Anilyia (23 page)

Rojuun and humans clamored for food during
the busy lunch hour and cooks worked furiously to serve everyone.
Liselle huddled against Vevin’s chest while Tathan pushed his way
through the crowd to place the order. Sir Danth helped him carry
the food to a plaza up the street where they could sit and eat.

A few minutes later, the companions sat at
the edge of a fountain. Sir Danth stood, forgoing a seat so that
others could sit around the crowded fountain. Everywhere Liselle
looked, there were people eating meals. She listened to a Rojuun
minstrel on a nearby stage who was playing a lute with her lower
pair of hands while trilling a melody on a recorder with her upper
pair. The music was entrancing.

Ever since leaving the Warehouse District,
they had seen stages, a lot of which were filled with Rojuun
performing their arts. Many were musicians, but they had seen
painters and other types of artists.

The companions had stopped to watch one who
was painting images of people passing by. It was fascinating to see
how he perceived humans as opposed to Rojuun. The Rojuun were tall,
lithe and even graceful in the painting whereas humans appeared
short and bland. A performer who juggled thirty-eight Rojuun
long-knives with his four hands was impressive. The shining blades
danced through the air, reflecting light from nearby globes.

Next was a female Rojuun who was silently
moving about on stage. Liselle remembered the jeweler telling her
about that. The feju’s arms waved gracefully back and forth and she
slithered from side to side. It looked more like a river flowing
over rocks than a person’s movements. Liselle found herself oddly
entranced.

The biggest surprise was when they saw a
human minstrel playing and singing a song. He was dancing about the
stage while the audience clapped to the tune. Liselle didn’t
understand the words, which were in a foreign language, but clapped
along. There were a number of Rojuun watching, which surprised her
even more. One of the audience members told her that Rojuun liked
watching human artists. It gave them new ideas.

The Rojuun minstrel in the plaza stopped
playing, bringing Liselle back to present time. There was applause
for the music from quite a few people. The feju smiled and began
playing another song. Liselle decided she liked the human minstrel
better. His song had been more
fun
, whereas the Rojuun
minstrel played slow, esoteric music.

“Let’s try to find somewhere with a few less
people, this city is as crowded as Dralin,” Tathan suggested,
rising and throwing the leftover bones in one of the trashcans the
Rojuun put everywhere.

“I’ve heard you mention Dralin before,
Master Tathan. Did you live there long?” Sir Danth asked.

The question caught Tathan by surprise and
it was a moment before he answered. “I lived there for four years,
which is a lifetime in that city.” He headed toward the nearest
street that looked like it would go in the direction of the
fortress. “It’s the capital of Altordan, one of the most powerful
kingdoms in the world.”

They listened intently as they followed.
“There are trade routes in every direction. As a result, the city
has people from all areas of the world, much like this place.” He
gestured toward two humans from different cultures who were talking
to each other. “It is also a city of wizards who have towers
everywhere. It’s dangerous because the wizards use so much magic
that residue is left to poison the water and air.”

“Residue? What do you mean, Cousin?” Liselle
asked, frowning. They had entered a new street. It was less
crowded, but also narrower.

“So much magic being used in one place
creates a supernatural residue. It’s hard to describe, but Dralin
is darkened with it. Some of the magic gathers in corners and can
be very dangerous.” Tathan sighed. “I’ve seen people warped by it,
especially homeless living on the streets. Others try to bottle it
up and sell it as poison.”

“I find that disturbing and evil. Perhaps
after we are done with our noble mission here, I will venture to
Dralin and bring peace and justice to the downtrodden,” Sir Danth
proclaimed virtuously.

“Good luck with that. I’m sure some of those
wizards would love to dissect that armor of yours and find out what
makes it work,” Tathan replied.

Sir Danth stopped in his tracks, staring at
Tathan who shrugged. “It’s not a nice place and I’ve heard of
wizards who like to take apart magical equipment. I don’t know if
someone, even as strong as you, can survive it.”

