Tale of 2 Cities - Ep 1: The Other Side

It's a short walk and a whole world away for Jem and Lilian.

You are here because you enjoy fantasy stories, news, reviews, and sarcastic snippets. If this is your first time here, consider signing up below. I missed out on Wednesday’s snark note as I was working in Istanbul. It gave me the inspiration for the start of this tale.

Lilian put one hand on Jem's arm, hoping to get her attention. Jem refused to look up, fiddling with her supply bag, rope, crowbar...anywhere except Lilian's face. They were standing in Lilan's airy room with its lattice windows, elegant furniture and outside balcony with its wall of fragrant honeysuckle. The wall was always a talking point at Lilian's weekly salons.

"You don't have to do this," Lilian said again, trying to keep the plea out of her tone. "Don't go. We can get away from this city - we can take a boat down to the harbour tonight! I've got money, and we can go anywhere you like except there." She cried until her nose and lips shone red, making her catlike face even more pointed.

Jem scoffed. Where Lilian was pale and emotional, she was dark, intense and tanned by the sun. "D'you really think my father will let us run that easily? I have one month left to break this damned engagement. You talk about a fresh start; well, this is it. When I return, I’ll force him to let us marry."

Lilian dropped her hand and stepped back.

"If you come back. Not when. And don't make it about us." she said shakily. "You've been talking about this for as long as I’ve known you. Everyone dies over there."

Jem glanced up, her dark eyes fixed hungrily on the window with its view of the river. Their home, Alinakard, was a city of wealth and elegance based on one terrible fact. It had a mirror twin on the opposite side bank. By day, the city’s sibling was a beautiful place. You could see the buildings glittering in the sun, temples built of glass and homes of marble. Trees and bushes wound around the pathways, peacocks strutted on the riverbank, and you could even smell the wild honeysuckle on windless days. The two places were connected by an arched stone bridge, flying over the river without a single supporting column. "Magic," everyone whispered. "It has to be magic." The smooth, unbroken roadway was broad enough for four people to walk abreast.

And they did, oh they did.

Lilian watched them all from her balcony. Wanderers, prophets and refugees, the glory-seekers and the desperate. Alinakard's merchants made a tidy profit from the human flow, selling everything from food and drink to maps and binoculars. They did the same to the grieving relatives who followed on afterwards. It had caused riots in the past, and the city council now charged a small bridge toll to seekers to prove their sanity and discourage the curious. The guards stayed firmly on the ground of the left bank and closed the gates before sundown.

As soon as the sun dropped behind the horizon, the city on the right bank was set ablaze. Fire curled around the columns, withered the trees and chased the peacocks from the roosts. Sometimes, the birds would get caught in the inferno, and you would hear their screams as they burned. Every night, the buildings were reduced to ash and rubble and every sunrise, they would emerge intact again. For that reason, Alinakard’s founding charter had a strange rule. Any survivor who made the trip back and forth across the bridge would be granted a single request of their choice.

"No one ever dies over there," Jem argued back. It was old, familiar ground. "Have you ever seen a single human soul over there? Ever? All these people, over the years, all those expeditions and nothing to show for it? You'd think you'd see their bodies, at least."

"True," Lilian said reluctantly. "But you'd think someone would make it back. There was that priest dressed head to foot in fire retardant clothes last month. Before that, we had that pilot in his flying machine-"

"Who did survive. Well, he crashed into the river, so he technically never made it -"

"And then the army platoon who pledged to conquer it ten years ago, " Lilian continued, ignoring the interruption. "They were armed, trained men and no one's ever heard back from them. They had signals set up and everything!"

Jem shrugged.

"They aren't me," she said. "It wants me there."

Lilian gaped at her, speechless.

"Seriously?" She said finally. "Everyone thinks they are special, that's why they all go, but they're not."

Jem licked her lips. "I dream about it, Lilian. There's always a voice in the city, and it's calling my name. You know that."

"Yes"

"I've got to do it."

"I'm asking you not to. We've got each other right here. Don’t sacrifice us for a dream."

