City of Illusions Read online

  He was stationed beside an odd-looking machine that fed a constant stream of air into a furnace. The cherry glow emanating from within tinted the workmen red and distorted the air with ripples of heat. Atop the squat furnace was a solid-looking crucible, into which other members of Elion’s work group tossed chunks of metallic ore. The fiery temperature was allowed to do its work on the metal above, and some minutes later Elion pulled a lever that toppled the crucible, spilling its molten cargo into a mold which was positioned over the ancient elven well. While the workmen operating the furnace and smelter wiped the sweat from their brows, a second workman bathed the mold with a jet of liquid nitrogen from a canister, solidifying the metal. The men carefully removed the mold and proudly surveyed the result.

  They had enough experience that it almost always went well, but sometimes the metal cooled down so quickly that it cracked. Apparently there was no problem this time, because an older man installed the piston and another workman welded the on lid. After a moment, clear water clattered from the pump and into the basin. The workmen drank greedily from the fruits of their labor.

  All this time Lumea had been standing hidden in the shadow of the buildings, watching the man she had wanted to find. She had not counted on the gang of workmen around Elion, though. They still scared Lumea, and the fire and cinders from their work fed into her fears, and now she was too afraid to go and talk to him. She was on the verge of returning to the inn when Elion turned around and looked straight at her. He said something to his neighbor, and then made his way over to her.

  “My Lady Lumea, what an honor...”

  Lumea was surprised by the formality of his greeting, but Elion started to laugh.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Lumea did not react to this statement, but he was obviously happy to see her.

  “I was hoping that you might be able to help me,” she said, coming to the point immediately. “Nobody seems to know the place, but I received a letter that I should come to Hydrhaga.”

  Lumea studied Elion’s sooty face. Maybe she would finally learn something—anything—about the place she was looking for. But Elion’s face remained open and friendly, without any trace of fear or even recognition.

  “Hydrhaga? You received a letter?”

  He continued to look at her, his face showing no hint of recognition.

  “Never mind,” Lumea said, disappointed. “Apparently nobody here in Omnesia knows of the place. Perhaps it would be best if I just return home.”

  When she turned to go, Elion grabbed her arm.

  “Meet me tonight at Achnon’s Ruin,” he whispered. He let her go, then returned to his fellow workmen. He put his all into that afternoon’s work, for he knew that it would be his last day toiling on the wells.

  Lumea stood in the shadows for a moment longer, too surprised to move. It took her some time to shake off the unstated implications of Elion’s fleeting remark. Upon returning to her room at the inn, she rifled through her belongings and drew out the letter. There didn’t seem to be anything unusual or out of the ordinary about it. It was a simple letter, addressed to her, with an invitation to come to Hydrhaga. She had gratefully accepted the opportunity, for it was her chance to escape the stifling walls of her parents’ home and to see the world she had longed to see. Even the journey seemed full of exciting prospects, as she was going to sail and fly. She would meet new people, but more importantly, see new countries. The journey had turned out to be harder than she had expected, and in her heart she most looked forward to the time when she would actually arrive in Hydrhaga. Yet, the letter had given her a different feeling as well. That was the reason she took it up yet again.

  It still said the same things, but she could not shake the feeling that there was some kind of secret hidden within the words, some secret subtext that tantalized her and remained elusively beyond her grasp. The reactions she had received in Omnesia did nothing to comfort her. Lumea did not enjoy this vague feeling; she was not used to threats. Up until now, everything had gone smoothly in her life, her only true sense of discord coming from her parents and her own imagination. Her gut feeling told her that this was something else entirely, and Elion’s behavior intensified the feeling of unease. Why did he act so mysteriously? Still, she was glad that he wanted to help her. Something deep inside her wanted to believe that she was worried for nothing, and that Hydrhaga was a good place to be.

  When twilight fell, Lumea packed her things. The innkeeper shook his head when she paid him for the time she had spent there. He muttered something nearly unintelligible about making the wrong decision. Lumea ignored his warning and flung her cloak around her shoulders as she stepped into the rapidly-approaching chill night. She took a fleeting glance at the lantern lighter, who was striding down the street atop his stilts, before turning down the street that would lead her out of the city. Achnon’s Ruin was close by. She had been there before.

  By the time she reached the ruin, the sun had disappeared below the horizon, and the moon stood high in the night sky, arcing through its last quarter. When she had asked about it, the Horse Lady had told her that the ruin had been built by the elves a long time ago. The pale light did little to diminish the loveliness that the ruins held during the day, but now that beauty was displayed in contrast to the radiance of deep night. The shadows of the ruins lent an eerie sense of foreboding to the alcoves and arches. Positioning herself on one of the boulders that dotted the area, she thrust her imagined fears from her mind and settled in to wait for Elion.

  After sitting there for some time, Lumea started to fear that Elion would not come after all. Then she heard muffled footfalls, and there he was, emerging from the shadows that blanketed the ruins. The wind tore at his cloak, revealing for a moment the richly-embroidered tunic that he wore underneath. The patterns were old, definitely not from the current fashion that the Omnesians wore, but the tunic itself looked almost new. The contrast to the clothing he had worn during the day was startling, and again Lumea found herself taken aback by this man. His face was grave when he finally got close enough to speak with her.