The knight thought about it for a moment.
Someone bumped into him and was about to complain, but chose not to
after a closer look at the sword on his back. After a moment, Sir
Danth nodded and motioned for Tathan to lead the way.

Tathan told them a little more of the
wizards and merchants of Dralin. The companions bumped shoulders
with a few people along the way, but no one bristled about it. It
seemed as though people in the city were used to it.

Liselle noticed there were few flowers
growing anywhere except in parks. One of the shops they passed had
flowers from the caverns that had been cut and bundled together in
order to give to one’s lover. The sight of it had appalled Liselle,
leaving her with tears running down her cheeks. Vevin wrapped her
up and led her away before she could set fire to the store.

A little while later, the shops disappeared,
giving way to apartments. Tathan explained that in cities, families
didn’t get their own houses unless they were well off. Most people
lived in apartments or slums, often stacked on top of each
other.

The apartment buildings were rounded, but
different from the stores. It was as if someone had taken hundreds
of bubbles sitting on top of each other and painted them garish
colors. Walkways spanned higher levels, while courtyards fit
between the dwellings for the residents to sit and socialize.

Throughout these apartments, the streets
meandered with no real direction. Plazas with statues, fountains
and gardens were interspersed at various intersections. Quite a few
times, the companions had to make their way down a different street
to keep going in the correct direction. Finally, the towers of the
fortress came into view. Like everything else in the city, they
were painted brightly. From the plaza where they stood, the
companions could see the top of tall walls.

“I have seen no inns for a while,” Sir Danth
said. “It looks as though the apartments are giving way to Rojuun
houses. It may be that there are no inns near the fortress.”

Tathan looked around to see if anyone was
listening. “I suppose you’re right. I was hoping to get a room
where I could study the fortress to see if there were any
weaknesses.”

Two women were sitting on a bench, watching
their children play. Many of the plazas had areas where children
could climb on objects and play in the dirt.

The companions walked over to the women, who
glanced worriedly at their children when they saw how well armed
Sir Danth and Tathan were. “Hello adventurers,” the elder of the
two said tentatively. She looked to be in her late twenties with
auburn hair and brown eyes.

Sir Danth addressed them. “Hello, beautiful
Ladies. Fear not for your children. We will not disturb them. In
fact, I would lay my life on the line to protect them were they in
danger.” He slammed a fist against his breastplate, creating a
clang that startled everybody, including the children. “I would ask
for information, if you would deign to bless such a humble traveler
with the sweet sounds of your dulcet voice.”

The two women looked at each other with
raised eyebrows. The younger was a pretty blonde who also had brown
eyes. With an amused twist of the mouth, she said to the first,
“You have a dulcet voice? Who knew?” The auburn-haired woman
lowered her eyebrows in a mock glare as the blonde giggled.

Sir Danth conveyed a smile, which caused the
women to do a double take. “The lady’s voice is, in fact, dulcet. I
know this as I am a professional evaluator of dulcet voices and
beautiful ladies. It is a requirement for knighthood.”

Both women giggled and blushed, obviously
not used to being complimented in such a manner. The elder one
spoke again. “I am flattered, Sir Knight. I’ll have to inform my
husband of that the next time he tells me that I’m screeching at
him.” They all laughed at that. “My name is Isobel and this brat
next to me is Elssa,” she said. “What information were you looking
for?”

“Isobel, what a lovely name for such a
lovely lady,” Sir Danth replied with a bow. For some reason, this
caused Elssa to laugh even harder. Sir Danth straightened. “We were
hoping to find an inn in this part of the city as it seems peaceful
compared to the bustle elsewhere. Would you be able to direct us to
one nearby?”

Isobel answered, “There aren’t any inns in
the Fortress District. In fact, humans aren’t allowed much closer
than this toward the fortress itself. The only humans allowed in
are servants who do menial jobs that Rojuun hate. The nearest inn
is probably in the River District,” she said, pointing just to the
north. “They’re a bit more expensive though. If you want less
expensive, the Northeastern Market District has some nice inns,
though they’re usually full.”

