"Lyeald? Where are you?"
The boy bounded over the low fence with a single leap. "I'm back sis!" he yelled as he barged through the small side door into the kitchen.
Yvon greeted him with a brilliant smile as always. Her straw yellow hair and cute button nose only emphasized her childishness that her plain dirty dress couldn't suppress.
He reached up to her brow and plucked away a stranded illon leaf. "You're done with dinner? I can see that you've been cooking. "
"You have dirt on your face too, brother," she giggled, brushing at the scuff marks on his cheek. Her efforts were inadequate though, he had acquired more than one piece of dirt in his day's toil.
Lyeald patted her, smiling at her cheerfulness. It was a good day today.
"How about your work? Did you get any money?"
And just like that, his mood evapourated. Lyeald just smiled and ruffled her hair though, "don't worry about that. We'll be fine. "
Yvon let the matter drop, turning back to her cleaning. The basin full of dirty plates and bowls that their hosts had left of their meal. She batted away his tired hands when he tried to help, "you've done enough brother. Leave the dishes to me. Eat and get your rest for tomorrow. "
He did have a early start tomorrow with farmer Iro. "All right then. Then, Yvon, how are you feeling today?" he asked.
"I am feeling great today! Lyeald, how are you feeling today?" she returned his question.
The boy nodded. "I am feeling the usual ache in my shoulders and back," he answered honestly.
Their little ritual done, Lyeald settled down to eat, staring out the door at Selna's red moonlight. Perhaps he could find someone else who needed an extra hand tomorrow afternoon.
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Yvon looked at the tiny bag that was all the coins they had managed to save after nearly a year. Since the day their parents had died to the vomiting sickness, Lyeald had been trying to save every bit of coin he could. Farmer Iro had been kind enough to give them food and a place to sleep in exchange for his help in the fields and barn, and hers in the kitchen.
Then the new farming tools had come out of the west and Lyeald was finding it harder to get a turn in the fields where some money could be earned. Everyone wanted a turn at the village plow and seed drill, and farmer Iro couldn't have a fifteen years old boy drive the pakas pulling the plow. Still, that meant that the only work left for Lyeald was weeding, shelling the windeyes in the barns and digging the new canal.
And there was talk of a windeye thresher on the way. Soon there might not be any need for windeye shelling. Despite the increased produce being sold to the baron, her brother was getting less certain that he could find sufficient work to make their keep worth it to Iro. He never said so but the way he dodged her questions told her everything.
Not for the first time, Yvon wished she could grow up a little faster. Ten years was hardly big enough to do real work, little things like cooking and feeding the pakas didn't count. If only she could grow up and learn magic and be one of those knights, then her brother wouldn't ever need to work again. Or he could learn magic as well and go with her to have adventurers where they would protect everyone!
She sighed and shook away her fantasies. What could a ten year old child do? She couldnt' even feed herself.
A commotion outside drew her attention. Yvon pattered over to the door, poking her head out curiously.
Just around the corner of the house, there was a struggle on the road leading into the village. The three men making up the small party guarding them from wild animals and bandits was arguing with a bigger group of eight. They were too far away from her to make out what they were saying but the wild gestures and frowns were not peaceful.
Best not to poke into the affairs of the knights. They were quick to draw weapons and constantly proclaimed at the top of their dirty breaths about how they were protecting this village. Which they did do so, to be fair. The last Reki attack had been driven off by the spellstorm calling down fire and lightning, at least to hear the tales told by the adults.
Yvon put her daydreams away again as they snuck up on her and returned to her crushing of the esquire seeds. The oil got everywhere and made the mortar slick in her hands, it was bitter and a pain to extract. But it did make the best fried yama slices, a luxury that she and her brother would be lucky to even have a few pieces of.
The commotion got louder again and Yvon frowned at the door. Honestly, they should be ashamed of themselves, she scolded them in her mind even though she would never work up the courage to do it to the knights' faces. She never got the chance though.
A large explosion knocked Yvon out of her thoughts. It felt as if something had hit her in the side, a wave of pressure that rattled the window slats and made the ground vibrate. Her chest ached as if someone kicked her, her ears rang and her eyes watered. She had no time to wonder what that sound was though, the roof of the kitchen groaned ominously. The girl looked up to find the timbers cracked and sagging. Guided by a bad premonition and blind panic, she dashed out of the door, oily bowl still clutched forgotten in her hand.
