The Burning Tower by Colin Glassey

Author:Colin Glassey [Glassey, Colin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, adventure, World building, Heroic, medieval, Renaissance, Swords, sorcery, exploration
Published: 2017-04-11T22:00:00+00:00

Another two days brought them out of the tea hills and onto the great rolling plains of Serica. The change was remarkably abrupt: the hills just ended and to the east, there was nothing to be seen but the sky and low hills on the horizon. Great white clouds floated high above the land.

Nowhere in Kelten could you stand and not see hills. As the expedition left the Tiralas and walked onto the vast and unfamiliar plains of Serica, a nervous fear took hold in Sandun’s mind. They were a small band of foreigners traveling into a great land filled with unknown dangers and an uncertain political situation. The temptation to turn back and head for home was strong. But curiosity and a deep desire to actually see Serica’s great cities were stronger.

Now that they were in Serica proper, the threat of bandits was real. In response, the merchants tried to force the Keltens to go first. Sir Ako refused, instead insisting the scouts not out patrolling stay in the center of the pack train. Then the merchants argued over who would be first; no one wanted to be at the head of the column, but then again, no one wanted to be at the rear either. Eventually, the merchants agreed that they would switch positions on a daily basis. Rogge and his brother managed the negotiations, though Sandun observed that either Rogge or his brother was usually somewhere near the front every day.

Although they avoided the main road, crossing over farm fields was nearly impossible for the merchants with their heavily laden ponies and mules. The scouts were usually able to pick their way following small paths, but often they had to come back to the main road, so there were breaks in their knowledge of the land ahead.

Along the way, they met people, mostly farmers or travelers going from one small village to another. When they saw the Kelten men in the main group, most people expressed surprise. Despite their hats and their cloaks, the Keltens’ faces were unusual for Serica, with larger noses and narrower faces, and whenever they talked together, it was obvious that they were strangers from a very distant land.

In turn, the people of Serica that the expedition met wore a distinctive style of dress, more like a robe than the usual shirt and pants. The clothing was usually brown or gray, much less colorful than the robes worn by the people of Gipu. Sometimes in the small villages, a few women would be seen wearing bright colors such as orange or yellow. White robes, common attire in Kelten for men and women affiliated with the temple, were conspicuous in their absence from the dress of the Serice.

As the days passed, the peaks of the Tiralas gradually sank toward the horizon until finally they disappeared entirely. It was spring here in Serica, and the fields were freshly plowed or covered with tiny shoots of green crops, mostly wheat or some other grain. The air felt thick and rich, dense with dust and moisture.

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