“That’s quite a river. I never expected it to narrow here like this.” Speranzi said as she walked beside Corwin’s wagon and the city began to draw closer into view. The city was divided in two halves by the waters, the walls themselves stood taller than ten grown men standing atop one another and were made of enormous blocks of stone each one as tall as Speranzi herself at the base before becoming rough cut stone higher up the rest of the way.

The towers were shaped like arrowheads pointing outward, and each one held a ballista or small catapult at the top, with every twenty or thirty paces having another tower rising up from the wall. The river that divided it was covered with a deep arch that ran beneath the wall, a slew of chains and a thick portcullis blockaded entry into the city over the water.

The river’s width had shrunk considerably, but even so it was considerable in size, being at least fifty paces across.

“It is, but do not fall in. The river is lazy until it reaches the city, but then once you get to that point where it narrows? It’s like it gets turned on its side, all that water rushing through there will carry you like one of your arrows from your bow. Nobody who falls in, ever comes out.” Corwin shuddered, and Speranzi could only gape at him.

“That’s mad! Why build anything there?!” She exclaimed, and Corwin answered her by saying…

“It’s a spawning point for some popular breeds of fish and other creatures, they use nets at the far end of the city, or hooks to dislodge eggs from the wall, and several times a day they just ‘catch’ whatever is carried downstream. Plus the farmland around here is incredibly rich.” Corwin explained, but Speranzi wasn’t through.

“So, how do we board a barge if-”

“Ramps. We board the barge on the ramp and it gets pushed into the water, then we just drift out, the river widens again not far beyond the city and it becomes safer. Nobody ever falls overboard.” To emphasize his words, Corwin held up his hand at an angle and pantomimed the barge by showing his free hand sliding down and shooting away. “Just don’t try going for a swim while we’re there and you’ll be fine.”

“Riiiiiight.” Speranzi shivered, “I’ll stick to dry land for as long as possible, thank you.”

“If you say so.” She answered and moved to the other side of the wagon a little bit farther away from the Long River, and politely ignored his chuckle at her expense as they came closer to the land gate that led into the city.

As they came closer and the city guards minding the gate left their posts to approach, Corwin leaned toward her, but Speranzi was already sizing them up. ‘Full plate armor, knights or men-at-arms. Their steps are synchronized, they train often. Helmets are down with face plates instead of off for comfort. The halberds are polished to a shine and the archers on the wall have nocked their arrows. This is a city that takes security seriously.’ Speranzi mentally praised them as being above her expectations, a safe, secure place like this, she expected would be soft, lax, and undisciplined.

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“Listen to me, Speranzi. Laylan is a place of law, the whole of the Southern Qadish is like this. They operate under the strict dictums of the Holy Faith. They’re every bit as devout as the cities of the Divine Kingdom. It’s not like their northern counterparts you know, or like the Auxkos Empire, or anywhere else. They take it seriously, right down to the letter.”

“Great! The ancient laws of our ancestors and the givers of will should be taken seriously. If more people did that, humanity would prosper so much more than it does. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll head to the back, we don’t need an unfavorable impression starting off.” She said it so nonplussed by her own words that it was easy to overlook the meaning behind them, and Corwin had an immediate regret.

‘I should have talked to her more about what that would mean for this place… but after her comment on blasphemy… ugh, too late now.’ He told himself and held up his fist to call his wagons to a grinding halt.

“Hail! I am Corwin Amber, merchant of North Qadish…” He grunted as he pushed himself up from his seat, lowering himself to the ground that had now gone from dirt to well placed stone, and drawing out his papers to show off his right of admission to travel and to sell in the great cities of men.

He smiled graciously, even ingratiatingly at the armored men, ignoring as best he could the faint smell of oil and sweat they gave off when they came near. Their bodies loomed over him like giant carved statues of metal, but fear was the last thing he felt. ‘Maybe being used to her has made me immune to being intimidated anymore?’ He wondered idly, keeping his smile in place while the larger of the two raised his helmet’s faceplate and accepted the documents when they were presented.

“Seal is here. Fine. You sell here before, old man?” The young guard asked in a rough voice that felt frankly ‘affected’, as if he was trying to sound tougher than he was.

“I have, not in a few years, but it’s that time again, so I’ve come back for the Wenmark loop. I have a hundred and one mercenaries for security, Black Quiver company. Their papers are in there.” Corwin explained and leaned forward a little, tapping on a protruding paper in the series.

“Don’t matter, old man. You’re fine, and whoever commands is fine, but the rest under arms have to stay out. They can camp outside the city until it’s time to leave.” The guard said and flipped to the paper in question, glanced at it, and handed them all back.

“That’s different, what changed?” Corwin asked and pursed his lips, changes to city laws were rare and usually meant an upheaval of some sort, ‘Usually one that’s bad for my business.’ He added to himself.

“Rumor has it some escaped slaves were sighted making their way up this way, probably nothin to it, and the city is safe, but it’s considered… best if there’s not too many other armed folk inside the walls.” The guard reclaimed his hold on his halberd, “Let them know and give a wave when you’re ready, old man.”

‘They’re hoping any armed presence outside of the walls will act as a free deterrent, and maybe even take care of the problem for them.’ It was a sick feeling in Corwin’s gut, he clutched his stomach with his free hand as it roiled around in him for several seconds, rooting him in place until he could force it to settle and Speranzi could return for his instructions.