The house was missing a huge chunk of its front, as if a giant man had taken a bite out of it, and the entire structure was sagging ominously. Bits of roof landed around Yvon and tangled in her hair, then what was left sighed and fell in.
Just... what could happened here to have caused that? Yvon stared, then the shouts and angry yells from the road drew her attention again. The two groups were still there but unlike before, they were glaring at each other, swords drawn and wands at the ready.
They weren't fighting so much the three defenders of the village had scared the others off. The eight men and women were now six, the other two being splattered across a large portion of the road. A terrible stench of blood wafted from the crater in the dirt, Yvon choked down her breakfast that seemed to creep up her throat. The six attackers scrambled backwards then ran off down the road out of the village.
"You're a genius, Kelly! I take back everything I said about your exploding rocks!"
The lead knight clapped one of his companions in the arm cheerily, waving at the crater. The woman muttered something back and ducked her head bashfully. None of them appeared to be at all disturbed by the blood splatter in front of them, merely kicking over some dirt to bury the body parts.
The knights were just celebrating. After having blown up Farmer Iro's house. Yvon had to tell herself not to be sick, her stomach grumbled queasily in protest, who knew if they would take offense and kill her out of hand? She looked back at the house blankly. What was she supposed to do now? Those three people jeered at the retreating attackers and then turned around to walk back.
Faced with the destruction of everything again, all she could do was stare. And she was still in that state when the closest neighbours and Iro's wife came running up to the demolished house.
"Yvon! What happened here? Are you all right?"
Madam Price snapped at her urgently. Yvon looked up at the woman and replied hollowly, "the knights were fighting someone. "
The farmer's wife patted her down, took the oily bowl from her and sighed in relief as she turned up unhurt, then the woman turned to the ruined house. "Oh Selna, what are we going to do? I'll go get my husband, those knights have gone too far this time!"
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"Yvon! You're alright? I heard you were in the house!" Her brother pushed his way through the crowd. Yvon caught his hands and rubbed his palms, her trembling panic subsiding a little.
"I'm alright brother... I- I got out in time. " Yvon stammered. The image of the house imploding replayed in her mind again and she shuddered. Lyeald pushed his hands at hers instinctively, trying to comfort her. "I just... I had to run. "
They looked at the crowd muttering angrily in front of the small house the knights staying in. Some of the carried makeshift weapons, long poles or rakes, there was one battered old sword and not a few wands. "Violent... gone too far this time..." "Get out!" "What protectors? Too many killings..."
Right in front was Farmer Iro, yelling at the door of the knights' house.
"Clear off, the lot of you!" A yell came out of the doorway as an armoured man stepped out into the sunlight. It was one of the knights.
The crowd growled back, the mood darkening into something dangerous.
Yvon backed away. This was not looking good.
"Yvon, get back to the house," her brother said, then clarified when she looked at him in confusion, "what's left of the house I mean. Wait for me there, see if you can find anything of ours there. I need to see what's happening then I'll come find you, all right?"
She nodded, she could do that.
With a pat on her back, he sent her off.
Yvon was the only one at the ruins of the house for a long time. She picked through the rubble along the still standing back wall, steadfastly ignoring the angry shouts and chants in the distance. A few miraculously surviving vegetables made their way into a pouch tied off from a torn dress, a piece of candle that might be useful, the knife she was using earlier in the kitchen was wrapped up tightly and stored under her shirt.
It was sheer luck that their coin pouch was on her when the roof fell in.
"Yvon?"
She scampered out of the dusty ruin to find her brother hopping from one foot to another impatiently. Her shock fogging her mind cleared slightly as he grabbed her hand and began to tug her out, heading down the road.
"Brother? What's wrong?" Yvon stammered out. The look on his face was ugly and not something Yvon liked. It reminded her of more painful times.
"We're leaving," he snapped back.
She wasn't too worried though, Yvon could tell that Lyeald was not angry at her.
He started explaining when he saw her glaring at him, "the farmer can't put us up anymore. With his main house mostly destroyed, he'll have to stay in the barn until they can build something. He says he can't afford to feed us with how much food he'll have to barter away to get the villagers to help. "
Her brother's words sent a little shiver of fear into her belly. It was not a feeling Yvon appreciated. What were they going to do? Could another farmer take them in?
