The next four days of travel were slow and uneventful.

They continued their strategy of sticking to the back roads, which made it difficult to navigate, especially with such a large vehicle. But as they continued to track on the map, they found they were edging close to the eastern border of Silvus. The eastern border was walled off by steep mountain ranges and massive, powerful rivers that made it impossible for any land vehicle or small ship to cross. Luna and Baldric knew there was only one way out of the eastern border, and that was through the chokepoint city of Zicaster.

By noon, they returned to the main road, as it was the only way to reach the city. Inside the landraider, Baldric and the willowbear, whom they now all agreed to call Willow, were asleep on the couch while Annie manned the controls. Meanwhile, Luna taught Elizabeth how to read their maps.

"So these are what we call spurs." Luna pointed at the lines of a topographic map. "A spur is recognizable in real life. Like a slope."

"What’s this one?" Elizabeth pointed to another line on the map.

"That’s what we call a re-entrant. Uhmmm, think of it as a line... No slope!" Luna curved her hands to form a triangle. "-that is going against the mountain. Did you get that?"

Annie then pulled on the whistle to signal them as she pointed out the window.

They were still up on the mountain roads, but from up there they saw the forests and a massive sprawling city in the distance. The towering city was an island surrounded by three massive rivers, while its collection of high-rise buildings shone in the afternoon sun. Luna opened the window so Elizabeth could look outside.

“Wow!” Elizabeth felt the cold wind on her face.

"That’s Zicaster." Luna joined her in the window. "The three river city, or as we like to call it, the choke point city. That’s where we will be going. Once we get past that, it should be smooth sailing as that is the last city under Silvus borders."

"The bad part is-" Baldric joining them as he stretched. "Once we get inside Zicaster, we will need to wait to be able to cross to the other side. The only way to get across the rivers is through the bridges, and they only bring those down twice a day, so we might be here for one or two days."

"But the good part is." Luna whispered to Elizabeth. "There are hotels, arcades, markets, restaurants, parks, and theatres, so we can enjoy ourselves here a bit."

Elizabeth smiled at her.

"Good thing too, because I’m tired of sleeping in cramped spaces. My neck hurts from this couch." Baldric said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We seriously need a new one in here."

"I remember that it was supposed to be your job to get new upholstery, but you never did."

As Luna and Baldric argued, Willow approached Elizabeth and she lifted him up so he could watch the view as well.

=0o0=

The closer they got to Zicaster, the more they saw other vehicles approaching the city. Elizabeth looked out the window to see automobiles, smaller land engines, automated carriages, and other vehicles of all sizes that the landraider passed by. And by early afternoon, they finally made it to the main road towards the city.

Zicaster was a massive city that was nestled on an island surrounded by three massive rivers. The city's trademark landmark was its massive iron suspension bridges. Elizabeth looked in amazement at how high and tall the bridges were and how deep the drop was to the mighty rivers below. The traffic was at a standstill, but she did not mind as the wind and cold mist that came from the river tickled her skin.

Past the bridges and into Zicaster was indeed incredible.

Grand high rises that seemed to almost touch the clouds. The ornately detailed massive buildings, the streets packed with people of all races and stalls of every size, the walls of the buildings lined with product billboards which gave the city a multi-colored, exciting appeal, and the large construction and transportation golems working on the roads and highways. All of it was new and exciting to the little girl who was on the edge of her toes as she leaned out the window.

Luna had to tell her not to lean out but joined her in sightseeing. Luna pointed out to Elizabeth all the different buildings like the Zicaster library, opera house, grand arcade, city hall, and the massive Zicaster park and zoo. Elizabeth could only say "Wow" to each new landmark or attraction, which Luna found charmingly endearing.

They arrived at a massive building where all the large vehicles were headed. Inside was filled with other land engines as well, but theirs was clearly the biggest, while the other drivers looked. As soon as they started to slow down, Elizabeth could not contain her excitement.

When they stepped down, an official greeted them, to whom Baldric talked, while the girls got a few bags from the storage. Elizabeth wore her disguise as well, with a long black wig, and she wore tinted glasses that hid her blue eyes. And Luna hid her eyes with her sunglasses.

"Alright so..." Baldric said as he finished talking to the official. "Our pass says we have to wait a day and a half, so we have a lot of time to kill."

"Well, that should be easy." Luna said as she threw him his bag and closed the storage compartment. "I could use a lot of pampering."

They left the parking building and rode an automaton-driven automobile that drove them to their hotel in the middle of the city. It was easily the most luxurious, just from the looks of it. It had a huge walled courtyard with ornate trees before you approached the main building, and it even had a massive fountain with marble sculptures. The hotel itself was stunning; it was a high rise with an intricate design, which made it scream luxury. With some decorations on the top made of marble and gold, it made it shine in the afternoon sun.

