The carriages were impossibly grand, far too large and heavy to be pulled by just two horses each. The normal physics of weight and burden seemed not to apply, as the matched pairs of white stallions drew their massive loads with unnatural ease, their steps light and precise.
In other words, the carriages themselves were magically engineered, enchanted by skilled artificers to defy the natural laws of motion and mass. The subtle shimmer of arcane energy was visible to those who knew where to look, dancing along the wheels and chassis like heat waves on a summer road.
Which could mean only one thing - the owners of these carriages were either members of the realm's wealthiest merchant houses or high-ranking government officials. No one else could afford such a display of both material luxury and magical might in a single conveyance.
They always pass through the checkpoint first.
