Chapter 3: The silver city
The rider took out a path from his waist and threw it at Adnan's feet. "Him," he said.
The owner smiled. He raced to pick up the path, only to have the cold end of the rider's blade on his neck. He froze and swallowed nervously.
"If I discover that you've tricked me. And he is corrupted in any way, I'll come for your head," he threatened coldly. Adnan's heart was in his throat. His owner was terrifying him.
"I swear on my life that he is new," the man defended fearful of his customer.
The owner unchained Adnan from the rest of the slaves. Adnan had laid awake wondering what his future would hold. Crossing his hand and praying to the moon to find a good master.
Yet in that moment he feared his prayers were unheard of by the moon. Since his new owner was a walking killing machine, Adnan gulped at the thought.
If he were to make a mistake, he wouldn't be given a choice of correcting his path. His head would be chopped off immediately.
The owner ushered him to walk over to the mysterious man. The other slaves were returned to their cages. "Come along," the rider ordered. Before Adnan could respond the man already took strides to the door.
Adnan followed behind him weakly. His first freezing outside as he stares at the old man. Adnan wished there was something he could do for the man. He had no family and had never had anyone look out for him, and the old man despite not knowing him. Showed him kindness and comforted him.
If only he had the power to help. He would do so without hesitation. The old man deserved it.
The rider halted, feeling the footsteps behind him stopping. He paused and twilrled around to glare at Adnan.
He followed the male's line of sight to the cages. He narrowed his gaze to single out who his slave was starting at. He discovered the old man that smiled weakly at Adnan.
The man massaged the area between his eyes. "I'll take him too," he announced to the owner of the shop. Adnan shot his gaze at the man, surprised and stunned by his decision.
Adnan was confused. Was the man a good person or not?
On one hand he threatened to behead people and the next he was granting his wish. It was an unspoken wish but the mysterious man somehow heard him and was making it cone true.
"Get distracted again and I'll gouge your eyes out," he uttered in an cold tone. His voice sending shivers down Adnan's spine. He gulped.
The smile on his face dropped.
The shop owner brought the old man from the caves. He was unchained and taken to the mysterious rider. The man handed the owner another path full of gold found before he continued on his path.
The old man and Adnan followed behind him silently. Relieved that they were together. They had no clue of the life that awaited them, however they took comfort in the fact that they won't have to go through it alone.
The guards from the gates arrived at the site. Sweating and panting for breath, it took them a while to track down the mysterious rider and they were glad to have found him.
"Can you ride?" the man asked shooting his gaze at Adnan and the old man. Adnan shook his head while the old man nodded. "I'm going to need your horse," he pointed to one of the guards.
The guard alighted from the horse and brought it over. The man beckons the old man to take the horse and speaks. "The two of you ride that horse."
Without wasting time, Adnan and the old man ascends the horse handed to them by the guard. The mysterious rider lowered his head next to the horse and whispered something.
"Neheheheghraaahhhh," the horse neighed.
He mounts his horse and brushed his hand over it's sides. "Let's go," he let out.
The old man tightened his hands over the ropes. Ready to steer the horse when the steed trots following behind the mysterious rider.
Before he knew it, the horse was galloping after the man. It was as though it was following the man, trying to keep up with him.
The old man held on. He didn't understand it and it was hardly his job to. But he knew, the man wasnt an ordinary person.
Adnan closed his eyes. His dream came true, he had the breeze hitting his face in the free city. There were no chains on him, he wasn't running however his experience was much better as it felt like he was flying.
It was the second time he mounted a horse and the feeling was exhilarating to say the least. He held on to the old man and let his mind rest. Pushing his worries to the back of his head.
They travelled for hours and hours, taking routes that we'mre unheard of and strange. But hard to make out from the speed they were moving at.
They didn't make a single step since the city. The mysterious man didn't let in a word with them from the start of the journey. He raced down the path as though chasing something.
The first thing that the old man and Adnan got to see on the when they exited the city was a big silver bridge.
There was a small side building by the bridge just before you get on. Other than the bridge, there was nothing else that their eyes could see for miles.
A group was formed at the bridge, people carrying luggage wishing to enter the silver city through the bridge. "I can't believe I get to see the Silver city in my lifetime," the old man confessed.
Adnan glanced at the bridge. The myth was real. All his life he had heard of the great Silver city. The greatest city in the Empire. Where the king and queen of Arendar lived.
Never did he imagine that he would one day get to live in Silver City.
"Get down," the man ordered them. Two captains came to their aid, they took the horses with them and booked them for crossing the bridge.
The captain asked the other travellers to form a line, children, men, and women having their separate line. He explained that they were going to start moving towards the bridge soon.
The two suns in the sky were a beauty for everyone to marvel at as they waited. One was set to the east and the other to the west, they got to watch the sunset from both ends, east and west.
It was beautiful and mesmerizing, true beauty was what was before them. The crew members gathered the cargo from the ships and arranged them in line.
Two Arendarians stood on each end of the cargo and carried it and waited for the signal to start moving to the bridge.
The mysterious man stood three feet away from the leading captain's. With Adnan and the old man standing behind him. With everybody else positioned then feet away from them.
"Is he someone special," The old man inquired from Adnan noticing the special treatment being offered to the man.
He was booked for travel into the Silver city without identification. The man barely spoke to the captains and yet he got everything he wanted ready for him.
Everyone dared not move from the line and waited.
Soon the captain arrived and informed them that they were going in. He led the three lines to the bridge. By the bridge, they gave their first names to the window of the small house.
A silver bracelet appeared on their hands with their names on it.
For those who had similar names, their names followed with a number behind them. They did so until all the approved travellers had gotten to the bridge. Strangely, the bridge was able to fit them all, including the crew.
Adnan and the old man looked down hoping to see an ocean or a sea but there was nothing as such. Only the silver bridge, its walls stretched so high that it was the only thing their eyes could see.
"Get ready, hold on," the captain shouted loud enough. His voice echoed on the bridge that even those at the back heard him. The people wondered what they should hold onto when nothing was happening.
The mysterious man grabbed hold of the metal stretching to the side of the bridge. The old man watched him and followed his lead, he motioned for Adnan to do the same.
Just then, the bridge started moving at the speed of lighting. It was moving through nothing since there was no road, the wall of the bridge disappeared and they were able to see their surrounding.
There were stars all around them shining light to the darkness they were in. They were moving so fast but weirdly, the turbulence of the movement pushed most of the travellers off balance and to the ground.
They scurried to hold on to anything they could find to steady themselves.
"Wow," Adnan awed at the sight.
He had never seen anything like it. It was as though he had left his world behind and entered a magical realm.
It was a journey that they knew they would never be able to forget in many years. It was worth bedtime stories to the future generation that was not around to witness the wonder that was their arrival to the Silver city of Arendar.
The view felt like it were flying and touring the sky.
The sight had brought smiles to their faces. They had long forgotten to find beauty in things around them.
It reminded them of the beauty that existed around in the bright sides of life.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone