Beggars hunched on the sidewalks, crying piteously for food and money. The bank down the street was boarded up, and Emmaris could see debris through the boards that could have only been caused by fire. Nearby buildings were in shambles, nothing more than charred heaps. It was filthy, smelly, and ruined. He sighed, remembering the proud, prosperous city it had once been.
And will be again, he reminded himself. He tried to have faith in what they were doing, but it was hard. Seeing his home destroyed helped to restore some of the hope that his cause was just.
The poor clawed at his clothes as they passed, but Vincent batted them away. “Leave off,” he growled. They made their way to the center intersection with little trouble, but as they turned onto the main street toward the palace, their way was blocked by a surging mob that flooded around the palace gates. Vincent swore. “I was hopin’ it had cleared up. Quick, this way.” He dragged Emmaris down a side street before they were noticed. For the next few minutes, he led his charge through a maze of streets that even Emmaris, who was familiar with the city, couldn’t follow. Finally the palace again came into view, this time from the side. Vincent trotted up to the smaller, less official gate and unlatched it. “Here you go. Just head ‘round to the front and tell ‘em the guards let you in.”
“Thank you,” Emmaris said. Once Vincent was gone, he leaned against the stone wall, trying to clear his head. He had to do this. It was right, it was just. He just wished it did*’t have to be so complicated; he wished all the men were loyal to Issavan, so he wouldn’t feel wrong killing them later; he wished the city did*’t have to be destroyed; he wished none of this had ever happened, and they could just go back to their lives now that they had come home. But it wasn’t home any more, not until Issavan was gone and the plague stopped. He knew it; they all knew it.
29-Jun-2008 22:46:26
It's sad. He left a lot of nice reviews in my threads...too bad they're all gone.