Theurgy: The Journey's Dawn (Book One)

Chapter 39 Arrive at Hath

        As brief as his time in Torlak had been, Lyse felt a small part of him sad to leave. As someone who had always been interested in something he did not know. Something such as Torlakian magic presented possibly the largest challenge to him. Something even outside the challenges he has already faced with aura yet still related somehow. He saw so much to learn, so much to discover. Despite his vow never to step foot in their land without the permission of the Grandmaster and Six Arms, he walked a bit slow behind Makyra looking around at the city. Its architecture and its customs. The people seemed relatively happy and spry. Busy, but with a step that determined a sense of aptitude of where they are. He still couldn't get the idea of those floating towers and islands slowly drifting around the cities. He could gawk at them for hours. They were a marvel to look at, a lump of rock and dirt suspended in the air and somehow guided around like guardians. He felt the urge to learn, to know what mystical mechanism they have created to do such wondrous things. Things saw as occurrences told in stories, a reality here. He pondered that if the sanction had never been placed, he would perhaps become a mage. Maybe after all of this is over, he could convince the grandmaster himself to appeal this sanction and repair the broken ties with the clans. He seemed like he himself is not very fond of the rule, but merely the one who enforces it. 

       While he was taking his time walking back, Makyra didn't appreciate his nonchalant pacing, and constantly pushed him along so he wouldn't be left behind.

     "Come on, Lyse," her tone was patient and annoyed somehow. "By the light of the Paladins and the grace of Fate we make it out of all of this with your heads. We should be grateful Remmus is still the rule breaker he always was.

      "I am sorry," Lyse quickened his step. "It's almost as if I forget my purpose here. I'm not so accustomed to such wonders."

     "You are still a mere cub to the world," she noted with a sigh. "But this is the least of what this place holds I'm afraid. But if you are caught in amazement at what this place reveals, you won't be able to see the others. Do you know why?"

        "Why?" Lyse asked, but he knew the answer.

         "Because they'd have taken your head already. Now come on."

       So much to learn That excited Lyse, even more than the sights themselves. They did dull, however, closer to the docks they came. The regular city dwellers were replaced by Torlakian fishermen and merchants. As if the sea washed away some of the lusters Torlak had to reveal gruff spindly men with wiry hair bartering with one another. These were still wonderous in their own right, huge barges loaded with all variety of fish bundled up and transported using water or air to manipulate them. Something that should require twenty men to load only requires one person with minimal effort. Many of the Torlakian vessels were smaller than the average empire merchant vessel, very much built for speed and efficiency. A few notable looking mages made their way around, walking up towards ships and asking a few bartering questions before departing. They didn't wear uniforms, but their silk shirts and costly cloaks painted them of wealthier men. The cane or staff or maybe even a book under their arm marked them as mages. One such person was speaking to Moxie now, who was overlooking her men loading some things aboard and taking some things away. Lyse supposed she can not very much stop her business on account of them. He didn't get a good look at any of the goods, but it was mostly crates and boxes marked with a red letter "T" on them. The conversation between the mage and Moxie seemed to go over smoothly, and they departed with a shake of the hand. Then she spotted her, blowing smoke out of her pipe and smiling at them thankfully. 

      "Took you long enough cubs," she regarded the both of them. "Got an easy score off one of those mages. They may be smart but they aren't good hagglers. They paid me to double what  normal vessels will take for shipping this stuff over to Hath."