City of Illusions Page 3

  Walking through an archway that spanned the street, Lumea paused. The adjacent wall held a small plaque: South, 42nd, Quarter of Knowledge. Her curiosity was piqued and she decided to see where it led. A lack of pedestrians meant she could not ask for directions, and she was resigned to rely solely on her gut feelings. From time to time she stopped and looked back, but she had no way of judging how far she had walked. The buildings she passed now had broad, double doors, but still she could see no sign of life either inside the buildings or out.

  The still street was suddenly thrust into organized chaos, as bells began to toll in long sonorous peals. Doors lining the streets disgorged their hidden tenants as the inhabitants of Omnesia took to the streets in their dull gray, uniform dress. The masses formed orderly lines and headed towards the city proper, back in the direction from which Lumea had just come, and they walked with a lack of spirit that blurred the crowds from individuals into a monotone vista. With her back against a wall she watched the mob pass, and she was intrigued by their behavior and apathy. Lumea decided to follow.

  The crowd moved under the gateway and began to split up. More and more people disappeared into their homes, and the streets slowly emptied again. Lumea stopped in the middle of the road, wondering about the Omnesians’ behavior. For a brief moment the city had come to life, but now everything around her was quiet once again.

  Twilight fell, and the young woman saw a light go on in the distance, and then another. More and more lights turned on, a little bit closer each time. Then she heard a curious ticking sound, as of metal striking the cobblestone streets. There were a few seconds of time between each tick, but they grew louder, seemingly moving closer. Lumea was curious enough to stand her ground and peer into the growing darkness. From it, a man on high stilts emerged. He walked through the dark streets and lit the gas lanterns flanking either side of the street. His work seemed superfluous in light of the fact that the streets were abandoned of people after nightfall, but on he went. The man passed her without a word and disappeared into the darkness again. The sound of his stilts disappeared with him, but his passage was marked by the luminous glow of lanterns being lit at regular intervals.

  An evening chill settled over the city, and the wind blew unhindered through the long, straight streets. Lumea walked after the lantern man, hoping to reach the inn soon. Far away, she could see yet another lamp being lit, and she increased her pace. The walk back to the inn was likely going to take some time.

  In the days that followed, Lumea discovered just how hard it was to make contact with anyone, as the city’s inhabitants kept very much to themselves. In the meantime, her searches led her deeper into the city, where she discovered more about the way it was constructed. There were three distinct districts laid out in concentric rings. The inn where she stayed was situated in the outer ring. The next ring was the industrial hub of the city, where a great many offices and manufacturing buildings were located. The people working there all lived in the outer district as well, but the owners of the companies lived in the center circle, together with other prosperous men and women.

  Each district was separated from the others by a high wall. The walls had intermittent gates that allowed passage between the various districts. On her first day, Lumea had followed a street that ran parallel to the center instead of leading towards it. Now that she had spent some time wandering the city, she knew that the inn was not that far from the center if you knew the way.

  There were more people on the streets in the middle district. At times there were small groups of Omnesians talking to each other, although the conversations never lasted for very long. Everyone here was always busy.

  Lumea had addressed several inhabitants, but she could have been talking to walls for all the reaction she received. The people walked away from her, often without waiting for her to finish asking her question. Once or twice, someone took the trouble of listening, but as soon as the name Hydrhaga came up in conversation, they said they did not know and that they had to go.

  The longer she stayed in the city, the more it seemed as though the inhabitants were avoiding her. She grew furious, because nobody was polite enough to answer her decently.

  Several days later, Lumea had a strange encounter with one of the citizens of this very alien city. He approached her as she was sitting on a bench, resting and observing her surroundings. He was one of the workmen, and he had muscular limbs and was covered in a patina of dirt from his daily labors, but she pushed aside her initial fear and made room for him on the bench. She gave him a friendly nod, for she was afraid of insulting him if she ignored him. The man was dark from his work outdoors, and he smelled strongly of sweat. Lumea was surprised to find that the smell was not wholly unpleasant. His scent triggered distant murmurings in the depths of her mind, and she had the feeling that this was a smell she should know. The workman was dressed in a green tunic, but it was threadbare with traces of rich embroidery. Wrapped around his head he wore a kerchief, which Lumea assumed was part of the worker’s outfit, for the workers all wore similar kerchiefs. The man sat down next to her silently, but his face was open and friendly.

  After a while, he said, “I am Elion.”

  Lumea was taken aback for a moment, for she had almost forgotten about him and she had been deep in thought. She looked at him, confused, and he repeated, “I am Elion. That is my name.”

  Lumea smiled at him and introduced herself. Elion nodded and they sat in silence once again. In the end, Lumea got up and bid the man farewell. She looked around before crossing the street, and then disappeared around a corner.

