saying that he should keep educating Ean. By the time the caravan pulled off the side of the road for the night, Ean thought he knew plenty, but Wil said it was just the tip of the mountain. Ean spent a good part of his night with Wil and his family around a fire, although the talk changed to more pleasant things. Once again, when the conversations turned more into a collection of yawns, Ean called it a night and slipped back to his tent.
He didn't find Azalea there, or Zin for that matter. Both were probably off somewhere, up to their own brand of mischief, which was fine by Ean. He had an early day of dung shoveling and didn't mind being able to drift off to sleep.
AND THAT'S HOW THE next three days went: work in the morning, Wil's "education" during the day, and a nice meal and rest around a campfire at night. Zin visited him most mornings, mostly to complain about being bored, while Azalea enjoyed making an appearance whenever Ean was working. She would go on about the different people she met and the horrible things they had done. Ean did his best to ignore it, but eventually he would get frustrated enough to chase the Yulari off. But even she didn't really bother him that much, as he had to admit that he was enjoying his time traveling with the caravan. It was as if nothing else mattered in the world except the journey, and he enjoyed feeling like part of a community.
Which was why, on their fifth day of traveling in the late afternoon, Ean couldn't help but feel bittersweet as they came over a hill, and he finally caught his first sight of Lurthalan. Their trip was almost to an end, and part of him was sorry that it was over. But only a small part. The rest of him was overwhelmed by the enormous city looming on the horizon.
The city, which wrapped around the entire south end of Lake Melcoi, could have fit dozens of Rottwealth villages inside of it. Even from as far away as they were, Ean could make out a dozen large buildings sticking out of the masses of smaller ones spread throughout the city. He also saw the construction of the wall that Wil had mentioned, large stone blocks like the ones in the wagons, four or five blocks high in some places and absent in others. There was a good amount of open land in the area it looked like the wall was going to encircle, which Ean didn't expect. Of course, there were probably a lot of things about the city that he wasn't going to expect, but that just made the wait until the following day that much more exciting.
THEY MADE CAMP THAT night, which Wil said was due to the fact that most caravans had to be checked and logged when they entered the city so that the temples knew what supplies were coming in. That meant each person, all of the cargo, and even the Vilathos and their owners all had to be recorded. The temples could then appropriate whatever they needed, at a discounted price, before the rest of the materials could be sold off. It all was very official sounding, but it seemed like a giant waste of time to Ean, and Wil agreed.
Getting up early the next day, Ean was surprised to find Trait standing by the wagon where Ean had been retrieving his shovel from each morning. As soon as the man saw Ean coming, he shuffled about in place for a moment and looked as if he was about to walk off, but finally something made him stay in his spot and wave Ean over.
"You did some good work for me, lad," the broad man said, rubbing his hands together. "I didn't receive a single complaint from any of the wagon drivers or the shovelers behind your position. I know you offered to work for your ride, but I never let good work go unrewarded. Here."
Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a few coppers and a silver piece. "Now, that's not what a normal worker would make for a few days of service, of course. If you are looking for a job, I could handle hiring you on full time as a shoveler. You would make a great deal more as an actual employee of
He didn't find Azalea there, or Zin for that matter. Both were probably off somewhere, up to their own brand of mischief, which was fine by Ean. He had an early day of dung shoveling and didn't mind being able to drift off to sleep.
AND THAT'S HOW THE next three days went: work in the morning, Wil's "education" during the day, and a nice meal and rest around a campfire at night. Zin visited him most mornings, mostly to complain about being bored, while Azalea enjoyed making an appearance whenever Ean was working. She would go on about the different people she met and the horrible things they had done. Ean did his best to ignore it, but eventually he would get frustrated enough to chase the Yulari off. But even she didn't really bother him that much, as he had to admit that he was enjoying his time traveling with the caravan. It was as if nothing else mattered in the world except the journey, and he enjoyed feeling like part of a community.
Which was why, on their fifth day of traveling in the late afternoon, Ean couldn't help but feel bittersweet as they came over a hill, and he finally caught his first sight of Lurthalan. Their trip was almost to an end, and part of him was sorry that it was over. But only a small part. The rest of him was overwhelmed by the enormous city looming on the horizon.
The city, which wrapped around the entire south end of Lake Melcoi, could have fit dozens of Rottwealth villages inside of it. Even from as far away as they were, Ean could make out a dozen large buildings sticking out of the masses of smaller ones spread throughout the city. He also saw the construction of the wall that Wil had mentioned, large stone blocks like the ones in the wagons, four or five blocks high in some places and absent in others. There was a good amount of open land in the area it looked like the wall was going to encircle, which Ean didn't expect. Of course, there were probably a lot of things about the city that he wasn't going to expect, but that just made the wait until the following day that much more exciting.
THEY MADE CAMP THAT night, which Wil said was due to the fact that most caravans had to be checked and logged when they entered the city so that the temples knew what supplies were coming in. That meant each person, all of the cargo, and even the Vilathos and their owners all had to be recorded. The temples could then appropriate whatever they needed, at a discounted price, before the rest of the materials could be sold off. It all was very official sounding, but it seemed like a giant waste of time to Ean, and Wil agreed.
Getting up early the next day, Ean was surprised to find Trait standing by the wagon where Ean had been retrieving his shovel from each morning. As soon as the man saw Ean coming, he shuffled about in place for a moment and looked as if he was about to walk off, but finally something made him stay in his spot and wave Ean over.
"You did some good work for me, lad," the broad man said, rubbing his hands together. "I didn't receive a single complaint from any of the wagon drivers or the shovelers behind your position. I know you offered to work for your ride, but I never let good work go unrewarded. Here."
Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a few coppers and a silver piece. "Now, that's not what a normal worker would make for a few days of service, of course. If you are looking for a job, I could handle hiring you on full time as a shoveler. You would make a great deal more as an actual employee of
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