Chapter 16: New Visitors
A gleaming white-and-gold carriage rolled toward the gates of Elowen, its polished wheels kicking up faint trails of dust. The horses — sleek, high-bred, and clearly not meant for backwater roads — snorted impatiently as the village came into view.
Inside the carriage, Thalen Durei, junior tax registrar of the Southern Grain Province, leaned lazily against the silk-lined window with a bored expression.
"Let's get this over with," he muttered, flipping through a parchment. "Population count: under sixty. Last recorded tithe: none. Not even worth a ledger."
Beside him, Sister Lysaria of the Church of Radiant Dawn sat with her hands folded, eyes half-closed in silent prayer.
But as the carriage rolled past the final bend, both of them stirred.
The view that opened before them was... wrong.
Fields of green stretched in neat rows along the hillsides. Thin irrigation trenches glinted with running water under the sun. Baskets of rice and wheat sat beside storehouses, and at the center of the village, laughter echoed as children ran barefoot between shaded awnings.
The streets were swept. The roofs were repaired. The villagers - not gaunt and half-mad with drought - stood well-fed and sun-touched, chatting and carrying baskets filled with herbs, root vegetables, even bundles of cloth.
Thalen sat upright.
"...Impossible."
Lysaria pressed a hand to the carriage window, her breath catching slightly.