Phloria, my mother was thoroughly checking my bag to make sure everything I needed was there.
"Okay! Go get in the carriage and lay out your blankets! It's going to be a long ride."
The sun was shining and the air was cool. The orange and brown leaves that used to smother the trees, were now almost gone.
Elijah's chin was resting on his palm as he stared into the distant and finite lands. A strong desire to explore again hit him.
"Mother, Is it safe outside the walls?"
"No honey it's not. Everyone, and I mean everyone is in full agreement that they never want to leave these walls to simply explore. The only reason anyone leaves is to hunt beasts for their cores. Please, never leave the walls." Phloria calmly explained before pointing to a group of hunters walking outside the inner gate a mile away from them.
It seemed an expedition was about to take place. It's currently before noon, and if most of these expeditions take half a day, it would make sense to see what I saw a couple of hours past dinner.
After 10 minutes of smoothly riding up the stone road that was obviously made from magic, the bunch finally made contact with the hunters.
Elijah wanted to say something out of the ordinary. He wanted to express his bravery.
"I want to hunt beasts outside the walls!!!"
The carriages carrying supplies came to a halt as many men and women looked at me with disgust. However, between these people, was a white hair blue-eyed young male that looks like his balls just dropped with a small white goatee growing on his chin.
The man had a devious grin on his face as if he had just found his blood brother.
"I have no idea why you are saying that kid, we risk our lives every day for something that isn't even necessary . There is no merit in what we do…" A black haired woman with light gray eyes responded with dismay.
"My name is Amaris, and I respect you!" The icy man yelled at the top of his lungs as he passed by our carriage. Moments later, he received a slap to the back of the head.
"If you do that again, you will be locked in your room for a fortnight Elijah…" His father's tone sent a shiver down his spine even with the mind of a wise old man.
"Welcome to the Inner West, Can I see your family crest?" The guard started the conversation the moment we neared the tunnel gate.
Elijah was confused at the sight of a pentagram shaped emblem being shown. Without being able to see the front of it, It definitely had something to do with magic.
A faint glow radiated from the crest, and moments later the guard signaled for the gate to open. But before the carriage passed through, Don handed the guard 25 silver coins, which is equal to a quarter of a gold coin.
The dark stone tunnel was dimly lit with torches hanging on the walls. The three gates that lined the tunnel receded into the ceiling as we passed through. The reason for three gates was simply more security, but also as a defense measure to trap beasts between two metal walls as hunters threw spells inside an enclosed space.
Elijah's eyes widened in disbelief when he heard his fathers explanation. How insidious!
White light covered the entrance to the inner city, and once the group exited the tunnel, a long and slowly descending road was in view that focused their attention on the castle.
Floral stone and wood buildings were tightly packed together in a uniform manner. What people thought was their city, truly was a crater from a meteor as the entire city slowly descended to the center.
As the Veran family rode down the wide stone road, they noticed that the streets to the left and right were bustling with people. Houses and paths were built all the way up on the side of the mountain that gave an amazing view of the entire inner city.
"So that is where the whirlpool is?" Elijah was pointing towards the castle with his small hands.
"Yes, although you can't see it right now, the whirlpool is beneath Centerpool."
Julian tapped his father on the back and asked a question. "Where are we going father?"
"I'm surprised none of you asked me that yet. We are visiting an old friend. I got a letter at my door requesting a visit. They are a noble family, so be on your best behavior."
A noble family huh? There must be a good reason for this trip then. I wonder if I can explore the area by flying. Maybe flying underneath Centerpool would be possible.
After a two hour ride, the Veran family arrived at a large iron gate that slowly swung open. A burly man wearing a black flared suit and tie greeted the guests.
"Greetings, you must be the Veran family. Please come inside, the maids will take care of your bags."
The small amount of steps to the front door caught Elijah's gaze. Finely shaven, and precisely placed. Nothing like the stone paths in my neck of the woods.
Moments after walking inside Elijah looked up and noticed a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the third floor. The golden ends curved up and held dimly lit candles that looked like they had been burning for ages. A double sided staircase met in the middle of the second floor and split to reach the third floor. This truly was a fantastical mansion!
Suddenly, loud footsteps of a tough shoe made its way around the corner. A brown hair brown eyed man stepped forward and bowed to greet its guest. How come a simple looking man can look so good in a finely woven blue suit?
"It is good to see you again, Don and Phloria. And oh my, your children are to die for! I'm absolutely sure your children won't be bored while staying here!"
With a smile, Don replied, "Thank you for your kind greeting George. I'm sure they will have a good time. Now, where can we privately talk about business."
"I see… Follow me. Wilbur, do you mind showing the guests to their rooms?" With pep in his step George led Don to the third floor.
"Yes sir. If you would, please follow me to the second floor."
Elijah and his family got settled into their room. Both he and Julian had their private rooms and a shared washroom. While looking outside the window, Elijah noticed a brick wall with windows scattered about.
"Not much of a view huh?"
Knock Knock
Suddenly, while Elijah was laying on his fine bed, a knock was heard at his door. "Who is it?"
A high pitched voice similar to mine came from the other side of the door. "My name is Novius, son of George Weltor. I wanted to say hello."
Elijah slowly opened the door with a calm expression on his face. "Hello, my name is Elijah, how old are you?"
"Five and a half."
Elijah responded with the same answer, and almost immediately the two were drawn to each other like friends destined to meet. Julian walked out of his room and joined in the conversation, and after a couple of minutes, Novius led them on a tour of the estate.