As Annan followed Dade to Harbor to meet the Druids, with the vast sea ahead and sprawling farmland behind, he realized there was another reason he had overlooked.
The Ratfolk and Demons were in the Northern Frontier.
The shadows of childhood stayed with a person for life, shaping who they would become.
Annan was much the same. Ever since he had been forced to abandon Star-Moon Bay, ever since the land he once called home had fallen, an unseen unease had driven him onward.
That was why he was so eager to develop Free City, and why he put such deep faith in its walls.
Middle Earth seemed immensely powerful. The Empire alone stood like an insurmountable wall. The Ratfolk and Demons had no hope of breaking through. Even if the sky fell, someone taller would hold it up—
An optimist saw the tall people. A pessimist saw the falling sky. Annan wanted to become one of the tall people himself.
By the time Annan and Dade reached Harbor, a merchant ship from Wilhelm had just docked.
Annan searched the Druids disembarking for familiar faces. He had never met many of them, but fortunately, he spotted someone he knew.
"Serana, it's been a long time." Annan looked at the petite deerfolk bathed in a gentle glow.
"It has." Serana bent her hoofed legs slightly. "We heard what happened to you in Wilhelm. I'm sorry."
"It's all right. It's in the past." Annan smiled and glanced at the eight or nine Druids behind her. "I see some new faces. Where are Treebeard and Gema?"
"They're punishing some human lords in the East. When they received your invitation, they sent us."
"Thank you. Please, come with me."
Annan gave the Druids behind her a friendly nod, but none returned it.
Crowded Free