The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [152]
Most people heed the announcement and the road slowly becomes less congested allowing them to make better time toward the Pass. It takes over an hour to get to the entrance to the Pass, a trip that should’ve only taken ten minutes normally, due to all the looky loos, as his grandmother would’ve called them.
Several merchants have set up stands hoping to get the people going through the pass to buy their wares. One in particular interests James so he makes his way over and pauses to inspect the goods.
Upon seeing James approaching, the merchant picks up a couple of the jackets he’s selling and begins extolling their merits.
Getting down from his horse James tries on one of the jackets, it is fur lined, soft and very warm. The outside is leather and looks as if it would repel water.
“Does this jacket shed water?” James asks the merchant.
“Oh yes good sir,” he says. “My jackets are the warmest and driest ones you can find anywhere. If you plan to cross the Pass, then you will need them. The summit is very cold, especially at night.
“How much for two?” James asks.
“I could part with two of these fine jackets for a mere six gold,” the man offers.
From behind him he hears a gasp from Miko. He turns to find Miko shaking his head, telling him that it’s too expensive. So James grits his teeth and sets into haggling with the man. He finally works him down to three gold and seven coppers. He has Miko get down to try one on and soon finds a jacket that fits him well.
After handing over the money, they pack the jackets onto the mule and mount up.
“Why do we need those?” Miko asks. “It’s hot.”
“It may be hot here, but when we reach the top, we may well be glad to have them,” James explains. “The mountains get cold when the sun goes down even in the summer, you’ll see.” Getting their horses moving again they continue on their way to the Pass.
The road they are following continues over a bridge and toward the mountains where it enters a gorge that over the centuries has been carved out of the rock by a large river. Running alongside the river, the road can be seen extending further into the pass until the gorge turns and it disappears into the mountain.
When they cross the bridge, they find the river below is flowing strong and fast. The temperature drops noticeably when they are over the river due to the coldness of the water coming out of the mountains.
A hundred feet or so beyond the bridge, off to the side lies a makeshift barricade that will most likely be used to close off the Pass. There is no actual gate to close, just a squad of guards and barricades to keep everyone out. When they come near to the actual entrance to the Pass, a sergeant is there telling all who are planning to pass through to Madoc that they will be able to return back through the pass from Madoc until the Empire’s forces have been sighted. Once the Empire’s armies have been seen, the Pass will be closed and no more traffic will be allowed to enter from Madoc. It will open again when the situation on the other side of the mountains becomes less unstable and dangerous to travelers.
Some upon hearing this turn back but there are still more that continue on ahead through the entrance despite the dangers. One lone caravan is braving the trip, and is causing a bottleneck at the entrance. The caravan master is moving his wagons through two at a time, causing the foot and horse traffic to bog down as they make their way around the slow moving wagons.
James and Miko take their place in line and after what seems like an overly long time, finally make it to the entrance and begin making their way around the wagons. As they pass the guards, James looks behind them and can see another dozen or so people who are waiting their turn to go around