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Lilian nodded miserably.  "I'll walk with you to the bridge," she offered. "The gates will be closed soon, though."

Jem gave her a small, tight smile. "Thank you."

*

Lilian followed her lover through the streets, dodging people and stray dogs. Here, in public, they couldn't risk holding hands. Best to appear indifferent, the lady and the courtesan. Jem seemed excited, almost dancing the cobblestones as she swerved a broken street cart. To a casual observer, she was just another landless adventurer with short hair and long trousers. You had to lift Jem's shirt to see her family crest tattooed on her skin, the double diamond placed just above her heart. Lilian has kissed it so many times, chasing the fabric with her lips. The Jem would reciprocate, tugging at Lilian's ribbon and lace to earn a rebuke -

With a start, Lilian realised they had reached the bridge.

Across the river, the phantom city stood, bathed in the dying light. It was a few minutes to sundown, with the bells ringing out to call the fishermen home. No boat had ever come back from the far shore, either, Lilian remembered.

The podgy guard in the booth eyes the two women with weary suspicion. "Going across?" he said. His companion was at the street corner, tugging at the fishing bell's rope.

"Not yet," Jem replied. She pulled out her coin purse and displayed two silver marks in her hand - the exact bridge toll. Then she pulled out three more. "I want to go across after dark. All you need to do is close the gate five minutes later than normal."

"No one ever goes across after sunset, " the guard informed her. "It's deadly."

Jem added another two marks. "So?"

He grinned at her.

"I could get in trouble. We're supposed to discourage visitors in the daytime, let alone the night. You'd be burnt alive."

Jem clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"I'm a citizen. I've been watching the flames since I opened my eyes. I know what to expect."

The guard scowled. "Come back tomorrow. First thing."

"No. Tonight."

Lilian spoke up, surprising herself. "It's written in our statutes. Any adult can cross as long as they are sound of mind and can do so unaided. The time of day is not specified."

Jem shot her a grateful glance. The guard glowered and glanced, first at the bribe, then at his fellow officer who was hanging up the bell. “Fine. It’s your choice and your death; may the saints be with you. Sign the book - here - and print your name below. You must be able to cross unaided. We don’t help anyone once they are on the bridge.” He stood aside and flourished the pen, sniffing. Jem scribbled and signed, using her arm to conceal her family name. She discretely slid the coins into the guard’s pocket as his companion sauntered up. This one was long, thin and wolf-like. He’d been in a fight recently and skipped shaving whilst his bruised skin healed.

“More seekers?” the second guard asked. He eyed Lilian with interest, his eyes sliding over her curled hair and expensive dress. He had an odd drawl to his accent that hinted at a different land from far away.

“I’m here to give luck,” she said hastily. “Nothing more.”

“Then you’re the kinda luck ev’ry man wants,” he agreed. “Ah’m closin’ the gate now.”

“Go ahead to the bar, Kinley,” the podgy guard urged. “I’ll deal with these two and lock up. You deserve a break.”

Kinley nodded slowly, and Lilian could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. “That’s right kind of you, Stump, but I wanna see the gate locked with my own two peeps so that I can sleep soundly in ma bed tonight. Why, there’s no tellin’ what manner of fiends may haunt us without these mighty padlocks standin’ in the way.”

He gave Lilian a sly wink. Jem snorted.

“You can take your chances with the fiends later or with me now. I’m going across,” she declared with the ringing authority of her house.

“Yeah, no.” Kinley agreed. He casually put his hand in his pocket and stepped closer to Jem. “Y’see, I know that expression. Watched it a whole heap o’ times on yer father’s face. Does he know you’re here?”

Dismay flashed in Jem’s eyes; then she lifted her chin. “You’ve got the wrong girl,” she argued.

Kinley shrugged before switching his gaze to the street behind Jem. “You can tell it to them,” he said.

Lilian swivelled and cursed almost at the same time as Jem. Six soldiers were headed towards them, each wearing the double insignia of the Diamous family. Jem’s family.

Panicked, Jem grabbed at Lilian’s hand.

“We need to run!”

Keep running to Part 2