A bright sunny sky greeted Xander as he stepped out of the train, carrying the two duffle bags in his left hand. Leena walked behind him, holding little Tiva's delicate hand.
To the left of the train tracks lay the golden fields of ripe Cerunia Corn, a special type of sour corn which could grow as tall as seven feet and usually sold for double the price of normal corn.
While the presence of such a crop indicated the presence of human settlements nearby, there were no cottages or huts in sight. Most of the well-populated villages were actually located on the other side of the Tamaki, and the farmers would often make regular voyages across the waterway to tend to their crops.
Heading in the direction of the corn fields would lead them to acres upon acres of open farmland and take them farther from their destination. But Lake Tamaki was located on the other side of the railway track, beyond the grassy plains.
