Beyond

Day 19

Haiv stepped up to the entrance to the city. Up close, he could finally see the detail in color and texture on the walls of the buildings. Many bore painted images of people, animals, and nature. The colors were stunning and rich, but the style was unlike anything Haiv had ever seen. The figures were very simple and the limbs contorted so all four could be represented on the canvas. Each human or animal was represented in profile with one large pointed eye. The pictures were a little creepy, if Haiv was being honest. Beautiful, but disturbing.

The buildings themselves were of varying sizes. The entrance to the city was an enormous colonnade that stood at least six stories tall. Haiv walked beneath the roof, staring in wonder at the ceiling. Souls, the ceiling was painted too. How did people get up there? Past the columns, the street opened into a large square surrounded by large box-shaped buildings that had two or three levels. Some had signs out front with strange markings on them. Haiv hadn't thought that these people might speak a different language.

Where were the people anyway? There was no one wandering the streets. Only the mist skipped through the plaza like a child set loose on a grassy field. Haiv shuffled cautiously closer to one of the buildings. Surely this entire city could not be empty. There had to be someone here, right?

He peered through a window on the first floor. Inside were wooden tables with mismatched chairs. A stone counter sat on one side with empty bottles and mugs strewn haphazardly across the top. A few people, both men and women, sat around tables drinking and laughing. Haiv grinned. It was a pub. Haiv's kind of people.

Haiv pushed open the door.

Conversation died immediately. Every eye in the place turned to look at him.

Haiv raised a hand. "Uh...hello," he said, taken aback. One by one, the pub's patrons returned to their drinks, but the conversation remained hushed and conspiratorial.

Was it the chains? Haiv wondered as he made his way toward the bar. The metal clattered against the cement floor, drowning out the quiet discussions happening at the different tables. The manacles were more than restraining. They were a symbol of dependence, servitude, and lower status. There was a chance the bartender wouldn't even serve Haiv a drink. Tenders in Rayshar certainly wouldn't.

But the man standing behind the counter looked at Haiv through bloodshot eyes and bushy eyebrows and asked, "What do you want?"

So they did speak Unkarran here. Haiv leaned one elbow on the bar, trying to look older than he was and replied, "What do you have?"

"Beer."

"That's it?"

The man nodded. "Or fish."

Haiv's stomach growled and he remembered he still hadn't eaten in days. "I'll take both."

While the bartender fetched his order, Haiv looked around at the other people. They all appeared very...well, drunk. But not the usual loud and tipsy kind of drunk. These people looked drunk. Their eyes were red, their cheeks swollen and puffy, their hair wiry, and their skin blotchy. Haiv wondered if these patrons ever left the bar.

"Payment?" The bartender said.

Haiv looked up. "Huh? Oh..." He patted his pockets and found the candy he'd stolen at the warf in Rayshar more than two weeks ago. In the other pocket was the rest of the coin necklace. He pulled that out and offered it to the man.

Those bushy white eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "We don't take that here. Only trade goods."

"You don't take money?" Haiv held the necklace up and examined it. It was real alright. He'd taken it right off the neck of a stuffy man as he'd been climbing into his carriage.