Dralin (6 page)

Frath ran his fingers through her hair and
kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes to savor the sensation
of having her close. “I love you,” he told her earnestly.

“I love you too, so very much,” she
responded, looking into his eyes again. They kissed, ignoring the
disapproving looks of people passing by.

A moment later, they were walking again.
Frath took up the conversation once more. “So you have the City
Center in the middle of Dralin. You have Wraith Lake, Dralin
Academy, and the Grand Assembly Estate around that. Both the
Academy and the Grand Assembly Estate are larger than most royal
castles or palaces,” he said. “In a wide circle around that is the
Tower District. Beyond that are the older districts like the Noble
District where the Shining Shield Inn is. The Mosh District and
Carnival District used to be much different, but have changed into
their current forms. There are three other old districts around it
too, for a total of six. Beyond that are more than I can easily
name, all spreading out in every direction.”

“Dralin is the biggest city in the world,
isn’t it?” Sheela asked.

“Well . . . No one’s really certain. It
might be. Oimryi, the capital of Mayncal may be the same size or
larger. Some say there are larger cities on other continents across
the oceans, but I don’t know if it’s true.” He gestured ahead, to
where the towers stopped and an open park took over. “Wraith Park
is just ahead.”

Once again, the transition between districts
was abrupt. One moment, there were buildings on either side. The
next there were well-maintained grassy areas cut by meandering
paths. Sheela stopped shortly after they entered. It was easy to
understand why. Wraith Lake had powerful magic that disrupted
everything around it.

The grass was pink instead of green, not a
pleasant pink, but the sort that shocks the eyes and makes the
stomach turn. The leaves on the trees were odd colors as well. Even
more bizarre were the shapes of the trees. No two were alike and
all were twisted in different ways. One on their left was as tall
as the wizard’s towers nearby, but all of its branches grew
downward. Another one was low to the ground with branches a hundred
feet in every direction, defying gravity by not touching the
ground. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it.

“The flowers are glowing,” Sheela said
softly, pointing at a row of luminescent blue blossoms lining the
path. “Is it safe to touch them?”

“It’s safe,” Frath said. “Don’t eat anything
that grows here though. You’ll likely lose your mind.”

Sheela went to the flowers, squatted down
next to them and ran fingers carefully along the petals of one.
Frath squatted next to her and ran his hand gently up and down her
back. Rather than looking at the blossoms, he stared at the curve
of her spine through her burgundy dress. He couldn’t believe his
fortune at finding someone so wonderful.

When Frath had first seen her coming into
the city, Sheela’s thinness had alarmed him. At the time, he could
see bones pushing against her skin through the tattered dress she
had worn. Smudges of dirt had covered her delicate features and
knotted her hair. In the short time Sheela had lived and worked at
the Shining Shield Inn, good food had softened the curves of her
bones and added a healthy color to her smooth skin.

He moved his hand to her side and enjoyed
the feel of her against his palm and fingers as he ran it up and
down to her hip. Frath suddenly realized that Sheela had frozen
completely still. “I’m sorry,” Frath said, pulling his hand away
and standing.

Sheela slowly stood and turned. The look on
her face was unreadable. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I like
it when . . . when you touch . . .” She brushed hair back over her
right ear and gently bit her lower lip. “How far away is the lake?
I don’t see it.” She looked up the street.

Frath didn’t answer right away because he
was too busy staring at the curve of her jaw. When she looked back
at him, he shook his head to clear it. “Umm . . . how far? It’s
about fifteen minutes away. This is one of the main streets to it,
used for heavier traffic. I thought we might walk along the paths
awhile,” he told her, pointing to one that rounded the low
tree.

“I’d like that,” Sheela replied, neither
smiling nor frowning. Her brown eyes held mystery in them and Frath
was intrigued. He took a deep breath and put his arm around her
shoulder again, tentatively, not certain if it was wanted. Sheela
put hers back around his waist and let him guide her to the
path.

