Chronicles of Carnezia (Book 3): Rocks and Sand

Chapter 3: Sands of Dest

Chapter 3: Sands of Dest

            This city was very different to those I had seen since coming here. With the weather never changing, the people here wore very strange clothing; the men covered everything from the waist down. The women and children wore very baggy dresses and tunics or wide leather bands. Another feature, this time one I liked a lot more, was that the woman had braided or plaited hair which they each had fashioned in a different way. It was a very strange place indeed. The houses were formed of mud and straw as well as the sandstone of the walls; they seemed to merge together as though they had been built together when the city was made long ago.

            ‘How old is this place?’ I asked Ky as we made our way through the crowds.

            ‘Old, though not as old as Dracona. Compared to there, this is relatively new. Why?’

            ‘Oh, just wondering. Have you been here before?’

            ‘Nope, but we should find somewhere to stay,’ he suggested. ‘Wait here.’

            ‘Very well.’ I waited by a pile of empty baskets and wooden crates and watched him wander off. It was while I sat there that I heard people muttering to my right. There were three women whispering between themselves. I listened closer without drawing attention to myself; that was when I realised I could not understand a word they said. It had never occurred to me that the people in Carnezia could speak in other languages and it was rather fascinating. I then noticed I had been staring a little and someone was staring back at me. It was a little girl, possibly a daughter to one of the women I had been listening to. Kindly smiling, I gave her a small wave forgetting I only had a strap top on. Seeing the ends of my tattoo, she trundled over and looked into my eyes. Her mother did not like it and pulled her back by the wrist, telling her off in whatever language she used. It would seem that wherever I went, I would somehow draw attention to myself without ever meaning to. Luckily for me, I was soon distracted.

            ‘Carly, come on.’

            Seeing Ky through the people, I stood up and went over to him. ‘Thank you. I have a funny feeling I might have got into some trouble.’

            ‘When are you ever not in trouble?’ he asked rhetorically. He led me off down the street and we came to a rather tall building with holes for windows and only shutters to block out the light. We went inside and all I could do was let Ky sort us out. More surprising was that he could speak the same language as the people of Dest and I was fascinated to find out how. I tried to make sense of it but the language was very throaty and harsh to the ears.

            We left our stuff in a room and headed back outside. Ky had suggested I cover up my arm decoration but I refused to hide who I was, even here. However, it did not matter since I had no idea where to start or what to look out for.

            ‘So, do they only speak this language then?’ I asked him.

            ‘Speak what? Kret? There are some that speak in Common but not many.’

            ‘Kret? Right. And you know how to speak it?’ Although, at first I thought he was a little crazy but then again, I was the one from somewhere that sounded crazy.

            ‘Only what I need to know. It’s very complicated and for some words that we have one for, they could have about ten.’ Walking around soon became a nuisance when that was all we seemed to do without any plan or idea. ‘If only there was some way to sniff out a dragon egg,’ I complained, kicking one foot in the hardened sand street.