The Raven and the Dragon

Chapter Nine

The streets outside looked far more inviting in the light of day—still mysterious, but in a way that said come and explore me and not stay inside, you don't know who might be hiding in that fog. Nimah stood on the stairs of the boarding house and watched the people walking by for a moment. There were all sorts living here, it seemed—all shades of skin and styles of dress, including a few outfits she'd never seen before if her brief glimpses were accurate. None of them gave her three-person exploration band much mind. "Well, what do you think?" she asked the three of them. "Where should we go first?"

"...do you think there's a market?" Eve asked. "I don't have much in the way of gold and I don't...know if it'd be any good here anyway. But I think if we wanted to learn more about this place, that would be a good place to start."

"Excellent plan. Stay close."

Eve took that request to mean walk immediately next to me with one hand on my shoulder. Not that Nimah minded too much; it would definitely make keeping track of her easier. Kit stayed close as well, but without touching her, drifting between any passers-by with an openly curious look on his face. Between the two of them, he seemed more likely to wander off without warning. She'd just have to keep an eye on him, then.

The city looked old, but was built in a very organized way. All the streets seemed to know where they were going, everything leading to someplace logical instead of splintering off, starting and stopping in fits that suggested each new expansion had been built by a different person. In fact, it almost seemed to have no expansions at all. Most of the places Nimah had visited were built almost like trees, with outer, newer rings leading to the older core, each new expansion symbolizing another period of growth. This place was equally old, just one massive ancient core. It was as if it had been built in one go—or, it was so well-planned and well-kept that the new additions blended seamlessly with the old. Nimah tried to look for any signs of buildings being younger or older as she lead them towards what she assumed was the center of the city. That would be the best place to start looking for a market—that or anything that was clearly a shopping district, but she hadn't seen anything like that yet.

A few guards in the face-obscuring helmets from before glanced their way, but didn't bother them. Perhaps they were told we'd be here. Or maybe we don't look like trouble. She'd take either one.

Whenever she heard the sound of many raised voices and footsteps, Nimah tried to correct their path to head in that direction. It wasn't too long before the raised voices and footsteps became a constant. There was something big up ahead. "That way, I think..." As she followed the streets towards the sound, the buildings gave way to what looked like a broader space. She could see glimpses of brightly colored flags and carts. "Found it!"

Her excitement gave way to awe as they stepped out from between the buildings that surrounded the place and into the market itself. It was much bigger than she'd expected. She'd seem some large markets while travelling with her parents, and if this wasn't the biggest one she'd ever seen, it was damn close. Eve's grip on her arm tightened. "How many people live here?" she asked quietly.

"Apparently, quite a few." Some children ran past them, chasing each other in some game that Nimah wasn't sure she knew the rules to. One, she noticed, had hair that was almost the color of moss. The child vanished into the crowd before she had time to confirm she'd really seen that, and wasn't just imagining things. "I wonder how..."

Her thought was cut off by Kit grabbing her arm and dragging her forward. "What?" He glanced back at her briefly, pointed into the crowd, and kept dragging, but that did little to answer her question. Whatever he was bringing them to could be seen by him and him alone. "What?!" Why am I asking? I won't be able to understand him if he replies. She changed her focus to holding onto Eve's hand and looking ahead to see what might've had their archer friend so excited. As they moved through the crowd, she noticed something interesting: a flash of feathers, the clicking of talons among the sounds of footsteps, and the briefest glimpse of beady black eyes.