Sir Danth followed her gestures, looking in
each direction. “You mentioned that humans aren’t allowed near the
fortress. I am curious as to why?” he asked when she was done.

Isobel looked around as though nervous that
someone might observe them talking. “Alluu Fortress is where the
Rojuun army is housed as well as the prisons and other things
nobody really knows about. At one time they didn’t even allow
humans in there, but Rojuun
hate
doing menial tasks, so they
began allowing servants in.” She looked around nervously again and
Elssa had stopped laughing. They both looked uncomfortable.

“Please do not distress yourself, Milady. I
shall set my curiosity aside as the clouds set aside the sunshine
on a rainy day,” the knight waxed poetically. His words caused both
of them to smile once more.

“Can I have one of him,” Elssa asked Isobel
while pointing at Sir Danth.

“No, I’m afraid he’s mine. Hopefully my
husband won’t mind when I come home with my very own knight,” she
replied with a wink, sending them all into laughter once more.

“Were I not betrothed and you not married, I
would gladly take your hand, Milady,” Sir Danth proclaimed with a
deep bow. “However, my honor does not allow me to break oaths
whether they be mine or someone else’s. Therefore, I must decline
thy delightful offer. I am certain your husband will be most
pleased when he is not replaced,” he finished with a wink, causing
the women to do another double take before turning to each other
and tittering like little girls.

“You mentioned large inns in the River
District, would you give us directions to them?” the knight asked
pleasantly.

“And exactly how
much
more expensive
are they?” Tathan asked.

“A room will often cost four or five gold
per night, though many of the finer suites can run up to one
hundred gold pieces,” Isobel answered as though she didn’t believe
the words coming out of her own mouth.

Tathan’s face became pale. “One hundred
gold?”

Both women nodded. “It’s more than we could
ever afford,” Isobel admitted easily. “There are only a few suites
like that and the richest merchants stay in them. As far as smaller
rooms go, the Rojuun pay well for many jobs, so more people take
those than one would imagine.

“Let’s get the most expensive suite they
have, Cousin!” Liselle exclaimed eagerly while jumping up and down
and clapping her hands close to her chest.

“No!” he exclaimed in alarm. “We can’t waste
money like that. I don’t even think we have that much,” he
sputtered. Liselle laughed aloud at his reaction.

Isobel gave the directions Sir Danth had
requested. “Just take this street,” she said, pointing at one on
the north side of the plaza. “It will lead to Southern Llaav
Avenue.” Seeing their frowns as they listened to the name of the
road, she explained further. “The big river through the northern
part of Alluu is called Llaav River. The road on this side is
Southern Llaav Avenue and the one on the other side is Northern
Llaav Avenue. All of the luxury inns are along those roads. There
are bridges crossing it in a number of places and you can take a
boat down the river to Llaav Lake in Llaav Cavern,” she
finished.

“That is a great number of things with the
name ‘Llaav’,” Sir Danth stated in amusement. “You said that we can
take a boat down the river. While I make it a point to avoid boats,
being garbed in plate armor, I am curious by what you mean?”

Isobel answered, “They
do
let anyone
take a boat. You can also hire a private boat with an oarsman to
take you up and down the river.”

“Oh yes, it’s very romantic,” Elssa chimed
in. “My husband took me to the lake one time. There were candles on
the edges of the boat and we spent hours swimming and cuddling at
the beach before coming back. There was even a picnic lunch
included.” The young woman had a dreamy smile on her face as she
reminisced.

Isobel sighed and looked at her jealously.
“You have a good husband, unlike my wastrel who thinks that romance
consists of me giving him a foot rub.” Elssa put a sympathetic hand
on her friend’s arm. Isobel turned back to the knight. “There are
also larger ferries that charge a few silver to go to the lake if
you don’t mind riding with other passengers.”

“You mentioned a boat ride with candles and
a picnic. Where would I find that and how much did it cost?”
Liselle asked.

Elssa answered, “It cost my husband ten
gold, which he saved up over a couple of months. I
do
recommend it if you get a chance.”