Free Benjamin Ashwood by AC Cobble Page B

the
warehouses.
    He
was brought back by the clatter of wheels on stone as the road turned from hard
packed sand to large stone blocks.  The merchant trains had turned off towards
the warehouses but smaller wagons and carts joined the flow on the road.  The
merchant trading must take place in the warehouse district he thought, but a
city still needed goods and supplies.  He noticed many of the small carts were
carrying food and other things he suspected they couldn’t make in a city.
    Half
a league past the warehouse district he was still craning his neck to see over
the marsh grasses and catch a glimpse of the city itself.  There were slender
towers in the distance but he couldn’t see anything the size of the warehouses.
    He
was focusing so much on looking towards the towers that he was surprised when
they came to the causeway.  It was flanked by two sturdy stone buildings and a
company of bored looking guards.
    He
turned towards Rhys, “shouldn’t there be city gates or something?  There are
always gates in the stories.  And where IS the city?”
    Rhys
adjusted his pack strap and answered, “we’ve got another half a league on the
causeway.  Why bother with gates when you have a natural moat?  The city itself
is on a hundred little islands out in the Bay.  Makes it hard to attack. 
Probably the only reason it’s still an independent city state and not a part of
the Alliance.”
    Ben
wasn’t sure what the Alliance was, but he did remember hearing stories about
Fabrizo being an island city.  He thought it was some sort of exaggeration or
that there were islands nearby.  He didn’t realize the entire city was
literally a bunch of little islands.
    The
guards at the foot of the causeway barely looked up when they walked by.  The
foot traffic going over was steady and Ben supposed his group didn’t look like
much of a threat.  They made their way onto the stone path and started towards
the city.  The road was worn deep with ruts from the wagon wheels that
constantly passed this way.  Ben could see they had dumped sand to fill the
ruts in the road which must have been easier than replacing half a league of
stone.
    From
the causeway some buildings were finally visible.  There were a few towers poking
up but the rest of the buildings were only a few stories high. 
    They
passed from the tall marshy grasses into open water that gently lapped against
the pilings of the causeway.  Once in the open, the city spread out before
them.  It was made up of many islands all connected by arcing bridges.  In
between the islands Ben saw small boats darting about and outside the cluster
of buildings there were larger barges.
    The
sight was like nothing he had imagined.  He’d pictured towering city walls and
soaring buildings all guarded by imposing gates.  While there were no city
walls and no gates, he could see why Rhys had said it would be hard to attack. 
An attacker would need to assault each island individually then cross a narrow
bridge to get to the next one.  It would be an ugly mess and if the defenders
were determined, nearly impossible.
    At
the end of the road, the causeway spilled into a large square that was
surrounded by market stalls and paths leading off into the rest of the city. 
The square was dominated by a towering obelisk in the center and a sprawling
palace opposite the causeway.
    Ben
gawked at the menagerie of people, animals and goods in the square but Lady
Towaal bore through the center of the chaos like it wasn’t there.  They turned
down a side street, crossed several bridges and passed through narrow alleys
before entering what Ben took to be an inn.  But it was unlike any inn he had
seen before.  There was no loud music, no raucous drinking and no gambling. 
Just a handful of people sitting quietly around tables in hushed conversation.
    The
innkeeper bustled up to Lady Towaal and bowed over her proffered hand, “so glad
to have you back.”  He eyed the group, “three