Bitpos Valley was not how the books and pictures described. Instead of a lush green carpet stretching along the valley, the boys were met with a lake of murky water, its muddy brown surface pierced every now and then by the skeletal claw of a tree branch.

"Why is the area like this?" Oré asked, confused. He continued down the path until he was thigh-deep in water, then turned around to face Enkerai "I may have never been to Bitpos, but books, lessons, and maps never spoke about the city being surrounded by a lake or moat."

"We've had a lot of rain this rainy season, maybe that's what it is," Enkerai suggested. He distinctly remembered heavy rains interfering with his shepherding duties, although this did seem excessive. "Do you think the town's okay?"

"Bitpos is a fortress, it's on a hill," Ore assured him with a smile, "The city itself flooding should be out of the question. The communication tower should be fine."

"And the rain wouldn't affect the tower right?"

"It's survived some pretty bad storms in the past, we shouldn't worry," Ore sploshed back to dry land, "We just need a way across."

"Well, I can't swim," Enkerai laughed slinging his staff onto his shoulders behind his head, "So a raft of some sort should do the job. Shall we have a look around for some materials?"

"Sounds like a plan, but we should hurry," Ore said squeezing the water from the ends of his shorts, "Night is on its way."

Any fears about time that Oré had were unwarranted since, after about half an hour of searching for suitable wood, the boys happened across a patch of good fortune. Not far from the path they found a small canoe. It was a battered and rugged with flaking yellow paint and the name "River Racer."

"It looks like the One is watching over us today," Oré closed his eyes and rested his hand on his heart.

"Well tell him to keep watching," Enkerai said grasping one end and dragging it towards the water, "I wonder if it belongs to that man we met earlier."

"Hmm," Oré held his chin, "Maybe we should leave it then?"

"Well we're just borrowing it, we'll return it here," Enkerai said, and hopped in, "Now come on, what are you waiting for?"

By the time Enkerai and Oré waded by the entrance to Bitpos it was late in the evening and the sun had begun to sink gently below the mountains, adorning the valley in a blanket of warm colours. Bitpos city could be seen squatting on a small hill, a walled fortress of grey stone and sparkling windows. In its centre a Communication tower rose into the sky, metal on metal, creating an intricate web, broken only by round discs placed in various locations along the tower's length.

"Nothing like a good sunset to frame your end goal," Enkerai said and raised his fist for Oré to bump his own against.

"We'll pull over right there," Oré nodded to the bank to their right and then proceeded to paddle their borrowed canoe in that direction.

The pair stopped paddling as they approached the edge of the murky stream near where a submerged path left the water. There they hopped out of the dilapidated canoe and onto solid ground, their shoes sinking deep into the waterlogged soil.

"Ew..." Enkerai moaned, struggling to lift his foot out of the mire, "it's even worse than the other side."

"Well, at least it's not pig manure..." Oré said and started up the path, "Imagine having to walk through heaps of pig manure every morning, as thick as this mud right here."

"Okay, okay," Enkerai said trudging after his friend, "I get it, I'll stop moaning."

The hill was shrouded with a thick fog that pervaded the surrounding area, it was cold and despite Enkerai's jacket, its icy grip still reached his skin. Enkerai could just about see Ore and struggled to make out the path, let alone the city as they made their way up. However high up above the fog, the communications tower stood, a proud and silent sentinel among the mist. As such, it was not until they reached the city's welcome sign that Oré noticed that something was wrong.

"Enkerai," Oré called from ahead.

"Uhuh?" Enkerai responded, distracted. He had noticed a leech making its way up the back of his calf and casually peeled it off and threw it in the direction of Oré's face. Oré shrieked and flicked it aside before it could reach him.

"Enkerai!" Oré continued pointing upwards, "Doesn't the tower look at bit off to you?"

Enkerai tilted his head up towards the towering structure, "Maybe. Something doesn't seem to sit quite right."

"In books and newspapers, they always point straight up," Oré said squinting with one eye shut, "This one looks like it leans to the side."

"I suppose you're right..." Enkerai said, "That is peculiar."

After walking about half a mile more they approached the city gates.

But the city gates were gone.