one solid piece. The walls were painted white, reflecting the colors of the setting sun. The top of the wall had a raised section of stone that had cut outs at regular intervals, obviously for defense. As he looked up at the wall, he could see soldiers walking behind the cut outs.
As they had ridden out of the hills and through the farms and homesteads surrounding the city, Dominic had explained the general layout of the city. As seen from the hills, the city was set up in a diamond configuration, protected on all four sides by the city walls, the only entrances to the city from the city gates. The Royal Palace was in the center of the city, surrounded by a large open courtyard. The main streets that started from the gates all converged to that courtyard. Because of this, the city was divided into four quarters. Each quarter had a mix of businesses, shops and homes, but each had a name given to it by the city residents. The Military Quarter was to the south-east, home to the main military training area. The Perfume Quarter was to the south-west, with a large concentration of perfume and soap merchants. The Holy Quarter was in the north-west, with a large cathedral built near the royal courtyard. The River Quarter was in the north-east, closest to the river that ran next to the walls.
The gates themselves were built into each corner where the massive city walls came together. Each gate was actually made up of three distinct gates. There were the large outer doors, made of thick metal; hanging on huge hinges, which, when opened, swung back towards the walls. These could be opened and closed though a pulley system controlled by the gate guards. Inside the short tunnel, a large metal grate was retracted into the ceiling; it could be dropped to block the tunnel in an emergency. On the inside of the city wall, massive iron-bound wooden doors could be closed and buttressed as the last line of defense. The tunnel itself had multiple murder holes where the defenders could shoot arrows or pour pitch on any invaders.
They were forced to slow, then stop, as they came upon a crowd gathered at the gate, waiting to pass the guards and go inside the walls. The guards were searching wagons and asking questions of those seeking entry. Nervous glances were cast back at the sun; people worried about when the guards would declare nightfall and close the gates. The guards, short but polite in their dealings, appeared to be aware of the concern of the crowd and were making an attempt to speed things along. Jake was wondering if they would make it in as well when one of the guards saw Dominic.
The guard was dressed like all of the rest in a metal breastplate with a raised image of a golden eagle, greaves over leather leggings, arms protected by chainmail and leather gauntlets, and an open-face metal helmet outlining his sweating face. He carried a shield strapped across his back and a sheathed heavy sword hanging from his belt. Unlike the others, he had a looped yellow cord hanging from his left shoulder. He pushed his way through the crowd back to where Dominic and Jake sat on Shadow's back and made a short bow.
"Good evening, Sir Dominic." The man said. "I'm Sergeant Jeffreys. If you will be patient, I will see if I can get you through this crowd."
"Only Dominic, Sergeant Jeffreys." Dominic replied, with a nod his head in acknowledgement of the bow. "I gave up that title years ago." Jeffreys bowed again.
Dominic gestured at the crowd. "Is there trouble in the area? I have never seen so many people trying to get into the city at once."
"More rumors than actual troubles." Jeffreys replied. "Did you hear about the patrol that encountered an Imp with some half-men to the south a week or so ago?" Dominic nodded. "Now, people see an Imp behind every tree. With all due respect to the king, I'm afraid his order to close the gates at night has only added to that sense of panic."
"Have you increased your patrols?" Dominic asked, frowning as he watched the nervous crowd.
"Yes, we send several patrols out each day, ensuring that we ride through the villages and towns so the people can see us doing it. We have also sent platoons of soldiers to stay in the remote villages to reassure the public. Yet, many