They walked in silence for a bit, looking at
the different flowers, trees and multihued grasses that were on the
sides of the paths they strolled along. One of the trees was
translucent and they were able to see through its trunk and leaves.
The effect was surreal, causing both Sheela and Frath to rub their
eyes and temples. Frath knew they would get headaches if they
looked at everything for too long.

Statues had been placed around the park.
Originally, they were statues of important people. The Lake warped
them too, although it took much longer than it did for the plants.
The formerly important people became malformed clones of what they
once were, each twisting in unique ways. Only two statues never
deformed. Both were of individuals who had dedicated their lives to
the welfare of humanity. It was said that they had been pure of
heart, while every other statue had been twisted to reveal the
corrupt hearts of those they had been dedicated to. After a while,
only abstract sculptures and statues dotted the multihued
grasses.

“It’s just so . . .
weird
,” Sheela
finally stated. “Nothing is as it should be. It’s making me a
little sick, Frath.” She took the opportunity to bury her face into
his chest again, much to his delight.

Frath closed his eyes and soaked up the
closeness. “The lake is just over there. Let’s go take a look at
it, and then we’ll leave.” She nodded and moved to his side again.
They walked a little quicker, no longer stopping to stare at all
the plants.

One thing Frath had always noticed when in
the park is that there wasn’t a single animal of any kind, not even
insects. For some reason plants and trees could grow, but any
attempts by government officials to introduce animals either
resulted in the animals getting out as quickly as possible, or
dying within a few days if trapped in the park. Frath could relate
to how they felt about it. The park was unnatural and there was
something about it that made him want to run away a little more
each time he visited. Patrolling Wraith Park was the least favorite
duty within the City Guard, even more so than some of the more
violent neighborhoods or the perilous sewers.

When they reached the low wall that
prevented anyone from getting too close to the lake, Sheela
squeezed him tight. “I don’t like it at all,” she told him quickly.
Frath began to realize that she was a great deal more sensitive
than he was and he regretted bringing her to the park.

Wisps of white vapor drifted from the glassy
surface of the perfectly still lake. It was large, at least a mile
across and two miles to either side. He could barely make out the
wall on the other side that protected against anyone using a
looking glass to see the City Center. The edge of the water was
about a thousand feet away from the wall where they stood and its
shore consisted of shiny black rocks. Frath had been told that the
lake was ice cold, yet the snowflakes that were coming down heavier
again didn’t come anywhere near it, evaporating in the air
above.

“Something is wrong here . . . everything is
wrong here, Frath. Can we leave? Please?” Sheela pleaded timidly.
He pulled her in tight and led her away from the lake, heading in a
southwardly direction. Looking back at the shadowy waters, he
shivered just a little.

Frath didn’t take her the way they had come,
although he considered taking her back to the inn and just sitting
in the garden with her for the rest of the day. “Sheela . . . maybe
we shouldn’t go on. Coming here was a bad idea and . . .”

She cut him off again. “No. Coming here was
a wonderful idea. I’ve wanted to see the lake and I’m glad you’re
here to hold me.” She gazed at him earnestly as they walked. “I can
handle anything when your arm is around me. I want to do everything
you had planned no matter how dangerous or . . . weird,” she
finished with a laugh, which Frath echoed.

They entered the Tower District heading
south. Along the way, they saw two more of the Deformed, but each
was at a distance. Sheela buried her face into Frath’s side each
time as he guided her away from them. Before too long, they left
the district and entered another with grand estates and
well-dressed people.

“This is the Merchant District, which is
southwest of the Noble District,” Frath told her. “Many officials
of the treasury live here, a number of wizards and others, but
mostly it’s filled with the richest and most powerful merchants in
Dralin. You’ll discover a lot of people frowning at us.” He pointed
at a gaggle of opulently dressed women who looked at them
disapprovingly. They had three bodyguards who quietly acknowledged
Frath with nods. “It’s the rule that people here have to look down
on anyone who has less money than them,” he said sarcastically as
they moved to the street to walk around the judgmental women.

