HDMGF Book 2- Part 26

Suma’s POV

The sun was beating down on us all day, we had to keep stopping to rest in the shade because it was so hot. Even high in the sky the temperature was unbearable. The breeze, while flying, helped, but not so much that we could bare it for longer than an hour at a time. “If we don’t pick up the pace, we won’t arrive at the capital on time.” One of the Neame I was traveling with said; it was one of the lieutenants. There were ten of us; one guide, six privates, two lieutenants from other squads, and one captain. Among the group, only two of us had names, myself included. The other Neame with a name was the captain in charge of our voyage, Captain Razoen.

“If we don’t rest, this heat could kill one of us.” Our guide, said.

“Is it normally this hot near the capital?” One of the privates asked.

“No, this is strange; especially for this time of year.” The guide replied.

“Lady Suma, how are you holding up?” One of the privates asked. I was the only healer in the travel group, so everyone was going at my pace.

“I am well, though quite warm.” I said. We were currently in a small stream, drinking and cooling off. One of the privates used magic to create shade by molding the ground into a small shelter.

“Then we will rest a bit longer, before continuing our journey.” The guide said. We were all sitting in the water, it was moving, but unfortunately it was warmer than I would have liked. “If everyone is okay with it, traveling at night would be easier.”

“Is it safe to fly in this area at night?” Captain Razoen asked.

“In this area, yes. There are no native species here that can fly, and the dangerous ones wouldn’t be active in this heat.” The guide replied.

“Then we will travel at night.” The Captain turned to the rest of us, “everyone, get some rest, we will be traveling tonight, so sleep while you have the chance.” With that, I settled deeper into the stream, and let the waters cool off my feathers. I took a moment to look out at the scenery. I had never been this far east before, and so this entire area was new to me. It was a desolate wasteland of sand and rocks. In the entire previous day of our journey, I had not seen a single plant or animal. When I asked what this place was called, the guide told me it was know as “The Evil Sands.” I watched the desert for a while. The heat made the sand shimmer and distort the area, and occasionally the winds would sweep through to cause small dust storms, but that was the extent of it.

The stream itself was fairly nice, but not so much that I could have fallen asleep in it. For that, I went and rested under the shelter. Once everyone was inside, the entrance was sealed shut, and we all went to sleep.

Hours later, we were awoken by the guide, who said that night had fallen. We all got up, ate, and took to the skies again. The moon was out, but it was not full tonight, so we simply kept in a tight formation and made do with what little light it produced, and the glimmer of our besmears.

At night, the heat was not an issue, but the cold was quickly becoming one. “Why did the weather change so drastically?” I asked the guide.

“That’s normal for this area, but the cold is usually worse this time of year. We seem to be having a heat wave, be glad for that. We wouldn’t be able to travel at night if the temperature were normal.”

“How cold do it normally get here?” One of the privates asked.

“Cold enough to kill in the winter, and hot enough to turn sand into glass in the summer. This area is very dangerous. There is no vegetation to hide under or perch on, and the only way to keep warm because of that is to use fire magic all night.”

The heat is the reason we must travel at night, and that same heat is the only reason the cold is not killing us… I thought.

“Is that why there are no animals here?” Another of the privates asked.

“There are a few species in the area. They are nocturnal in the summer, but not in the winter.” The guide said.

“I have not seen any vegetation since entering this desert, what do they eat?” I asked.

“Each other.”

“What a happy conversation this turned into.” One of the lieutenants said.

The night passed, and we did not need to stop for the rest of the journey. The Sun started to rise just in time for us to see the capital of Ambos peak over the horizon. “There it is everyone, not much longer now.” Our guide announced. When he said that, I remembered something important. The capital city does not have a set name, it changes with the current ruler’s name. Traditionally, it would be his name first, followed by the country’s name, but there have been instances in which the country’s name came first.

“What is his Majesty’s, that is… the King’s, name?” I asked.

“Queen actually. King Ompet died last year; his daughter inherited the crown. Her name is Ompera, and the capital’s name has been placed before her name, at her request.” Captain Razoen explained.

Ambos-Ompera. I thought. “How large is the capital?”

“You mentioned you are from Zach-Ahshem, right Lady Suma? It is about twice the size of that city in terms of occupied land, and it has at least three times the population.” The Captain said.

“Is Zach-Ahshem a large city? I’ve never been.” One of the privates wondered.

“It is, we even have a Grand Sanctum.” I told him.

“Alright everyone, prepare to land, and summon your documentation; we need to register our arrival.” The guide said, and started flying towards a large dome like building outside of the walls of the city. “Follow me.”

He dived down, and we all followed suit. The dome’s top had several holes built into it, and we entered through one. Landing on the ground, I noticed we were surrounded by several other Neame, some of which were mounted on very large familiars.

“State your business.” One of the Neame said.

“We are here to enter Ambos-Ompera. We have our documentation here.” We all summoned our individual permits and notices. Several of the Neame glanced at one another, and then flew off their familiar’s saddles to land in front of us. They each began examining our documents, and confirming the different seals that marked them.

The capital is not like any other city in Ambos, not even nobles are allowed to enter it without permission. Only permanent residents are allowed to enter and exit with relative ease. The capital is the cultural, religious, and political center of Ambos, so its security is taken quite seriously.

“Your documents are in order, you may proceed.” One of the Neame said, and flew back to his familiar’s saddle. The guide bowed, and we all left.

“Who were they?” One of the privates asked.

“Guards,” another of the privates replied.

“Obviously, but were they city guards, or something else?”

“Neither; we will still need to present our documents to the city’s guards once we arrive at the walls.” The guide said.

“But then-”

“Those were Royal Court Mages.” The Captain said. “They simply determine whether you are a threat to the royals. If they had decided that we posed a threat to her majesty, they would have killed us, then and there.”

“Well then, why do we still need to report to the city’s guards if we have already been cleared?” I wondered.

“Their job is not to worry about the dangers we may pose to the city, only the royal family. As far as they are concerned, we could burn down all of Ambos-Ompera; they would not even beat their wings to put out the flames. However, if they suspect we are threats to the Queen, we will die horrible deaths.”

The rest of the journey after that was uncomfortably quiet. I suspect the lingering threat of being killed weighed on everyone’s minds after the Captain’s revelation. We arrived at the city without incident, I took in the sights of the city. From the top of the walls, I could see thousands of Neame below, all going about their business. The ground was filled with different types of structures. Some Neame flew through wooden buildings that greatly resembled the market district of Zach-Ahshem. Most of the buildings were uniform in size and shape, with little variation; predominantly large rectangular structures with a hole on one side. Other buildings seemed to have the same essential layout, but were made from twisted vines rather than stone. I also noticed that no one was flying higher than the walls of the city, and was later informed by the city guards that it was a crime to do so.

The lieutenants led the privates to their separate responsibilities, while Captain Razoen and I made our way to her Majesty’s castle. It was easy to see from the air; it was the tallest building by far. It looked like a tree made of interwoven stone and vines. The top bottom of the castle was even reinforced with metal beams that wrapped around its base like a web. It was an impressive sight, and so I decided to summon Jake and show him.

“Jake, I have arrived at the Capital. It is a very strange place, do you want to see?” I asked Jake over our private connection. There was no response. Upon realizing he was most likely asleep, I started praying to the dragons that they royals or the royal court did not want to see him yet.