within. The conveyance resembled an enormous cookpot turned upside down, a crooked chimney jutting out one side and spewing white smoke that whipped away in the howling wind almost immediately. It was even black and made of iron. Two horses pulled the thing, driver's seat empty and reins tied in place. They never seemed to need direction from a driver, anyway.
Aeyliea pulled the scarf covering her face tighter and higher so that only slate blue eyes and a sliver of flesh showed, adjusted the buckler on her aching left arm so that it did not rub so much/ The air was full of sand and grit and dust, the air yellow with it and it managed to work its way everywhere and into everything. She could not see more than a mile through the haze, though that was far enough to see the next little outpost on the edge of the Sea. They were still far enough out from Vel Anir and Norwood that only small settlements existed. The region was too arid to support large populations, unless those populations were particularly hardy. The Komodi and the No'rei chiefly lived here, outside of individual settlers that never stayed long. If not for trade crossing the Sea, it would be one of the most empty places on Arethil.
She growled an oath in her native tongue as the horse she rode stumbled. She was an indifferent rider at best, but they insisted on being mounted. They also never left their wagon unless there was a specific reason for it. It had been many weeks spent out on the Savannah with a creature she did not know the name of and simply referred to as the Shrouded.
The road they followed (if it could be called such a thing) broadened as it came into town. Even calling it that might have been a stretch; there were eight buildings in total along the narrow way, and a dozen or so more scattered out away from the strip. She wouldn't be surprised if there were only a couple dozen souls living here on the edge of the grassland. She noted a cold forge and general store rolled into one, and a wayhouse for travelers to let rooms and locals to get drunk.
No one was outside. The howling wind made it unpleasant to be out-of-doors, and in any case this wasn't the time of year for trade to really have picked up. Winter still held sway in most of the world, and soon the rains would come here and make all of the roads nearly impassable for a month or two. Where there were roads, anyway.
Her horse snorted and came to a stop in the middle of the street as the great iron carriage ground to a halt and sat there, dark and ominous and silent, for a long minute. She did not dismount yet; just because they were in some kind of town did not mean anything. It was not easy to get on a horse when she had effectively one hand. No sense in dealing with any more embarrassment than necessary.
A few minutes went by. Eventually, the carriage rocked once, and the wheel on the door spun until something clicked. Opening, her patron stepped out; inky blackness obscured everything behind it as they stepped onto the ground, closing the door behind them.
The Shrouded wore a mask concealing their face, their body and head enshrouded in cloth and leather a similar shade of black to that of their carriage. Even the eye-holes in the mask showed nothing. They looked around them in a nearly comical fashion, and then clicked their tongue against the roof of their mouth. "He should be here by now," they said, the voice that of a young girl. The No'rei knew that didn't mean anything; the Shrouded did not have any one voice. "That is what I should expect, being in the wildlands," they said to themselves, this time in the tone of a nobleman, the ring of snide arrogance a perfect match for the real deal.
She said nothing, as there was nothing to really say. Apparently they were here to meet someone, although she would never have known if not for the SHrouded's presence right then. All she could do was wait to see what fresh nightmare the creature had drummed up this time.
The contrivance continued to grind on behind her. She did not like the thing or the creature that dwelt within. The conveyance resembled an enormous cookpot turned upside down, a crooked chimney jutting out one side and spewing white smoke that whipped away in the howling wind almost immediately. It was even black and made of iron. Two horses pulled the thing, driver's seat empty and reins tied in place. They never seemed to need direction from a driver, anyway.
Aeyliea pulled the scarf covering her face tighter and higher so that only slate blue eyes and a sliver of flesh showed, adjusted the buckler on her aching left arm so that it did not rub so much/ The air was full of sand and grit and dust, the air yellow with it and it managed to work its way everywhere and into everything. She could not see more than a mile through the haze, though that was far enough to see the next little outpost on the edge of the Sea. They were still far enough out from Vel Anir and Norwood that only small settlements existed. The region was too arid to support large populations, unless those populations were particularly hardy. The Komodi and the No'rei chiefly lived here, outside of individual settlers that never stayed long. If not for trade crossing the Sea, it would be one of the most empty places on Arethil.
She growled an oath in her native tongue as the horse she rode stumbled. She was an indifferent rider at best, but they insisted on being mounted. They also never left their wagon unless there was a specific reason for it. It had been many weeks spent out on the Savannah with a creature she did not know the name of and simply referred to as the Shrouded.
The road they followed (if it could be called such a thing) broadened as it came into town. Even calling it that might have been a stretch; there were eight buildings in total along the narrow way, and a dozen or so more scattered out away from the strip. She wouldn't be surprised if there were only a couple dozen souls living here on the edge of the grassland. She noted a cold forge and general store rolled into one, and a wayhouse for travelers to let rooms and locals to get drunk.
No one was outside. The howling wind made it unpleasant to be out-of-doors, and in any case this wasn't the time of year for trade to really have picked up. Winter still held sway in most of the world, and soon the rains would come here and make all of the roads nearly impassable for a month or two. Where there were roads, anyway.
Her horse snorted and came to a stop in the middle of the street as the great iron carriage ground to a halt and sat there, dark and ominous and silent, for a long minute. She did not dismount yet; just because they were in some kind of town did not mean anything. It was not easy to get on a horse when she had effectively one hand. No sense in dealing with any more embarrassment than necessary.
A few minutes went by. Eventually, the carriage rocked once, and the wheel on the door spun until something clicked. Opening, her patron stepped out; inky blackness obscured everything behind it as they stepped onto the ground, closing the door behind them.
The Shrouded wore a mask concealing their face, their body and head enshrouded in cloth and leather a similar shade of black to that of their carriage. Even the eye-holes in the mask showed nothing. They looked around them in a nearly comical fashion, and then clicked their tongue against the roof of their mouth. "He should be here by now," they said, the voice that of a young girl. The No'rei knew that didn't mean anything; the Shrouded did not have any one voice. "That is what I should expect, being in the wildlands," they said to themselves, this time in the tone of a nobleman, the ring of snide arrogance a perfect match for the real deal.
She said nothing, as there was nothing to really say. Apparently they were here to meet someone, although she would never have known if not for the SHrouded's presence right then. All she could do was wait to see what fresh nightmare the creature had drummed up this time.
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