"This way! This way!" chirped Fin as she led the trio towards a rock wall that faced the ocean.
The sandy beach had stretched on for miles only to recede behind an expansive rock pool, overshadowed by a treacherous cliff face. The pools were ancient and perfectly smooth, with thousands of deep holes filled with life. Karn peered down a hollowed-out section of stone, spotting hundreds of brightly shaded fish trapped within their closed off ecosystem.
“Be careful of your footing,” Hope said, quickly grabbed hold of Karn's hand and pointed towards the carved steppingstones that were submerged by the warm water. “Stick to the darker stone, the green stuff I wickedly slick.”
Karn caught the seriousness in her voice and eyed the thousands of barnacles either side of their path. One false step and they would act like a cheese-grater.
Alec had perched himself on Hope, having less faith in the less experienced human having said as much to Karn's face. Karn had shrugged having no reason to argue.
They had to cross several narrow paths between the cliff face and the sea before arriving at the final cove. Gentle waves lapped at their ankles, allowing the trio to pass steadily with ease. Karn knew without Hope to guide them they would have had a seriously difficult time navigating the pools.
"We're nearly there. Just past those rocks and into the next bay," said Hope.
"Yes! Yes!" said Fin, mocking.
The edge of the town finally crept into view within a secluded and sandy shoreline nuzzled within a steep overhang of vegetation.
Fin jumped straight into the water and began swimming.
“And there she goes,” Hope said.
The young girl swam remarkably swiftly and made it to shore in no time. Without a pause for breath, she ran on ahead to announce their arrival.
Karn had trouble keeping dry as slimy weeds clung around the steps beneath his feet and every step threatened to unbalance him. Karn wouldn’t have minded the refreshing swim but thought better of it since he didn’t know if the book was waterproof or not.
It took him a while but when he finally reached dry sand, a group of large men in loose-fitting pale clothes planted themselves firmly in front of him.
They too possessed the same bleach blonde hair. Yet the strands looked more worn and stretched out, lacking lustre. A contrast to the girls, whose hair almost shimmered.
The faces of the men were deeply lined with expressions of forbidding. Every one of them held an odd wooden spear that somehow seemed to shimmer as they moved.
"Stranger, begone!" growled a deep voice. A taller man appeared from the back of the men. He looked a lot older than the rest and held no weapon. It was obvious to Karn that the man didn't need one.
"Stop!" Hope said, stepping in front of Karn. "Bolgart stop! I brought him here."
The man took another step forward and glared at the two of them with a stern face. "Why?"
"Alec." she replied.
“Who?”
“The Elementlet.”
“Me!” Alec said as he poked his head from
Recognition filled his eyes and his face softened. "You found him then? Good."
Hope nodded and pointed at Karn's pack. "We also have something. Farlen must see it."
Bolgart eyed the newcomer and nodded. A shuffling of feet churned the sand as the two arrivals were led towards a gate in the distance. The area was surprisingly large for such a secluded spot.
Karn got a better look at the dense vegetation of the tall cliff, recognising quite a few massive bushes covered in Ingads and other fruit he didn’t recognise.
The town was surrounded by a thick wall, which climbed many times the height of a man and shimmered a metallic green in the sunlight. Atop its crest stood armoured men armed with the familiar spears.
Karn could feel hundreds of eyes following him and his grim entourage.
As they moved under the shadow of the gate, Karn was amazed at the structures inside. The buildings looked completely alien.
“What’s that material?” he whispered to Hope. “Everything from you weapons to walls are made from the same stuff. Is it wood or metal?”
“Farlen will explain everything,” she said wistfully.
The view from a distance made the town seem a primitive construction, yet the sight from within revealed a magical artisan city. Karn couldn't see joints within the workmanship almost as if the buildings were sculpted from a single tree.
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"What the devil?" gawked an old woman through a side alley as she beheld Karn and his entourage. She spun on her heels and vanished out of sight with a gasp.
“Oh, I guess I'm not welcome,” Karn said with a shy chuckle.
“They are just not used to outsiders,” answered Bolgart.
The town houses became closer together the nearer the group drew towards the settlement's centre. With every street and walkway, more blonde heads appeared, craning to see the new arrivals. All eyes were focused on the top of Karn's head and his thick, dark hair.
More cries of panic followed them up as unsuspecting people spotted the new arrival. Karn couldn't think how he could be such a shock to anyone, let alone a town so clearly secure as this one. Fin skipped into view and made her own way up the pathway with Alec following closely behind.
"Alec. Isn't this nice?" Sang Fin. "Home at last, so nice. So nice!"
The main and largest road of the town drew an unhindered path from the ocean directly up to a gigantic building that stood overlooking the entire town. The small congregation turned into the main street and turned to the massive building.
With every step, they climbed higher, leaving the edge of town far below them. The village contained within the high walls was far larger than what Karn had expected. It was more like a small city.
"This place is very well hidden, isn't it?" Karn commented in awe as he spun around to take in the sights before continuing up the steep road.
Hope nodded. "Yes. And you will be its very first visitor."
"Ah. That's why all the screaming?"
"Yes! Well, you see people like you and me have a complicated history."
