Sigallah was very different from what Rhenor had imagined based on what he'd heard about it. He'd never been here, but since it was the largest city in this part of Istamid, it had sometimes been discussed even in Arlow. Usually in awe, which never failed to make Rhenor want to roll his eyes.
But seeing it from a distance now, he may have had a better understanding of why people found it so fascinating. They couldn't see the city itself over the walls yet, but the city walls were quite the statement by themselves.
They looked at least thirty feet tall, but they weren't imposing somehow. He wasn't sure why that was. Perhaps it was the yellow color of sandstone, or their gods carved into the large columns that held the walls together, but it made Rhenor more curious than cautious. An odd feeling, given that he rarely trusted anything strange and unknown.
He had heard that due to Sigallah being a connection for the local towns and the rest of the world, it also wasn't as under the dragons' control as those lizards would have liked. Rhenor hoped that at least that much was true.
Next to him, Kaz flinched as yet another person riding a horse ran past them. Rhenor wasn't even sure if this was just Kaz getting easily frightened or if he was still concerned about someone recognizing him. But that had gotten better after their brief stay in Frostrun. Kaz had been much more comfortable in the two other villages they'd stopped at for supplies. Sigallah was much bigger, though.
Noticing him looking, Kaz gave an awkward smile before staring off at the city before them. Rhenor narrowed his eyes.
Kaz had been acting a little odd ever since their kiss. Rhenor didn't mind taking things slow, but the way Kaz reacted to even being hugged by him was odd. He always tensed up and didn't lean into it as much as he used to. Rhenor would have just assumed Kaz wasn't a hugger, but that hadn't been the case before.
It made Rhenor worry that he'd somehow offended Kaz without realizing it, but since Kaz didn't want to approach the issue, Rhen had no idea what he'd done. If anything. He didn't want to let himself become irritated with Kaz for this, but it was getting difficult. And since Kaz didn't seem interesting in explaining himself, Rhenor would likely have to be the one to start this conversation.
Kaz was still his excited, scholarly self, though, which honestly made all of this even stranger. Surely he wouldn't be so peppy if something were bothering him. Rhenor sighed. He would try to get him to explain what was going on once they stopped by an inn.
As they got closer and closer to the city, Rhenor started to notice that no one was paying the two of them any mind. That was appreciated, of course, but it wasn't something he was used to. Everywhere he'd ever gone, there were curious or judgmental people who wanted to know what he wanted. So this was refreshing.
Rhenor would stay cautious, though. He wouldn't let his guard down simply because he wasn't being ogled.
As they stepped into the shadow cast by the city walls, Rhenor noticed that Kaz was looking at them with delight. And despite not being very interested in buildings, Rhenor had to admit that the massive carvings of Hermea and Andor, the gods of life and death, were something to behold.
Andor had his iconic round hourglass in his hands, symbolizing that their lives were constantly running out—which was always incredibly uplifting to think about—while Hermea was holding her spear in front of her.
That had always been a bit odd to Rhenor whenever he thought about it. It was odd in general that the god of life was holding a weapon, but maybe there was some logic to it. He wasn't particularly religious or educated. In fact, he could barely name the seven gods.
Still, something akin to pride swelled in his heart as they walked down the cobbled road, the statues staring them down. The dragons thought themselves above the gods, but they didn't tear their statues down for the most part, so it was nice to see something truly human and so grand as well, untouched and preserved in such a large city.
"I can't wait to see the ships," Kaz said, a bit too loudly, grinning widely. "I've never seen them in person."
Neither had Rhenor, but he wasn't looking forward to it at all. Sailing was dangerous, as was the ocean, and he had no interest in boarding any ship ever. Obviously, Kaz didn't share that sentiment, though maybe he was only interested in ships theoretically. Kaz wasn't exactly an adventurer, nor did he seem like he enjoyed taking risks.
And speaking of risks, Rhenor's eyes fell on the four guards at the gate. They seemed to be checking everyone coming in, but only with a glance. Rhenor wondered if that was the extent of their orders, or if they just weren't paid enough to do their jobs properly.
Either way, he and Kaz needed to look as inconspicuous as possible if they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. These guards were wearing the gold and crimson armor of the dragons' soldiers, which meant that they could possibly recognize Kaz, or at least grow suspicious of him.
