On the street to Rivana, near the City of Rivana, Kingdom of Astralia
It was well past morning when the group finally got sight of Rivana. The first sign of the city was the river that had started to appear in the distance, its blue water shimmering among the green and golden fields. The river and their road quickly met up, running parallel to each other. Known as the "Sunstream River," as Bennett had called it, this waterway served as the lifeblood of the region, extending from the southern borders to the northeastern reaches. It earned the southern duchy its nickname as the "breadbasket" of the kingdom due to its vital role in agricultural prosperity.
As they ventured closer, traffic on the road started to increase. Having been relatively isolated for most of their journey, the group felt a sense of relief when they found themselves surrounded by the local populace, their horse-strung carts and wagons joining the flow. Aiden had hoped to glean some information about the situation in Rivana from the passersby, but upon spotting the crest of the esteemed Black Swan merchants' company, the locals kept their distance, offering little more than polite greetings.
Similarly, the river itself grew increasingly bustling with activity. Smaller fishing boats shared the waters with larger vessels, all busily transporting the previous day's harvest upstream to the city's warehouses. From there, the bounty would be distributed throughout the kingdom, playing a crucial role in the kingdom's survival.
Then the city itself came into view. The river seemed to vanish, swallowed by the towering wooden walls that encircled the outer ring of the city. Aiden knew from his conversations with Bennett that the river's flow would persist through the heart of Rivana before eventually emerging on the other side and continuing its journey through the southern duchy.
At the heart of the city sat a prominent hill, perched on top of it stood a majestic manor house which appeared to be in the middle of construction.
Aiden raised an eyebrow as he gazed at the impressive building atop the hill. "That doesn't look like something someone close to bankruptcy would build," he remarked, his curiosity piqued.
Bennett nodded in agreement. "You're right, Master," he replied. "The baron had begun construction before his… financial misadventures. From what my informants in the city have told me, the building has been left in a state of suspended progress for over a year now."
Eventually, their group arrived at the wooden gates of the outer city. Eve had joined them back in the carriage, and Aiden gave her a questioning look to which she just shook her head. To his surprise, the gates were wide open and the lone soldier standing guard just waved them through without paying much attention.
"The baron couldn't care less about the people in the outer city," Eve said with a grimace, seeing his expression. "There will be more security when we enter the inner ring, where the people that matter live."
The buzzing of the outer city engulfed them as soon as they passed through the gates. Vendors were enthusiastically praising their meagre wares in the early noon sun and dirty children were playing games as the carriage slowly rumbled onwards on the dusty streets. The dirt was the first thing Aiden noticed. Everything in this part of Rivana seemed to be caked in a layer of dirt. The roads, the buildings, the people, even the air smelled like dirt, Aiden thought..
"It wasn't always like this," Eve, who had followed his gaze, spoke for the first time since rejoining them in the carriage, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Camara's doing?" he asked simply.
"Yes," she replied bitterly, "it used to be better, even under Camara. But he has abandoned the people of the outer city, stripping them of all their resources."
She gestured toward a vendor's stall not far from their carriage, where a rough-looking man was berating a demure merchant. "Gangs now do their business in broad daylight. The few guards of the city watch that are left in this part of the city either look away or collude with them. Pigs, all of them."
Bennett interjected, his disdain evident in his voice, "You are a bandit, what right do you have to judge others?" His words seemed to pierce through the tension in the carriage.
Eve's eyes shot daggers at Bennett, but she eventually looked away, falling silent once more. The uneasy atmosphere lingered as the carriage rolled on through the chaotic streets, each member of the group grappling with their own thoughts and emotions. Rivana, a city of contrasts and struggles, held secrets that went beyond the surface.
Aiden couldn't help but notice how vastly different Rivana was from the cities he was accustomed to in the empire. In the empire, cities were meticulously planned, with streets aligned in perfect angles to ensure maximum traffic efficiency, and buildings meticulously placed with precision. But in Rivana, it was an entirely different story. The outer city had grown organically around the flow of the river, with streets winding in confusing patterns, shaped by the ebb and flow of life around the vital waterway. As a consequence, traffic moved at a slow pace, and the group didn't make as much progress as they had hoped, facing prolonged stops at what seemed like every other intersection.
At one such intersection, as the carriage came to a halt once more, a light knock echoed on its door. The door creaked open, revealing a mop of unkempt hair of an indiscernible colour. The owner of the hair turned out to be a girl, no older than thirteen or fourteen summers, who nervously peered into the carriage.
"G'day sirs. You have some food that you can share, please?" she asked in a squeaky voice.
"Get out of the carriage, you little rat, or I'll…" Bennett began angrily, but before he could finish his threat, Eve intervened with a swift kick to his shin, silencing him.
Pulling out a loaf of bread from somewhere within her gear, Eve held it out to the girl with a genuine smile, a surprising warmth in her gesture. "Here, that's all I have," she said, offering the bread to the hungry girl.
Luna looked from Bennett to Eve with suspicion, but her hunger overcame her caution, and she slowly grabbed the piece of bread, clutching it close to her chest. "Thank you, mistress! Too kind, mistress!" she stammered gratefully.
"Wait a moment." Aiden's voice interrupted as Luna was about to leave the carriage. Fear washed over her face as she froze in place, clutching the precious food even tighter against her chest.
"Sir?" she said nervously, her voice quivering.
Aiden raised his hand in a reassuring gesture. "Relax, no one means you any harm here. What's your name?" he asked in a soothing tone.
