Chapter 4
The ship was still in need of repairs, but it wouldn’t be safe to land anywhere within the Ferrum borders; scouts were on the lookout for the young girl and her kidnappers, rewards offered to anyone who could bring the High Inventors daughter back safely. They had been running for three days now, but judging by the sounds Evangeline was hearing the flying machine make; it wasn’t going to last much longer.
Standing out on the deck, she leaned her shoulder against the mast and watched as the clouds moved briskly past them, it had been the same dark view for days now; Ferrum, smoke from the factories filling the sky with a heavy smog the further away from the capital they got, and it was as if life were forbidden. There was no color; even the crops looked as if it were a struggle to provide a shade of anything brighter than a muted yellow. She had never been this far from home, seen the condition of the land, what the factories that created all their weapons and vehicles did to the sky.
The clouds broke in places and she saw a vivid blue, another break and a bright red. Pushing off the mast, Evangeline moved to the edge of the deck and squinted through the clouds, gasping when they parted to reveal what she knew at once was no longer Ferrum. The ground shifted in gradient from those dark hues into a lush green, flowers bloomed and created fields that offered a beautiful show from their spot in the sky. Never in her life had she seen anything like it. Buildings looking to be made of lighter colored woods and other materials foreign to her were scattered loosely about, very different than the functional and precise way everything in Ferrumwas set; every building type had a distinct size there, a place to be, always side by side.
Here, it was so free, so different than the structured norm of her life. Tallon stepped up beside her and gave one of his smirks at her wide-eyed expression, looking at her rather than the view, “Pip looked like that once, took her to her first tool shop. I think she asked tha’ owner a thousand questions in five minutes.” Smiling, Eva ran a hand back through her hair and continued to enjoy the view, “I might be about to break her record, then. Where are we?” “Eh? Oh, this’ Iona, it’s a sort’ve middle ground between Ferrumand Farovi, or what you might know ‘em as the ‘Magic Lands’. There’s no law against magic here, but the people aren’t against technology, either.”
No law against magic? The way she had always been taught, the whole world frowned upon the use of magic. It was evil, lead to laziness, crime, and all manner of awful things! Tearing her gaze away from the view, she now looked to Tallon, “Is Iona large?” “Bigger than Ferrum, though most places are. The King of Iona, he’s a real peaceful fellow, and even though if he wanted to he could probably raise an army big enough to take out even Ferrum’s military..well, that’d just throw the whole world off balance. You know about the Great War..don’t you? I mean, don’t you rich girls usually get the best educations?” Rolling her eyes, she stood up straight and crossed her arms, “I am starting to discover my education on matters of the world is something close to a lie. In school we were taught there was no land larger, nor greater than Ferrum. That after the Great War, magic was universally outlawed for being evil..” Creating generation after generation of narrow minded nobles to carry on the laws of the land, the traditions; it was undeniable manipulation. Was her father aware, or had he been taught these same things and sheltered himself from the truth?
Ruffling her hair in an effort to ease the growing tension, he’d then offer her a warm smile, “Ferrumand the lands South of them did outlaw magic after the Great War, and in turn, there are lands in the far North that don’t engage in the use of technology. Anyway, I’m not really in the mood to give a history lesson, that’s what books are for..or so I’ve been told.” Grin. “Iona’s mostly farmlands and small towns, we’re heading to the big city, Crestal. You’re in for a real shock, Lady.”
Evangeline would find he was not exaggerating about her being in shock as the ship started to descend and the city of Crestal came into view. Here the docks were not against water as they were in Ferrum, but rather like large boxes for each ship to land in and be locked into place, with suspended bridges for easy access to and fro. The city featured buildings both large and small in odd shapes and colors; the streets around the docks were filled with merchants and brightly colored tents, people selling their wares.
Tallon had insisted Evangeline wear one of his worn coats over her clothes to hide the fine fabric and refrain from drawing unwanted attention. The two had left Marxius and Pip on the ship for now, the curly haired child handing over a list of materials she would need in order to properly repair the battered airship.