Kaz slowed down as he no doubt noticed the guards as well. "Uh, Rhen—"
"I see them."
Rhenor slowed down as well, but he didn't stop walking, putting a hand on Kaz's back to keep him moving. They couldn't just stop at the side of the road and discuss how they were going to go about this. They weren't far enough for the guards not to notice them.
"Please tell me you have a plan," Kaz whispered to him, a grimace on his face as he kept watching the guards. Rhenor generally didn't make plans, but he supposed he was better at improvisation than Kaz was.
In this case, he didn't have any specific ideas, but there was a group of travelers in front of them, which they could use to hide, hopefully.
"Just follow my lead," Rhenor whispered back, ushering the other man closer to the other travelers. Taking another look at Kaz and noticing how his nervous eyes kept darting from one guard to the next, he added: "And try not to panic and draw attention to yourself."
Kaz gulped, ducking his head. Rhenor hoped he hadn't taken that as a criticism, but even if he had, they couldn't risk Kaz looking like a guilty criminal right now. Especially because he technically was one.
Despite managing to stay composed and calm on the outside, Rhenor could feel his heart beating harder and harder the closer they got to the gate. In theory, he was all for stirring up conflict with the dragons' soldiers, but he'd never actually had the chance to try. So this was a new experience for him.
He avoided the guards' gazes, but he didn't pull his hood over his head either, knowing that that would just make him look more suspicious, while keeping an eye on Kaz, who to his credit seemed to be handling himself. He would still look suspicious if someone focused directly on him, but it would have to do.
They were close enough now to see the details of dragons' emblem on the guards' armor—a roaring dragon head with a crown above it, as well as some draconian symbols in each corner, which Rhenor didn't know or understand. Just the sight of it made him fantasize about setting it on fire.
He forced himself to put on a neutral face as they walked past the guards, trying to seem as casual as possible, and for a brief moment, even though he could see one of the guards narrowing her eyes at them, he thought it had worked. But then, when they almost stepped inside the city walls....
"Halt!" the guard who had been watching them said, making Rhenor and Kaz freeze. Rhen could almost feel Kaz panicking, but he couldn't try to calm him down right now.
Rhenor turned around, trying to look as pleasant as possible, though he couldn't manage a smile. Maybe that was for the best, though, as that could easily anger the guard due to her thinking he was mocking her.
"You two don't look like the usual sort," she continued, waving them over. Rhenor sighed quietly and walked up to her, Kaz following right after him.
He hadn't thought that their fur cloaks might make them stand out, but now that he thought about it, it wasn't exactly the standard form of attire in these parts. People seemed to prefer wearing thick tunics, though that might have been from necessity rather than preference. Most of these city folk wouldn't know how to hunt, let alone use fur to make clothing.
But none of this had occurred to him in the short while he'd had to think about this because he hadn't thought there would be any sort of checking involved before they could enter the city.
"What is your business in Sigallah?"
Rhenor was about to make up an excuse that was both vague and hard to disprove, but surprisingly, Kaz took it upon himself to reply, even though he still kept his head down.
"We are traveling from the Crystal Mountains." Rhenor was almost impressed with how exhausted Kaz made that sound. As if they had traveled here from the north in one trip without any sleep. "We simply wish to rest for the night, and then we'll be on our way. We don't want any trouble."
The guard narrowed her eyes at them further, looking from Kaz to Rhen and back again. But then she gave a nod. "As long as you don't go around causing any."
Still scowling, the guard waved them in. Rhenor wasn't going to wait around for her to change her mind and was already walking inside the city, with Kaz right next to him. He breathed out a little as the sun hit his face again, and they found themselves in the middle of a busy street, filled with vendor stalls, selling anything and everything.
Rhenor could already feel a headache forming from all that noise of people chattering and traders yelling about whatever they sold. This was exactly why he kept to himself and avoided large crowds.
Before they got too distracted, Rhenor grabbed Kaz's hand and led him away to the side, into an alley between the high walls of the city and the considerably smaller walls of the first house that was there.
Most of the buildings he could see seemed visually similar to the walls themselves, being made mostly of sandstone, however, there were still the classic features of human architecture from this region, such as the low reaching roofs, and balconies. These houses seemed to have color-tinted windows, though, which was both strange and excessive.
