Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Two - Final Destination

The Little Atlas flew into the busy port on the eastern end of Goldenalden with short, jerky motions. I didn’t notice on the flight over to the capital, but the ship didn’t fly with the sweeping grace of a ship like the Beaver Cleaver but instead moved with careful, nearly robotic precision.

Once we were within the port, a large mechanical arm rose from below, metal fingers longer than the Atlas coming up on either side where the crew tossed ropes out and hooked the ship into place. Then the arm folded itself back and pulled the Little Atlas into an empty berth where another crew flew over and tied everything up.

The berth was exactly the right size for the ship to fit into. A glance above revealed a sign that read Little Atlas, along with a bunch of numbers next to it. So this was a space specifically designed for this one ship. Neat!

“And there we have it,” Captain Galebane said as she stepped away from the helm.

I clapped politely. “That was some very nice flying,” I said.

“Ah, it’s hardly a challenge here,” she said. “Goldenalden is one of the premiere ports in the world. Plenty of tools to help a captain guide their cargo in.”

I nodded, but in reality I wasn’t paying all that much attention. It was rude, true, but there were so many things to see! The sounds alone were making my ears twitch left and right. Ships coming in to dock and leaving, engines thumping away, cranes moving with hydraulic hisses to grab and unload cargo. Teamsters leading huge horses around with wagons loaded up behind them.

I flinched as a trio of teeny-tiny airships roared by above, leaving a faint gaseous trail in the air behind them.

It stank, like a highway with a traffic jam.

The mountain air swept in a moment later and washed all of that away, though it brought a shiver-inducing breeze with it. I grinned. It was the nice kind of cold, dry and fresh. Awen’s clacking teeth suggested that she wasn’t as ready for it as I was.

“We should go get our things,” I said. “Awen, you might want to grab a sweater to wear under your coat.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Awen said. “Bye captain.”

“Ah, I’ll be here to show you off properly,” Captain Galebane said with an easy smile. “I do hope you enjoy your time in Goldenalden. It’s the greatest city in the world for a reason.”

“We’ll do our best,” I said.

The whole crew were running about, hard at work, which meant that Awen and I had to be careful not to get in anyone’s way, especially those carrying stacks of stuff so high that they couldn’t see over ahead of them.

We arrived at the passenger quarters to find Amaryllis stuffing her book away in a bag. “Ah, you’re finally back,” she said.

“Yup! The city’s really pretty!”

“I’ve heard of it, yes,” Amaryllis said. “I look forward to judging that for myself.”

“I bet you’ll like it,” I said. “Do, ah, you know where we’re going now?” I looked to her, then to Bastion who was tugging on his armour.

The paladin was the first to reply. “Technically, your group are diplomats. There are inns specifically for diplomats and richer merchants in the Purple District. They are expensive, but their proximity to the city centre and to the Gold District makes them worthwhile, at least if you intend to travel to both frequently.”

“That sounds perfect,” I said. “We’re still a bit behind schedule, aren’t we?”

Amaryllis nodded. “We are, though I don’t think it matters as much anymore. Did you notice if the harpy ship is in port?”

“I didn’t, but there’s more than one port, and a lot of ships out there.”

“Then we’ll need to see if we arrived first. If so, then the amount of time we have before us will determine a lot in regards to what we can do.”

“You know, I don’t actually know what we’re supposed to be doing. Other than warning people about the war stuff,” I said.

“Leave that to me,” Amaryllis said. “Once we have a place to roost, we’ll draw up a more proper plan, one that’s informed and that takes into account the lay of the land, so to speak. Learning about local rumours and the like will be part of that. I don’t suppose Goldenalden has a newspaper?”

“It does,” Bastion said. “A few of them, at that. There are a few political parties and groups of some import in the capital, they’ll usually have their own papers. There’s also the state-funded paper, which is mostly dedicated to well-researched news.”

I was really looking forward to walking around and just exploring the city now. Seeing new cultures, eating new foods, meeting new friends. I was holding back the giggles. I was so excited!

I grabbed my bag and my spade, then made sure all of my gear was properly cinched up. I came out of my little cabin to find Bastion looking me up and down. “I should warn you, while in the provincial towns and other cities it’s fine to carry a weapon, it’s not legal to carry an unsheathed weapon in the capital. Though that law in particular isn’t enforced all that well.”

“But we’re strange and foreign looking,” Amaryllis said. “So any law officer might decide to make an example of us.”

“You will certainly attract a lot of attention just by appearing to be different than most,” Bastion said. “As long as I’m there you should be fine.”

“Ah, but... you’re not going to be with us for very long, will you?” I asked. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge in my tummy at that. I didn’t want to lose a friend just yet.

Bastion nodded. “I’ll be returning to the garrison tonight. I can still escort you to a safe place and fend off any trouble until then. I have... a lot to report. But I’m certain we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

I nodded. “I’m warning you now, there’s going to be a whole heck of a lot of hugging when we say goodbye.”

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Bastion chuckled. “Certainly.”

