Chapter 13

  The next day, I grabbed all my stuff, after eating breakfast and saying a tearful goodbye to my parents, and headed out onto the road. I brought the map with me, and made sure I checked it frequently. I may be walking the roads, but I wanted to make sure I didn't take a wrong turn somewhere. My first life, I grew up in a time before the internet, so I knew how to read a map, and plan a route. I also knew how easy it was to go off course.

  Once I left town, I found myself on the road headed towards the Capital city. Around me were scattered trees, with the occasional farm. Rolling hills surrounded me, so visibility was only a few miles, but what I saw reminded me of any random nature park on Earth. Luckily, it was only the beginning of Autumn, so most of the trees hadn't started turning yet, but they likely would before I got to the city.

  Sounds surrounded me, the sounds of birds calling, cricket-like bugs, the breeze in the trees. Normal sounds you would hear in the wild. I didn't see any other travelers, and the sounds that surrounded me meant I was likely alone for a bit. No predators, not even other people, was a good thing at this point. But boy was it lonely. No one to talk to, no one to train with, no one to learn from. Soon, though, soon I'd be learning and training.

  A month passed, slowly, and achingly. My legs and back hurt for most of the start of the trip. It wasn't until about the third week that my body started adapting and the aches started sliding into the background. I knew I was close, I had seen several people and carts going in this direction. Few of the carts were like the carriage that came to hand me my invite. Most had an ox-like animal with six legs pulling them.

  I talked to a few people as well. The people I did talk to were cordial, but wary. I guess the roads aren't quite as safe as they want you to believe. I got lucky, though, and didn't come across any of the dangers they described to me. The animal that sounded like a tiger, the giant one that reminded me vaguely of a bear, or the evil kind that reminded me of bandits. I guess there were a few stretches of road that weren't patrolled heavily, including the one close to my hometown.

  As I walked over the next hill, the trees began to disappear, and before me a giant wall came into view. No buildings could be seen behind it, but the wall stretched from horizon to horizon, from the ground to so far up, i could not see the top of it. It was still several days away. I stopped for a second, awestruck by the shear size of the wall ahead of me. I would be in the shadow for most of the next few evenings.

  Dotted along the road from here to the walls, I could see several permanent campsites set up. With the hills and trees behind me, and only the giant wall in front of me, the closest ones were easy to spot. I was sure there were more ahead, but they were beyond my vision. The sun was starting to fall behind the wall, so it's shadow soon fell upon me, and it got darker, almost twilight. I knew I had a few hours before sunset, though, so I kept walking. I wanted to get as close as possible before stopping for the night. I was almost there, and I could feel the excitement building again.

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  POV: Headmaster Alluci

  "He's almost here. He's reached the Stretch."

  "Yes, he is. Is he one of us, though?" The headmaster said, thoughtfully.

  "I think so," Michael said. "After all, I taught him Threads. I was trying to get away from all this political bullshit, not bring in the one the Commander was waiting for."

  "He's not the Commander here, he's the Emperor. He has been for Millennia now. Why do you still call him Commander?"

  "He'll always be Commander to me, no matter how much time has passed. If that damned spaceship hadn't blown up, We'd have been heroes, and him our Commander. Now we're stuck here with him our Emperor instead. Not sure how we haven't died yet."

  "You know as well as I do, that Pattern could only be cast by the Emperor is the only reason we're alive. What I want to know is, is there a way back home. Even after all this time?"

  POV: Jarrod

  "He's at the Stretch, honey. I know you didn't agree with me getting the tracking button for his gear, but at least now I know he's safe," Marta said.

  "I told you he'd be fine, Marta. The roads are safe. The Emperor's guards make sure of that."

  "Anything can happen, Jarrod, I don't know what I would have done if he had gotten captured or killed by those bandits."

  "Even if he had, we have no way to get to him quickly to help. Since it helps ease your mind, though, he'll soon be in the Capital city and in Weaver's Academy. You can stop worrying now."

  "I'll never stop worrying, but I guess you're right."

  POV: Emperor

  "Soon. Soon it will all be over."

  POV: ???

  "Boss, why didn't we grab the boy? He'd have made us rich beyond our wildest dreams!"

  "Maybe, but right now, too many have their eyes on him. Later, when he's not so protected, we'll get him. And he'll either join us and propel us where we deserve to be, or die with no one the wiser. Patience, we still have time. I've been doing this for thousands of years. I haven't led us astray yet."