northerly route, paralleling the mountains. They continued in the foothills for most of the day. In the late afternoon, they came upon a large road leading into the mountains which Dominic turned onto and followed.
After an hour of riding, Jake saw a large granite wall rise up ahead. It was very tall, towering over the trees. It took them almost another thirty minutes to reach it. As they came up to it, Jake could see it was one of two walls that ran back towards a cliff in the mountains to form an inverted V, funneling any attackers towards the main gates, nestled at the point where the two walls came together. Dominic looked appreciatively at the layout of the defenses.
Behind the gates, the cliff face was pot-marked with windows and what looked like patios. As they rode up to the gates, Jake could see soldiers on the wall watching them. They stopped in front of the massive gates, made of a shining metal, waiting.
With a metallic clang, the gates opened and several soldiers rode out. They were armored with the same metal that made up the gates. Their breastplates and helms shone in the late afternoon light. They were armed with lances and swords, with a shield strapped to their saddle. They came up to Dominic and Jake.
Their leader was a lean man, a little taller than Jake, with a large plume on his helm. Jake was surprised to see that he had dark skin, the first person Jake had seen here with it, with dark eyes that seemed to take everything in. "He is from southern Aletonia." Dominic said quietly, noticing Jake's surprise.
The leader stopped in front of Dominic and gave him a salute, which Dominic returned. "Greetings, Sir Dominic." The man said formally. "I am Moshanna Deepwood, Captain of Tomaris' Guard. Please be welcome to Tomaris' Keep."
"Thank you for the welcome, Captain Deepwood." Dominic replied, formal as well. "Please call me Dominic."
"You honor me. Please call me Moshanna." Deepwood replied. "What assistance can we give you?"
"I have a letter from Chief Cleric Jonas of Sanduas for Master Tomaris." Dominic stated. He gestured at Jake. "It concerns this boy, Jake Thomas, and Jonas believed that Master Tomaris could assist. I believe that he is familiar with the boy's story."
"We had instructions to watch for visitors coming from the west." Deepwood said. He turned his horse around and said over his shoulder. "Please follow me. I will take you to Tomaris." With that, he led them through the Keep's gate.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
As they passed through the shadow of the Keep's main gate into the courtyard beyond, Jake was immediately struck by the spectacular garden that rose in the center. Tall trees ringed the garden, green grass filled the center and throughout, beautifully shaped bushes and hedges, many filled with bright flowers. There were people wandering through the garden, some who turned to look their way.
The garden was an oasis of color in an otherwise stark stone courtyard. The pale granite walls and cliff face bracketed the courtyard, while low stone buildings, also of the same pale granite, were built next to the walls and cliff. Jake could see that some of the buildings were craftsmen shops, with the now-familiar smoke and faint ringing of metal of a blacksmith coming out of one. Some of the shops had people standing out front, gazing curiously in their direction. Looking around, Jake was struck by the large number of people in the courtyard.
"Excuse me, but where do all of these people live?" He asked Deepwood. "There does not seem to be enough room in the buildings for all of them."
"Most live within the Keep itself." Deepwood replied, gesturing towards the cliff. "There are many rooms and halls within the mountain."
"Oh, I see." Jake said.
"Some live in Numaria, a small city back along the road near the base of the foothills, and come here to do business or visit relatives." Deepwood continued. "There is an inn among the buildings, as well as guest quarters in the keep."
"Is this all of your Guard, Moshanna?" Dominic asked, frowning and looking at the soldiers along the wall and around the courtyard. "Forgive me for saying, but it seems inadequate to defend the Keep, even with the walls."
"Do not worry, Dominic." Deepwood said with a smile. "We have additional forces within the Keep. We also send patrols out and have sent some forces into Numaria to assist the local authorities. If the need arises, we have enough forces