VENAROM- remnants of a hidden past.

Chapter 22: Miriam Is Back!

Pale green bushes swayed in the wind, and the air was filled with the scent of moist soil. There stood a small village in the center of the dense forest like an oyster in a deep sea. It was surrounded by a short brick wall on every side. There were trenches around the wall to ward off wild animals.

The village looked simple but it held a strange feel to it. There were mud houses built in a messy way, and the few brick houses that were there stood like mansions compared to their impoverished surroundings.

Zaria's group galloped towards the shabby wooden gate of the village and Zan talked to the two young men standing guard. His voice was inaudible but Zaria could see them looking suspiciously at the lion. Then they nodded to something Zan said and him a paper.

He returned to Zaria and handed her the paper he received from the guards. "Here take this certificate," Zan said handing over a piece of paper to Zaria. "It's to certify that the Lion is harmless."

"There was such a certificate?" Zaria asked doubtfully.

Zan nodded. "There are a few people in Aerona who tame wild animals to act as guards. This certificate was created for them."

Zaria nodded and put the certificate in her bag. The guards opened the door and Zan led the group into the village. There was a band of people singing songs and carols. The kids were running around merrily. The aroma of delicious food drifted in the air making Zaria's stomach grumble. She looked at the stalls wondering whether Zan would let her have it now. The women were chatting boisterously. It was more than noisy. 'Is it the festival or are they normally this happy?' She thought.

They made their way through the crowd of villagers and entered the marketplace. Though the scene changed the crowd did not dissolve. There were many things for sale ranging from weapons to ornaments and other such stuff.

"Let's get to business." Saying this Zan dismounted his horse walked towards a stall that had all kinds of weapons. There were other stalls selling weapons but this one was bigger. All of Zaria's group members started their job. Some were asking the price while others were checking the quality of the weapons. There were a few who were trying to bargain. Zaria looked around nervously. She knew nothing about the currency of this place. Taking a deep breath she picked up a small dagger and pulled it out of its sheath. She ran her finger on its cool metallic surface. It calmed her and just when she was about to put it down she was face to face with the shopkeeper.

"Hello sir, what are you looking for?" He asked in a happy tone. Zaria was shocked by this encounter as she was not expecting it. "Just say it. I have everything here. Are you good with daggers? This is the finest one of all." He twirled a sheathed dagger in his fingers. "You can test it if you want." Zaria was starting to get annoyed. She wanted to away from this guy. "It's lightweight and easy to handle..." The man continued.

"Uh- actually, you know I'll just take a look at the other stalls and return." Saying this she excused herself. Once out of the place she relaxed. 'Shopkeepers in America are the best. No, malls are the best.' She thought to herself.

Making a mental note to 'not touch anything unnecessarily' she moved on to the next stall. As she looked at the weapons Zaria's eyes landed on a weapon which resembled her own mysterious bow and arrow she got from the antique shop.

"What is this?" Zaria asked the shopkeeper.

"It's a weapon from the time of the previous king, it's something the royals used. And there are only 3 in existence. Two of them have the King's mark and one, has the queens." The shopkeeper said. "So will you buy it?"

"Wait a moment," Zaria said as she called out to Zan who was shopping at the nearby weapon stall.

Zan came forward holding a parcel in his hand.