"And so we're leaving," he continued, "we've been hearing about the miracle city, where food is plentiful and any work is appreciated. Let's go west, to Minmay. "
Minmay? Wasn't it really far away? She had heard the same stories from peddlers and travellers, they talked about how Minmay was changing the world all the time. But to think they could get there was...
Lyeald tugged on her hand, "we don't have a place here anymore. I don't think we ever had a place in this village ever since mother and father died. "
All she could do was sigh and let him pull her away from their past life. She had no idea what the future could hold for them, if they could even reach this mythical city. But her brother was taking the lead and she trusted him to do what was best.
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"Hey there!"
The voice sounded from behind them, interrupted by the dull plods of a reki pulling a cart. Lyeald turned around, dragging his sister with him. Yvon didn't look up, the tiring task of putting one foot in front of the other had drained all the energy she had since morning.
They had been walking for two days already, with enough food to last one more. Her feet hurt and her neck was sunburned and she was feeling very uncomfortable and sticky.
Her brother did the introductions. "I'm Lyeald and this is my sister Yvon, who are you?"
"You're polite for a child," said the man, he sounded old to Yvon, "I'm Ris, a travelling peddler. Where are two young children off to? The roads may be safer these days but it is still no place for a kid like her. "
"We were turned out of our village, the last farmer to take us in didn't need us any more. The knights blew their house apart with magic in a fight and they can't afford to keep us when the new machines take all the work. " Lyeald explained, "we're heading east towards Minmay, I hope we can find enough work on the way to get food. "
"Hate to tell you this, but Minmay is to the west," Ris said plainly. Lyeald didn't reply for a moment but the man clearly took pity on him, "but you were heading west anyway, so you are going in the correct direction. Where did you hear that?"
"We don't know, I was just told to follow this road and head east to the main trade way. "
"Well, no matter. So tell me more about your village. "
Yvon had to trot to keep up as the cart pulled alongside them and Lyeald chattered away with the peddler.
It only took a few minutes before she was panting and the man took pity on them.
"I don't have enough food to sell but I am going towards Minmay was well. I can offer you a ride in my cart. Why don't you tell me more about that village and what caused the fight as we go on?" Ris asked.
Yvon finally looked up, not needing to emphasize the gratitude and exhaustion on her face. Her older brother was really smart to act so well, she could see the old man smiling down at her with pity.
A few seconds later, he was helping them up onto the cart, pulling them onto the rough wood panel next to himself.
Her brother told the story of their time in the village and the fight again with much enthusiasm, as if he hadn't repeated it tens of time to every traveller passing them. Meanwhile, Yvon caught her breathe and tried to soothe the ache on her legs by kneading them.
An hour later, the peddler was quizzing Lyeald about everything he could remember about their past village fairs, Yvon was getting quite bored. She looked backwards into the cart, curious about what the man might be selling.
While some of it was hidden in wooden barrels or cloth tarps, most of the cart contained a bewildering variety of toys, rolls of cloth, farm tools, utensils and even stranger things Yvon couldn't identify. She let her eyes roam between the objects for a while, wondering where Ris thought he might sell all of that. Then the corner of a yellowing page caught her eye, sticking out from underneath a cloth covered mound, it was near where she was sitting and if she could just reach backwards a little...
A bump on the road jerked Yvon upright as her brother caught her arm to stop her from toppling over.
"Interested in the Cato books?" the peddler had noticed and was looking at them with a twinkle in his eye, "very useful those. "
Yvon withdrew her hands, vaguely aware that touching the products for sale was not a good idea. "It's all right," she mumbled, keeping her head down.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Tell me, what do you intend to do when you get to Minmay?" Ris asked her brother.
Lyeald shrugged, "find work. I may still be young but I heard travellers saying that anyone can find work there now. "
"Ah but what kind of work is important," the peddler replied, "if you really want to get work that pays more, you need to be able to read and count. "
"I can read!" Lyeald piped up, "and my sister can too. Our parents taught us before... before they died. "
Seeing her brother wilting, Yvon hugged his arm. As always, he calmed down a little and patted her on the head.