Inside, from the lobby up to the hallways leading to their rooms, was pristine and elegant. Their room was in one of the most prestigious suites, given to them after Baldric showed his shadow’s mark in the reception. The Glorkan worker who guided them opened the door to their room, and all of them were wowed in amazement.

It wasn’t a room but rather their own personal floor, or rather, two floors. It had a stylish spiral staircase that led to the rooms above, a crystal dining room with chandeliers, a lavish living room complete with a massive full library, and even a terrace with a miniature pool.

"Oh yeah." Baldric said to all of them. "We can wait a day and a half here."

Annie and Elizabeth, who carried Willow, headed immediately to check the pool outside. The glorkan handed Luna and Baldric some pamphlets which said that they could even use the spa and that all their meals would be delivered as well. Luna tipped the glorkan, which sniffed happily, then bowed and left the room.

"What do you think?" Baldric asked her as they walked around. "Highly defendable, complete with a marksman's perch, not bad huh?"

“The windows are nice and open, which makes it easy to jump off, plus the view is nice. It gives us an overview of the city, and it comes with a spa pass. Not too shabby indeed."

"So what are your plans? Don’t tell me you will just stay in the room the entire time." They stepped out onto the terrace and looked at the view.

“Well, first we are all going to get cleaned up, and then I don’t know. It is still a bit early, so maybe go out and see a theatre show with the kids if they want. I saw a sign for the Ice Queen; I have been dying to see that one. Heard it was pretty good." The two of them watched Annie and Elizabeth play on the edges of the pool while Willow swam in it.

“Well, you have fun with all that cultural crap. I am going to get us some spare change over at the casino we saw down by the river front."

"Remember to quit when you are ahead this time because I’m running out of marks to bail you out. Damn, that reminds me I need a new shadow mark, I had to use my old one against Amelia."

"Here, use mine." Baldric flicked his coin, which she caught easily. "I think I have another in the glove box."

"So what time do we all meet up?"

"How about eight o'clock? I’ll order dinner for us when I go downstairs. I want to spend tonight just unwinding. Take it slow, you know.” Both of them did their secret handshake, and Baldric left the terrace first.

"Don’t do anything stupid while we’re gone."

"No promises." Baldric just waved her off. Luna then approached Annie and Elizabeth to invite them to watch the play.

=0o0=

By the time they got back to the hotel, it was already late, but the city was still alive and covered in bright lights. As they made their way to their room, Luna and Elizabeth sang the musical number that was performed in the play, while Annie hummed along as they made their way inside their room.

"About time you all made it back?" Baldric sat on the floor as he counted large stacks of money in front of a roaring fire in the large fireplace.

"Baldric the play was the best!" Elizabeth said immediately. "There was a real reindeer and then the stage lit up like stars and then-" She continued on and on, and she even got Annie and Luna to help her re-enact some of the play’s scenes, only to be interrupted when a knock came at the door.

It was their food, and it took two Glorkan workers to bring in their dinner. The spread was incredible, ranging from salads, soups, pasta dishes, roasted meats, and even chilled raw seafood, and they even brought in two large casks, one being wine and the other chilled fruit juice. As the girls began to eat, Baldric whispered to the glorkans and slipped them a huge tip.

After their dinner, the Glorkans returned with a towering chocolate ice cream cake, complete with candies, lollies, and even firework sparklers. Annie and Elizabeth absolutely admired the huge cake, while Luna was the one who cut them all a slice. Soon, they all returned to the living room, where they played cards and board games until late into the night.

Once Annie, Elizabeth, and Willow had fallen asleep, with the child resting in Annie’s arms, Luna tucked them in with a blanket. She joined Baldric outside on the terrace so they could drink as they watched the city.

“It's amazing how kids can just sleep without liquor." Baldric said as he poured more into Luna’s glass.

"They don’t have problems yet." She took a sip.

"Must be nice, not have problems." He also had with him a cheese board, which he offered to her. "Can you remember the last time we did not need this to sleep?"

"Nope, we are too far gone."

They both looked up at the night sky above, the stars barely visible thanks to the lights that came from the city. Baldric saw that Luna’s hand had started to shake and twitch without her realizing it.

"Don’t forget your medicine."

Luna got a small pill bottle from her pocket. Baldric watched as she drank, but after a while, the shaking still continued.

"Did you check with a doctor on that?" He asked as he took another sip.

“I'm told no doctor can help with this. It’s a sickness of my mind." She chuckled.

Baldric did not press on anymore as she watched Luna try to stop her hands from shaking. After a few minutes, it stopped and she finished her entire glass in one drink. Baldric poured her another one and they continued to drink in quiet peace.