Lavender eyes darted from place to place, overwhelmed by what she was seeing. There were elves here, and all other manner of people she had never seen before; a man with tiny horns jutting out of his forehead, another with a tail that looked as though it belonged to a monkey. The one that caught her eye the most was a gentleman with deep red eyes, lacking pupils as a whole with solid white skin. She had locked eyes with him and stopped in her tracks, receiving a shy smile before Tallon had grabbed her by the hand and hurried her along through the brick paved streets.
The further in to the city they went, the tents began shifting into buildings, not quite as vibrant in color but still a stark difference to the ones in Ferrum. The people here were not as loud as at the market, and Tallon was practically running rather than walking. Bracing her heels into the ground and pulling him to a stop, Evangeline raised a brow and pursed her lips disapprovingly, “Will you please slow down? It is..it’s, very hard to see anything if we are running everywhere!” Sighing, he reached out with his free hand and tucked a strand of Eva’s hair behind her ear, a gesture he had gotten into a nasty habit of doing. Evangeline was not sure if she was fond of it, or detested it; she’d decide on that later. “I’ve got a’bit of an uh..reputation ‘ere. We need to get our supplies and go, kay?” “But—“ “I’ll take you to places far more beautiful and interesting than these slums, I promise.”
He knew that she was curious, but Tallon was also keenly aware that curiosity was dangerous on these streets. As they approached one of the larger buildings, richer in materials than many of the others nearby, grand front doors with colored windows and a sweet aroma wafting from within, Eva could barely take notice of the beauty thanks to the three woman standing out front. Dresses made in deep shades of red, blue, and green were worn by the three; though the fabric was completely sheer save for those drops of color. Golden chains graced their small waists and ornamented their heads, all three blonde, and all three baring the same face. No doubt they were lovely, but their attire had Evangeline turning bright red and averting her eyes.
“Why Tallon, how nice of you to visit us again..” Purred the one in the middle, stepping close enough to him for her chest to brush against his. Tallon used his arm to move Evangeline behind him and hold her there, a cool smile washing over his lips, “Miss me?” Placing her forehead against his back, lavender eyes closed and she quietly wished to be invisible. Those women were so beautiful, and so very nude! How silly and plain she must look to them! On the other hand, how could any woman subject herself to that sort of garment, knowing the whole world could see what was meant for a husband!?
It did dawn on her soon enough that loving was exactly why they wore those clothes; there was no prostitution in Ferrum, not openly..but she had heard rumors, seen women punished severely for such crimes. The one closest to Tallon responded to his words with a harsh slap across the cheek and an annoyed ‘hmmph’. Grinning, he rubbed his cheek with his free hand and shrugged, “Guess that’s a no.” “You told all three of us that we were your favorite! You didn’t think we would talk!?” “But ladies, you are all my favorites!” Charming argument, Tallon Evangeline thought to herself, lighting pinching his side. Jumping with a yelp, he pulled her out from behind him and slipped an arm firmly around her waist, “I’d love to stay and prove to each’ve how sincere my affections are, but I’ve got a gift for your Lord.” He had a what!? Opening her mouth to offer an argument, the strong squeeze he gave her waist and the look in his eyes told Eva to keep quiet for now, despite the indignation.
The three simultaneously gave Evangeline a look up and down, scrutinizing her every feature. They then exchanged looks and unimpressed frowns before the middle one turned and called up the marble steps leading to the door, “Tell Lord Vince that his favorite Captain has arrived! With an ugly gift!” Her attention turned back to Tallon and Evangeline, turning and sauntering her way up the steps, “This way, you know he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Evangeline narrowed her eyes sharply at being called ugly, and as the blonde reached the door, it slammed on its own and knocked her on her ass. The frazzled doorman quickly pulled the door back open and scrambled to help the woman up, a fight breaking out between the two. Tallon quickly squeezed past them, pulling Eva along, and leaving the now squabbling courtesan and doorman to argue “Like she said, he doesn’t like to be kept waiting!”
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