  That same day Lumea came upon an imposing building which was surrounded by a cast-iron fence. Behind it, soldiers marched down lanes that ran between fields of freshly-mowed grass. At the gate, four men were standing guard. Lumea straightened up and walked towards them. The four soldiers seemed to confer with each other as she came closer. One of them looked at her over his shoulder, and when she neared, they turned toward her. Lumea bowed and waited for a reaction, but none was forthcoming. Hesitantly, she righted herself while she devised a new plan. “Good afternoon, gentlemen.” Still, they gave no reaction.

  “Might I inquire as to who lives behind this fence?”

  The men seemed relieved that she asked that question. One of them answered, “That is the palace of the King of Omnesia and his royal family.”

  “Oh, of course. I should have known. You should be proud to guard the royal family. It must be honorable work?”

  “You’re right, it’s not easy to become a guard. First you have to go through years of intense combat training. Only those with the best fighting skills have a chance to be promoted to this duty.”

  Lumea was glad that her plan was working and the men were talking. She forced herself to stay calm and pushed on, flattering their pride.

  “But fighting skills are surely not the only criterion on which you were selected? You must have a great knowledge of this land and its history?”

  The men nodded proudly. They explained that they had been trained to fight from childhood. This was normal in Omnesia, as all boys were obligated to master the martial arts. The talent shown by their physical prowess determined the status of their families. The four men had hardly been able to walk when their fathers had brought them to a fighting school. It had not been long before their talent distinguished them from other boys their age, and they had been transferred to the school within the royal compound. There, the boys were also trained in history and heraldry.

  Lumea knew that now was the time to strike. Maybe they would let something slip that they normally would not.

  “Then you must know where Hydrhaga lies?”

  One of the men made as if to answer, but the eldest of the four was quicker. “I believe this conversation has lasted long enough.”

  None of them spoke another word. Lumea bowed again and walked away. She was disappointed that again she had found out nothing at all about Hydrhaga, and wondered why nobody wante
d to help her. No matter how long she walked around and no matter how many people she asked, she was no closer to her destination than when she first arrived.

  4

  It was the end of Lumea’s second week in Omnesia. Her confidence had grown as she learned how to navigate the thoroughfares and streets of this foreign city. It was on one of her excursions into the center district that she encountered a sound that had previously been absent from the other sounds of the city: music. A simple tune played on a flute reached her ears, and, intrigued, she quickened her pace toward the direction of the sound. She encountered a group of fighters. They marched in orderly lines to the beat of the music, and wore magnificent orange robes with embroidered, black symbols. Their faces were hidden behind beautifully-painted wooden masks. Their appearance struck a chord within Lumea, as she desired to be like them with their stately posture, their supple movements, and outfitted with a variety of weapons. They seemed to be the very definition of precision.

  The citizens of the city emerged from their homes, forming a procession behind the fighters. Some women had tied orange ribbons in their hair, lending the entire scene a sense of exuberance and vitality that was normally lacking in the austere streets. The atmosphere was alien to what Lumea had decided was the norm for Omnesia as the people laughed and called out to one another. The strange behavior made Lumea curious, and so she joined the throng of people now striding purposefully behind the fighters.

  They approached the center district, and more people joined the crowd. When Lumea looked down a side street, she saw another group of fighters marching towards the city center, with each group dressed in a different color.

  Finally, the throng of people arrived at the arena. The whole city seemed to have congregated here. Their normally sombre clothing was adorned with the fighters’ own colors. Although people were betting on the outcome and challenging each other, the atmosphere was filled with excitement.

  The arena doors swung open and Lumea had no choice but to

  go into the arena, swept along by the flow of the crowd. The people around her were apparently supporting the blue team, and that helped to calm Lumea’s nerves because her blue dress did not stand out overmuch. Everyone quickly spread out and took a seat while Lumea found a place somewhere in the middle. The amphitheater was built in the shape of a star, although the outer ring of seats was round. The star’s points were painted in the different colors of the fighters. The populace of Omnesia continued to flow into the arena, filling every seat with excited spectators, all of whom were obviously eager to observe the upcoming spectacle.

  An announcer’s voice could be heard naming the different fighting teams. Each time, a different section stood and cheered for their favorite group, while all the other sections taunted, hooted and booed. The blue supporters stood and cheered as loudly as they could to drown out the jeers of the opposing fans. Lumea joined in, gripped by the excitement in the packed arena. She was very much enjoying herself, and though she had no idea what was about to happen, the charged air was pleasingly infectious.

  A hush spread through the crowd as the announcer cried that the king had arrived, and everyone rose to their feet. On the opposite side of the arena from where Lumea sat there was a box, where doors were now opened. The royal family entered the amphitheater, with their royal garments displaying all the colors of the rainbow. The fabric dragged on the floor and glittered in the sunlight. The queen and her daughter took their seats within the box, seeming deep in conversation. The princess’s cheeks were bright red from all the excitement, and the anticipation was clear on her features. The king remained standing, and while a flag was being raised in the center of the arena, he seemed to be looking straight at Lumea. Uncomfortable from such a scrutinizing gaze, she turned away in discomfort.

