Meadowcity (4 page)

Chapter Four
 

How much longer can that boy sleep
?  Sylvia wondered for what felt like the tenth time.  She sighed loudly, trying to concentrate on the knife in her hand as she re-wrapped the handle with a new strip of leather.  It was her best knife for the trail, and she had been prepping and rechecking her gear since yesterday’s discussion with Gero.  There was only so much she could do to get ready for the trip, but the wait was making her anxious. 

The leather wound easily around the hard metal handle, giving it a comfortable place to grip.  The full length of the knife was about as long as the length between her elbow and fingertips, a very useful knife for the forest.  She had worked hard to convince her mother she could carry such a large knife when she first became a Rider.  But her mother wouldn’t openly show her reluctance at Sylvia undertaking her father’s profession, since that was how it had always been in Meadowcity.  Each family passed down their knowledge of their trade to their children.  The first-born child was always trained to assume the family’s occupation, whereas any other children would have more of a choice.  Sylvia knew Sonia wasn’t cut out to be a Rider, and hoped she would take interest in teaching, since she was rather good at speaking to others. 
Or perhaps Sonia will become Governor one day
, Sylvia thought, smiling to herself. 

Tucking the end of the leather underneath the rest, Sylvia stretched her legs out in front of her from her bed, which doubled as a bench in front of the window.  Placing the knife back in its sheath inside her boot, she stood, reaching for the wood ceiling to stretch her muscles after sitting so long. 
Now I know why Lark has to keep himself so busy in the city.  I’m so anxious sitting still for just a day.

Sylvia surveyed her small but cozy room, just big enough for her window side bed and her wooden trunk that she kept all her belongings in.  Everything was tidy, and the wooden floor showed no dust.  Perhaps her mother kept it clean while she was away.  The thought made her insides burn with guilt, knowing that she would need to say goodbye soon.  She was quite reluctant to tell her parents of her mission, but it would be obvious that she was gone, especially since no one was allowed to travel. 

The true nature of her journey would scare her mother, she knew.  Adeline preferred not to know about Sylvia’s exploits until after the fact, when she was no longer in harm’s way.  Then her thoughts turned to her father. 
Of course I can tell Lark.  He’ll understand.  And he won’t tell a soul
.

Riders shared such a bond of the common danger they all faced, and of course she shared an even greater bond with her father, having taught her everything she knew.  Who was to say Lark didn’t know a thing or two about war?  He had become an avid reader after retiring, and books were the only place it happened—
until now
.

Books were revered in the Four Cities.  A handful of ancient books had been discovered throughout the centuries, mostly by Skycity, as they were known for their thirst for knowledge.  Riders were generally the ones to discover such books, travelling everywhere and uncovering these artifacts from the past by accident.  Many of these ancient texts had been copied in order to be preserved and read.  Book-makers in Meadowcity sold a small number of books, both newly written and ancient, all hand copied onto fresh pages.

Just then, Sylvia made up her mind to divulge her task to Lark.  Giving her room another glance, she headed through the main room and towards the door.  As she stepped outside and turned to close the latch, her mother called to her from beside the house.  Sylvia wandered over to where her mother and sister were kneeling in the shade beside a row of carrots.

Sonia spoke first, “Are you leaving, Sylvia?”

“Of course not, do I look ready for the forest?” she asked, winking at Sonia.

Sonia smiled and looked down as she toyed with the carrots in the basket. 

Sylvia spoke to her mother, “I’m going to talk with Lark, is he back in the fields today?”

“Aye, and tell him his loving wife expects him home on time for dinner today.”  Adeline grinned mischievously at Sonia, who grinned right back.  The little girl threw her carrot into the basket with unnecessary enthusiasm, her dark braid swinging merrily down her back.

Wondering what the two could be plotting, Sylvia called a cheerful goodbye and began to walk towards the lake path, towards center city.

She wondered if Lark actually did have a book on war, and if he might lend it to her.  She had been taught to read by her mother, and of course had schooling, but reading was not something she was accustomed to on a daily basis.  She remembered reading the histories of Meadowcity, and even some ancient tales, but the ancient ones were all myth, the people who lived those tales long gone, and their stories so far from fact.  The histories of Meadowcity and the other Cities would give her no advice.  Even those histories had a mythical air to them—especially the one about the founding of the Four Cities. 

As she meandered over to the farming quarter to meet her father, she recalled the tale:

The people of the land were scattered.  Living in savage little bands across the land; they fought each other often for land, for food, for no reason at all.  The land had become barren from war, but now it was alive with people and flora and fauna, none of them getting along.

Then the Arcere, the four brothers, decided to unite the land.  They travelled across the land, from north to west, from east to south and every direction.  They told the people of their plan and put it into action.  The brothers built the Cities Four, each to their own kingdom.  The eldest brother, Kendrick, chose the highest mountain peak.  Kent, the brightest of the brothers chose a flat plain to light upon.  Kilis sought a steep cliff face to carve out his fortress.  The youngest brother Kal travelled deep into the forest and claimed a clearing by a cool lake in the center of a valley.

The brothers began to build their cities.  The people saw them—mistrusting at first, but soon began to offer their aid.  The people in the forest united when Kal began to erect a huge wooden wall.  This wall would soon become more, when the first seeds were planted outside it, and through the centuries, would outgrow the wall, and overtake it and swallow it up.  The people of the forest felt safe inside the wall, and called Kal their leader.

