The Catalyst

Chapter 61

As they got to Veicira's south-western gate, a militia officer asked for their names.

"Noah Starborn."

The officer unfurled a scroll and glanced at it before he said, "You're on the list. You can go."

"The list?" Noah asked.

"The king's list," he clarified. "What about you, miss?"

She exchanged a worried glance with Noah. "It's Kili."

To their surprise, the man nodded. "You're on the list too."

He waved for them to go through, and they spurred Shadow and Flash along.

"Don't linger in the city," the officer advised. "Head straight for the castle. And if you see anyone, tell them to do the same or to leave the city."

"Can you tell us what's going on?" Noah asked.

He answered with the weariness of someone who'd repeated himself over and over again, "Two days ago, the king ordered the city evacuated as temporary measure. Its inhabitants must go to surrounding towns and villages, or find safety within the castle's walls."

"Thank you," said Noah.

They crossed South-Veicira and found it eerily empty, save for the occasional wandering cat. No lights spilled from windows, no smoke curled out of chimneys. There was no sound but the clip-clop of their horses' hooves on cobbles.

The wind blew cold across the pale morning, and as they rode to the city center, it was unsettling not to see merchants setting up or kids playing in the streets, not to smell the aroma of freshly baked bread.

"Jaden must've decided he couldn't hold the city walls," Noah mused, and Kili nodded.

On their journey to the capital, they'd heard rumors about an army marching via the main road. So they had avoided it and used less-frequented paths. Noah had hoped to get a view of the army, but the land south of Veicira wasn't rich in hills, and the sky hadn't been clear lately.

After some meandering, Noah recognized his surroundings and led them down Castle Road, where they passed the Princess of the Millenia and Ambry's healing house.

"Strange to be back?" Kili asked softly. Noah just nodded. "You felt so lost on that day."

"Yeah," he said, "I feel kinda lost today, too."

The guards positioned between the barbican's sturdy towers took their names, and they were allowed to cross the stone bridge. Even though he'd seen it before, the castle's curtain wall still filled him with awe. Great blocks of stone, each one as tall as he was, rising at least forty feet with the battlements, with higher towers at each juncture. And another wall just like this one ringed the inner ward. Compared to this, the city wall – about twelve feet tall – was laughable. Noah felt he would've made the same choice as Jaden to protect the citizens.

As they rode from one gate to the next, they could hear the artisans and blacksmiths, busy as bees in and out of their workshops, the clang of their anvils, the instructions shouted at apprentices. A cleared-out space to their right, which Noah remembered as an area for training horses, now bristled with targets and castle guards honing their archery skills under the supervision of a stern old man.

The inner ward was the same; every available space optimized for training. Castle guards in black and blue, soldiers in black and gold, and even men and women in plain commoners' clothes practiced with their bow, sparred with their sword, or fought hand-to-hand.

Noah and Kili stopped by the stables at the end of the east wing and left Flash and Shadow in the groom's care.

Then Noah swerved around to explore the training grounds further, until he found Kitera sparring with Ivy. It looked like the new recruit had ditched the wooden sword for the real deal. Kitera moved gracefully, light and swift on her feet as her sword struck and slashed. Ivy parried and riposted, faring well enough, though he could tell Kitera was going easy on her.