The Walled Cities

Chapter 47

"Watch out in the section ahead my friend, the may be hippo or crocodiles in the deep part."

It had been three days since we had started our journey into the interior of Africa. Africa was nothing like I had experienced before. It was hotter than the hottest summer day I had ever experienced, and the air felt thick. Bugs buzzed everywhere, and birds called in abundance from all around. I had seen more new beasts in the last three days then I ever thought I would see in my life. They came in all shapes and sizes.

Adaire and Lucia had named all of them, along with many of the birds and plants we had seen. When not talking, Lucia had her sketchbook out, drawing every living thing she saw. I spent most of my time paddling the canoe, as Adaire had been delighted to know I had experience with the small crafts.

There were two of the dugout canoes. I paddled one that held myself and Lucia, while Adaire maneuvered the one that contained the supplies we had brought with us. Three people had felt better than bringing along members of the crew, despite their loyalty to their captain. Jamila had been left in charge and had told us she would try and get to Italy, where she could ask about Kaelyn. The nearby remains of eastern Europe and the ever growing Greek Empire supported the slave trade from the slave cities of North Africa and other regions. It was likely that Kaelyn would be bought by a plantation owner and taken somewhere in the vast region that was the Greek Empire and its colonies.

Slavery was a brand new concept for me. Adaire and Lucia had explained it though, the act of owning another's body and the ability to do whatever they wanted. Just thinking about it made my fingers curl tight around the handle of the paddle. No one deserved such a fate. I had seen men and the occasional women punished with manual labor for various crimes, but when their sentence was up they were free. To be born and die as someone's property was just wrong.

Disturbed by the thought of Kaelyn being told what to do and whoever owned her having total control over her, I shook my head, trying to rid myself of such images. Looking behind me, I saw a look of sadness and knowing on Lucia's face. Before I could say anything, she acknowledged, "Thinking of Kaelyn? You know, many men would have given up, but not you. Does she know how you feel about her?"

Caught off guard, I stammered and missed a stroke of the paddle. Last winter we had gotten close, but I had never told her. At the time I had always found some reason not to, but they all seemed empty now. When she was safe I would find a moment when we were alone and tell her. Even if she didn't feel anything in return, there was no reason we could not be friends.

"No. There never was a good time. I was busy trying to keep her alive and teach her about the life she had chosen to live."

"Z, there never is a good time. This world we live in, is full of obstacles that we must endure and overcome. But do not let those things get in the way of telling someone how you truly feel," Lucia explained.

That look of sadness had returned to her face. It was hard to tell, but I could see it in the slight downturn and quiver in her lips, and the dimmer than usual color in her eyes. I would not ask her what was wrong though, as Cassie had always stressed it was rude to pry. Thinking about such reminded me of one such instance.

"Z, what have I told you about prying into other people's business?"

"I was only curious as to why he is dressed so funny, and why the rangers are with him," I shot back.

A man from one of the Walled Cities had come to the farm to speak with Ezekiel and Cassie. Two rangers were with him, as an escort. The rangers always intrigued me, as they dressed like Outlanders, but their clothing was much nicer, and they always had the best gear money could buy. But it was rare that someone from the Walled Cities left the protection of the walls, so I was naturally curious. I had seen a few people from the famous cities, but their clothing always seemed weird.

"That does not give you the right to just ask the man," she replied sternly.

Feeling that I was not going to get out of this, I hung my head and murmured, "Sorry, Cassie."

Staring at me, Cassie's eyes that had been full of anger slowly shifted back to normal. Letting out a sigh, she gave me a tight hug before saying, "I know there are many things to be curious about, any there are many more things your brother and I have not learned, than what we have learned. But to learn something, especially about someone, you must first know how to ask it."

That had been one of my first lessons she had taught me that had later been crucial to me running the trading business that had provided for me and them. Thinking about that, had me wondering how they were doing. I knew that my letter would have been received by now, and I had given Jamila another set of letters and asked her to send it along with any ship she could find that was traveling to the Port City of Columbia. Two were for Shaw, one discussing various trade opportunities I had learned about while traveling across the ocean. The other was more personal and echoed the letter I had sent to Cassie, discussing my health and new friends and what I knew about Kaelyn's condition. Jamila had been kind enough to write them for me.

A polite cough brought me back to the present, and the feeling that I had missed a question. Keeping my eyes on the water ahead, I apologized, "Sorry, what were you asking?"

"I was curious where your thoughts were, as you seemed to be thinking. But I don't want to pry if your not willing to share," Lucia responded.

"No, its ok. I was thinking about home, and a lesson Cassie taught me. To know when and how to ask a question, especially about people or things that one is unfamiliar with."

"A good lesson, that everyone must learn. My parents taught me such when I first developed an interest in science. Not that women are not allowed to have such interests, but I did not just get to do whatever I wanted, and needed to be polite to anyone I talked to, whether or not I agreed with them."

"You don't talk of your home much. What is it like?" I inquired politely.

"Where to begin..... my hometown is the capital of the Spain - Portugal Alliance. We are a fairly wealthy nation, and one of the major powers in the region. Our wealth comes from our mines, but we also have livestock."

"Do your traders not scavenge for metal in the dead cities and other forgotten places?" I asked, somewhat confused. I had heard of mines before, but I had never seen one. I and other traders scavenged metal from broken down cars or old abandoned buildings. It was usually inferior material compared to what I that came from the mines or from overseas, but it still had many uses and was the only thing that most Outlanders could afford unless it was a special circumstance.

"They do, but we use that material less often. Usually they scavenge large sheets of metal or specialty pieces. Our metal from the mines holds up better than the metal that was crafted over a hundred years ago."

Discussing metal reminded me of the trades I had made over the years, and the issues I had had at times with members of the various city governments, that Shaw had smoothed over. Along with that, Shaw had gone to great lengths to teach me why people looked at me differently when I walked the streets of a Walled City.

"Do those who live inside your cities treat those who do not differently?"

"No.... why would they?" Lucia hesitantly asked.

"Where I come from there are those of the Walled Cities, and those who live outside of them, the Outsiders or Outlanders. I do not know how to explain it well, since I do not understand the reasons as much as I would like. But... essentially my people, the Outsiders are treated as inferior by most of those from the Walled Cities. Some of the Outsiders think that those of the Walled Cities are just stuck up."

While I had been speaking I had heard Lucia give a short gasp. This was understandable as the way people lived back home was weird to those whop came from just about anywhere else.

Seeming to pick her words carefully, Lucia asked, "Why do they treat each other as such. Surely they can learn to work together and treat each other the same?"

Opening my mouth, I felt at a loss for words. I did not know how to answer her question. It was the same issue I had been thinking about since I had been involved in the retaking of the Port City of Columbia.