Where Faith Leads Us

Part 1

Author's Note: Here I am with yet another gay romance story, although this one diverges a bit from what I usually do. It has five chapters which I will all post throughout this week so that you won't have to wait too long to see how it ends. I hope you'll like the story! Comments are always welcome ~

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Mu So pushed the bindle higher onto his shoulder and looked up at the walls in front of him. The smooth stone glittered in the faint remainder of sunlight, reflecting back the blurry image of a line of people lining up to be let in before the end of dusk. Above the shiny surface were white spikes and holes for the magicians and archers to hide in though. This city, it surely tried hard to keep people out. It was the type of place one didn't want to stay if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

Mu So shook his head, moved his shoulders unhappily, and then waited until it was his turn. Whether he wanted or not, he had almost reached the gates and it was too late to move somewhere else. He'd have to find a place to stay for at least one night.

When it was finally his turn to step in front of the guards, he gave a huff and handed over the bindle on his shoulder to let them search it, answering their questions in a low voice before he was finally allowed to enter the city. Seeing the way they looked at him, the bad feeling in his stomach got even worse. In all the years on the road, he had gotten a good perception. If you were treated like this outside of a city, it would be even worse inside. He'd have to think twice about every step he took in there or things might turn ugly.

The guards finally waved and Mu So stepped through the gate. He walked a few more steps before he halted at the side of the cobblestone path. He looked at the buildings on both sides of the street, trying to get a better feeling for this place. To be honest, it didn't look bad at first glance. Just like the shiny wall outside, the buildings on the main street were in a good condition. At most, the frame of a window could use a new layer of paint here or there.

This was the kind of city that was rich and welcomed those that were the same. Mu So patted the pocket of his pants, feeling for the small sack of money inside. This ... might prove difficult.

He sighed and then went forward, just barely catching one of the vendors who was already packing up. "Heh, there! Do you still have something to sell?"

The vendor immediately halted in his task, turned around, and showed him a grin. "Sure, sure! Have a look. These are the freshest goods in all of Lald!"

Mu So gave an uninterested hum and pointed at a small piece of dough that looked like it should be cheap. "I'll take that then." Anyway, this stuff was at least made this morning if he was lucky, maybe yesterday if he was unlucky. Who had the money to splurge on a vendor's food?

The vendor's smile immediately collapsed but a little money was still better than no money so he still spit out the price and handed the so-called pastry over to Mu So. He immediately turned away though.

Mu So pursed his lips and bit into the dish, not surprised at all when it tasted like nothing as if somebody had skimped on the seasoning. "Say, where to go to visit the city's temple?"

The vendor finally stopped and turned around again, his lopsided grin almost looking gloating. "Which one?"

Mu So cursed under his breath. Don't tell him the people here were still praying to that one? Well, for one night, he didn't mind pretending either way. "How far apart are they?"

The vendor laughed and motioned down the street. "Both on the square in the middle of the city. Better choose carefully though. Ending up in the wrong one might cause you to not wake up in the morning." He laughed at him again and went back to packing up. Clearly, he was taking quite a bit of joy in the traveler's misfortune.