"People like me?" Karn asked.
"Well, yes. Outsiders. A long time ago, we all left the larger cities to get away from the uncursed."
Karn paused in confusion and was immediately pushed forward by an over enthusiastic guard leading even more people up the road. Hope kept up her pace without missing a step, making it a little hard for Karn to continue asking her questions.
The surrounding houses were much larger that the ones closer to the sea, with the majority reaching over four storeys. They looked oddly like wedding cakes with thick thatched roofs topping each floor. Many roofs had long wooden frames that Karn presumed to be drying racks. The town's people had used the natural resources to their extreme.
"Impressive," Karn mumbled while gripped by fascination.
Bolgart stepped up closer and leaned a shoulder in while keeping pace. "Look well, Stranger. These buildings were created by our own devoted hearts."
"Really?" Karn received only a nod in response.
"What's that giant chalky white building we’re heading to? It must be over five, no six storeys high!" Each level of the towering structure became smaller as it rose above its neighbours. A viewing platform stood on each level facing different directions, the topmost veranda directed towards the sea.
"That's the Heart," he said deadly serious as they approached the building.
Before Karn could ask for clarification, a large doorman held out a hand.
"Halt." They all came to an abrupt stop.
Karn stumbled and bumped into the man. His armour resounded in an odd oaky clunk.
On closer inspection, Karn noticed that the man was wearing an intricately polished hauberk that then seemed to be made of the same wood as the buildings. A clicking noise echoed ahead and Karn found himself under the eve of an enormous doorway.
The doorman abruptly turned and walked aside.
"Um, Thanks." Karn stepped through the threshold.
"It is good we have arrived so quickly," said Hope. "Now Farlen will speak with us."
"Who's this Farlen, person?"
"Person? He's our leader of sorts. Kind of like our chief."
"What kind of man is he?"
"Gentle." She replied with a smile.
As they walked down the main hallway of the Heart, they were shadowed between a line of immense wooden statues. They were accurate depictions of colossal men and animals in various forms of play. The room stretched up open for three storeys with hidden alcoves and eves that peered over the polished floor. Everything, from the floor to the furnishings were cut from the same material.
The wood was everywhere. Men either side of him wore short daggers fashioned with it and many others bore small armbands or jewellery, all the same.
"Welcome to the City of the Ivory Children!" bellowed a rich voice. Glancing around, Karn searched for the origin of the voice. A tall man appeared from a doorway above and stood elegantly with a pleasant smile.
"Well met, Stranger!" He said with a flourish.
The platform he stood on vibrated, then slowly lowering to the ground. With an almost ethereal stride, the man moved forward and greeted the congregation with open arms. The platform then shuddered and rose back into place, leaving the man behind.
"Hello, and welcome!" The man said, performing a deep bow. "I am Farlen. Who might you be?"
"Karn, sir." He said, while poorly imitating the gesture.
"Well met indeed. Come. Come." Farlen spun around and strode towards a small door on the opposite wall. They followed Farlen down a curved ramp that led deep into the sand.
"How far down does this go?" Asked Karn.
"Oh, this house, like all others digs deep. That's how we gather water, soil and stone."
"But isn't it all too sandy and salty for buildings to sit on?"
Hope shook her head and added. "The metal we use absorbs the impurities and fills our basins with fresh water. And the buildings never shake, for they move with the sand."
"Man, it would’ve been great to have something like this at home!" Karn smiled, imagining the possibilities of the perfect beach house.
When the passageway ended, the roof opened to a round room. A group of children, including Fin, surrounded a large glass shell. Inside danced a school of brightly coloured blue and yellow fish. Alec was amongst them bobbing slowly on the bottom of the pool chasing the tiny fins as the children giggled.
Alec's attention fell onto Farlen, and he leapt out of the basin, his little rock legs bounding towards them and stopping in front of the tall man. He stretched out one tiny hand. The two greeted one another and took each other hand in their own. Farlen smiled.
"Welcome to our home, Alec," Farlen spoke softly to Alec, then smiled at Karn. "It has been many years since we have seen another one of your kind and never has another been within our walls." Farlen looked down at Alec.
Farlen's voice was deep and rich and somehow made Karn feel very calm. It was if all the pain and exhaustion that had burned within him had finally relaxed.
"So." Farlen pressed his fingers together gingerly and looked between the three. "What's the situation?"
"Well. Time may be short." Alec grumbled. "Karn show him."
Karn nodded and reached into his pack and pulled out the lustrous cover of the red book. Farlen gasped and took a step backwards.
"Is that real?"
Alec nodded. "It is."
Farlen looked down in thought. "We must check its authenticity."
"I don't think we need to." Alec began.
"It may be a lesser volume in disguise."
“Lesser volume?” Asked Alec a scowl on his face. “There’s more of them?”
Karn looked down at the book and twisted it in his hand. Alec eyed it suspiciously and began recounting Karn's story. Farlen stood in silence as Alec spoke of the monsters that attacked Karn's Earth and their escape to Ren Daral.
"We will still need to double check. From what you have told me, this does seem to act in the way of the Known. However, we must be sure."