An Aimless War (Greatest Thief 2)

Chapter Fourteen

Faint moonlight lit the city in front of us just enough that I could see the telltale rings of walls. East Draulin was a proper Zian city, even more proper than Zianna was. Three rings of huge walls, the tallest guarding the castle and grounds in the middle, the second surrounding the richer upper city, and the outer wall which protected the lower city.

Being pressed up against the Cliffs of Loth had changed Zianna's shape, but East Draulin looked quite circular. It had once been the perfect Zian city, but the Telts had changed it. Even in the dark, I could see that part of the main wall, and the dividing wall beyond it, had been torn down. The area looked like an expansive marketplace that mingled with the port, lower and upper cities. Buildings had also spread beyond the main city walls, whereas in Zianna everything was neatly contained. The large port was flanked by two huge guard towers, and ran along the coast in a confusing maze of piers and docks.

Tannix leaned against the railing beside me as we slowly sailed closer. His soot-darkened hair and shabby, dull clothing looked odd. He stared at the city in front of us, his expression a mix of determination and anxious excitement. The knights all shared that look as they eyed East Draulin.

Wrecks of huge burned ships creaked as they were rocked by the waves. At the base of one of the guard towers, an entire lighthouse had tumbled into the water. Closer to the ruined docks, smaller merchant and fishing ships had sunken while still tied in place. Some floated on their sides, their masts and sails torn and tangled together. For some, only the end tied to the dock was still poking into the air, like a drowning man trying desperately to pull himself out of the water.

Roland expertly guided the little sailboat we'd all packed onto past the carnage. A pair of other ships followed closely behind us. The plan was to move into the city and send as many people as possible to the boats as we made our way to the castle to look for Lady Mayah and her parents.

No one made a sound as the ship pulled up against the dock. A few of the sailors leapt out of the ship and tied the mooring lines to thick metal rings. Roland and Tannix exchanged a quick whispered conversation, then Tannix jumped onto the dock without warning. The rest of us scrambled after him.

The port was empty. We made our way easily along the docks until we reached a wide cobbled street. Like Zianna, large warehouses and dry docks loomed between the harbour and the city's main wall. We slipped past it all, and things seemed to be going very well when suddenly Tannix ducked behind a wooden stall ahead of us. We followed suit just in time.

A group of four Deoran soldiers crossed the street up ahead. They were heavily armoured as if they expected an attack, but looked very bored. They probably didn't actually think anyone would cause them any trouble. Of course they wouldn't expect trouble, as most of East Draulin's soldiers had reportedly either been killed or already fled.

As soon as the soldiers rounded a corner, Tannix started to move forward, but I stopped him by placing a hand on his chest. Motioning for him to stay still, I crept around the stall and silently ran up to the street. I pressed myself again the wall and peeked around the corner. The soldiers had stopped pacing. One of them was taking a drink and two were muttering under their breath to each other in Deoran. The fourth stood in a corner with his back turned to the group. I waited, watching quietly, until they continued walking and disappeared further down the street. When the coast was clear, I waved to Tannix and the knights.

"Thank the Goddess you're here," Tannix whispered as they joined me.

"You're terrible at this."

Tannix's laugh was more of a huff. "All right, I know. Lead the way."

So we continued. It was easy to sneak through the huge gap in the main wall and enter the lower city. The marketplace was just as crowded as Zianna's always was, but East Draulin's was damaged. Stalls were emptied out, burned or overturned, spilling goods the Deorans hadn't wanted. A few times I caught sight of shapes in the mess that were decidedly human, but I tried not to look at them for too long.