Oracus: The Lavorian Rider

Nineteen - Lalacia

Although still warm, the following day was wet and miserable, with lightning and torrential downpours hampering their journey. Just moments after leaving the cave, Oracus's clothes were saturated and uncomfortable, and he was reminded of the rainy autumns in Thessley when he had helped his father on the muddy farm, herding the cattle into their shelters. He and his father would return home and empty the buckets from under the leaky thatching, before they huddled around the fire to get dry.

Oracus, Kivali and Quent descended the path of the mountains in the early morning and left Bandor behind. They were to be staying in Lalacia overnight, and while Oracus, Kivali and Quent could slip into the city without drawing any attention to themselves, a Lavorian would stick out like a sore thumb. And it was best left to the imagination how the King's soldiers would react to a rebel Rider and Lavorian arriving in their city unannounced.

When the three of them reached the base of the mountains, they proceeded across the sodden sand (which was now golden and no longer the black it had been outside Fervia) until they could see Lalacia on the horizon a few hours later.

From having seen nobody since leaving Gravaz and Lapsin unconscious a whole day ago, civilisation suddenly came out of nowhere as they approached Lalacia's gate. For a half-mile outside the city's walls, foreign tradesmen and tradeswomen had erected tents and stalls on every spare area of sand, and they hollered prices to the hundreds of passers-by who squeezed their way to and from Lalacia's gates.

To Oracus's surprise, the city gates were wide and inviting when they reached them. The rain was still hammering the sand, but droves of people entered and exited Lalacia as guards on the narrow watchtowers to either side of the gate scanned the chaos beneath them. Oracus dropped his gaze guiltily as he passed, but nobody stopped him or even looked at him, and the gates and guards were soon behind.

"Welcome to Lalacia," Kivali announced.

The intermingling sounds of many voices and heavy raindrops hitting waterproofs was all that Oracus could hear as he followed Kivali and Quent along a broad street lined with shops. Everything and anything Oracus could imagine was displayed in one window or another; be it sweet or savoury food, expensive or cheap jewellery, sharp or blunt weapons, a wide choice of herbal remedies, clothing from nightwear to thick metal armour, animals used as household pets or farmyard animals, a great variety of different books, as well as ales and beers and wines, amongst many other things. For their time on the street, Oracus wished his power was to have more than a single pair of eyes.

"It seems strange there are no guards here other than those at the gate," Oracus observed. He had expected Lalacia to be somewhat less open than it was, quite like Fervia had been.

"This is Pharia's trading city," Kivali answered. "You'll see very few guards here."

"But I thought Jowra liked to keep everything under strict control?"

"Jowra is less blinkered than you give him credit for," Kivali said. "He isn't always focused on violence and death. He's been King for so long because he's wise as well as powerful. He's very aware that a thousand guards and sealed gates would only intimidate traders. And that isn't smart business."

"That makes sense, I guess," Oracus admitted.

"And letting these people feel free means their allegiance stays with him," Kivali added. "There aren't many who would oppose his rule and still travel here to trade their wares. And those who do oppose him, like us, are at risk of being found out and killed. It's a clever and cunning way for him to weed out his enemies."

Oracus looked around suspiciously at those closest to him and then turned to Kivali. "We aren't likely to be found out and killed, are we?" he whispered.