Chapter 43: My First Town

“Let’s go in.”

I followed Elmer.

The two men at the entrance stepped aside. The road was wide, but even with folded wings I occupied the space of several people, and my tail required attention behind me.

My size caused trouble almost immediately.

A packhorse coming toward us stopped the instant it saw me. Its driver grabbed the reins.

“Don’t force it forward!”

The horse flattened its ears and snorted.

I moved to the edge, but there was still little room.

“…Should I wait here?”

“No. There’s a wider cargo yard ahead. We’ll go there first.”

The driver kept the horse still until we passed. Humans might relax once they knew I could speak; explanations meant nothing to horses.

Buildings multiplied. Unlike Rue’s scattered houses, they lined the road, with narrow streets between them. People carried goods; items sat beneath eaves.

Woodworking and metalworking rang together. Smoke, roasted meat, horses, crowds, and an unfamiliar sweet smell mixed in the air.

From above, rooftops had revealed none of this.

“Don’t stop,” Elmer said.

“…I was looking.”

“We’re still near the entrance.”

“…All this is entrance?”

Eventually the buildings opened onto a yard large enough for several carts. Boxes, barrels, sacks, and a roofed loading area filled it.

“You’ll block less here.”

“…Because I’m too big?”

“Mostly.”

A guard relaxed.

“You really do follow quietly.”

“You were told,” Elmer said.

“Hearing and seeing are different. No offense.”

“…I understand.”

◇

An unarmed man, a little older than Elmer, arrived.

“Val?”

“…Yes. I’m Val.”

“I’ve heard about you. We’ll decide where you can move without obstructing people or cargo. First: what came you to see?”

I chose my words.

“…I want see town. Know things Rue doesn’t have. Also see how people and cargo move.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I expected simple sightseeing.”

“…That too.”

Elmer laughed.

The man introduced the town.

“This is Sedol. One of the larger towns along this part of the highway.”

“…Sedol.”

At last the smoke and roofs had a name.

“How many people?” I asked.

“I don’t know exactly. Residents, merchants, and travelers come and go. The number changes daily.”

In Rue, the chief generally knew who was present. Here carts entered as others left, boxes were moved, and the space refilled. People and goods remained in constant motion.

◇

“Hey, dragon!”

A driver beside a cart shouted.

“Your presence is stopping my horse!”

The horse watched me and refused to move.

“Wait,” the town official called.

“I need to unload. If you’re bringing a dragon in, choose a better place!”

His tone was harsh, but he had reason.

“…I’ll move.”

When I stood, the yard stirred. Moving slowly, I went farther away.

“…Here okay?”

The driver compared me with the horse.

“Probably.”

After some time, the horse moved.

“You really talk,” he muttered.

“I only learned that now,” the official said, and laughter eased the tension.

“Aren’t you angry?” the official asked me.

“…About what?”

“Being told you were in the way.”

“…It was true.”

He considered that and nodded.

Not everyone in town welcomed me. Some feared me; some simply needed me out of their workplace.

That was normal. Leaving Rue didn’t mean everyone had to like me.

◇

While Elmer attended to his business, I watched from the yard’s edge.

Sacks of grain stood beside barrels and crates. Rolled cloth and iron tools passed through. One cart alone held far more than a Rue packhorse.

If Rue could bring in enough grain from here, it could help during scarcity—but goods existing here wasn’t enough. The village needed money or trade goods and a way to move purchases up the mountain.

The village’s discussions stood before me as physical cargo.

Then someone shouted from the entrance.

“Clear the road!”

A cart rushed in. A man ran beside the horse; another jumped down before it stopped.

“Get help! Someone’s injured!”

A person lay in the bed, a blood-soaked cloth wrapped around an arm.

“What happened?”

“Wolves! Gray, with black horns. They attacked us on the highway.”

I rose.

“Three were visible at first, but there were more in the trees. Another cart with five people and two guards is still behind us!”

The yard’s work changed instantly. Armed people ran to the entrance while others lifted the injured person down.

Elmer hurried over.

I looked at the survivor. Alive.

The five missing people were the problem.

“…Elmer. If I know place, I can fly.”

“You’re going?”

“…People still there.”

They weren’t from Rue. I didn’t know their names.

That didn’t make me want to abandon them.

A town man hesitated, then asked if I could fly faster than horses.

“…Probably. Haven’t compared properly.”

Elmer said, “We’ll send people too. This isn’t something one dragon handles alone.”

The survivor described the location: east along the highway, beyond a rocky stretch, before a small bridge.

I memorized the landmarks.

I couldn’t spread my wings inside town. People cleared a path to the entrance.

Behind me Elmer shouted, “Assess the situation! Don’t fight everything alone!”

“…I know!”

I opened my wings beyond the buildings and launched into the air.

My first tour of Sedol ended there.

I followed the highway toward the cart that hadn’t returned.