The arrival - 1.1

A squad of King's Guards trotted along the road to Harper, the city on the cliffs, then spurred their horses into a gallop as they neared the gates.  The city had long been famous for its harbor, set within foreboding cliffs in the shape of an arrowhead, with the tip pointing to the West, towards the ocean.  The city was arranged in a vast crescent shape around the harbor.  Docks, ramps, and ladders clung to the cliff wall, making eerie sounds as the wood continually flexed, expanded, contracted, and shifted as it healed and cooled from the sun, wind, and moisture, giving the city its name.

The people in line for the central gate door stepped back and gave the squad room as the squad dismounted and the horses paced around, stirring up a small dust cloud which drifted down on those near.  The town of Harper was home to Arrowhead University, one of the three Hero schools in the kingdom and consequently took security very seriously.  The gate was only opened wide on occasions of grand state visits.  Normally, the pass door was the only way in and out.  Everyone who entered was required to have their appearance noted, a name recorded, and their power level checked.

"Sir Kade," the last King's Guard gentlemen ahead of them said, placing his hand on the power stone, a one foot in diamater polished granite rock, set in a round base.

"Yeah, yeah," the guard said, "Let me just write you down here, Isaac, and put your hand on the, oh, you already did.  You know how it is, repeat the same thing to everyone and it just becomes a habit.  So you're level 3 now?" he said, looking at the glowing rune on the base.  "Congratulations!"

"Is that high?" Lex whispered to Ann, casting a quick cleaning charm on herself as they waited for the guards to finish.

"Not for a Hero," Ann whispered back, casting her own charm, and then it was their turn.  "I'm Aoibheann Mac Cionaoith," she said to the guard as she tossed her hood back and placed her hand on the rock.

'I'm sorry, ma'am," he said in a pleasant voice, looking up and down at Ann, "I'm going to have to ask you to spell that."

Ann did so then said, "Please, call me Ann."

He assented and continued, talking out loud while he wrote.  "Camping backpack, green robe, green eyes, red hair, fair skin, oh uh, some scales," he said looking at Ann's hand and her face for the first time and tensing up.   He quickly glancing at the power stone that Ann's hand rested on then relaxed at the sight of the glowing rune there.  It wasn't the weirdest thing he'd seen by a long shot, and she was cute.  "Level 1," he said with a smile, "Welcome to Harper, Ann."

Ann stepped forward, leaving her hood down, and Lex stepped up, slowly pulling her hood back and placing her hand on the rock.  "Lexia."

"Not a problem," the guard said, a wry expression on his face as he admired her figure.  "How about I put down 'Just Lexie' or maybe 'Lexie Justice'?"

Lexis thought for a moment.  It was somewhat poetic, and certainly better than any of the other names that she and Ann had bandied back and forth over the past few days as they'd brainstormed a new name for Lex.  "Very well, that will do," she said, nodding her assent.

The guard nodded as he wrote that name down – that was the name he usually suggested to those who preferred more anonymity and people usually went with it, either because they liked it or just to speed the process along.  The law required him to write something down and he didn't care what a person said – it's not as though he had any way to verify that it was correct.

His pen scratched along the paper as he noted her physical features.  "Camping backpack, black robe, dark belt pouches, dark hair, fair…" His voice fell off as he watched the lump on Lex's cheekbone wriggle under her skin.  He eyes stayed stuck on it for a moment before he again quickly glanced down and saw the same rune that had displayed with Ann, but his shoulders stayed tense.  Whatever that lump is, he thought, normal people don't have something that moves on its own.

"Fair skin and a bump?" Lex dryly interjected.

"Fair skin and a bump," he slowly repeated, writing that down, "Level 1.  Welcome to Harper."  He swiftly turned his head away, looking at anything but her, obviously purposefully ignoring her.

Lex pulled her hood back up with a jerk and woodenly marched through the passdoor into the town as Ann hurried in after her.  Lex stopped on the other side of the large reinforced wooden gate, looking at the people walking down and across the wide street.

"Don't worry," Ann drawled, putting a hand on Lex's shoulder, "I'm sure there'll be some way to fix that up once we get in with all of the other mages."

Lex shrugged Ann's hand off, not saying anything, her head down.

"Wouldn't it be nice to be able to fly," Ann said, changing the subject and pointing to where the straight road abruptly ended a little over half a mile ahead.  "We could run right over the edge and just keep on going."

"I hope we learn that first," Lex said.  "I've always dreamed of being able to fly."  Her face was still hidden under the hood, but her soft voice told Ann everything she needed to know about how her friend felt.

"Then let's go find a place to live," Ann drawled, "I'm sure tired of carrying these bags around."

Lex laughed, "And next on the list is to learn how to make one of those space-saving bags so we never have to carry bags like these again!"

"Miladies," a nearby boy spoke up, "Did I hear you say that you need a place to live?  I can take you to one of the Courts.  Good food, good bed, good price."

"I don't know where that is," Ann said slowly, examining the boy.  He looked thin and his clothes looked patched.  He probably received money for directing people to stay somewhere specific.  Still, everyone knew, everyone has to make a living.

"No charge, I'll take you there, the owner is a good friend of mine.  Good guy."

"Well," Ann drawled, not sure whether they should follow the boy or not.  "We should probably get our weapons first."

"Oh, I know a good place, just down the main road here, the Blue Goose."

That didn't sound too bad.  If the shop was on the main road, it probably wasn't a trap.