Stranger Spirits

Entering Sincostan [Chapter Seven Part Three]

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Alfred and Atticus went out in search of a river to replenish our water supply while I stayed around the campground getting our sleeping situations prepared.

Since we had been expecting to already reach Sincostan by nightfall we only had Atticus's tent on supply. In the end, we agreed that Alfred would take the tent while Atticus and I slept in the wagon. It was only fair since we were under Alfred's care.

The next morning we were off to a great start arriving at the gates of Sincostan. Apparently, there was a giant wall surrounding the city preventing strangers from coming in. There were only entry points at the north, south, east, and western ends of the city. The wall was so massive that the buildings behind it couldn't be seen.

"Don't worry lads. It may look a little unforthcoming but they have these walls to protect the citizens within its borders." Alfred explained to us before he got out of the wagon. He strode over to the gate and spoke to the guards posted. After a couple moments of discussion, one of the guards raised his arms signaling for the other guards to open the doors for us.

Taking a moment to look back at the northern lands that we traveled I watched as the guards closed the gate behind us almost trapping us in this grand metropolis. Although it was bright out we were constantly being covered by the shade that the towering buildings provided for us. Turning a couple of corners I lost sight of the gates that let us in.

Atticus looked immersed with the architecture that was so foreign to us. Although we had two story buildings back home we only saw only ground level homes since leaving the mountains. To go from those to these great structures can really take one's breath away.

We eventually halted and Alfred announced that we had made it to his destination. "Hold here for a moment; I'll grab some of my men to help you out and unload the wagon." Alfred got off the wagon and knocked on the front door. Within moments he was hugging a balding man and they stepped inside.

"Vaughn, would you like to look around town with me today? It will give us a chance to stretch our legs."

"Y-yes!" I answered immediately in a flustered manner immediately looking away to avert his piercing gaze. "I'd like that very much."

"It's decided then." Atticus rested his hand on my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. Hearing footsteps coming towards the wagon we opened up the back flaps of the wagon to see Alfred with five men. They all looked so different from one another. One was the short and bald man who welcomed Alfred in. Two were large and burly men; one of them had huge hands while the other had thick biceps. The other two men looked more or less like Alfred being fairly tall and thin-limbed.

We all introduced ourselves to one another as they assisted us out of the wagon handing me my walking stick and other possessions in the process. The portly fellow of the group guided us in and led us to a small room with bunk beds. Calling the lower bunk I sat down on the bed sighing from how soft the surface was. It's great to not have to sleep on the wooden floor of a wagon for once!

"It's so comfy!" I sighed in relief falling back onto the luxurious surface.

Atticus peeked down at me from above. "I concur. We should definitely make sure that we use our money sparingly for good lodging."

"Yeah," I took a moment to stretch a little and step off the bed. "Let's eat some grub and head out. I remember Alfred telling me that the Emerald Fountain at the center of town is a well-known site for tourists!" Atticus nodded and we strode out of our room and roamed around our temporary lodging. I stopped for a moment when I heard Alfred talking amongst his associates in the study.

"So it's agreed. Now that Alfred is here we can push up the ceremony to take place at the Talod Dunes tomorrow night."

"Yes, that way we can keep the current meats on supply nice and fresh for so-." All the men at the table stopped nodding when the floor creaked as I took a step closer to the door of the study.

"Vaughn!" Alfred looked at me face flushed as the rest of the table fell silent.

"Sorry to interrupt your meeting. We just wanted to know if you had any fruit that we can munch on while we tour around town."

"Yes!" Alfred stood up and led us to a small kitchen. Turned away from us Alfred grabbed a kitchen knife and rested it on the large fruit that he was about to cut in half. "Did you hear any of our discussion Vaughn?" He spoke in a soft tone that brought chills to my spine.

"Not enough to understand what's going on, to be honest. Why do you ask?" Alfred perked up a little from my response.

"Well," He paused to cut the fruit up into smaller pieces for us. "Our group can be of the secretive sort. With the recipes we use, well, we just like to be cautious so word doesn't go 'round."

"Makes sense." I nodded. "We apologize for intruding on your group's privacy."

"No harm no foul!" Alfred wiped his juice covered hands on a spare cloth that had many stains on it from its wear and tear of usage across the years. "Take a couple of Quzno and have fun out there!" Alfred took my hand in his and let the coins fall upon the palm of my hand.

"Also, Vaughn. How long do you expect to be staying in Sincostan?" I looked at Atticus for a cue. How long were we to stay here? I withdrew my hand from Alfred and put my hands in my pockets letting the Quznos roll out of my hands.

"We leave tomorrow morning through the southern gate." We really need to get to Ilcryst. It's time we revealed what this mess that we found ourselves in really entails.

"Oh," Alfred gave me a tight-lipped smile. "I'll just have to make sure that I see you both off then!" Having finished our snack Alfred walked us to the front door. "Have fun in town! Make sure you don't stay out too late!"