Five days passed, since the demise of the bandits. The two, Leo and Solomon, rode on Martha together. They would pass the occasional caravan and merchant group, along the way as well. They bought food and water from the merchants, and they exchanged pleasantries with the travelers caravans. Some of the caravans were gypsies, and some of the caravans were more destitute... One caravan, in particular, shocked Leo to the depths of of his wire-wrapped heart. He saw the poor, the ragged, the helpless, some without arms or legs, and he saw a group of them in a cart, while a wagon pulled them.
Leo's heart hurt in that moment.
He said, "How horrible."
Leo's hand clutched his leather clothes, and he even felt a tear well up at the corner of his right eye.
"That's what we call a good dose of empathy my boy," said Solomon in a gruff solemn voice, "Remember it. Don't lose it. It'll keep you human in Ahab's wretched city..."
Leo nodded his head, while Martha, which was clearly a faster horse than the one horse pulling the wagon full of people, passed the haggard group, passed them like the clouds moving through the sky.
The next day, Leo and Solomon were moving, and they talked.
Solomon said, "Now Leo, there's something I need to tell you, and it's important."
"Okay," Leo said, "What is it?"
Solomon was about to speak when Leo cried out.
"A girl!"
"What girl?" said Solomon, who was clearly frustrated.
"That girl!" said Leo, "The little one next to the woman lying on the side of the road."
Leo said, "We have to help them!"
Leo jumped down from the horse and sprinted to the side of the woman and the girl kneeling next to her. Solomon rubbed his temples. He didn't know what he was going to do with this erratic young man he picked up. In fact, he didn't know whether he still wanted to tell Leo about the test he was about to give him--the test to see if Leo is worthy of knowing Musashi's insigths, knowing great and terrible power. Solomon began to doubt his judgement, doubt his judgement of Leo.
Leo arrived by the side of the girl. She looked terrified and moved to protect her the woman lying by the side of the road. The face of the woman was pale. Her green skin had flies crawling on the side of her face. Leo couldn't help but grimace. 'She's dead,' he thought. Leo sighed.
Solomon arrived at the scene in the next few moments. He looked at the little girl and frowned.
Solomon said, "Leo, get over here. We're almost at Ahab's city."
"But," said Leo, "The girl... We can take her with us."
"What?" said Solomon in disbelief, "I didn't take you for the caring type."
"Even so," Leo said, "We have to help her!"
Solomon said, "No."
"Why!?" Leo said.
"You know why," said Solomon, "Don't make me spell it out."
"But-" Leo started to talk, but Solomon interrupted and said, "I don't know what you're playing at Leo, but we're almost there. We can't allow for anything to get in the way."
Leo made a desperate grab at the girl. He wanted to take her with them.
He said, "Come with us! Let the dead rest... They've had enough of this tiresome world! Live a new life with us... with me at the very least! It's not too late."
The girl lay limp in his arms. She was dead.
"But, she was just!?" said Leo, "How?"
"Don't play games with me Leo," said Solomon, "As magic users we could both see that her life force was about to die. It was flickering in the wind. Waxing to the end of her short life... Now don't play games with me."
"I didn't... I didn't know!" said Leo in protest.
"Oh yeah, prove it. I curious to see how you're going to lie your way out of this one," said Solomon, "In fact, if you don't give me good prove this second, consider our relationship terminated!"
Leo touched all over the leather clothes that were sewn into his body and said, "I can't perceive life force or magic anymore! It's--it's the clothes. They did something to me!"
Solomon was about to rebuke him, when a frightened look came over his face. He jumped off the horse and checked Leo' clothes. He checked the enchanted wire that weaved in and out of Leo's skin with a vigilant eye.
"In all my years," Solomon said, "I've never seen a sentence as vicious as this... To even seal your magic to the extent they did... What did you do my boy!? Weren't you a noble?"
Leo was silent, but he knew he couldn't avoid the question for too long, so he said, "I didn't do anything wrong... Not a thing! I... I offended the king..."
"Which one?" said Solomon with bated breath.
"The King of the Seven Mountains, King Brimstone...."
'That makes some sense considering his personality..." said Solomon, "But to go this far... What was your family's rank. He surely wouldn't due this much to a Baron. The other nobles would think he was overreaching his authority. Parliament would step in. What rank was your family, and how low were they in the kingdom?"
"D-Duke, Family Lionsmane. I'm Leo.. Leo Lionsmane" said Leo.
"Duke!!!" said Solomon, "Now that makes even less sense! Even if he was trying to suppress the Lionsmanes, this punishment far exceeds the normal realm of suppression or even punishment for a crime considering you're a Duke's son. What on earth did you do!?"
"It involves... the Seven Mountains Taboo," said Leo.
"Ah!" Solomon sighed, "You little fool... Why on earth would you do a thing like that?
"It's a long story," said Leo.
"Well," Said Solomon, "You can tell me when you're ready..."
The two buried the girl and the woman, who they assumed was her mother, and they carried on towards the city. Daylight decreased and was in the process of leaving the world shrouded in darkness when Leo and Solomon came towards the city gates with two large sentries standing guard with two large great axes, one for each sentry.
Solomon disguised himself with magic. He changed his face, and attire to the appearance of a young mercenary.
"Here's our roles," Solomon said, "I'm lone mercenary, and you're a Black-cloth I'm going to sell at the auction. I can't disguise your clothes, since they're enchanted to that horrifying level, so this is our story. Now play along and look gloomy."
Leo nodded his head. He took on the countenance of a sad and lowly Black-cloth, one he didn't want to become in the future.
When they arrived at the gate, the guards gave each other a glance, and the one on the left said, "It's getting late. State your business quick or leave."
The guard on the left had a raven in a cage, while the guard on the right had old paper and ink and a pen. Leo lifted his eyes, because he didn't expect for giant guards with bulging muscles like them to enjoy hobbies like bird keeping and writing. 'Must be a pretty boring job,' Leo thought.
Solomon stated the lines he prepared...
The two guards gave each other a deep look, until finally, they let them through, while Leo and Solomon proceeded to make their way into the city and look for an inn.
Meanwhile, the guards nodded their heads. The on on the left closed the gate, while the one on the right wrote a short letter that said, "He's here. With a Black-cloth..." The guard with the letter tied it to a raven the one on the left had, and the raven flew to the castle erected in the large city. The city had a diameter of three miles. Despite the distance, Solomon could still watch the raven fly and track him with void magic.. Once he confirmed the letter flew to the castle, Solomon dispelled his magic and dispelled the jolly glint he had in his eye during his travels with Leo. A ominous gloom hung around Solomon, and Leo noticed.
Rain rarely fell in the prairie, but the clouds seemed to notice too, because they poured rain straight down from the heavens onto Ahab's city of sin.