Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series
Chapter 18: Greta

We make our way through small outbursts of trees and through the field until we come across another smaller river. Unlike the last river, this one is small sitting more like a creek. Just passed the creek it’s a small road indentation from worn-out traveling with a handcart. We pass over the small creek and follow the road as it bends past a small outcropping of trees. The fields and surrounding areas are all largely green as large hills rise to block my eyes from seeing too far away. As we turn past the tree we finally take into view the outpost.

The outpost’s walls stand tall with large wooden spikes protecting the people inside from any forsaken. Smoke rises around the larger outpost giving me hope that there are still people living here. On the wall, even from this distance, I can make out small bodies moving on top of the wall as lookouts. I let a small breath, it was the first time I get to see an outpost and even people who live outside the large cement walls of our home. I did learn as a child a whole program was set up to begin opening more outposts with people like farmers and hunters to help decrease the ever-growing population within the walls. I learned that as a child I could possibly count how many outposts they have now.

This had to be a farming outpost, by the way, large small fields of what looked like corn and wheat caught my eye to the left of the outpost. The outpost is placed perfectly in a field allowing an easy line of sight on any threats, the left side opens up to fields of their food until it back into a large rocky outcropping. The right side falls into some un-maintained fields of grass and then falls back to a rocky terrain reaching high above us.

As we grow closer to the outpost I can pick up the sounds of metal work and movement inside the walls as the men on the lookout shout to one another as they get a visual of us. Enyo did say they had sent a message by a bird of our travel but they haven’t gotten word back. Will they not welcome us if they didn’t get the word? It’s not like many travelers are wandering around now a day’s. We arrive at the gate and calls sound out at the lookout stations until a woman’s voice shouts out to us below.

“Name and purpose here!” She command’s out her voice has a roughness to it that sounded like it came from an older woman rather than a younger one.

Enyo looks up the sun blocking our view of where the voice is coming from.

“Sparrow company, We sent word of our arrival.” He yells out just as firmly as the woman’s voice. For a moment it’s quiet when we hear large cogs and metal moving on the door. They finish unlocking the large wooden gate giving us permission to enter. When we enter the outpost to say I’m surprised is an understatement. The outpost is a large townhouse after houses stretching out before us. Hundreds of people go about their day as little children run around playing. Small dirt road’s semi-muddy roll out through the town. The building is all made out of wood with smoke rising from their chimneys. To the left of the gate is a large stable and on the right stairs lead up the wall to the lookout posts.

The gate closes behind us as people begin to gather around us, every single one of them fascinated by the new arrival of strangers. Instinctively I look down doing my best to hide my unusual eyes from the onlookers placing my cloak’s hood over me. A group of what looks to be their soldiers make their way down the stair. Two giving way to an elderly woman. The elderly woman had long cascading grey hair falling down to her hips with random braids placed in it. In them sits feathers and beads of red green and yellow. The woman’s tan face was slightly wrinkled from squinting for so long. From here her eyes look to be a wild brown as she stands upright, stopping in front of us. She wears a dull grey skirt and a loose white shirt. In her wrinkled hand is a large cane carved out of wood a lion’s head as the handle. In all the woman links like a wise yet terrifying leader.

Enyo climb’s down from her horse handing its rein over to Orion. He approaches the woman and for a moment it felt a bit tense until the woman’s stern face break’s into a large happy grin her arm embracing Enyo.

“How have you been boy?” She laughs out cheerfully.

“I’m good, You had us worried when we didn’t get a reply to our message. Thought that beast’s out there finally got to you.” He laughs out in response his muscular arms lifting to cross over his chest. For the first moment since breakfast, he looks at least a little at ease.

“Ah, no way. I’m going down like that! If I go out It’s going to be in a fiery haze of glory you know that Ellison.“She taunts back her hand waving with concern. Ellison? I try not to quirk a smile and laugh at Enyo’s full first name. I didn’t expect someone like him to have such a girly name so I push back my smile and try my best to remain invisible in the group.

She looks up at the rest of the team looking over us and for once someone doesn’t stop to look more at me letting loose some tension in my body.

“You all look exhausted, I set up the extra rooms in my house for ya’, You can hand your horses to these men.” She says pointing to the guards beside her who nod to her instructions. We all nod and I climb from my thoroughbred giving her a kind pat and scratch on her neck for working so hard today.

I hand my rein over to the guard and do my best to avoid eye contact but luckily it doesn’t seem like he is all that interested in me but more in the horse and his orders. At the moment I liked this outpost more than inside the walls. But I would much rather be outside in the freedom of the world even if it meant encountering a forsaken like we did today. I follow with Clare and the rest of the group as we leave the gate and travel down the road, my legs ache from the lack of movement but walking helps enormously. Most of the houses sat on wooden decks rising slightly off the ground. Most also looked to be put together fast and are more like wood cabins than full fledge houses like those in the walls.

Men walk with large axes and hammers down the road all of them covered in wood shavings most likely returning back from work. The whole outpost felt like a small town in the middle of the wood and I couldn’t help but welcome that feeling. We finally reach a large wooden house, unlike the rest which looked to be one floor this one stood higher than the rest with two floors. The wooden door has carved words in it that read, ‘DireField Mayor’. S the woman is their elected mayor. What seemed odd is that there is no separation of status here. Inside the wall, the president is in a luxurious house away from the lower statuses but the mayor lies right with the rest of the town. The mayor and Enyo continue talking as we climb the steps to her house. She opens the door and we follow her in.

Her house is cozy and warm, right when we entered we are welcomed by a medium-sized hall one door to the left branching to what looks like the kitchen, and the door on the right opening to the living room. the hall leads to stairs that go up to the second floor. We follow her into the living room where a medium-sized couch sits in front of her burning fireplace. A rocking chair sits beside the couch on the right side and a small wooden table on the couches left side where a candelabra sit’s lite for the day.

Talon and Foxglove sit on the couch and Harrison sits in the rocking chair. I can’t help but hang back by the entry wall to the living room and lean against the doorway. Clare sits on the couch’s armrest next to Foxglove. Enyo just stands next to the mayor.

“Well, now that we’re alone. I’m mayor Lila Gretmuss, but you may call me Greta everyone does.” She introduces herself kindly. Both her hands fall on her cane which I feel is more for decoration than need.

“I have met most of this team except for you two women.” She says her eyes moving from Clare then to me. This time her eyes settle on me as she tilts her head curiously. Greta’s eyes don’t move from me and I felt like I was being scrutinized all over again.

“I’m Clare Westlake.” She says warmly but Greta doesn’t even look at her as she moves from beside Enyo and stops, standing right in front of me. Her hands move before I can say anything pulling down my hood and revealing my face and my unusual eyes.

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