Diggory's World (Wayworld Book 1) by Sheppeard T. Daniel

Author:Sheppeard, T. Daniel [Sheppeard, T. Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2017-02-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9: The World

The weather grew cooler and the road sloped down as the land grew hilly. The road wound through valleys covered with lush teal feather ferns and dark boulders. On the second day I came across a troop of shokhung in a wagon. I hailed them and spoke a while. They were traveling from Black Banks. They knew Thashingi’s troop well, and said they had met up with them east of Black Banks a month or so ago. I did not to mention the rogue shokhung I had slain. They were eager to be about their business, so we parted after a brief conversation. I asked them to give my regards to Wuheka and company, should they pass that way.

By mid-afternoon the third day, I found myself on a hill overlooking Ovitan, the Big River. For someone who’d spent time on the Mississippi, it didn’t look that big to me. Muddy water swept between the banks of black rock that gave the city its name.

The city itself, from where I stood, looked like a chaotic jumble of shacks and cottages, as though a tornado had scooped up a small farm town then deposited the buildings in no particular order, somehow leaving most of them relatively undamaged. On the outlying edges stood tents like wigwams or yurts. The sounds of life drifted across the rushing of the river, and I saw shapes moving about, though I could make out few details of the inhabitants. I wondered how I was going to cross, but soon spotted a couple of barges making their way between the two sides. I wondered whether any would carry me, and what it might cost.

I made my way down to the river side, where I found small barge moored to a jutting rock. The creature attending it wore a green robe that concealed its bowed form. A wedge-shaped head with large eyes on the side sat atop a long neck. I approached slowly and called out.

“Ele! Do you speak Shikachui? “

“Of course,” it said. I could see no mouth, but the voice came from the head.

“I want to go to the city. How can I get there?”

The creature’s head swung over the boat. “This is carry-boat. I take you there. How you pay?” And so began the haggling. The ferryman – ferry whatever – had no interest in the metallic powder, and I was loathe to part with any of my tools. The creature sampled the dried meat I offered, thrusting it under its “chin”, where, I now saw, the mouth was. It agreed to transport me for the remaining dried meat. I sat in the boat as the creature propelled the craft by means of a long oar. After a while, it spoke.

“What are you?” it said.

“Human.”

“I don’t know human. Where are humans?”

“I don’t know,” I responded.

“You came alone?” it said. “I came alone. Not easy, no pakren. If you have no pakren, Black Banks is a good enough place to be.”

Before long, I disembarked. There I was: one of a kind in an alien city, where everyone was an alien.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.