After asking Svanda how much longer there was left for the umpteenth time, Nina decided to give up and simply wait for their destination to appear. What had seemed like an entire day had in truth been not even half of that, and being regularly informed of their slow progress did nothing but further frustrate her. She’d even tried to sleep a little more to pass the time, but despite the unnaturally smooth ride, rest proved to be elusive. At least both Saela and Svanda seemed to have the same issue, although they rarely traded words which often left the atmosphere rather awkward. Thankfully, their conversations with Nina had been better. She’d asked a few questions about both their surroundings and their destination, and the responses had been surprisingly informative. Svanda had provided most of the answers, although Saela occasionally added finer details. Only once had they disagreed upon something, and the resulting tension had been thick enough to cut with a knife until Nina had changed the subject.

Currently they were traveling through what was simply known as the mountains. It wasn’t as descriptive as the less commonly used term ‘The Old Frontier’, but it wasn’t exactly hard to mistake the towering peaks of earth and stone for anything else. Nina didn’t know if there were other similar ranges elsewhere, but she had learned that these mountains at least formed the nucleus of what was Terminus today. As for why it was sometimes called The Old Frontier, Svanda told her that it was because the mountain region was the location of the initial settlements where everything on the plate began. Access to water, timber, and most importantly ore, however, had sparked a bitter and bloody feud between miners which had eventually given birth to the clan system that had survived up to today. Not that there were many similarities between the hierarchies of then and now. Centuries of mergers and annexations within the clan system had slowly morphed the land into a melting pot of war-driven industry, and only as recently as a few hundred years ago had things begun to settle.

The catalyst which had ground the clan warfare to a halt was, of course, the rise of the surrounding territories. After the rapidly developing fringe settlements of Southstone, East Terminus, and the Westworks aligned themselves under a single government, the clans suddenly found that they had more pressing concerns. Not only was the modern Terminus attracting swathes of citizens who were happy to cast off their archaic clan-system shackles, unprecedented hordes of new arrivals were also descending onto the plate to steadily swell their numbers.

Apprehensive over the future and desperate to protect their traditional clan values, the bickering factions within the mountains had eventually been forced to call an uneasy truce.

“They still don’t like each other though,” Svanda mused as she stared out the window at the passing scenery. Her eyes followed the rows of thin wooden stakes which lined the slopes, dense clumps of thick green vines causing the wires which ran between them to sag. Cloudroot was a staple on the mountains, although it generally ended up on the plates of the less fortunate. Named for the fact that they were drawn aboveground to grow at a faster rate underneath the turbulent skies above, they were notoriously bland despite their nutritional reputation. Not fit for the qualified families, Nina had been told, although the qualified families were yet another concept that she was still struggling to wrap her head around.

“And you’re from one of these families, right?” Nina asked. If she had understood correctly, each clan was made up of many families which all jostled for their own positions within. Except for one, that was, as the main family was always the head of the clan. The Daerx Clan was led by the Daerx family, and the numerous branch families and commoners who were fanned out below them were positioned so that they would never be able to reach the top. The best talent and resources were always brought within the central fold to prevent that, of course, a process which was usually facilitated through marriage or exorbitant payments. Either way, the Daerx Clan had gripped onto their lands for centuries, while the other clans around them had done the same. Nina wondered if they would still be fighting if it wasn’t for the surrounding government bonding them together in their uneasy truce, but that was a question that they could only ever speculate over.

“Yeah, all head and branch families are qualified,” Svanda replied with a sigh. “It’s useful, I guess. Not that there’s any joy in returning though, I’d rather be just about anywhere else.”