  “You said you have a letter inviting you to Hydrhaga, and asked me if I knew where it lay. My heart has always longed to go there. I will show you the way, but only if you will take me inside the city with you, as your guide.”

  For a moment Lumea recognized the formality in his voice, just as he had used earlier in greeting her. She could not quite put her finger on it, but it did not fit at all with the image of a workman she had in her mind. Her mind flashed to the brief glimpse of rich clothing hidden under the folds of his cloak and she decided then and there to bury her prejudices.

  Elion’s words comforted her. He wanted to go there too, so it must be the beautiful place that she imagined it to be. He would show her the way, and he even wanted to go inside the city with her. That was comforting, too. She wouldn’t be alone.

  “I would like for you to come with me,” she answered truthfully.

  They shouldered their belongings and set off on their journey. Elion seemed to know the way, for his feet found the path even though it was hidden in the dark. Their first night’s travel was a short one, with Elion leading Lumea to a small building a short distance from the ruins. Though it appeared of the same architecture, and would be of a similar age, it had weathered the ravages of time better, and provided shelter for travelers.

  They swiftly made camp, with Elion disappearing to gather firewood. Lumea dug through her pack for some of the food she had the foresight to bring. It had been several hours since she had last eaten and hunger was beginning to gnaw at her stomach. Upon his return, Elion piled up the wood and in short order had a small fire burning. It was clear he had done this before. Handing some of the food over, Lumea noticed that Elion ate slowly, as though he needed to control himself from devouring the meager meal. As they sat there, the light from the flames glistened off a lighter patch of skin that ran from Elion’s wrist to his hand, a large scar
.

  “What happened to your hand?”

  Elion immediately pulled his sleeve over the hand and folded his arms in front of his chest.

  “You saw the job I did,” he answered, averting his eyes.

  “You were burned? That must have hurt terribly!”

  He answered her comment with silence, and a non-committal shrug. Understanding that this was not a topic he wanted to discuss, she let the matter drop.

  It was some time later, when the fire had died down to a cherry-colored bed of coals that Lumea finally drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were full of rolling landscapes bathed in warm light, with folk enjoying simple, but fulfilling lives. The light from the rising sun woke her from the dream. Elion was already busy cleaning up the site where they had camped, extinguishing the last embers of the fire with sand. They ate a small breakfast, and afterward broke camp before the sun was fully above the horizon.

  It was during these early hours of the morning that Lumea had the chance to glimpse the animals that she had previously only seen the tracks of: gemsbuck, hare, and all manner of other creature emerged from their dens to lap at the cool dew that blanketed the grass and foliage during the chill night. The animals were shy, and the hares fled very quickly, warning others by the rapid cadence of their retreating hind feet. The antelopes, grazing in herds, turned their heads as the man and the woman neared, but decided that they posed no threat and continued to graze unperturbed. At times, their path took them through plains where the grasses reached above the waist. Their passage occasionally caused hidden flocks of birds to burst from concealment, which startled them both. It was an overwhelming experience to stand in the middle of their flapping wings, while they screeched in an attempt to chase them off. They soon gave up the fight, though, and the quiet returned. The sun soon crested the horizon, and the day warmed the last vestiges of dew, drying it up. With no other reason to remain in the open, the animals disappeared from sight again, and Lumea wondered where they went to be hidden so quickly and completely.

  As the day wore on, their journey was marked by a notable silence. Although Elion had seemed glad at first to have been invited on this excursion he now wore an expression as though he were passing judgment, but it was hard to determine whether it was positive or not. Aside from that, he automatically took charge of everything, which annoyed Lumea.

  The uncomfortable silence lasted until he asked her why she wanted to go to Hydrhaga so badly. Lumea explained that it seemed to be the place where she could lead her own life. “That is something I can’t do in my home country. The law prescribes how a woman should act, but that is not the way I wish to live. Hydrhaga seems to be a peaceful country, and I hope to find a carefree life there.”

  Elion had seemed honestly interested in her reasons for wanting to build a new existence far from home. Now, however, she could read the disapproval in his eyes. She was disconcerted by the contempt, but she asked, “Why do you want to go there, then?”

  His reply was a barely audible murmur about a man he was supposed to meet there. He resumed their trek, and it was the way he just assumed she would follow that made her stay put as her anger rose. He soon returned and looked at her impatiently, but she stared back defiantly.

  “Come on, we have to move on,” he said.

  “And who made you leader?”

  “I’m guiding you to your land of milk and honey. That would seem like enough of a reason to me.”

  His sarcastic words rankled her, and Lumea brusquely confronted him. She wondered what made men around the world decide that they could boss women around, so she snapped, “You could at least consult with me.”

  Elion shrugged and remained silent, but afterward he did adjust his behavior, but only just a little.