Sheela looked up at him, not knowing if she
should laugh. He shook his head and sighed. “It gets a little
frustrating to be looked down upon. The City Guard spends a great
deal of time and effort keeping their houses safe.”

“Aren’t there a lot of merchants in the
Noble District too?” Sheela asked.

Frath nodded. “Yeah. At one point, Altordan
had a king and nobles and the capital was in a different city. One
of the kings decided that the Conclave of Wizards in Dralin had
become too powerful, so he sent the military to destroy them. That
king and anyone loyal to him died quickly.” Frath moved her back
onto the sidewalk out of the way of a carriage. “The Conclave of
Wizards took over the military and created the High Council to run
the city and the Grand Assembly to run the kingdom. The nobles were
allowed to continue owning land and hold power over that land, but
only if they were loyal to the Assembly. Now it’s just not all that
popular or impressive to be a noble in Altordan, so merchants and
wizards have taken over much of the Noble District.”

“You said the High Council runs the city and
the Grand Assembly runs the kingdom. I was under the impression
that the High Council was more powerful than the Grand Assembly,”
Sheela said in confusion.

“It is,” Frath confirmed. He ran his hand up
and down her back before resting it on her shoulder again. He
realized she had only worn a dress without a jacket or cloak and
was a bit chilled. “Do you have anything warm to cover yourself
with?”

She shook her head and smiled reassuringly.
“No, but it’s alright. I’m used to cold winters and this dress is
warm.”

“Hmm . . .” Frath frowned. “We’ll have to
take care of that.” Sheela’s cheeks flushed and she looked down in
shame, making him feel guilty. The day wasn’t going anything like
he had planned. He wanted very much for her to be happy. “Dralin is
more important and more powerful than the rest of Altordan,” Frath
told her, going back to the original subject in the hopes of
settling her mind.

It worked. The redness left her cheeks and
she perked back up in interest. “How interesting. I love the way
you tell me about everything. Thank you.” Her eyes shined with
delight.

“Definitely! I’m having fun talking about
it,” Frath replied happily. “Most people don’t care anything about
the city, but in the Guard we have to learn a lot of history and
details. It helps us do our jobs better.”

“I think you do your job wonderfully,”
Sheela gushed.

“Well . . . thank you. I work hard,” Frath
acknowledged, knowing she was complimenting him because she liked
him.

“Did I say something wrong?” she asked,
sensing she had.

“I just . . .” He stopped and took a deep
breath. “I don’t always think I do a good job. There are too many
people who suffer. I was able to get you a safe place to live and
work, but so many girls and young men have passed by and come to
terrible fates.” A tight feeling wrenched his gut.

“Frath, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head, but she gripped his arm
tightly and put a hand on his cheek. Frath closed his eyes. “Last
week a young woman came through wearing a bright yellow dress. She
was with her parents, rustic farmers, and smiling brightly at the
sights of the city.” He paused for a moment to battle the tightness
in his throat. “This week I was moved to patrol in a part of the
city I will never take you to,” he told her fiercely. “We found her
broken body in an alley, dead and . . .”

Frath stared upward at the flakes falling
from the sky, trying to lose himself in the grey of the clouds.
Sheela slid her hand to the side of his neck, wrapped the other
around him and pressed herself tightly to him. She said nothing,
only lending the strength of her slight body to him.

Holding onto Sheela was the best feeling in
the world, but at the same time, terror clenched his heart when he
thought something like that could happen to her. Very few guardsmen
had relationships in Dralin for very good reason. It was impossible
to keep a clear head when everyone you cared about was always in
danger. A part of him wished he had never met Sheela so he wouldn’t
have to care, but he needed her now and had already fallen in love.
That knowledge terrified him.

“Her parents were found dead last night,
murdered for their few belongings and stuffed in a barrel in some
warehouse. They had been killed not long after coming into town.”
Frath clenched his teeth. “It hurts so much to know what happened
to that young woman and to think the same could have happened to .
. .” He just couldn’t say it out loud.