Nina refrained from pushing further on the sensitive subject as they cruised along the road, the meandering curves slowly bringing them higher up the slopes as they went. Redcold Clan territory, Nalhne Clan territory, and finally Ahgat Clan territory all fell behind them before Svanda softly declared that she was home. On home soil at least, as the Daerx Clan’s lands were a sprawling stretch of slopes which even included a few of the peaks which towered high above them. Nina hadn’t asked what the balance of power was like between the clans, but she’d been able to make her own assumptions based on what she’d seen so far. They’d naturally skirted around the main settlements which were run by the other clans out of caution, but their relative prosperity had naturally bled into the surrounding lands. Nina’s conclusion hadn’t been difficult to reach either because the steady increase in apparent wealth was rather obvious. If the Redcold Clan’s territory on the fringes had been a lacklustre grouping of valewood forests and cloudroot plantations, the Aghat Clan’s levelled farms and heavy machinery had been in a completely different class.

Proximity to the centre of the region was clearly an indication of power, and the Daerx Clan was right there in the thick of it.

Despite the conclusion, Nina was torn by what she felt was contradictory. The increase in affluence as they ascended was obvious, but it was also partnered by what she could have described as a journey into hostility. Sweeping forests of blue had been steadily replaced by hulking grey crags of stone, while neat and organized farms had given way to well-worn structures of steel and concrete. The fact that they were also climbing closer towards the angry swirl of dark clouds that blanketed the sky didn’t help either, while intermittent strikes of lightning onto the shrouded peaks capped off the surprisingly bleak setting.

“This isn’t how I imagined it,” Saela murmured, echoing Nina’s thoughts.

“This isn’t how anyone imagines it,” Svanda replied, not surprised at all by the comment. “It’s nicer than it looks though, I promise. Working conditions are good, and the infrastructure provided is also some of the best in the mountains. Honest work, but rewarding.”

Nina frowned at Svanda’s explanation, but hid it by staring out the window. What Svanda said made enough sense, but it also sounded a little too similar to life on Caecus for her liking. Employee benefits, bonuses, and ‘better conditions than most’ were all words that were often thrown out there by management, but Nina knew that ultimately they were just a tool to keep the workers complacent. Sure she had been lucky enough to climb far enough up the ladder to be clear of that pile in her previous corporate life, but it had also left her in a position where the magnitude of difference between the top and the bottom was all that much clearer.

This, it seemed, wasn’t all that different.

“We’ll head straight for Daerx,” Svanda continued. “It’s the clan’s largest settlement, and also the seat of power. When we get there, follow instructions. Don’t try anything stupid, because even I won’t be able to save you if you do.”

Nina nodded in a weak response to Svanda’s statement. Follow instructions? Wasn’t this just a town? Surely they would be free to roam and do as they pleased while Svanda organized whatever business she needed. Jade and Aline’s warnings resurfaced in her mind, however, and she started to wonder just what exactly was so stressful. Nobody had ever filled her in on any specifics because Jade and Aline themselves didn’t know, while Trim was reluctant to talk. It was understandable considering that they wouldn’t have ever imagined her needing the information, but now she was frighteningly short on details. The thin frown that she saw on Saela’s face suggested that she also felt the same way, and so all that she could do was simply take a deep breath and then ask.

“Why does everyone hate coming here so much? Is there something that we need to know before we get out of the car?”

Silence hung in the air as the car glided towards the noticeably larger settlement in the distance, lights from a countless number of different buildings dotting the grey slopes. Above it, the mountain raised sharply in elevation, fingers of stone jutting out from a cliff face which soared upwards like a tidal wave ready to wash the people away. There was a pleasant lack on industry here, Nina thought, although it made sense. As usual, the heavy plants and factories were situated away from the residential area, the thick black exhausts which poured from their smokestacks mingling with the clouds above. How luxurious the living conditions were so high up on the mountains was something that she was eager to find out, but her thoughts remained distracted by the pensive expression that Svanda wore.

“Things are… strict,” Svanda said, her eyes focused on the town before them. “The difference in treatment between classes is a bit hard to get used to, and if you don’t follow the system, you’ll be punished. It’s unfair, really, but things are the same within all the clans, not just Daerx.”

“That’s it?” Saela asked with a frown. “Well it shouldn’t be a problem for us because we’re with you, right? Aren’t you the highest?”

“I am,” Svanda said with a small nod before frowning. “But you aren’t.”