(BEST VIEWED FULL SIZE!) Over the next week and a half, Aranée became less and less familiar with the territory: She had never been this far west, nor had she ever spoken to anyone who had come this far. Conversely, Galen became more and more confident as time went on, and she eventually dropped back and let him take the lead. She was almost completely recovered from her bout with deadly sepsis, and the annoying itch was a good sign that her wounds were responding to Galen's ministrations and were healing nicely. Still, she was glad they were leading a string of captured horses weighted down with salvaged goods, armor and weapons as it forced them to maintain a pace that did not tax her healing body. The Aeritan Forest eventually gave way to a more lightly wooded terrain, and then a grassy plain, and finally vast marshy grassland interspersed with rocky outcroppings. After the longest journey she had undertaken, they were at last standing on the banks of the Lonesh River, the traditional boundary between the Disputed Lands and the western lands beyond. The river was swollen from seasonal rains high up in the Packran Mountains, and it took them nearly two hours to find a place to safely ford it. With a woodsman's expert eye, she examined the sky and the cloud-wreathed mountains to the north. Clearly, river crossings here would be touch and go for the next month or so, and then the river would be completely impassable for the winter season. The grassy lands and windswept plains were breathtakingly beautiful, but the openness was disconcerting to her. After several more days of travel, the land became sparsely wooded with occasional grassy meadows, terrain far more to her liking. Then, nearly four weeks from the day they had started, they rode to the edge of the forest in the waning sunlight and looked down into a vast fertile tilled valley below. Her breath catching in her throat, she saw a sprawling sparkling city, the largest community she had ever seen. And rising from the center were the magnificent parapets of a fortified castle. She stood in awe, taking it all in. With amused, twinkling eyes, Galen broke her silent reverie. "This is it, we are here Aranée. Welcome to Jobil City." --- TO BE CONTINUED! View the series in numbered sequence to get the entire story. It may not look it, but this scene has been planned for a very long time now! My good Rendo friend Janice Dunne (jandunne) is an accomplished artist with fractals, TerraGen and Paintshop and enthusiastically agreed to build the background for this scene. You can always tell how good a friend is by how patient they are with you - well we first talked about this nearly a year ago and she delivered the image in DECEMBER LOL! Jan, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. Folks, stop by her gallery and give her a nice word or two. PLEASE leave a comment, praise or constructive criticism, I REALLY value your opinions. They mean a great deal to me and give me the energy to continue! Image and story © 2009 by Larry Hodge