She looked at him for a moment, uncertainty reflecting on her face. Then she gazed over at Eve, who gave her an encouraging nod. "Luna, Sir. My name is Luna, like the moon, see." The young girl pointed at her dirty hair which shone with grease.
"It's nice to meet you, Luna," Eve said kindly, her words contrasting with Bennett's derisive huff.
Aiden rummaged through one of the compartments inside the carriage, taking out the last of their supplies. It wasn't much, just another loaf of bread and a few smoked sausages had remained, but it must have looked like a proper feast to the girl, who was practically salivating at the sight.
"Tell me, Luna, do you have friends?" he asked, pointedly ignoring the girl's hungry stare.
"Yes, Sir," she said quickly, then stopped as suspicion returned to her expression. "What does it matter to you?"
Aiden chuckled warmly. "I have a proposition for you," he said, a glint of excitement in his eyes. The encounter with Luna had sparked an idea in his mind, and he hoped it would be an opportunity to help both the young girl and himself.
Children like Luna had always been around, even in the Everlasting Empire. People who, for whatever reasons, had been forsaken by society, and were left to fend for themselves. Unable to survive alone, they often formed groups with others in similar situations. In his previous life as Arcanus, he had recognized their value and frequently enlisted them in his service. Orphaned children were mostly overlooked by the rest of society, allowing them to traverse places where others wouldn't be tolerated, seeing and hearing things other people couldn't. Consequently, they became invaluable gatherers of information, privy to secrets kept hidden from others. This girl, Luna, could serve as his gateway to understanding the ongoing events in the outer city and the street gang in particular.
He told Luna what he wanted from her, her face crunching up as she seemed to carefully consider his words for a moment. "It's true, Sir. We have nothing that they want and are too small to matter to them," she said, looking longingly at the food still in Aiden´s hands. "I can't accept it without talking to my friends."
With a reassuring smile, Aiden extended the food towards her. "That is fine. Talk to your friends, and in a few days, I'll send my friend Eve," he pointed at Eve, who smiled warmly at the girl, "to receive your decision."
Luna seemed to contemplate the proposition for a moment before nodding gratefully and accepting the food. "Thank you, Sir," she said, relief evident in her voice as she hurriedly exited the carriage, closing the door behind her.
"What was that all about?" Bennett asked angrily the moment the door closed, adding a belated "Master" in his typical manner.
"An investment," Aiden replied, his gaze icy as he looked at Bennett.
"But we don't even know where she and her friends live," Eve pointed out, sighing.
Aiden's voice carried a hint of amusement as he responded, "Oh? I'm sure you'll find them without any problems." He had confidence in Eve's abilities, and he knew that with her skills, locating Luna and her companions shouldn't be a problem. If she couldn't even do as much, she would be useless to him.
The carriage continued on its way, and soon the towering stone wall of the inner city came into view. In stark contrast to the outer wall, which was entirely made of wood and lightly guarded, the wall that separated the poor commoners of the outer city from the privileged elite of the inner city was an imposing structure guarded by soldiers in gleaming plate armour. A squad of soldiers thoroughly checked everyone attempting to enter or exit the inner city.
Their carriage joined the lengthy queue of others waiting at the gate, and after a short while, a young and bored city watchman knocked on their carriage door.
"Good day, sirs. Please state your business in the inner city," the young man monotoned.
Bennett took the lead, introducing himself and Aiden. "This is Aiden Silver of the Black Swan mercantile company, and I'm Bennett Orval, the private secretary for the same," he said, then turned to Eve and continued with a sour expression, "We have… three guards with us and intend to take residence in the Silver Estate within the inner city."
The young watchman scrutinised them with sleep-deprived eyes and requested their identification. Bennett, annoyed by the unnecessary delay, rummaged through his jacket and eventually produced a piece of paper, which he handed over to the guardsman.
The soldier examined the document and then observed the small group again. "The paper states that there are supposed to be six guards in your retinue… and there is no mention of a female soldier," he said hesitantly. "I'm sorry, but at this time, I can't…"
He was interrupted by a shout from behind as an older soldier with a golden cloak hurriedly approached. Anger was evident on the bald man's face as he shouted at his subordinate. "What in the abyss are you doing, soldier! You had clear instructions to let this group through."
The younger man stiffened under the glare of his superior officer, then saluted with a mumbled apology and quickly hurried off.
"My apologies, Master Silver," the old soldier addressed Aiden. "We were expecting you to arrive sooner and the soldiers were told to let you through as soon as you were spotted."
"It is fine, the man was just trying to do his job," Aiden replied, attempting to suppress the annoyance he felt.
"Either way, please accept my apologies. The Baron will be relieved to hear that you have finally arrived. I hope that your travels were without trouble?" the officer inquired.
"We lost multiple guards on our way here. There are bandits running rampant on the streets to Rivana," Aiden said coldly. He noticed that Eve was frowning at him, but he ignored his ally, who had pulled her hood over her head and was sitting as far away as possible from the guard, giving her just a slightest shake of his head.
"Oh, that is regrettable," Arturo expressed genuine concern. "I'm Arturo Caruso, head of the city watch. If you need anything during your stay in Rivana, please come to me, and I'll try my best to accommodate your wishes."
"Of course, I'll keep that in mind," Aiden replied, fully aware that anything he said to the officer would likely be reported back to Baron Camara. The political game had already begun, and he was determined to stay ahead in this dangerous dance of power and intrigue.