The people of the cliffside united as Kilis began the slow work of carving a grand staircase into the stone.  Each day he carved another step down the rift, and each day he was joined by another set of hands.  Together they carved the Grand Staircase that descends the cliff.  As the people came to his aid, more and more doorways were carved into the cliff face until they had all united under his rule.

Kent’s plain was as flat as could be, but being the brightest of the four brothers; Kent set up his forge and began to melt his molten glass.  He carefully blew the glass to create giant globes to hold light.  Night after night more globes surrounded his forge, attracting the people of the plain out of the darkness and into his camp.  He shared with them the secret of how to make the globes, and the people called him their own.

Kendrick’s mountain peak was high.  But being the oldest brother, and since he had taught Kent about glasswork, and Kilis about stonework, and Kal about woodwork, Kendrick began to create his city.  He built high wooden walls surrounding the path that spiraled up the mountain; and the people of the mountain saw him carving into the stone of the mountain, and forging glass, and they came one by one to the mountain top, and took Kendrick as their leader.

And so the Four Cities came to be, united under the brothers.

And so it came to be
, Sylvia thought.  The tale had quite the mythical ring to it.  How convenient was it that the brothers each knew a working trade?  Although, Kendrick, the oldest, knew them all.  Maybe that was why Skycity was obsessed with knowledge.  There were always Skycity apprentices to escort through the land, always taking notes to bring back to their city, to catalogue away in their massive library.  There were never very successful apprentices from Skycity, only those who came to learn and document it.  Tradesman would always take them in, knowing they would never become competition, and accepted the Skycity coin welcomingly.  Perhaps they were merely spying on them this whole time, Sylvia thought.

There were many versions of the founding tale of the Four Cities, but that was the most widely accepted one.  The others varied, and one even told of a sister who united those who lived near the water, and created a city on the ocean.  Sylvia had always scoffed at this, never having seen a body of water as large as to call an ocean—and she had traveled the land far and wide.

Sylvia’s footsteps had brought her to the perimeter path at the farming quarter.  She had been passing by the fields for a while now, and her boots rung out sharply on the wooden path as she stepped off the stone one.  With the treewall on one side, she scanned the fields next to her, searching for her father. 

She had always loved hearing about how the treewall had come to be.  She could take that part of the story as truth, since anyone who looked could see the old wooden wall embedded in the trees.  Now and then the woodworkers would have a problem on their hands when a tree in the wall became too old or sickly, and they would have to replace it.  Here and there new saplings grew, the structure of the wall kept intact by new wooden planks while the tree grew to its proper size. 

She spotted her father, his sandy colored hair shining amongst the wheat, standing with his hands on his hips watching her.  The sun glinted off of his hair just the way it did off of Sylvia’s.  He wiped his brow as she stepped off the path and down the aisle towards him, careful not to step on anything that was growing.

“Sylvia, what’s this, visiting her poor father working in the fields!”  His face gleamed with sweat in the sun, the wrinkles around his eyes deepened with his smile.

“Now, you can’t make me feel bad for you when you volunteer for it!” Sylvia cajoled.

Lark chuckled, “I guess you’re right.  To what do I owe the visit?" Then, more serious, “Everything alright at home?” 

“Everything’s fine,” she assured him quickly.  “I just wanted to speak with you…” 

She wasn’t sure where to start.

Lark’s face remained somber, knowing full well Sylvia’s demeanor meant something serious, especially her coming all the way out here just to talk.  He slapped his hands on his hips, wiping the grit off of them. 

“Perhaps we should take a walk?” 

Sylvia nodded, trying to arrange her thoughts.

Lark waved at another workman, indicating his absence.  They walked over to the perimeter path, and began to stroll down it.  The sun had begun its decline hours earlier, but Meadowcity was still rather warm, and Sylvia was grateful for the shade of this part of the wall.  The branches overhead moved almost silently in the slight breeze.

“Out with it,” Lark said, not giving Sylvia a chance to change her mind.  He knew her so well.

“Well…” she hesitated.  “Gero’s given me a journey to take.”  She paused, suddenly remembering her promise to Gero not to tell anyone.

“It’s to Riftcity,” Sylvia divulged, knowing Lark would have heard of the ban by now.

“I see.  What else?”

“We think there’s been a battle there.” She took a breath, and dove right in, keeping her voice from carrying through the open field. “The Rider from Riftcity was no Rider at all.  He was a citizen.  Gero think’s Skycity attacked them.  The message I carried from Skycity was a threat to Meadowcity…We think Riftcity’s been attacked and the boy was coming to warn us.” 

Immediately she felt a great weight lift off her chest, but the guilt crept up on her just the same.

Lark nodded.  Sylvia saw his eyes narrow, a small crease forming between his brows.  “And he’s asked you to go to Riftcity for what?”

“To find out what happened there while the council deliberates over the threat from Skycity.”  Sylvia let it all out in one breath.

They had stopped walking.  Sylvia looked up at Meadowcity, alive in the afternoon light.  They wouldn’t be lighting the lamps for another few hours.

She continued, “We’re waiting until the boy, Flint, wakes up, to hear what he has to say.”

Lark nodded thoughtfully.  He began walking again slowly, farther down the perimeter path.