Snippet from Story

The day the royal carriage arrived for Moses and Father Peters was a blustering, snowy day in December. The wind was fierce and icy cold, and snow drifts were piling up on the roads. The two white mares that were harnessed to the carriage looked incredibly strong, and they were nickering and bowing their heads as Moses and Father Peters entered the beautiful gold carriage. The inside of the carriage was extremely luxurious, with red velvet upholstered seats and cherry-wood arm rests. A bronze radiator hung from its ceiling, which made the carriage very warm. They set off at a brisk pace and the horses somehow didn’t seem to be bothered the least bit by the snow drifts. Moses was wearing his black hooded mask over his tailored suit and coat, and the Father was wearing a great woolen coat over his tunic. The trip to the capital took a total of two days. After trekking through the snowy Meliandra Mountains on the first day, they spent the night in a fine hotel in a small town called Buckerton, where they were given the finest suites. Moses fell asleep as soon as his head touched the downy pillow, and he dreamed dreams of the capital and the king. The second day’s journey was much shorter, as they entered the Capital at dusk. As they drove along the road surrounded by the rocky, barren, dry steppe of the Outer Country, suddenly the Capital came into view. It was situated in a huge, lush valley right along the grand Veganda River, which shone a deep shade of blue as it gently flowed to the West, where the sun was setting. The sun looked huge, Moses thought, like a giant orange sponge soaked through with light, and that light was spilling onto the river and onto the great gold towers of the Capital. Upon beholding this sight, Moses was close to tears. “Father Shepherd is in that sun,” he thought. “I can feel his warmth in it, and see the luminousness of his eyes. He is leading me on toward my destiny, I know it.” And then the carriage began its descent into the valley.