In Search Of Answers Draft 1 #amwriting

The World was deserted almost as far as the eye could see, save for the Wolf Flower brambles which covered every inch of ground, and grew as tall as the girl's chest. The Waste, as the region was known, was impenetrable thanks to the deadly toxins contained in the sap of the petrified plants - only someone with Kora's skills would have been able to move through this valley and survive. She had been travelling for six weeks now, and her only company, save for the plants, was the occasional mob of Smallhawks, like the ones hovering expectantly over head now, noisily encouraging her to part the scrub and allow them access to the tasty vermin which scurried oblivious to the danger waiting.

It was late in the afternoon and although there was a chill wind in the air, the sun was warm on her back, and she still had the cloak that Olwyn had given her. A tatty looking thing now the material was mostly patches over patches, held together with little more than hope. Kora wrapped it tightly around her slender frame as much for comfort as warmth.

The dry earth squeaked and crunched beneath her feet, and the Wolf Flower branches groaned like rusted hinges on long forgotten doors as they parted, leading her toward the town coming in to view on the horizon. She could see them now - the multi-coloured mishmash of buildings on the horizon. She had been warned of the dangers. No one could tell her what kind of reception she might receive here - a young women travelling alone, she may not be safe; almost certainly she wouldn't have been safe at home, but she continued on, compelled. The answers she was seeking, must surely be here somewhere. What had happened to make these people forsake her Home, leaving it to the dust? Why had they broken the agreement? Why had no contact been made and what would it take to rekindle the much needed relationship?

She didn't increase her pace now as the buildings drew closer. 'I'm just out for a stroll' she reassured herself, The wind was blowing her dark hair across her face in time with the waves she could now see breaking on the shore. She hugged the cloak a little closer, taking in deep breaths of the cool air as she tried to calm her frantic heart. She could make out details on the buildings now. The town stretched out long and thin along the coast, buildings reaching up to the sky. It seemed that she had found the far end of the town, with more buildings to her left than to her right. She was grateful for this accidental twist of fortune. Although she had ostensibly grown up in the Capital at home, the though of walking into the midst of a bustling metropolis in this unknown land had made her very uneasy. This way, she would hopefully be able to identify someone in authority all the sooner, so that she could begin her return journey and get back to some kind of normality.

There were as many as ten floors to some of the narrow structures. They looked like the clay building blocks the children played with at home, precariously balanced, leaning against each other for support. There were narrow gaps between some of the structures, giving Kora her first glimpse of the Lake she had heard about in her history lessons, but had never thought actually existed. And yet, to all intents and purposes, that was what she was seeing. A vast expanse of rippling, mirrored, blue.

She took another steadying breath, shifted her bag on her shoulder, and moved forward.