Wake

The next morning, I woke to Ami cuddled up against me again.

When she stirred, she seemed embarrassed, but she didn't jump away like she had the first time. She simply got up without a word and started packing up camp. Her bright red face was the only indication that she'd done it on purpose this time.

The day was still overcast, but the mountains loomed enormous on the horizon.

The ground had begun to rise, becoming hillier as we traveled. The trees started to thin out. It never quite became open plains, but the forest broke into scattered clumps, with tall grass and bushes filling the spaces between them. The air grew colder, though it still wasn't quite freezing.

The following day, the weather finally began to clear. Low, wispy clouds raced overhead, breaking apart against a dull blue sky. The temperature remained just above freezing.

I gave Valentia my cloak when her teeth started chattering.

Ami seemed much more resistant to the cold.

I cast Warmth on my shirt, trying to keep the spell as cheap as possible so I wouldn't burn through my Mana. I settled into a rhythm of half an hour on and half an hour off, just enough to keep the worst of the cold away.

Around midday, Ami pointed toward the horizon. "There's the Great Imperial Wall," she said.

I squinted. I could barely make out a low ridge in the distance.

"The Imperial Wall runs fer almost a thousand miles an’ covers nearly the entire border between the Caelorian Empire an’ the Kingdom of Valedorn."

"Why do they need a wall along the border?"

"The Empire an’ Valedorn were friends fer a long time. Traders crossed the border. Dwarves went south ta sell iron an’ stone. Humans came north fer grain an’ timber. Nobles visited each other's courts. There were marriages. Treaties." She shrugged. "Weren't always perfect, but it worked."

"So what happened?"

"The Emperor and the King got inta an argument. I'm not sure what it was about. The Imperial version says the King wasn't doin' enough ta control the border. The Valedorn version says the Emperor was angry that Valedorn wouldn't agree ta some new trade laws."

She paused. "Anyway, the Emperor decided Valedorn was responsible fer everything wrong with the Empire."

I looked at her. "Wait, what?"

She started counting on her fingers."Bandits. Smugglin'. Lost jobs. Bad harvests. Even a plague in one province."

"Valedorn caused a plague?"

"No." She shrugged. "'E said they were sendin' bandits across the border. I mean, it's a border. There was probably some banditry. But the amount the Emperor claimed was..." She shook her head. "Ridiculous."

"So he built the wall."

"Aye," she agreed.

"Must have been expensive."

"The Emperor said Valedorn would pay fer it."

"Did you?"

"We dinna." She chuckled. "The Emperor said it would be the greatest wall ever built. Said it'd be so big, so strong, no one would ever be able ta cross it again. Said it'd be beautiful, too. Promised it'd stop all the bandits." She snorted. "It dinna do that either. People just went around it. On both sides."

"How?"

"Roads. Boats. Mountains. Bribes. Tunnels." She shrugged. "There's a hundred ways around a wall if someone really wants ta get around it. And it dinna help a lick." Her expression hardened slightly. "The problem weren't the people. It were the people in charge. But every time there was a problem, the Emperor just said the wall weren't big enough."

I shook my head. "What was it supposed to accomplish?"

She began ticking things off on her fingers again. "Stop bandits. Stop smugglin'. Stop people from crossin' illegally. Create jobs. Make Valedorn pay fer it. And somehow make the Empire prosperous again."

"That's insane," I told her.

"We thought so too."

"Did you try to stop them?" The whole thing seemed ridiculous enough that I assumed there had to have been some resistance.

"No.” She gave me a crooked smile. "We helped build it."

"Wait, what?"

She shrugged. "The Empire paid good coin. Anyway, the Emperor eventually died. The next Emperor tried ta improve things. The next one did the same. Trade resumed. People started crossin' the border again."

"So why is it still here?"

"It were an expensive wall."

"That's the only reason?"

"No." She smiled. "Now it's a symbol."

"A symbol of what?"

She chuckled. "Depends who ye ask."

"What's your answer?"

She was quiet for a moment before shrugging again. "They spent a fortune buildin' a wall ta solve problems that dinna have much ta do with the people on the other side." She glanced toward the distant wall. "Now everyone's too embarrassed ta admit it."

We continued on for the rest of the day.

As the sun sank low in the sky, the road carried us directly toward a castle built into the wall.

Two enormous towers flanked the gate. The gatehouse itself spanned the King's Road, its stone walls thick enough to look like they could withstand a siege. It was easily large enough to house fifty people, with several smaller buildings enclosed behind a secondary wall and gate.

Two guards stood inside the first gate. Two more stood atop the wall surrounding the entire outpost.

As we approached, a notification appeared.

One of the dwarves stepped forward. "Halt! Gate's sealed!"

Another notification appeared.

Ami stepped forward. "We're travelers bound fer the Holds."

"Then ye'll be travelers bound fer somewhere else," the dwarf replied.

Ami turned toward me. "Ye still have Claude's token?"

I nodded and handed it to her.

"Here." She passed it through the gate.

The dwarf examined it. "Where'd ye get that?"

"Claude Ironvein."

That got his attention.

"Wait there." He disappeared into the gatehouse.

A few minutes later, a much older, heavily armored dwarf emerged and approached the gate. His beard was streaked with white, and the armor beneath his cloak had seen enough use that I suspected it was more than ceremonial. "Ironvein vouched fer ye?"

"Aye," Ami said.

The old dwarf studied her for several long moments. His eyes moved from Ami to Valentia, then finally settled on me. Eventually, he shook his head. "Sorry, lass. No one in or out."

He turned to leave.

Ami looked conflicted. She glanced back at me, concern written plainly across her face. "Wait."

The old dwarf stopped and turned around.

Ami fidgeted. She looked back at me again, then mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that, lass?" He raised an eyebrow.

Ami straightened. Her shoulders squared. Whatever hesitation had been holding her back disappeared. "I am Amelie Heathstone," she said, her voice carrying across the courtyard. "Daughter of Thegn Gautier Heathstone." She took a breath. "And I demand entry."