“There wasn’t much real fighting then. Khesyn’s grandsire was still struggling to gain control of Heldya, and was struggling to unite the followers of the God of the Balance and the believers in the Chaos Demons, when I doubt he believed in either, and no one ever heard much from the Meroweyans.” Rhamuel offers a wry smile. “Back then, I imagine everyone thought of Cyador as distant and mighty.”
“As opposed to having its heirs close and possibly troublesome?” asks Lerial lightly.
“Let’s just say independent, at least.”
To the north of the southern market square, the paved river road widens into an avenue bordering the river and an equally solid-looking river wall whose capstones stand a good five yards above the present water level. While there are horses, carts, and wagons on the river road, all of them immediately pull to one side or the other when they catch sight of the arms-commander’s banner.
Lerial would never have thought of the need for that. But then, in Cigoerne, no one would think of not moving from the road for the Lancers. “Has the river ever overtopped the wall?”
Rhamuel shakes his head. “Not here. That can’t happen. With the marshes to the south and lower ground on the eastern bank some ten kays to the north, even if it did rise that much, it would flood places where no one lives … or the oxbow lakes in Heldya.”
Lerial can see that a significant rise in the water level is unlikely most times, especially given the width of the Swarth, and if what Rhamuel says is correct, it would appear that Shaelt is safe from flooding. He wonders about Luba, however.
As Lerial rides along the river road, he looks westward, past the shops and crafters’ buildings, but all he can see are the roofs of dwellings, shops, and factorages, stretching seemingly to the horizon. Several hundred yards ahead are can see two low redstone towers, likely indicating what must be the trading piers off the main market square.
“I hadn’t realized just how large Shaelt is,” he finally says.
“It’s good-sized compared to most places in Hamor, but very modest compared to Swartheld.”
The main market square is impressive, a stone-paved area more than half a kay on a side, filled with large carts and small ones, and stalls on wheels. Two-and three-story factorages line the edges of the square on all sides but the river side, where two piers each extend fifty yards into the river, and two half piers extend three times that parallel to the river wall, one north of the piers out into the water, and one the same distance to the south. There are fifteen flatboats tied to the piers, and Lerial estimates that they could hold more than fifty without doubling up.
And Shaelt is modest compared to Swartheld. Lerial wants to shake his head. Against this, what can you and three companies do? Is this why Rhamuel wants you to come to Swartheld? He also notices that very few of those shopping, bargaining, or trading in the main square give more than a passing glance to the riders and the wagons, as if armed troopers are an everyday occurrence.
Although factorages and shops line the west side of the river road for another half kay or so north of the market square, after that there are several blocks of modest two-story dwellings, if almost wall-to-wall, before those give way to much smaller dwellings. There is a certain odor, certainly not as objectionable as that he experienced in the northern quarter of Luba, but it is less than pleasant and possibly more obvious because there is almost no wind, except for an occasional light and vagrant breeze off the river.
Ahead, a good kay away, is a redstone-walled fortification that looks to be a good half kay on a side, with walls that tower a good eight yards above the flat surface of the low bluff on which it stands, a bluff that is in turn a good five yards above the level of the river road where it nears the fort and the stone-paved causeway leading from the river road west up through a sloping cut in the bluff.
Lerial studies the walls as they continue to ride past increasingly meaner dwellings, and finally says, “Quite an impressive post. I imagine there are few anywhere in Hamor that compare.”
“The Afritan Guard’s Harbor Post in Swartheld is considerably larger, and South Post somewhat so,” replies Rhamuel. “I know of no others.” After a pause, he adds. “I haven’t visited Merowey or Heldya. So my observations likely mean little. There are no Heldyan posts this large visible from our side of the river.”