"Sorry about the bad memories. Still, if you can read, then perhaps you should learn how to count and do sums," the peddler explained, "those books can teach you how. "
Lyeald caught the man's meaning immediately, "and you can sell us one. "
"Indeed. A mathematics book, the first of the set, will teach you everything from learning to do sums and even basic algebra. Not that I know what it means of course, just that those better factory jobs require you to know that. "
Yvon opened the little precious pouch hidden in her clothes and touched Lyeald to signal how much money they had. He would decide how much they could spend.
"How much?" he asked. It was clear to Yvon and the peddler that he was intending to buy one after all.
"Twelve telins, just for you. "
Lyeald considered for a moment before countering Ris's indulgent offer, "can you give us six?"
"Twelve is really too low already. " Luckily, the peddler didn't seem offended, but even Yvon knew that twelve telins was a ridiculously small sum for the peddler. Not so small for them of course, it would wipe out more than half their coins.
"Excuse me," her brother told the peddler to wait before bending down to whisper with Yvon.
"Do you think it's worth it? If it really helps, it could be important later. I haven't really thought about what to do after getting to Minmay. "
She shrugged. What could she say? Her brother was older and he always knew what to do.
"We won't have enough to get food for the weeks on the road, we might have to do work for people along the way," he added.
Again Yvon didn't know what to say. She had been doing chores for food for the last two years now. How was that any different?
Lyeald sighed and turned back, "twelve then, but you also lend us one other book to read for as long as we journey together. "
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Yvon lay down on the loose straw, too tired to even massage her aching feet. After they parted from the kind merchant, who left them to head south at the road crossing, Lyeald had come across a small collection of farms. The tiny village had a number of new unfilled barns that they could find a place to rest in, but more importantly, Lyeald had managed to bargain their services for some food.
She had a suspicion that her brother had played on the pity of the villagers. There was no way that her washing three families' worth of dishes was worth a meal that included piyo meat. It didn't occur to her that her young age was more of a factor than her brother's amateur begging.
Yvon still loved her brother though. He had done so much for her, giving her hope of a life in Minmay, talking to the merchant, even giving up his portion of the piyo meat today. He was really the best family she could have.
The starting exercise of the magic training book, that Lyeald had the merchant lend them, flashed across her mind. He had guided her through the bigger words and made her memorize it, since they wouldn't have the book after they separated from the merchant. Amongst all the books to borrow, Lyeald had chosen the magic one.
Yvon squirmed under her brother's arm, wanting to hide her face. She couldn't quite believe he still remembered her dream years ago of being a knight.
Now, he even distracted her from her exhaustion with little games built on the mental exercises of the book, trying to get in touch with their magic. It took only a day or so before Lyeald had managed it then he spent the rest of the night huddling up with her under a bush and their only blanket, whispering and guiding her.
She could feel the movement of her brother's magic in time with her own, slow in his sleep after spending it heating up the barn they were resting in. It didn't really help against the cold but Yvon appreciated his effort. It felt like her brother was hugging her.
"Up! It's morning you two!" yelled the man who lent them the barn, accompanied by a banging against the rickety door.
Lyeald sprang to his feet, "one pair of hands coming!" It was difficult, but Yvon knew her brother well enough to pick out the false cheer in her brother's voice.
He shook her shoulder and Yvon nodded as she rose easily from her half-sleeping state. The farmer scowled at her brother as they emerged, he looked at her, paused and pointed rudely at the main house. The sharp unhappy gaze made her shrink behind her brother, who patted her hands again and shooed her in that direction.
She glanced up at his face, his assurance wrapped around her like a comforting blanket, and nodded before scurrying away from the stern farmer. However her brother managed to stand the man's sharp words and intimidating presence was beyond Yvon.
"Oh there you are," the wife said as she hurried into the kitchen. Yvon was already at the stove, automatically stoking the straw used to start the firewood. The new firestarters sticks coming eastward from Minmay had made her morning job much easier and she gladly struck the stove alight.
"No no, you're much too young to play with fire," the woman batted her hands away from the wood.
"Just help me prepare breakfast, I'll do the cooking. Get the illon greens ready and the paka strips," she commanded and Yvon moved to the storeroom to search for the ingredients.
Yvon liked the woman more than her husband, her suffocating concern and gentle hurriedness was soft and fluffy. She peeled the greens and meat into smaller strips as the woman fussed over the pot and windeye porridge. In a flash, breakfast was done and they were waiting for the soupy meal to get to a boil.