We grabbed all of our stuff. Amaryllis grumbled a bit as she stuffed her dagger away into her backpack. I didn’t know what to do with my spade, but Awen helped by wrapping a cloth around the blade.

The advantage of a Makeshift Weapons Proficiency was that it didn’t really harm my ability to use it if I needed to. I could still send magic into the spade until it glowed with Cleaning magic. Not that I expected to need it.

I led my friends back out of the ship and to the topdeck where I found Captain Galebane speaking with someone that looked official, clipboard and all. I didn’t want to leave without saving goodbye properly, so I waited around just a bit for her to finish up.

“We’re heading off,” I said as soon as she was done.

“I see that,” Risa said. “It was an honour to have you aboard the Little Atlas, Captain Bunch. And you as well, Sir Coldfront.”

“What are we, roost feathers?” Amaryllis muttered too low for the captain to hear.

“Goodbye hug?” I asked.

“Pardon?” she asked.

So I pulled her into a tight glomp and squeezed her good and proper before letting go. The captain was a bit red in the face after that. “We’ll see each other again, I’m sure! And by then we’ll have even more awesome stories to tell about sky captaining!”

“Ah, y-yes, I’m sure,” she replied.

The bunch of us walked over to the docks. There was a gangway over the ship’s rails where sylphs were unloading crates. We waited for a moment where it wasn’t as busy and hopped over to the docks.

After that we walked to the edge of the port. My head was on a swivel, turning this way and that to see as much as I could. It was giving my poor ears whiplash.

“No harpy ships,” Amaryllis muttered.

“Where do we go now?” I asked.

“I’ll bring you to a reputable inn,” Bastion said. “It’ll be a good place to base yourselves out of while you’re in Goldenalden.”

“Neat!” I said.

I crossed my arms behind my head and enjoyed the walk.

Goldenalden reminded me--out of all the cities I’d seen so far--of Fort Sylphrot in the Harpy Mountains. Unlike that city, buildings here were built tall rather than long. The roads below were mostly, it seemed, used to carry stuff, with wide paths where carts could roll by on either side.

There was only a thin sidewalk to one side, one where older sylph and those with big packs that prevented them from flying were moving along with easy efficiency. It seemed as if there was something of an unwritten--or maybe it was written and I just hadn’t read it yet!--code that let older people and pregnant sylph ladies pass first.

I craned my neck back as we walked. “What’s at the top?” I asked. I could see sylph flitting by above us, quick shadows that passed faster than I could follow.

“Most homes have a small garden and greenery above them, as well as a small outcrop where they have their roof access. That’s generally the main entrance to a home or building,” Bastion said. “Mostly it’s a small staircase and a place to change out of your boots. I should add that it’s considered impolite to walk into a house wearing your outdoor shoes, with some exceptions.”

“Huh, alright,” I said.

“Most homes will have a greeting room on the topmost floor. If the building has multiple homes, then it’s likely to be a communal area. Shops will use the space for displays.” Bastion shrugged. “Once you’ve seen a few, you’ll see what I mean.”

“I look forward to it!” I said.

“It might be tricky for non-sylphs. The air is our home, and it means that a lot of construction isn’t designed for those destined to only travel in two dimensions.”

“Hey now, I can jump around with the best of them,” I said.

Bastion chuckled. “Fair enough. Most places should be accessible from the ground, at least public spaces. We need to account for the older and those who are injured, not to mention the pregnant.”

“So, sylphs don’t lay eggs,” I surmised.

Bastion turned to stare at me. “No, no we don’t.”

“Good to know!”

Amaryllis trilled in happy laughter. I think she was enjoying Bastion’s confused look more than anything else. That set Awen and I off, both of us joining her with a chorus of giggles.

Bastion shook his head. “The city is divided into districts. See that?” He pointed up to where a wide banner hung on a pole that stretched way up and over the tops of the nearest buildings. There were two banners, one hanging from both sides of a “t” shaped post at the top. One had a fancy symbol on it, white cloth with gold gilding. The other was entirely red.

“We’re in the Red District now. Mostly housing, some small family-run shops that have been around for centuries. You can navigate the city by looking for one of those. They should be easy enough to find.”

“Oh, that’s neat,” I said. “Like roadsigns on corners.”

“The roads are numbered here, unfortunately due to the age of the city and the shape of the mountain it’s built upon, it’s not very useful for navigating,” Bastion said. “Most will just name the colour of the district they’re in and then directions from there.”

“Alright,” I said. That sounded like a cute way to get around.

“Any places we should avoid?” Amaryllis asked.

“Every road and alley is well-patrolled and quite safe,” Bastion said. “You’ll find no poverty on the streets here, or many muggers for that matter. Not in the capital. Land here is too valuable to allow for any of it to go unused.”

Something told me that wasn’t the full story. For there to be rich people, someone had to be poor. At least, I remembered my dad telling me as much once. Maybe the poor here were fortunate, or maybe they were just tucked away very well.

“Come on, let’s get to the inn, I could use a snack! And then we can do some proper plotting!”

***