Rise of the astrolites

⛤ chapter two ⛤

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the shop was filled with antique items. Skaeya ​​walked past the shelves filled with pretty things. a beautiful gold chain caught her eye. "Isn't it beautiful?" said a voice suddenly from behind. Skaeya ​​turned abruptly and came face to face with an old man in his sixties. the man had a round kind face and a well-trimmed gray beard. Skaeya ​​nodded languidly. not quite sure how to answer. "It costs 65 keshaisil coins," said the old man. Skaeya ​​raised a brow in confusion, not quite understanding he was talking about the necklace. ''The golden necklace, its 65 keshaisil coins'' she felt a bit stupid and shook her head ''No no, sorry I can not afford that, am actually here to sell something'' Skaeya ​​apologized. the gray-haired man laughed. "You don't have to apologize, what do you want to sell?" he asked. Skaeya ​​reached into her pocket and pulled out a cloth which she unrolled, revealing a beautiful purple amethyst. the man reached out and took it carefully from skaeya's hand, not wanting to damage anything and looked at it searchingly. ''8 keshaisil coins'' said the old man. Skaeya ​​shook her head knowing she can get more for the amethyst. The man looked at the purple crystal again, debating if he should raise his offer. Skaeya ​​looked around as the man pondered.

The store was a big mess she noticed. many of the cabinets seemed to be falling apart.
''12 keshaisil coins, I won't go any higher,'' the man said suddenly making Skaeya ​​turn back to the man. it was even more than she hoped. "Deal," she replied, after which the man turned and walked further into the store towards the counter. Skaeya ​​followed quickly behind him. he pulled out 12 keshisail coins and shoved them towards Skaeya. "It was nice doing business with you, young lady," the man said as Skaeya ​​pocketed the coins. she smiled at the old gray man before turning around and walking away, ready to leave the store.

She opened the door and was almost straight away at the market. She only needed to cross the road and she would be there. many people walked the square which was filled with sales stalls. horses and wagons trotted across the roads with crates full of items. She crossed the road into the square and kept going straight. Skaeya ​​walked past a fruit stand and grabbed a red apple unnoticed from one of the crates of fruit. she took a big bite out of the juicy sweet apple and kept walking along. the sun was burning bright despite it being autumn. most of the leaves had fallen off the trees that were now almost or completely bare.

Skaeya ​​was on her way home after a long day of work. luckily she had enough coins for the rental costs and soon also got her earned coins from work. Tyh and her wouldn't have to worry so much about the cost of everything for the first time in years. She could keep a little aside and save it up for when they desperately needed it. Skaeya ​​has never had so less worries since her parent passed away. she finally felt like a sixteen-year-old with no pressure on her shoulder.
She arrived at her lodgings and pushed the door open, wandering in.

She went straight to the room on the right side where the old woman who rented out the place lived. Skaeya ​​knocked on the door which was soon swung open. "What do you want?" asked the older aged woman gruffly. She was certainly not happy to be disturbed this late in the afternoon. Skaeya ​​didn't reply to her question. she just smiled kindly as she shoved 10 keshaisil coins into the woman's hands and walked away. Tyh came down and waited on the last step of the stairs. ''And? how much did you get for the amethyst?" he asked genuinely curious. skaeya took the last two coins out of her pocket. "I gave the rest of the coins to mrs. Abadiue for the rent," Skaeya replied. they would travel together towards the town of Athestead today. Tyh gave Skaeya a brown leather bag that is already worn out.

Together they walked towards the outer edge of town where the village stables were located. the stables were crammed with horses. they could hardly turn or walk.
They walked towards a young man about Tyh's age. he had black hair and a tan skin. Skaeya threw two keshaisil coins at him which he caught with ease. ''the chestnut mare with the big blaze tied to the post,'' he called after them as the two walked towards the horses. the mare was already completely saddled. she had two different eye colors one of which was blue, the other was a hazel brown. she looked exhausted from overworking but  also friendly. Tyh untied the mare from the post. he held out his hand to help his sister get on. she gave him a grateful smile and mounted the horse. followed by Tyh who sat on the back of the horse. "Walk on," Skaeya said to the horse, gently pressing her heels against the mare's belly.

The hooves of the noble beast clattered over the stones as they took the path away from the village. Tyh looked around. fields of grains and flowers lay everywhere. farther on you could see the tops of the pine trees. he held his sister tight to keep his balance. "Couldn't we have two horses?" he whined, making Skaeya laugh.
he knew very well they didn't have enough to pay for it. the sun was starting to go under hiding behind the trees, it wasn't really safe to travel in the dark but they had little choice.
Skaeya trotted on with the horse. when they came to a fork they turned left. the path took them into the woods. they'd stay on the main path in the woods. it may have been a longer route, but robbers were hardly ever there. they drove past a large oak tree. Skaeya recognized him among thousands and knew she was about to reach Itadon. It was a small village on the route towards Athestead.

It had been a year since she had left Flester. Skaeya used to go to Athestead every year with things she's collected over the years. often they came back with around 7 keshaisil coins to buy more luxery food from. Athestead was one of the largest ports in Keshaisil, so many people came to buy or sell things. it was one of the most beautiful cities she has seen, but nothing will be more beautiful than Zurgh in her opinion. 

Athestead was finally in sight. large buildings could be seen ahead. Tyh looked over her shoulder at the great port city. "We're almost there, tyh," Skaeya called back. ''I'm not blind, see how big that city is'' Skaeya rolled her eyes. Wagons drove in and out of the big city. they would sell their stuff and then go straight home. if they were lucky they could get home before midnight. the chestnut mare strode on fiercely.

They arrived at the square of the city where many people were. it was very busy and there was shouting everywhere. it was much busier than in Flester, hundreds of people walked here, perhaps more. both got off the mare. they sat down in a street along the square where many people walked to enter or leave the square. Tyh laid out all the trinkets for sale while Skaeya walked off with the horse to a far end where there was a pole and a trough of water for a horse. she tied the chestnut mare with the big blaze to the post and stood there. a little further she saw Tyh sitting talking to a man who was looking at their stuff they were selling. eventually Tyh gave him a watch they found once and got some keshaisil coins in return.
She walked back to Tyh. "I can see that it works fine by itself." tyh looked up proudly and replied "Yeah, I don't need your help" Skaeya grinned.

 The idea that this boy was still thirteen sometimes surprised her. because of everything he was much more mature than other children his age, although he also has his moments where he is really annoying. ''You can do that, but I'll stick with it for a while and then I'll go to the market later'' Tyh nodded satisfied. she knew how much Tyh was trying to help. most boys his age already worked in factories or other places, but Skaeya never felt comfortable with the idea. when you are fourteen you can go to work, she had told him. that was less than a year before he could. she couldn't keep him on a leash all the time, she knew that. eventually Tyh will argue with her too. she is his sister once, not his mother. she didn't want to break the bond they now had with each other. otherwise she would have told him not to work until he was 16. Skaeya herself started working at the age of seven on a farm.

"Thank you," Tyh suddenly said, waking Skaeya up from her thoughts. she saw a woman and a man walk away and Tyh put a coin in his pocket. he must have sold something upon seeing two more items gone.

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