The woman looked at her while Yvon sat gingerly at the edge of the wooden block that served as seats. "Such a young girl," she said more to herself than to Yvon, shaking her head, "you're walking all the way to Minmay! It must be hard on you. "
"My brother takes care of me," Yvon shot back before flushing and looking away. Stupid! She could not snap at their hosts!
"Yes, I'm sure he does. Still, at least you're going to the golden city," the woman sighed, "if it wasn't for our farm, I'd like to see the city myself. "
There was a pause that she didn't know how to fill as the woman stared off into space.
"The golden city?" Yvon asked when the silence stretched too far for her to bear.
"Some of the travelers we met along this road talk of Minmay as if the streets were full of gold," the farmer's wife said, "we are along the main road west to Minmay and virtually every man and his paka from Centra or Ektal Capital goes past outside. The peddlers coming from Minmay always have something new to talk about, the people who visit come away different, changed somehow. They say its an experience that one never forgets, that the very air there is full of excitement and wonder. "
Yvon blinked, not really understanding what the woman was saying. How could any city be so different? She vaguely recalled the one time their parents had visited Barin, the town that the Iris called home. The two different building types were confusing but not the sort of experience this woman was describing.
"I couldn't tell you myself," the woman shrugged, "I've never been there myself, but it does sound wonderful. The golden city indeed. "
Their little distraction ended when the pot began to boil. Jumping up from her seat, the woman banged a spoon against a bowl, "breakfast is ready! Get up!" Her yell was followed by other yells from her children as they began their day.
Yvon put aside her thoughts about the city her brother was leading her to and set the table.
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The little girl clutched her brother's arm painfully. They had crossed the Tine river over the last day or two of walking, the last major obstacle to Minmay city.
There was no line demarcating the edges of the city, the small villages slowly melted into clusters of family farms. Then into denser groupings of craft shops and small factory workshops. Then the first visible difference between Minmay city and Barin, the other city they had visited.
Lyeald had actually stopped their trek for a few hours as he saw the strange stone construction following the road. They were approaching the Tine river crossing and the stone line was coming from that direction, petering out into a waist high waterfall that emptied clear water into a ditch by the side of the road.
The farms on either side were divided into fields surrounded by ditches and sluice gates that controlled the flow of water. Lyeald had figured that out watching one of the farming families operate a gate to add water to a field. This water having apparently come from directly the river by flowing down the stone lined canal. They also saw a rotation system where the fields were clearly ordered by planting time to ensure a continuous harvesting, farming work that was done with the continuous presence of devices that Lyeald had not be allowed to use.
Yvon listened as the farmer's wife answered his questions patiently. The family wasn't the only owner of the farming tools, they shared ownership of a tract of land the size of a village with six other families. Or perhaps they were just one large family since most of them were cousins and the two main families were linked by marriage.
She even answered her brother's questions about the irrigation system, a public project from Minmay that brought water to a less arable region. The structure's cost was shared by every farm who benefited by way of an additional tax paid for the next ten years. Lyeald muttered about the chancellor being too involved with the countryside but didn't elaborate when she asked.
Yvon didn't really understand the whole complicated arrangement but it seemed to work for them.
Her brother led them both onwards to the Tine river crossing. The carts and wagons passing them by on the road grew denser as smaller side roads into the countryside joined the main road from the east.
The crossing itself was a busy section of the river. Boats and flat barges crowded the two sandy banks, with a constant stream of traffic heading in both directions. Right in the middle of the mess was a wood and steel frame, looking for all the world like a giant spiderweb jutting out of the ground. The two frames on either side were crawling with men and women, signal flags adorning the small army of workers. Huge mounds of gravel, logs and steel bars rested up oiled tarps, lining up behind the construction like the carts of merchants waiting to board. Even as she watched, a huge flare of magic heralded the rise of yet another section of metal framework into the air.
On the Minmay side of the crossing, the gathering of traffic had caused a small settlement to sprout up. Huts and travelling inns dotted the flat plain, a small sea of tents and temporary structures adding to the population.
Lyeald had pulled Yvon aside and went to talk to the boatmen to negotiate a crossing.
"Thank you for letting us cross," he said as the peddler they were going to help load in exchange for getting a free boat ride.
"No problem, it'll get me over faster," the woman replied.
