James Somers - The Realm Shift

When Gideon returned to Abigail’s saddle, they started down the road toward Tilley Town. The sun’s first rays began to reclaim the sky. Moisture hung heavy in the autumn air. It would be a beautiful day, at least for those not going to Tilley.

Morning had fully come by the time Ethan and Gideon arrived inside Tilley Town. They passed what appeared to be a separate shantytown on its outskirts. Old run down shacks with thatch roofs stood in long rows on either side of the road. Most had been cobbled together from scraps of lumber and mud bricks.

The sight was dreary enough without seeing the people who lived here, but it was still very early yet. The smell, however, had not retired with the residents. The foul stench had assaulted Ethan and Gideon from well outside the shantytown, only growing worse as they rode through.

The conditions improved when they reached the metropolitan area of Tilley. People bustled about in the early morning sun. The main road traveled through a vast market area where merchants busied themselves setting out the day’s goods. The early birds had already set up their wares and had begun to make their calls to the passersby.

Many different smells ascended from the market place, creating a blend of aromas both delightful and exotic. Cooks prepared food on large, flat iron skillets setting upon mud-brick foundations with fire kindled inside. Others stirred boiling caldrons with spices and various kinds of fish, creating thick gumbos and stews for the many travelers and sailors making port in the city.

This early in the morning, the more unsavory elements of the city still gathered behind closed doors sleeping off the previous night’s debauchery. It would be hours before any of them ventured outdoors again in preparation for another scandalous evening of revelry.

Gideon led them through the market to where the hill crested. Beyond the minor horizon on the road, the boys saw the Azure Sea stretch out beyond their sight. The masts of tall sailing ships jutted into the sky by the dozens along the shoreline like a forest of burnt trees.

The Azure Sea stood in stark contrast to the city of Tilley around them. Seeing the two together reminded Ethan of a sapphire dropped into the mud, its beauty still there but tarnished by the association.

“Larger than you expected, isn’t it?” Gideon asked as they continued riding. Horse and wagon traffic began to pick up steadily, especially as they descended toward the harbor area.

“Yes, it is. I was just wondering-”

“Why it’s called a town? It just got bigger and bigger, but no one ever bothered to change the designation. Now that Mordred is in power, no one really bothers with bureaucracy. Everyone is just trying to figure out how to survive on a day to day basis as he takes more and more from them.”

“Tilley certainly seems to be thriving,” Ethan said.

“Sin always does in a wicked world, Ethan, sin always does.”

Ethan remained quiet after that, at least for a while. The statement bothered him. Sin was a part of who man was-at least what man had become, after his rebellion to Shaddai.

Something set off Ethan’s senses, drawing him from his musings on the natural man. He looked up, noticing a blur of motion moving through the streets ahead of them. The crowds thickened as people came outdoors, tending to their daily business. But what Ethan saw had not been the movement of bustling crowds in the street of a busy city. These were the preternatural movements of demons.

“What is it, Ethan?” Gideon asked.

Ethan’s attention snapped back to Gideon, his expression intense. “There are demons moving through the streets ahead,” he whispered.

Gideon nodded. Fortunately, he had disguised his priestly appearance with the cloak. Hopefully, the demons still couldn’t see Ethan. “Gideon they can’t see me, but what about Whistler?” Ethan asked.

Gideon reached over nonchalantly to take the reins from Ethan’s hand. “Tell me where they are,” Gideon whispered.

“There are several hovering over the street traffic,” Ethan said. “There coming this way, searching among the people…probably for us.”

Gideon assumed a casual posture, continuing to ride with Whistler’s reins in his hand. The horse had fallen slightly behind, flanking Gideon’s horse. Ethan watched intently as the demons floated just above the heads of the people milling about in the streets.

The demons were searching for two people. The call had gone out through their ranks in this region. They scanned the crowd for a priest of Shaddai in brown robes with a red sash and a young boy with blonde hair, tan shirt, and breeches. When they reached Gideon, they saw a man in a dark green cloak with two horses. There was an old woman with an apple cart and a man purchasing from her nearby. A wagon with a team of two horses passed by on the opposite side of the street with a man and two children-one boy, one girl. An elderly couple walked across a wooden porch in front of a store. A man with a brown dog crossed the street, carrying a piece of fish and a steaming loaf of new bread. They had seen nothing out of the ordinary-no priest, no boy.

After Ethan and Gideon had spent the better part of an hour making their way through the streets of Tilley, they came to a large inn. Ethan saw few other demons searching for them. “We should stop for a meal and inquire about passage across the Azure Sea,” Gideon said, steering the horses toward the large wooden building ahead. The sign read, The Weary Traveler Inn.

Large alleyways stretched down either side of the building. In the housing district, the alleys were lined with heaps of garbage. A spider web of criss-crossing lines hung between buildings on which hundreds of pieces of stained laundry swayed in the sea breeze to dry. But here in the business district, things had been kept marginally cleaner. Ethan assumed the merchants wanted to keep down on the filth in order to encourage business.

Hitching posts stood along one side of the building. A young boy waited to water and feed the animals and to take them back to the horse stalls for customers who would be staying overnight in the inn. “I’m not sure if we’ll have to stay the night, or not, Ethan. It just depends on what ships are available and when,” Gideon said.

“What about money?”

“Money won’t be a problem for us. The Order has provided.”

Gideon led the horses to the hitching posts beside the Weary Traveler. He and Ethan dismounted casually. Most people probably would not have noticed the nearly imperceptible way Gideon passed his sword and scabbard from the blanket wrap to his cloak. Ethan did.

They left the horses with the servant boy, then walked around to the front of the inn. A wooden plaque read, No Weapons Allowed. Gideon rolled his eyes. “Most of the people inside will be armed-some to the teeth,” Gideon whispered. “The innkeeper is a dim one indeed if he doesn’t know it. That sign is only there so the local law can issue fines with greater ease.” They faced a large mahogany door. “Are you ready then? There will be some rough customers in here, maybe even pirates or highwaymen,” Gideon said.

Ethan put on his best mask of determination. He supposed he had already seen worse in his life than whoever might be lurking about in the Weary Traveler Inn. What could be worse than demons? At any rate, he was with a warrior-priest of Shaddai and likely the best in his Order. Gideon gave him a wink and said, “Don’t let them see any fear in your eyes and stick close to me.” He pulled his hood up as he pushed on the heavy wooden door and entered the Weary Traveler Inn.

As soon as they walked into the inn, a pungent smell assaulted their senses-old sweat, spilt ale and urine. A secondary aroma began to filter through, bread baking and sausages.