When Rhenor fully focused on Kaz, the man was looking at him with guilt, scratching the back of his neck. "Okay, I know you said to follow your lead—"
"You did well," Rhenor interrupted him. Kaz had done shockingly well, actually, given what had been at stake. But this only served to show that Kaz really had little to worry about unless they walked up to the Dragon King himself and called him every insult there was. Rhen had doubted that someone of as low a profile as Kaz would get recognized anyway, but this was more solid proof.
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"Oh." Kaz grinned and pulled himself to his full height. He looked proud of himself. "Thank you." Then he dropped his voice to a whisper. "I did lie about everything, though. Do you think that will be a problem?"
"With how many people seem to pass through the city gates, I don't think anyone will remember us. But let's not tempt fate and draw attention to ourselves until we find Elaya."
Rhenor turned his gaze to the busy street as he said this, looking at everyone walking around with suspicion. Why were the guards checking travelers like this? Were they looking for someone? It was possible that the dragons were trying to apprehend somebody, but then surely they wouldn't have bothered stopping him and Kaz only to send them on their way immediately afterward.
Perhaps the dragons were growing paranoid, especially if there truly had been a human attack in the Capital. But this certainly couldn't be how things usually worked. He'd never heard anyone who had been here mention being checked at the front gate, and with people's tendency to complain, he was sure he would have heard about it happening.
"Where do you think we should start?" Rhenor asked, hoping that Kaz would have some idea, despite this being a completely unfamiliar city.
Kaz rubbed his chin in thought. "Elaya likes to drink."
Rhenor snorted. Maybe they would get along after all. "So, a tavern?"
Kaz nodded, shrugging. He looked a bit disheartened as if he only now realized finding anyone in this city would be difficult. Although to be fair, Rhenor hadn't given it much thought either since it had always seemed like Sigallah was so far away, and that this was something they could figure out when they got here.
Well, now they were here, as were a few thousand people. Oh, how Rhenor didn't want to interact with any of them.
"All right, I suppose we will go look for a tavern, then." And hopefully not get trampled on the way. Or robbed. Rhenor pulled his bag strap up his shoulder a bit. If someone tried to get his hard-earned talons, they were sorely mistaken. Unless something had changed, murder over thievery wasn't legal as far as Rhenor knew, but an arrow through the leg was.
Since Rhen didn't feel like going back to the crowded street, they chose a practically empty, narrower street that connected to the alley they had been standing in until now. So now they were behind the houses, which was where the doors to them were.
At first, Rhenor had found that odd, but given that there was a market right on the other side of the houses, it made sense. He would want to stay away from that as much as possible as well.
After a while, they reached the end of the alley and found themselves on the main street again, but the crowds weren't as dense here anymore, so Rhenor could put up with that. He kept looking around at the buildings they passed and the signs hanging above their doors, noticing all kinds of shops from food to clothing to jewelry....
And speaking of jewelry, he'd noticed a very odd thing about the people here. Most of the younger-looking adults seemed to have at least one earring. Though he didn't have a proper reason for disliking it, he certainly did. Was this some new obsession that had thankfully passed him by, or was it in Sigallah only?
Rhen glowered at a happy-looking blond woman who walked past them without noticing them, a small, gold ring pierced through the top of her ear. The fact that Rhenor found the earring attractive on her only made him more annoyed with this.
"This really reminds me of home," Kaz remarked, for once looking completely unbothered and content even though they were surrounded by dozens of people. Rhenor didn't understand how the crowds didn't unnerve Kaz even a little just on general principle. He was just one of those social people, Rhen supposed. "Erm, former home, I mean. Except it's more compact and less...lavish."
How much more lavish could the Capital be in comparison? Rhenor had never been there, but he hadn't imagined anything even more excessive than Sigallah. He wasn't sure he could imagine such a thing in general.
"Arlow must have been a shock for you, eh?" Rhenor wasn't sure why he'd even asked that. It had been quite clear so far that it had been shocking. Maybe he just wanted to express his sympathy. If the Capital was even worse than this, getting used to the Crystal Mountains must have been next to impossible.
"I don't like the cold," Kaz grumbled, which made Rhenor laugh. Of all the things to focus on.... Not to mention that he'd been well aware of Kaz's distaste for snow, and the cold in general.
It was much warmer here, but the Capital was still much farther south. Kaz looked fairly comfortable, though. A bit too comfortable for a man in his situation, surrounded by strange people in a strange city.
