After the party broke camp, they took out small carved figures and held them up. Macha tried to peek at Tyr"s but he held it too high for her to see. All of them said different words, and bright streaking lights flowed out of the carved idols and encircled their hands. Different saddled creatures made of light leaped out from the figures onto the ground. The light solidified and their mounts waited patiently.Macha, not able to hide her look of amazement, cried, "Whoa. That"s incredible!" This was the first time she witnessed summoning magic being cast, and she felt as if she were in a dream. She looked around for hidden cameras or a host to come out and explain everything, but no one came. This whole experience seemed unreal to her. She smiled from ear to ear as she looked at Tyr, her eyes sparkled with admiration. Macha thought even if this was a prank, the trick they did was extraordinary.
Tyr grabbed Macha by the waist and hoisted her up onto his mount. His hands around her waist startled her at first, but she deduced the party decided to take her with them. Macha sighed with relief when she realized that she would not be left alone in the forest.
Tyr"s mounted his black lizard. Its shoulder height equaled a large horse. Armor-like scales covered its entire body. They spiked out in layers. Golden embroidery decorated the saddle and the saddle"s horn was fashioned out of stone.
Tyr felt a small tug of pride at her reaction. He had paid a lot for his mount and liked everything about it. To him, summoning his lizard was an everyday thing, but this woman appeared to be amazed by it. He wondered what rock she crawled out of. He noticed that she had a beautiful smile.
****
The ride was long and awkward for Macha. It felt odd sitting so close to a stranger. She did not like that she could not talk to him. The man gave off a cold aura that made her uncomfortable.
While they rode along, she had an idea. She wanted to at least learn his name.
Turning around, Macha patted Tyr"s chest to get his attention. He looked down at her round face and raised an eyebrow. Pointing to her chest, she said, "Macha." Afterward, she pointed to his chest and looked at him with expectation in her eyes.
Tyr was in a bad mood because the stranger came with them. He chose to ignore her efforts at communication. Tyr looked back at the road, disinterested in conversing with the small woman.
Macha tried this form of communication three more times before frowning. She wondered if he was daft or if he just did not like her. She thought her actions were obvious.
Krystof watched as the whole thing unfolded. He knew Tyr would moody after not getting his way earlier. "Macha," Krystof called. He wanted to a.s.sure her that someone understood her actions.
When Macha looked to her right, she saw the blonde-haired man wave at her. He was the one who gave her the jerky the night before. She thought he looked handsome and had an easy smile. He called her name again and waved. Macha smiled and waved back at him.
Krystof introduced himself by tapping his chest and saying, "Krystof."
She felt relieved that someone had been friendly and understood her. She looked up at the man behind her and frowned. She admitted that she probably owed him her life, but he made it hard to be thankful.
A little while later, Tyr reached into his saddlebag and took out a flask. His throat was dry from the dust that their mounts kicked up. He took a sip and realized that Macha was probably thirsty as well. He put the flask in front of her face and called her name in a blunt voice.
She turned around. It surprised her that the man uttered her name. She took the flask and gingerly took a sip being careful not to spill as the lizard walked along the road.
When she handed it back to him Tyr decided he should introduce himself. His sour mood had subsided a bit since they had been traveling for a while. He looked down at the woman and touched his chest. He said one word, "Tyr."
As the sun set, they rounded a cliff and Macha spotted a beautiful city on the horizon. A huge castle lined the sky and stood on a hill. Walls cut through the city in wide arcs. They stretched from one side of the peninsula to the other. The buildings closer to the castle were high like skysc.r.a.pers while the ones further out were shorter. On the other side of the castle, she spied a large coast with many wooden ships in the harbor. A few of the ships floated out of the water and docked themselves in the sky above.
Tyr pointed to the city and said, "Ma.r.s.eille."
Macha looked at him and nodded her head. This was nothing like any of the cities she visited before. She was struck with awe at how amazing this world was.
It took a few more hours for them to make it to the city walls. Once they reached the front gate, Macha noticed that many guards were posted along the walls. Flags waved in the wind and draped down along the walls. As they entered, the guards saluted them and let them pa.s.s.
Going through the streets, Macha witnessed that the homes on the outskirts look more like shanty towns from her world. They could barely be called buildings. The people on the streets looked tired and hungry. Macha honestly thought that she had never seen such squalor. She felt terrible and was embarra.s.sed because she rode in on such a fine animal and had food in her stomach.
She looked at the others in her company. Their lack of concern for the starving people made her uneasy.
After a few blocks, some kids came up with their hands outstretched. The company gave them whatever food they had left over, which made Macha"s unease subside a little, but she wondered what kind of city this was. She also noted that the younger children did not have pointed ears, but all the older ones did. This seemed odd to Macha because none of the adults had ears like her either.
As they continued further into the city, the houses and building quality improved. The buildings had thatched or shingled roofs and the ground was made of cobblestones. All the people here were busy with their daily lives and ignored the party.
The group crossed over a long ca.n.a.l. The road led straight into a park. Its size equaled four city blocks. The park was full of blooming trees, fountains, statues, and flowers. In the distance, Macha could see a lake with well-dressed people riding around in rowboats.
After the troupe came out of the park, they pa.s.sed through a shopping district and made their way into a gated community. Brick walls gated this area and wrought iron fences reached up into the sky. As they entered, two guards saluted Tyr. The guards had worried looks on their faces and exchanged looks with one another.