The Firelands

Chapter 17 - Kano City

8th day of the Second Month, Love's Moon

8:00 am

Kano City

Kalen stopped at the edge of the forest, stepping out onto the main road. Dawn was coming, soft snow scattered untouched on the ground. The towers of Liandol palace could be spied in the distance, peeking over the treetops. There was nothing to suggest anything had happened during the night. No flames, not smoke, nothing, just the hum of a city waking up and starting work.

He looked towards the city. It was a very different world to Kalen's small humble village. The roads were dark and smooth, lined with pavements. The buildings stretched high into the air, their windows glittering as the snow slowly melted. It was a world where people didn't know everyone else, didn't care to know everyone else. It was colder than the life Kalen knew; yet Kalen had always loved visiting the city.

But he'd never come alone before. He'd always travelled with friends, or a trading party... and he'd never travelled that far beyond the city limits, only as far as the Realm Boarder.

A commotion had him looking back as Incendio stepped from the forest, Theth raging in his arms. Kalen raised an eyebrow at them – thinking about it, they were an odd couple.

"Put me down!" Theth snarled as soon as Incendio stopped, "How dare you!"

"But you said you couldn't keep up without flying and you said you couldn't fly."

"That is completely beside the point!"

"How?"

"Just put me down!"

Incendio quickly set Theth on his feet and the angel arranged his clothes with a huff just as the two elves appeared overhead, circling and coming into land near Kalen.

"Alright, we're at Kano, now what's your plan, Sire?" Kalen asked.

"Your manners are truly appalling," Redion said as they slid down from the Pegasus.

"I said Sire."

Instead of answering, Zedkiel looked at Theth. "Master Enson, do you have clothes you can change into?"

Theth opened the gypsy bag that had knocked him out of the sky, rummaging through it. "A few pieces, but they're all obviously Angelic Realm clothing," he said.

"Alright, you need new clothes, you stand out. And your wing, it was damaged, correct? We should have it looked at, a chemists will probably be able to apply something that is stronger then what we are carrying."

Theth's face went pale. "A chemist? ...You want me to show my..."

Kalen, who had been looking through his own bag, quickly looked up. "What? Send the angel in there to show his wings? Whoa, no," he said, darting forwards, "No, you can't send someone like him in there."

"Excuse me?" Zedkiel said, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, someone like him?" Incendio asked.

"Am I the only one who noticed his wings were different?" Kalen asked, glancing back at the angel – Theth instantly looked down, his hair falling over his face, tugging on a lock.

"Master Goldsworth, the fact that his wings are slightly different has nothing to do with his medical treatment," Zedkiel said.

"No, no, you clearly don't understand." He let out a breath. "No of course, why would you, you've never left your palace. Let me be blunt, you show the world those wings, you will have people coming after this angel to cut them from his back and sell them."