  The flag stood atop an artificial hill which dominated the center of the field, and the dry wind caused it to stir briefly. The creak of wood drew everyone’s attention to fortified double doors that stood directly beneath the royal enclosure, and four men emerged into the light of the stadium. They surveyed the crowd briefly before starting toward the hill, striding with purpose and holding aloft a golden spear. Upon reaching the top of the hill, one of the men thrust the spear into the ground before they turned and walked back through the doors from whence they came. The entire spectacle served only to pique Lumea’s curiosity further as there was no overt reason given for such a display.

  Then the gates of the outer points of the star opened and the groups of fighters wearing masks entered. The King was given a bow, and he notched a blunt-tipped arrow. He took aim and drew back the string as far as it would go, and then let go. The arrow buzzed through the air and hit a gong at the opposite side of the arena. The sound was the signal for the fight to start, and the different teams started to move.

  The difference in tactics among the groups was clear from the start. Some of them stormed forward and were immediately engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Others held back and let the other teams do the fighting, waiting for the opportune moment to join the fray. The fevered pitch of the crowd grew as the melee soon engulfed all of the contending teams. The cheering tapered off from the orange section of the stands, as it was obvious that their team was the weakest on the field. Lumea was glad that luck had allowed her to enter the arena with the blue supporters, for the blue team seemed to be the stronger contestants on the field, and the electric atmosphere had her shouting her support at the top of her lungs.

  Her cries did not go unnoticed. One of her fellow blue supporters was wearing a very amused expression at her enthusiasm. She flashed a smile in his direction. Her enthusiasm was unrestrained, and he nodded at her in return. Not long after, he was standing next to her.

  “You’re obviously enjoying the fight. Do you know the rules, though?”

  Lumea shook her head.

  “The goal is to get the spear. The team that captures it, wins. While it is in every team’s interest to balance offense and defense, the competition usually boils down to hand-to-hand combat. There’s a perfect example right now...”

  The man pointed to the left, and Lumea’s eyes followed his outstretched finger. A blue warrior was fighting with a player from the red team. It looked as though the blue player was losing; he was already fighting without weapons. Then a great cheer of triumph erupted from the blue supporters. The exchange was over so quickly that Lumea had almost missed it. The red warrior had made a bold thrust at his blue opponent in an effort to the end skirmish quickly, but the blue warrior pivoted and snatched off his opponent’s mask.

  “The blue fighter has won. This fight is not about victims. Nobody has ever even been killed. As soon as you have your opponent’s mask, he is defeated and leaves the field. This elimination leaves fewer fighters on the field.”

  The red fighter who had lost bowed to his opponent, picked up his weapon and made his way over to a special stand that was guarded by two soldiers, where he took a seat between orange-clad figures.

  Just that moment, a yellow fighter defeated his blue opponent. He quickly exchanged masks and walked over to the blue team. There was some confusion, during which he easily unmasked two of the blue fighters before being unmasked himself. Laughter sounded from the stands as spectators applauded the crafty move. It had brought a comical turn to the fight that even the blue supporters could appreciate.

  The event lasted the entire afternoon, and Lumea’s companion provided a running commentary of what was happening and where Lumea should look to appreciate the most interesting moments of the game. At the end of the day, the green team won by virtue of having the majority of players still on field. One of their players ascended the hill with little opposition from the remaining members of the opposing teams. He picked up the spear and the game was over. The green seats shook with the force of the spectator’s enthusiasm. Cheers and stamping feet drowned out all other sound. Lumea was disappointed for a moment that her own team had not won, but everyone around her was in high spirits, so
she celebrated along with them. It was an extraordinary experience, and while there was obvious rivalry between the groups, nobody let the defeat of their own team ruin the celebratory atmosphere.

  She was exhausted by the time she returned to her room that evening. Before she fell asleep, though, she thought about everything that had happened since she came to Omnesia. She had spent the last two weeks walking through the city, looking for the place mentioned in her letter, the place that had taken her so far away from home but which she could not find. When she asked passers-by if they knew of Hydrhaga, they gave her a typical blank stare. Some of them even seemed to be afraid, though that could have been just her imagination.

  That night, Lumea decided to look for Elion. He was one of the very few people in the whole of the city who had talked to her in a friendly manner. And who knew? He might even be able to help her. Lumea had a feeling she could trust him, and for some vague reason she expected him to know about Hydrhaga. She hoped to find him soon.

  5

  It still took Lumea several days to locate Elion in the city’s streets. He was at work restoring one of the wells that were dotted around the city. The elves had made the wells a long time ago, the Horse Lady had told her, but the negligence of the human kings had allowed them to fall into disrepair. When the waters of the river dried up, the humans had to reconsider that negligence. The elvish wells proved deep enough to supply the populace with clean water, and so men were hired to repair them. The work was laborious under the unrelenting sun, and though many seemed to be having difficulty completing their tasks, Lumea could see that Elion was experienced and suffered little discomfort.