It was only once the boat was underway that Lyeald asked her about the work being done. "So, any idea what's going on? Those people seem to be working on those two buildings but I don't know what those are. "
"Ah, that, the Chancellor finally agreed to raise the money to construct a bridge across the river," the peddler answered.
Yvon frowned in confusion, a bridge across a river this wide? She had never seen such a bridge before, only small wooden ones crossing streams and fords.
Lyeald clearly thought the same, with the skeptical frown on his face.
"Yeah, it's hard to believe, but Muller is getting quite famous with his projects. I hear the new upscale houses in Minmay have sewage access and running water, and he raised a five storey building for the Ironworkers. If anyone can do it, it'll be his company," she gestured at the workers still, "they say it's the most ambitious project anyone has ever built since the Migration. Over a hundred meters long, they say he's going to cross the Tine in a single arch with a never before seen design. There's a workforce of nearly three hundred and it's going to take six months to complete. "
She and her brother stared out at the river as the peddler traced the arch in the air. They didn't see any yet but Muller had commissioned an artist's woodblock carving of what the bridge was supposed to be like and posted flyers all over the city. With a through arch, the bridge would solve the problem of having too high an arch to be used as a road. The most difficult requirement was the deep foundations needed on either end of the bridge.
The story stirred something in Yvon, a feeling that she couldn't describe swelled up in her chest. The thought of something so grand took her breath away, she could almost see the bridge standing in all its glory.
"I don't understand how Muller could profit from this," her brother said, "it must be very expensive. "
"Well, Minmay and the Ironworkers shared the cost with him. They say the bridge cost so much that the Chancellor could have built a wall around the entire of Minmay city with the money. I don't think they're going to make the cost back, even with the toll to cross," the peddler answered.
"It's obvious," the boatman spoke up suddenly, "that bridge is going to be famous. If Muller succeeds, his name will be known throughout the Federation as the best builder in the world. "
"The road east will also become much easier to cross," the peddler added, "importing convoys of esquire seed oil from the Central Territories would become much easier. What about you though? Wouldn't you boats lose all your business?"
"Ah, but didn't you hear? They're recruiting boat minders for the shipping down from Selabia's mining outpost. The Ironworkers are running out of iron ore again and the current fleet can't handle the transport demand. Not since they started using pumps and coal needs to be hauled upriver as well. I've already got an Ironworker barge with my name on it after this bridge is done. "
Yvon tuned out the conversation as it became too complicated for her. She looked out over the river again, tracing the bridge's arch in her mind. Minmay city was going to be full of wonders if this was what they built all the time.
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The streets of Minmay was as wondrous as she imagined and as flat and boring as she feared.
Lyeald tugged her onwards as they explored the city, trying to find a good place to sleep in and any opportunity to gain some money. The streets were decorated with wild colours, bright and cheerful under the yellow sun and red Selna's lights. Greens, reds and blues dotted the stores, the clipped rushed accents around them, people dashing around on foot and metal wheels, all bespoke of life and energy. There was a youth and vibrancy hanging in the air that burrowed under the skin, infected her and filled her chest with something indescribable.
The shops themselves also displayed a wealth and bounty beyond imagining. From sackfuls of windeye grain of all qualities and flavours laid out on display, to selections of luscious chokos, braid and illon and even pre-ground windeye flour or woven into strange strands called noodles. Then there was luxuries like yama sugar sold by the cupful or little precious cans of caum spice powder; alcohol in every grade from barrels to bottle; a variety of flavoured cakes, sweets and sugared meats that made her mouth run. The market outdid the grandest festival on a normal day, with prices so low that her brother could not help but rub their two remaining telins speculatively.
Beyond even those riches of bread and brew, there were shops that sold furniture and utensils, as if the people did not make their own, and every manner of device that fermented in the imaginings of the fabled University. From speedy metal wheels called bicycles to something called drain plunger. Yvon had even spotted what looked like a shop that sold toys. It was a weird concept, that there could be an entire shop centered around colourful distractions and idle amusements.
And it was popular too.
Nothing was as grand as the Tine bridge that was under construction, but there was no need when subtler achievements were more useful to the brother and sister pair.
