The ship ride to Zamsune was more grueling than the one to Minastav. The trip was twice the length and the seas were twice as rough. Nessa's good mood contrasted harshly with Galen's misery. He spent most of his time swallowing down vomit, hanging over the side of the railing. Nessa hopped around the deck and chatted to any available ear. Thuraya often had to pull her away from the poor soul she cornered. The first week, Galen thought she would lose steam, but she held strong for the entire three weeks. Another facet of Galen's misery was the cold seeping into his clothing despite his thick layers.
Arriving in Zimachi was different to both Muhitpol and Hadugrad, slush covered the ground and soldiers patrolled the city. Unlike the chaotic mess of the previous two ports, the conversations were hushed and there was an unknown order to the way everyone moved. Galen, Thuraya, and Nessa departed the ship with their luggage. Nessa almost slipped on an unseen patch of ice, so Thuraya swept the young girl up in her arms. A soldier greeted them at the end of the dock. The guards at Stolital wore full metal amour and carried a sword. This soldier wore a lightweight uniform, her hair was in a tight bun, and carried a reuûn'oard and a sword. The woman had no expression on her face and bore a rigid stance. The other passengers were greeted by their own soldiers, whose appearances where identical to the woman in front of Galen. Before the woman approached, Thuraya whispered to Nessa to stay quiet.
"Greetings, foreigners. Welcome to the beautiful country of Zamsune. I am Senior Officer Usoro. I will be your attending officer," Senior Officer Usoro said.
Galen looked at Thuraya curiously. He did not remember there being attending officers in Zamsune. Although, he admitted it had been a while since he had last visited. "Attending officer?"
"An attending officer will check up on you periodically to make sure you are upholding the principles of this country."
Thuraya glanced at Galen, alarmed. She cleared her throat, "Will you inform us of your visit beforehand?"
Usoro's lips twitched. "If you have prior knowledge of my visit, you will have time to hide evidence of misdoings. No, I will show up unannounced."
"What if we aren’t present?" Galen asked.
"I will search the house."
Thuraya said, "We don’t feel comfortable with this."
"You are guests in this country which means you have to follow the rules. Refusing to comply will result in your immediate removal from the country. If this is displeasing, you still have time to leave as your ship has not left."
Thuraya clicked her tongue. "No, we will obey your rules. Will you help us with our bags?"
Usoro smiled, "Affirmative, foreigner."
Galen rolled his eyes. "If we are going to see more of you, please call us by our names. I am Galen, she is Thuraya, and the little girl is Nessa."
"Affirmative, Galen."
Usoro followed behind the trio, carrying most of the group's bags. They arrived at the station without incident. The station was packed with people and had the bustling atmosphere that Zimachi failed to give. Usoro laid the bags on the ground, and fixed her gloves. Thuraya gave Galen Nessa and walked over to the information desk to look at what train they needed to take. She talked to the attendant, returning to the group with the tickets in hand.
She said, "Train 127 will take us to where we need to go. It boards in ten minutes."
Galen took his and Nessa's ticket from her. Senior Officer Usoro took out a piece of paper and a writing utensil, saying, "Give me your address. I will check up on you soon."
Thuraya wrote the address down. "How do you know that I'm writing the right house?"
Nessa gasped, "Why would you lie, Miss Thuraya?"
Usoro smiled, "It seems your child has been raised well. If you lie, I'll be forced to find you. You don't want me to find you."
Thuraya made an attempt at a smile when Usoro took the paper. She folded the paper and placed it into her front pocket. She saluted and marched away. Thuraya called, "Hey! Do you want to know your future?"
Multiple heads looked at her. Usoro stopped, but did not turn around. She called back, "Fortune telling is against regulation. I do not wish to anger the correctional officers."
Thuraya watched her retreating back. Galen grumbled, "Why do you have to say that all the time?"
"People's reactions are telling," Thuraya responded.
Nessa asked, "You can tell the future?"
Thuraya crouched down to look at her, "Yes, I can. Not many people can do it."
"Is it because you're an--" Thuraya covered Nessa's mouth.
She whispered, "Nessa, what have I told you about that word. You don't want to hurt somebody's feelings, do you?"
Galen crouched next to Thuraya, "Yes, we shouldn't say that."
Nessa removed Thuraya's hand and whispered back, "I'm sorry. I forgot."
Thuraya ruffled Nessa's hair. "It's okay, little star. Try to remember for me and Mister Galen."
Nessa nodded her head violently, "I'll remember. I promise."
Galen clutched Nessa's hand, "We should go to where our train boards."
Thuraya stood up and motioned with her hand, "Let's go."
The three of them lined up behind all the other passengers. Galen heard the train approaching as the rumble shook the station a tad. Nessa bounced on her feet, leaning forward to catch sight of the locomotive. The train honked its horn, the sound blaring through the station. A cloud of steam drew closer.
The steam train was the technological marvel of Zamsune. They had spread to the rest of Octaris, the great continent, but not many had the amount Zamsune did. Tracks crisscrossed the country, totaling almost thirty-five thousand miles. It was the fastest land transportation by far and cut down travel time drastically. Efficiency in the country increased as cargo could be transported quickly, and cities sprung up in even the most remote parts of the country.
The train squealed to a stop. Thuraya grabbed Nessa's other hand and lead her to their seat. Their luggage trailed behind them, carried on by a train steward. Galen lifted their bags into the overhand compartment. They let Nessa take the window seat. The train took off soon after. She excitedly looked out the window, watching the scenery pass.
"We're going so fast the trees are whooshing by!" Nessa said.
"They are. Nothing's faster than this," Galen remarked.
The rest of the train ride consisted of Nessa oohing and aahing at everything she saw out the window. Thuraya and Galen watched her silently, relaxing in the presence of her childish curiosity. Thuraya's house was not far away from Zimachi, so their stop was the first stop. However, it still took several hours to arrive. Halfway through the ride, Nessa had tired herself out and rested on Thuraya. Once they arrived at the station, Thuraya shook Nessa awake. The little girl blinked tiredly and leaned on Thuraya for support. Thuraya left Galen to bring the bags. He struggled to carry them all, but he eventually piled them on in a way that allowed him to bear the weight of the luggage.
They exited the train, stopping to think about their next step. Galen asked, "How far away is your house?"
Thuraya inspected a map that was pinned to one of the station walls. "Um, it should be a twenty-minute walk from here." She glanced at the bags at Galen's feet. "We might be able to get a coach if you don't want to carry the bags."
Galen softly kicked one of them. "I can carry them if you'll help. If not, I want the coach."
Thuraya gestured to Nessa, who had fallen back asleep. "I have to support her, so I can't carry too many. I can grab one or two."
Galen said, "Let's take the coach."
"Alright."
Galen shouldered the weight of the bags again. They walked to the entrance of the station and waited to see if a coach would arrive. They heard the clopping of the horse hooves advance toward them. The driver came into view and he stopped in front of them.
"Need a ride?" he asked.
"Do you take silver?" Thuraya replied.
"Yes, ma'am."
Thuraya and Nessa climbed into the back with the luggage. Galen slid in next to the driver. The driver tipped his hat. "Where am I going?"
Galen rattled off the address and the driver started the coach. They arrived at the house quickly, unloading the cart and paying the driver. Thuraya had Nessa on her back and rustled through one of her bags for the keys. Galen stared at the small cottage. He said, "This is the house."
"This is the house," Thuraya confirmed, "It's homely but will suit our purposes."
She jingled the keys and walked to the front door. Galen followed behind her.
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