They continued walking down the street for what felt like a very long time, but Rhenor didn't mind. It was overwhelming, but he found himself strangely fascinated with how life in larger cities worked. There seemed to be so many shops and places whose only function was to entertain or delight. Especially all the strange food that smelled far too delicious. Rhenor was trying to resist buying anything, but it was getting difficult. And he could tell Kaz was staying quiet about it only because he felt guilty about spending Rhen's money.
But in a way, Rhenor couldn't help but feel resentful towards these people. They had so much more than most, and they didn't seem to realize it at all. Rhenor didn't blame them, though. It was only natural to take things for granted, and it was the dragons' fault anyway.
Still, the dragons' presence was felt here much more than in any of the villages they'd stopped at. The guards were a constant reminder of who was truly in charge around here. If memory served, a Dragon Lord ruled over Sigallah and the surrounding land and most likely lived in the local castle.
Rhenor had yet to spot said castle, but he knew it was supposed to be here somewhere, close to the city. With how pompous those damned lizards were, he had no doubts that the castle walls would be covered in gold, or jewels, or something equally as ridiculous. Anything to show off the wealth they stole.
Finally noticing a sign with a tankard on it over one of the shops on the corner of the street, Rhen let out a relieved breath. He really felt like sitting down and getting something to eat by now. He was surprised he'd managed to hold back from buying the street food, he realized as his stomach growled.
Rhenor pushed the thick, wooden door of the tavern open and walked inside, not bothering to pay any attention to the patrons already there. He could feel their eyes on him, though, despite this, but the incomprehensible murmuring of the conversations happening all around the tavern made Rhenor relax a little.
No one was truly paying attention to them, so there was no need to glare at anyone. Rhenor still narrowed his eyes at a few people, though—a man and a woman sitting at a table, who were watching them with suspicion, and another woman, who was giving Kaz suggestive looks.
He certainly understood why—Kaz was a handsome man, which was something Rhen kept noticing more and more since they'd kissed. The warm, sparkling, brown eyes, the soft, black hair, the high cheekbones.... But Rhenor didn't have to approve of strangers looking at him like that.
After walking past practically everyone, they found a table they could sit at alone. If they hadn't managed to find one of those, no matter how hungry and tired Rhenor was, they would have gone to find another tavern, even if Kaz protested. Rhen needed a break from people.
Rhenor pushed his bag off his shoulder, depositing it on one of the four chairs with a thud, and started to search through it for his coin pouch. He was very glad he'd taken the time to hunt more than to just make the bare minimum of money they needed. They could afford to buy dinner here, possibly even more than one meal, even though it wouldn't be a wise use of his money. Not that he particularly cared since he could simply make more. If he'd learned one thing, it was that meat and skins always sold.
He went over to the counter and ordered them each a beer and some baked sausages with bread. Rhen almost laughed when he saw Kaz's starry-eyed expression when Rhenor put the sausages on the table in front of him. It was very endearing how excited Kaz got over food. And he couldn't help but crack a smile when the other man started chattering on about how sausages were one of his favorite meals.
"I used to eat these a lot," Kaz said, taking a bite and grinning widely. Rhenor almost managed not to feel bitter about Kaz casually mentioning facts like this for once. Almost.
"A' leas' when I rem'bered to eat," Kaz mumbled through the food in his mouth. Rhenor would tell him to not speak with his mouth full, but some part of him found even this cute. He was too far gone, he thought to himself with amusement. He just hoped that they could figure out whatever issue Kaz was having with their relationship. That thought did ruin Rhenor's mood a little bit, but it got better as soon as he focused on Kaz again, watching him happily munch on bread.
"I didn't think you used to be so busy," Rhenor said, only then realizing how that may have sounded. But for once he'd meant nothing by it, except for the fact that Kaz seemed to have spent his days buried in books prior to being banished.
Thankfully, Kaz didn't seem to think anything of it. He swallowed before replying, an excited grin on his face. "Some books are just impossible to put down. I even read some several times. There was this one about dragon clans that I picked up almost every year."
Kaz continued on, explaining just what was so fascinating about dragon clans, but Rhenor had tuned it out. He didn't want to get annoyed with Kaz over being interested in these things, and he would probably not retain anything he was being told anyway, so he was fine drinking his beer and watching Kaz's excitement, which he seemed to express with every facial muscle he could move.