  6

  They traveled for six days, and Lumea enjoyed the unknown surroundings, with its fresh sights. The journey was easy, even if the uncomfortable silences between the two of them continued. At first, they walked over the grassy plains, then under gigantic trees, but they also passed the salt plains that Lumea had espied in the distance during her stay in the city. The sun glittered on the wide, whitish landscape, blinding them both. These plains formed when the salt water that collected in the region evaporated, leaving its crystallized load behind.

  At times they saw vultures circling the plains, looking for a gemsbuck or some other hapless animal that had taken its chances on the plains and lost. Elion always led her around these places, traversing paths that were considerably safer and more hospitable.

  The vegetation gradually changed. The grassy fields gave way to clumps of cacti, which grew in all shapes and sizes out of the arid earth. Elion cut off two bulbous stems from one of the cacti with his knife. Then he easily rid them of their spines and made a hole in each, after which he gave one to Lumea.

  “Ever had cactus-milk?”

  Even as he asked it, he raised the second plant to his lips and drank. Lumea followed his example, and was surprised at how bitter it tasted.

  The lands changed and continued to surprise Lumea with the variety of different plants which grew in this corner of the world. They passed beyond the salt plains and once again entered verdant valleys, dotted with with thickets of trees. Their stunted trunks supported branches bedecked with broad, waxy leaves. The valley floor was covered in shrubs and flowering vines of varied hue, and Lumea found pleasure in the different colors and smells that wafted from them. This was similar to the vistas of her homeland, but of a softer cast, less rugged.

  Finally, they reached the edge of a lake. Figures of strange creatures carved from thick, wooden poles stood in the water, supporting a bridge that led to Hydrhaga’s main gate. The bridge had no railing, and seemed to be suspended dangerously high above the water. Elion was the first to step onto the wooden boards, but Lumea hesitated for a moment before following him. She kept meticulously to the middle and tried not to look down between the boards.

  At the other side of the lake they saw a tower. As they got closer, they realized it was part of a greater structure. To the left of the tower there was the gatehouse, which guarded the interior from the outside world. The wall surrounding the gate was the only straight one in the whole of the structure.

  All of the other walls were built more to the front or to the back, and they rose higher or rolled lower almost like a wave. It altered the perspective, so that it was impossible to say if the wall was high or low, near or far. The building was mirrored in the water, and the glint of the sun on the lake was reflected in the smooth marble walls. The overall effect only added to the confusion. It was impossible to say where the wall ended and the water began. Everything came together in one grand design, which as a whole, conspired to make her feel insignificant.

  On the wall above the gate, bronze spikes were mounted. Behind them, Lumea could discern the silhouettes of guards with their weapons at the ready. At first, because the light was shining in her eyes, she thought they were statues, but just as the two of them approached there was a change of the guards. All the other walls sloped forward at the top. Even if you could climb the slippery walls, that slope would prove insurmountable. Where the walls drew back, they were decorated with bronze statues that seemed to tumble and dive into the lake. Over time, they had turned green.

  The most noticeable feature of the whole structure, though, was the enormous tower they had first seen. Halfway up, there was a door with stairs going down on the outside. When the two travelers finally arrived at the tower, a man came down to meet them. The robe he was wearing clung tightly to his upper body, though it fanned out from his waist down. The underside of his skirt trailed behind him on the stairs. He lifted the front of the skirt just a bit so that he would not stumble over it. This action allowed Lumea to see that he was wearing boots with high soles, which added to his height. They waited for him to descend the stairs. When he was standing in front of them, it was clear that even Elion was smaller than the man welcoming them, even considering his platform boots. Lume
a handed him the letter.

  “I bid you welcome, Lumea Ouinwred,” he said after reading it. “We expected you sooner, and alone.” He regarded Elion with a suspicious glance.

  “This is Elion. My father sent him along with me because he thought it would be irresponsible for me to travel alone.”

  The man seemed to believe her as he nodded and asked them both to follow him. With a triumphant smile, Lumea looked over her shoulder at Elion. They were both glad to finally enter Hydrhaga, but for Lumea there was also the pleasure of knowing that Elion would not have succeeded in entering the city without her.

  The massive metal gate opened. Behind it was a broad corridor leading to the next gate, and the next. All of them opened to allow the new guests inside, seemingly of their own accord. As Lumea and Elion walked, they were watched by stone gargoyles glaring down at the gates from both sides. The stone gulleys through which water had once run were now dry, and had apparently been so for a long time, as mosses now covered the bottom of the trenches.

  Beyond the fourth and final gate a man waited for them. Before Lumea and Elion stepped through the gateway, the man spit into his hand and with a quick movement brushed his hair backwards out of his face. Then he clasped his hands behind his back again. It was an unconscious gesture, almost as if he did not realize that he was doing it. The locks of hair immediately fell back into his face. The man bowed and introduced himself as Ward. He had a careful look about him, and because of his stooped shoulders, his deep-set eyes seemed to be searching everything around him with suspicion, peering from under small, thin eyebrows that served to give his face a pained look. He took a quick step back when another man passed them. Again he spit into his hand and brushed his hair back. His voice was soft and on occasion it broke into a higher register.