Chapter 4: Rui (part 5 of 5)

  By the time our party departed Silver Crane Agency, the first wave of workers and carriages had already appeared on the main boulevard that led to the western city gate. With five silver-clad riders accompanying a large wagon, there was no secret about who we were, and eyes turned as they passed our procession. Some of those eyes lingered on me, which did no favours for my self-consciousness.

  Cursory efforts had been made to make my seat as comfortable as possible. We had stacked several bags of rice and flour against a box, thus creating a makeshift cushion for me to sit on. The cushion failed its purpose spectacularly. The tightly packed bags were hard and unmalleable; every time a wagon wheel rolled over pebbles on the dirt road, my back and buttocks felt the punishment. On top of that, the packs and boxes that encased me gave the appearance to passersby of only my head and shoulders poking out above the wagon. I couldn't blame them for gawking. Behind me, one of the caged pigeons cooed jovially. It seemed I was fair game even for birds.

  My mind was occupied with my and my backside's predicament until we reached the western gate. This part of the city wall had been built around an inlet that was just outside, and the gates themselves were tucked inside a rounded corner. The gates were tall and wide enough for a house to pass through, and the walls themselves were at least ten times taller still.

  The last time I had been this close to the city gates was when my father took us on that hike some thirteen years ago. The adventurers around me would walk in and out of these gates as a matter of routine, yet for me, the occasion held weight and solemnity. I was about to step out of Temasek for the first time in my life.

  As the party made its approach, Boonie—who led the procession as well—waved at one of the city guards stationed on an extension at the foot of the wall. The guard promptly pulled out a sorna horn and blew artlessly. Seconds later, a return signal sounded from far above. The same guard then grabbed one of several large flags beside him and waved it side to side, putting his whole body into the motion.

  I turned to Prisha, who had stopped her horse right next to my humble palanquin. "What are they doing?"

  "Standard procedure for gate openings. The guards on the battlement are scanning the vicinity to make sure there aren't any immediate Malady threats. They'll signal back and the guys down here will start cranking the gate open. The whole thing usually take a few minutes."

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  I nodded, suddenly lost for words as I imagined the barrier that had kept me safe all my life lifting—within a few minutes from now. Prisha eyed me then, giving me her now familiar understated smile. "Nervous?"

  "Yes," I answered honestly. I'd learned long ago that there was nothing to be gained from playing coy with these adventurers.

  "Good. You should be," she said lightly, then also fell silent, though her eyes stayed on me. I looked back at her, growing hot as I became conscious of my compromised position—caged within bags of rice, the beautiful Lancer on horseback staring down at me. Just as the awkwardness became too much to bear, she spoke again. When she did, there was just the slightest hint of earnest passion behind her words. Prisha Kumar, the picture of professionalism and model leadership, could also be moved to emotion. "Thank you for doing this."

  I blinked. Up until now, I had felt I was imposing myself, making myself a burden. The possibility that my interests might align with those of the adventurers had never crossed my mind.

  "Mr Seah has been campaigning for years for civilians to come out with us."

  The full impact of this revelation did not hit me right away. I looked back at her, frowning slightly in confusion. There hadn't been a civilian tour in more than a decade, I was told. It normally cost thousands of taels to arrange one, I was told.

  "City officials, generals, scholars... Everyone pays lip service to adventure companies but when we ask them to put their money where their mouth is—to make sacrifices of their own—they always have a dozen excuses ready. You, Rui... you came to us. You volunteered. Maybe a third-year Radiologist doesn't hold quite the influence Mr Seah was hoping for, but it's a start. You're the start of something big, Rui."

  "What... why was Mr Seah asking for city officials to go on adventures? What was he hoping to achieve?"

  Just then, there was another blast of the sorna horn from atop the wall. With a low rumble, the gate began to inch open. The air filled with the graceless cacophony of rusty metal parts. I looked up and saw light streaming in from the crack that opened. The outside world. This was really happening.

  "We're starting to lose," Prisha continued over the noise, raising her voice only slightly. It was difficult for me to catch her every word. "Something about these Maladies are changing, and more and more of us are dying because of it. We need a solution, and quickly, but it's not something we can accomplish alone. We need help. The people in here... the city is all they know. As far as they're concerned, we're tantamount to merchants, bringing in goods from faraway places that they never have to visit or think about. But at this rate, we'll lose. We'll lose those goods, lose our outposts, and lose adventurers. The city needs to know."

  The worry evident in Prisha Kumar's normally collected demeanour should have been my third and final warning. The city gate continued its steady and thundering march, opening to the outside world. To Maladies.