And despite what had happened last time, Kaz did the same thing as he had in Frostrun—he drank his beer too quickly. But that only made him more relaxed and enthusiastic about.... What was the topic now? Mushrooms?
For someone who claimed to like alcohol, Kaz wasn't very good at handling any larger amount of it. And sure, this beer was strong, but it wasn't quite that strong.
On the positive side, Kaz had now moved to sit next to Rhen, who had moved his bag to the stone floor. And Kaz was now practically leaning onto Rhenor's shoulder, looking at him with his eyes half-closed, a big smile on his face. They had finished their food and drinks at this point, but Rhenor didn't think it was a good idea to order more. Especially more beer.
He had also drunk his beer a bit fast, and while he was nowhere near affected like Kaz, he could feel its effect. Definitely not a good idea to buy more.
The longer Rhen stared into Kaz's eyes, the closer he found himself leaning in until the inevitable kiss happened, with Kaz kissing back immediately, pulling Rhenor closer and resting his hands on Rhenor's back.
Rhenor wrapped his arms around Kaz in turn and deepened the kiss. He knew he probably should discourage this given the fact that Kaz was tipsy, but with how awkward and tense things had been, they hadn't done this as much Rhen wanted to, let alone this easily, so it was completely overwhelming. So much so that for a moment he'd completely forgotten that they were in a tavern.
When he inevitably did, he sighed and pulled away. He wanted nothing more than to keep going and take it further elsewhere, but it wasn't right. And he felt too tired to discuss this today. He was going to bring it up in the morning, though. He tended to overthink, and the longer this went on, the worse it would get.
Kaz was now staring down at the table, his eyes sad. And so was Rhenor—especially because Kaz had moved in his chair so that the distance between them was as large as possible. Rhenor took in a breath and put an arm around Kaz's shoulders.
Even though this tension was Kaz's doing, he didn't like seeing him like this. Thankfully, he knew of something that might improve the man's mood.
"Would you like to explore the city a bit more?" Kaz blinked at him with surprise. "I doubt we'll be successful in finding your friend now that it's dark, but it might be nice." Then Rhenor scoffed a bit. "I'm sure they have a lot of streetlights to look at here if nothing else."
The people seemed wealthier than most, and judging by the variety of non-essential shops he'd seen so far, he had no doubts they would have things like lanterns everywhere, for little reason. As if candles and torches were that cheap.
"Are you sure?" Kaz looked like he was trying to hold back his excitement. "It's okay if you just want to go to sleep."
Rhenor waved his hand. The part that was tired was mostly his mind. He didn't mind taking a walk. In fact, the cold, evening air might help him with this. And even if he didn't want to, it was clear Kaz did, and he wasn't going to let him walk the dark streets of a strange, large city alone.
Kaz might not have money that could be stolen, but that wouldn't stop local low-lives from ambushing him.
So, once Rhenor collected his things, they left the tavern. Immediately, Rhenor was a little taken aback by how well-lit the street was compared to what he was used to from Mavern and Arlow. Mavern hadn't exactly been a small village when he'd left years ago, but there had been only about a hundred people living there. At most, there had been a few lanterns in the town center.
Sigallah had whole strings of lanterns hanging from the houses, as well as numerous streetlamps, which Rhenor must have completely missed when they'd gotten here. And while his mind was already cynically wondering how much the person who had to constantly light all of this was paid, the sight did captivate him. Not nearly as much as Kaz, though, judging by his delighted smile.
It was a shame that he couldn't see many stars with so much light around, but it was probably only the main street that was this well-lit.
And while the street itself was almost empty, there were still people buying and selling, even in the colder weather. Rhenor had no interest in going that way, though, and Kaz also seemed more interested in exploring the less frequented parts, so they took a turn into a darker street and headed down it, towards the sea if the salty tang in the air was any indication.
They didn't make it far, however. As Rhenor listened to Kaz talk about all the reasons sandstone was a good building material, he had let down his guard too much and didn't notice that someone was following them until there was a knife pressed against his throat.
Hearing Kaz yelp, he knew he was in a similar situation, but Rhen didn't dare move his head and give the person with the knife an excuse to cut him.
"Let's talk, gentlemen."