Chapter 11

“It’s going to be a long ride to Athens. If you want to take a break at any time, let me know.” Lucas pedals along but speaks with full breath, as though he isn’t doing much work himself. Wren hears the whirring of the black box next to the bicycle’s gears but can tell by Lucas’s movements that he’s still providing a significant amount of the drive.

“We’re going straight there?” Wren picks her head up and tries to look beyond the terrain. In the distance, a large town is visible. “Aigio is the largest town before we reach the border, and it’s a shipping hub. Shouldn’t we stop there and check around?”

“If Homer entered Aigio, it was probably brief. He switched horses because he needed long-term transportation.” He pushes a button on the right handlebar and lets the assisted pedaling power down before he takes a break himself. The wheels continue to turn and the bicycle keeps moving forward as Lucas straightens himself to gaze ahead at Aigio. He comes back down. “His old horse could have at least gotten him that far. If he planned on boarding a boat, I can’t imagine he’d waste time switching horses.”

Wren stays up for a moment longer and mulls over Lucas’s thinking. It’s difficult to make out, but she can barely see a large wooden boat docked at the town. When Lucas reactivates the pedalling system and the whirring starts up again, Wren realizes that she’s probably creating drag.

“Alright. Let’s keep going.” She lowers her upper body to mesh with Lucas and feels the wind flow over her back.

[Northeast Border Post, Patrae-Vasíleio]

[12:10 PM]

Half an hour goes by in silence, save for the occasional crow squawking nearby. These instances cause Wren to be on alert for a messenger crow from the capitol, but one has yet to arrive. Because the carriers used by the Court are trained to approach a receiver from the right, Wren turns her head towards the hills so as to see any potential crow flying alongside the bicycle. For this reason, she isn’t looking forward when Lucas notices a structure ahead as well as two people clad in what appears to be the kingdom’s set of armor. He examines the sight for a few seconds before realizing exactly what it is. Then a spark goes off in his mind, causing him to perk his head up slightly and address Wren.

“Wait, would Homer have been stopped by these border guards?” He asks, second guessing himself very shortly after.

Wren turns her head forward and vocalizes his next thought before he can do the same. “It depends on how long ago he crossed the border.” Lucas stops pedalling and shuts off the bicycle’s motor as they approach the checkpoint, intending to stop and converse with the soldiers before proceeding. Wren’s next words begin carefully as she finishes thinking things through. Then she gains more confidence in her answer. “If the Court sent out a messenger crow as soon as we left the capitol, then the guards should have been informed some time before now. I can’t be sure when.”

“Well, we’re about to ask anyway.” But Lucas is already asking himself further questions. Recently, he’s held the position that Homer is taking a direct route to Athens with no stops, which requires passing this border post. He looks to his right at the hills that stand beyond the road railing. His eyes narrow as he imagines a fit horse scaling the slopes, out of sight from the soldiers ahead. It doesn’t appear implausible, not if one particular assumption is considered. “He must have gotten through somehow…”

They come upon the border post complex, a building that stands out among those not far to the left, between the sea and the road. Those ruins stand in contrast to this modern construction. Its bricks are white and well shaved, standing on a strong foundation that has seen little wear. The windows are a product of the kingdom’s relatively recent mastery of glass-making, derived from what’s left of the examples of windows present in the ruins. The complex comes equipped with a stable for holding horses, attached to which is another building which resembles the barracks in the royal palace complex.

Wren, Lucas is sure, knows the building’s layout from experience at other such military buildings. Part of this assumption is promoted by the ensuing exchange of words between Wren and one of the soldiers.

“Where are you going then?” The soldier looks between Lucas and Wren before settling on primarily addressing Wren. He appears to notice her attire, causing him to straighten himself and put a hand to his forehead in salue as she responds.

“We’re leaving on Court orders. Have you been informed of our arrival?”

“Yes, ma’am, the crow arrived around half an hour ago. No details though.” At this point, the accompanying soldier quickly steps forward and stands just as straight as the first, performing the same salute. Upon noticing this, the first soldier relaxes a bit and lets his partner do the rest of the talking.

Just by watching, Lucas determines that the first soldier is new and that his partner is likely showing him the ropes of their assignment. Despite the experience the second soldier must have, she stands at attention while addressing Wren.

“Do you need anything here before proceeding?” She asks.

“At ease.” Is Wren’s immediate response. With those words, both soldiers relax and allow their arms to rest at their sides. “The message you received must have said something about the man we’re looking for. Do you remember seeing anyone come through who matched that description?”

“No, ma’am. Everyone who passed this checkpoint today has had approved paperwork and lacks any resemblance to the warned fugitive.” The woman answers.

Lucas turns to access his satchel and removes the drawing of Homer, presenting it to the soldiers. “He looks like this.”

For the first time since Lucas rode up to the checkpoint, the soldiers look at him. This lasts for no longer than a moment, as the woman examines the artist's rendition and answers swiftly: “Haven’t seen him.”

Slightly annoyed, Lucas returns the parchment to his satchel and prepares to pedal onward. “Alright, we’ll be off then.” He lightly pushes forward, but stops when both soldiers tilt their pikes so as to block the path through the gate behind them. They look to Wren, seemingly to await her word.

“That will be all.” She utters the words, to the effect of the soldiers stepping to either side of the road and standing at attention as Lucas continues forward. “Keep up the good work.”

“Yes ma’am.” Their armor shuffles as they quickly stand at attention once more. They salute and keep their posture until Lucas and Wren cross the gate.

Lucas picks up the force in his pedalling and powers up the motor when they’ve reached a high enough speed. Afterward, he looks over his shoulder at the building they’ve just left and scoffs.

“Do all soldiers call you ‘ma’am’, or were they just kiss-ups?” He asks.

Wren takes a deep breath, as though she’s had this on her mind for some time before today. “It comes with the name. ‘Atkinson’. My father was something of a legend among the kingdom’s military. Just joining the Court’s staff is enough for most soldiers to know my name and what I look like.”

“You mean you don’t hold any rank? They treated you like a general or something, with all the saluting.” He chuckles, mimicking Wren’s words from moments ago. “‘At ease’. You must be pretty important.”

“It only goes so high up.” She makes this sound more like a welcome relief rather than a shortcoming. “Persons ranked colonel and above don’t bother with it.”

“Normally, I would say honor like that should be reserved for people who prove themselves worthy of it, and not inherited at birth.” He sighs, as though releasing the anger that comes with thinking about the kingdom’s high-and-mighty class of nobles. His next words are softer. “But I’ve seen you fight. I don’t think their reverence is entirely unwarranted.”

The sudden positive sentiment coming from Lucas has Wren struggling to reply in turn. She eventually settles on an appropriate response: “Thank you.”

The two of them ride on in silence for a few seconds before Wren feels the need to add something more to her previous response. “Even so,” she begins, “I could do without it.”

Lucas has no reply, focusing more on processing what Wren has expressed. He hadn’t expected this kind of opinion from her. In the absence of anything more to be said, Lucas switches topics and puts himself into a state of mind to focus on the trail ahead of him.

“Next stop, Corinth.”