Borne of Fire

Chapter 42

Close up, Boreham seemed to be even more chaotic than it was from afar. People ran every which way, barging into Braxter and bumping off Ja'aris and L'non with a mumbled apology for the latter and a shouted "Get out of the way!" for the former. Strangely enough people managed to keep clear of Randyl, giving him a wide berth and sometimes even falling over themselves in their eagerness to keep space between he and they. The people of Boreham seemed to be scared of him even if they were ignorant of the actual reason why.

L'non and Ja'aris had wrapped hoods around their heads and faces in an attempt to conceal their Watcher identities and so only their eyes showed in the shadows but they kept their heads bowed as they approached and so far nobody had spared them a second glance. Other things to be scared of these days, thought Braxter. He looked around himself wide eyed and nervous, not just because of what they were about to do but because the general feeling of the crown was becoming infectious. The air, now that they were down from the hillside and amongst the people, was thick with a nervous energy. Tension and fear was almost tangible, with signs of it everywhere as it threatened to spill over in uncontrollable amounts. Husbands shouted at wives, wives shouted back angrily, parents shouted at children. Scuffles between men broke out in numerous places as everyone individually but at the same time tried to get through the gates and into the safety of the town.

"They should be working together, not fighting against one another. We'll never defeat the Ulrogg without a united stance." Randyl commented as two men began to brawl directly in front of him. He reached forward and, taking a handful of each of their clothes, pulled them off one another before throwing them in opposite directions with all the apparent effort of a parent separating two siblings.

"This is the way of men unfortunately, Erradin-kin. Too concerned with looking after what is theirs and what sets them apart from others to think about the common ground they share with those around them." L'non lamented as they walked through the outskirts of the crowd. "The things they could achieve if only they worked together."

As they approached the main gates, the crown began to thicken until it became clear that there was a certain order to the chaos. Less shouting and less fighting, perhaps because there was less space for either but also because of the armed guards who could be seen here and there, organising people into some kind of order as they reached the gate.

"Do we wait?" Ja'aris growled, reluctant to even ask the question never mind actually have to go through with it.

"Yes we do, my impatient friend." Randyl answered calmly. "I feel we will get nowhere if we force the issue and will simply get off on the wrong foot. Besides, how long can it take really?" He smiled confidently at Braxter.

"There must be hundreds of people in front of us Rand. We'll be here hours!" Braxter complained but Randy simply laughed it off.

"Nonsense. A couple of hours, if that. And we have to tread with caution here. This needs to be done just-so or it could be disastrous. The tension here is quite palpable." Randyl smiled reassuringly. "A couple of hours, trust me. Have a little patience my friend."

Braxter was lost for words at the irony of Randyl's attitude so said nothing as the four of them joined what he hoped was the nearest thing to the back of the queue.

"What in all hell is taking so long?!?" Randyl barked. Four hours later and they were still waiting in line, shuffling forwards a few inches every so often but still a distance from the gates. They had started off patiently enough - speaking rarely and in the watchers case at least, taking the opportunity to meditate while they waited to shuffle forwards again. But as the sun rose bright and clear and the morning began to turn to afternoon, patience wore thin and was soon replaced by impatience and then frustration. Braxter knew that anger would follow close on the heels of frustration and just hoped that they would be past the guards on the gates before it arrived.