And yet, for all its wonders, the city was quite overcrowded, at least compared to the familiar farming villages they had seen all their lives. Minmay itself seemed to be bursting at the seams with people, every street and alley had doors leading to rooms and blocks of living areas. Each district blurred into the others in their own displays of colourful banners, seemingly stamped from the same mold even though they all yearned to demonstrate their own individuality.
Finding a place out of the wind at night was easy, just about any dead end alley offered something to hide behind. That much human activity also made the city warm. It wasn't that much of a difference but Yvon could tell by the increased energy she had in the morning after their first day.
The two of them started looking for work the next day, but Lyeald had barely needed to look before the third inn they came across agreed to give them food and a place to sleep in the back area in exchange for a day's work. According to the owner, a somewhat balding old man, he had trouble finding workers as everyone seemed to want a factory job; even his children had abandoned the inn. He did also admit that he expected the two of them to rush off to join one of the big companies soon and leave his employment at the inn.
The innkeeper was still kind enough despite his difficulties to introduce them to the miraculous existence called the public library, where crucial knowledge was given away free. Yvon had not quite understood the significance but she did understand that the same book Lyeald had bought was available to read in the library, but not to take away. She did understand and appreciate the old man's kindness when he explained that literacy and numeracy was an absolute requirement to work in the new companies.
The library was the most sophisticated building in the entire city, Yvon thought. She did examine the books and it was explained that each book had an enchantment on them to detect if they were taken out of the building, complete with alarms that sent a guard running. This was the sort of system she might expect to guard such valuable knowledge but then why let everyone read the books for free? Lyeald didn't care though, he just wanted to know when he could get a turn at the books.
It was in the library that they had caught their lucky break a week after they arrived. They were still living from day to day, barely able to earn any money from extra errands they could run. Frankly, the inn only needed one permanent helper, paying them in food and board was probably a kindness.
"It is rare to find a child like you focused on studying counting," the voice had interrupted Lyeald's slow reading. Yvon also jerked out of her attempt to exercise her magic.
The man who had joined them at the table eyed their dirty clothing and general scrawniness, no doubt coming to all the right conclusions. His own clothing was a strange variation of the formal robe, tucked in everywhere into a tight smart suit.
"You new to the city?" he asked them, receiving nods in return.
"Parents?"
Yvon just looked at her brother, who shook his head warily.
The man raised an eyebrow, "hm. And why would you be reading and practicing your numbers in here? Don't you have work to do this morning?"
"We work at the Lakeshore Inn in the afternoons and evenings in exchange for food and board. I'm trying to learn numbers in order to get a better job later. " Yvon let her brother answer the man while she studied him. He didn't look too bad, Yvon decided finally, not shifty like some of the other men and women they saw in the streets and avoided.
The man was nosy though, he peered over at Lyeald's practice sheets and commented, "and you say you learnt this on your own? From the little books?"
"Yes, and you're stopping me from doing it," her brother shot back, growing irritated.
"Ah, I apologize but you do seem like a hard worker?" the man shrugged, "well, I do have need for a strong pair of arms and a sharp eye for detail. What say you?"
Instead of accepting the man's generosity, her brother instead narrowed his eyes and voiced his suspicion, "that's remarkably convenient. "
Yvon was about to smack him on the head for his rudeness but the man just chuckled, "I do need more messengers. Bicycle riders are getting hard to find, it's so demeaning they say. What man wants to ride bicycles when they can have a factory job?"
Her brother held his stare despite Yvon's increasing agitation, until the man sighed, "if you want, I can have an employment contract drawn up for you. These days, even the kids are getting cutthroat. Well, if you're still too suspicious then-"
"We'll come with you, but not into any strange buildings. And I still want to study the numbers, I can't spend all my time as a messenger for you. "
Yvon did smack him this time, but this drew no apologies or retractions. Honestly, did he have to chase off a potential employer? She could stay the inn and Lyeald could go and actually get money. This was their chance!
The man didn't seem to mind, just standing up from the desk and holding out a hand across the rickety library table. Yvon had no idea what that meant but the man seemed to catch himself and switched to bowing. She poked her brother again and he bowed shallowly.
"We still don't have each others names," her brother said, pointing to her, "my sister is Yvon, I'm Lyeald. Yours?"
Finally! Yvon sighed in relief at her brother at least following some politeness.
The man just smiled, "you can call me Tirem, I work for Muller, finding people to work for him. You might have heard of him and that giant bridge?"