Sekali, "The Sister City"
Chapter 14
Three weeks later, as Sekali traveled, the unmistakeable scent of salt came to his senses. Salt was a rare thing to possess in his homeland, and so his curiosity peeked as he quickened his pace.
After traveling all day, he crested the top of a gently rolling hill to beheld a scene that shocked him greatly. Water! An ocean! He had learned about this in his brief studies within the Shaklith Library, yet he never realized the significance of his learning. As far as his eyes could strain, water stretched out and beyond into the horizon, dazzled him with magnificence. There was enough water to supply his entire race for a thousand ages and beyond.
Regaining control of his reeling senses, Sekali noticed that between the water and the green land there was a large and thriving city with ships dotting lining the coast. If he traveled steadily for a day, he would reach the city.
Sitting down, he quickly ate, determined to enter into the city and learn about the people within. This was the beginning of his venture into the Living World; to learn what there was to learn, and experience everything he could.
Opening his leather pack, Sekali took out some dried roots and quickly ate them. After finishing his meal, he quenched his thirst within a small stream at the bottom of the grassy hill, then steadily made his way toward the large city, curious of the unknown secrets, both within this land, the city and within the hearts of those who were privilaged to live in the Living World.
After half a day, he began to walk more slowly, eyeing the terrain constantly for any sign of ambush or attack, after all, those of the Living World were the ones responsible for his people’s banishment to the Wastelands.
Hiking up onto a well traveled road, Sekali thought of how he would surely stand out among the people of this land. Well, there was no avoiding it. Standing on the road, leading toward the city, Sakali closed his eyes and meditated, forcing himself to breath evenly in the attempt to subdue a sudden anxiety that tempted him to avoid contact with a people, who would no doubtedly be very curious of him. They had to have a military system, which would be the first and greatest obstacle to get past. As a gentle breeze carressed his face, he thought of what his people would do, should a fully armored and armed soldier suddenly appear before The Watch. He would be respected for surviving the deadly wastes, but he would not be allowed into Sardakahn until he was questioned.
Those of the Living World seemed to have poor defenses. The walls to the city were so low to the earth, he could see directly into the heart of their stronghold, which gave the sign that there were few enemies in this land to be concerned with. That thought gave Sekali the advantage. Sekali opened his eyes and breathed out heavily one last time, then continued on.
As he made his way down the last stretch of the well traveled road, leading directly to the front gates of the city, Sekali encountered a lone wagon, driven by a man, traveling in the opposite direction. The wagon was driven by a team of four magnificent horses, which he marveled at. The majestic prance of the beasts drew his full attention, for they were proud stallions with a fierce demeanor. He cautiously looked up into the wagon as it passed by and spotted a fair-skinned human child behind the man who drove the wagon. Her long blonde hair flowed almost to her waist and her eyes were of the deepest blue, like that of the great body of water beyond the city. He was so taken aback by her appearance that he stumbled and nearly fell. As the wagon rumbled past him, Sekali heard the child laugh and giggle. He looked back and noticed that the girl was pointing at him. To the right of the man driving the team sat a woman, who reached over and pulled the small child to her, quickly scolding her.
After the wagon was well on its way, Sekali turned and made his way up to the entrance to the city.