CHAPTER 1 “CRIMSON IMPERIAL SUNSET”
“Let’s go! What are you standing there for? Climb up…”
“Yeah, just a moment,” the boy replied, looking at the ladder. “Hey… Is it normal for it to shake?” he asked with a slight concern.
“Oh, come on! It’s not that high… Climb already!”
“It seems like this ladder is a hundred years old. Hello… Splinter! Clearly, the previous emperor greeted it too,” the boy said, climbing the ladder to the roof of the two-story building.
“Ha-ha… Yeah, possibly.”
And so, the boy climbed up and said,
“Phew, I should have climbed using the stone ledges – it would have been safer.”
“A ladder is a ladder – don’t start complaining about the new one! Sit down instead; the view from here is beautiful…”
“Not bad… A great view of the main street,” he commented with a hint of sarcasm.
“I think you’re just fed up with these views. You’ve forgotten how to appreciate the beauty around you. The Imperial Crossing itself isn’t that bad, but if you’re not satisfied, on one side of the crossing, there’s the radiant Imperial Castle, and on the other, a breathtaking sunset. It’s just a pity that the border wall in the distance is strongly overshadowed by the setting sun. Of course, you could choose a more interesting spot. A fantastic view would open up from those towers or that chapel… But to get into the clock tower, you’d have to beg the local guards, and as for the towers, city watchmen rarely let anyone in there just like that. So, if you wanted a better spot, you’d have to work hard. But here, you sit and watch the sunset on the horizon… What could be better?”
“You’d climb walls all day, Izzy,” Gek replied discontentedly. “I’ve had enough from the last time. One wrong step, and you’re a corpse. I don’t want to be a corpse. Besides, you just struggled to climb up the ladder yourself a moment ago. So, such risky adventures are not for us.”
“This ladder was about to collapse any moment, so it doesn’t count.”
“And the stones sticking out of the wall are the most reliable thing in the world?”
“Okay, maybe you’re right…” Izzy reluctantly admitted. “By the way, do you know when these bells will stop ringing? They’ve been ringing since morning…” Izzy said with a slightly troubled look. “Hey! Can you hear me at all? Gek!?”
“Oops, sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment,” Gek said. “Mom said, ‘Since the emperor’s son was born, the bells will ring all day.’”
“And what were you thinking about?”
“Well, I’m wondering why a whole detachment of the border legion is marching towards the castle,” Gek said thoughtfully, seeing the silhouettes of imperial legionnaires in the distance.
“Where?” Izzy exclaimed in extreme surprise. “Oh, come on. It really is them. I’ve never seen them so far from the border perimeter.”
“Hmm… Interesting… The last time I saw them here, I was still very young. I only remember blurred outlines. I was about three, I guess. It’s been a while since they were here after that decree… You know, the one that required every Raidarian warrior of Illyria to be on duty at the border perimeter and move along external city crossings only in particularly important cases,” Gek said.
“It seems this is a special case – the son of Emperor Saron. They’re probably coming to personally congratulate the emperor and his family. For such an event, the imperial family will surely have a feast like no other. I heard they feast on all sorts of delicacies there… big fish, golden roe of this fish… I forgot what it’s called, slugs from the eastern lands – but that’s an acquired taste – healthy octopuses, and those are just the sea creatures presented by the best chefs of all lands. I envy them…”
A faint growl was heard…
“Have you eaten recently? You quickly jumped from marching legions to royal feasts,” Gek remarked.
“Yeah… Yesterday, I think. Since mom got sick, there’s hardly anyone to earn for. There are some coins left, but they’re not endless, so I have to save,” Izzy replied. “I’m thinking of joining the warriors. They accept into the ranks from the age of nine – for training – if you pass the fitness test. And since I have the blood of the ‘first ones’ – that’s what mom used to say – I’ll immediately enter the higher echelons. They feed you every day, and the pay is good enough to cure my mom. I’ll send her a portion of the earnings, and then I’ll take her with me when I become an officer…”
