Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Good idea,” I agreed, spotting a food stall selling drinks and snacks. I spied a menu overhead and gathered that one drink cost a quarter of a dolmen. If this was their version of tea or coffee, I quickly did the calculation and realised that forty dolmens for my gold hoops had been a decent exchange. Sure, the little guy had been low-balling me at first by offering twenty, but still, he’d agreed to a fair price in the end. This made me a little more hopeful about our mission. If the demons who dwelled underground could do fair deals then perhaps the people who lived within the city could be equally decent.
I had no idea what to order as I stepped up to the stall. A woman with long bronze coloured hair and purple eyes took me in, her shrewd gaze moving over me in a wary fashion. Did Ren and I look so very out of place?
Tucking some hair behind my ear, I brought my attention to the menu above her head. It was mostly beverages but there were a few food items. Dairy rolls snagged my attention. I remembered Vas mentioning them when he told me how he and Sven were starving and Sven went out and stole some dairy rolls, leading to Vas being punished by Red Armand.
Ren hung back and I mustered my best Oreylian accent as I greeted the stall owner. “Good day. Can I have two dairy rolls and two spice waters, please?”
I had no idea what a spice water was but I decided to take a chance.
“Of course,” she replied, again eyeing me warily as she went to pour the drinks. A faint hint of cinnamon wafted by my nose. “Are you with the group from Yawin?” she asked. “I heard there would be some travellers coming through to attend the Star Festival.”
Star Festival? I was completely clueless but I decided to play along. Better than telling her I’d come from an alternate dimension.
“That’s right. My friend and I decided to stop for some refreshments.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I hope you enjoy the festival. It’s said that the Glorins are putting on their most dazzling show to date.”
“I can’t wait,” I replied, wondering what exactly a Glorin was as she handed over the drinks and two wrapped rolls. I thanked her, paying with two dolmen coins. The woman handed me my change, several smaller black coins, then I returned to where Ren was sitting on a nearby bench.
“Hmm, this smells interesting,” Ren commented while hovering his nose over the spice water. I took a sip, unsure if I liked it. It tasted a little like cold chai, which wasn’t terrible. I was just used to drinking it hot. The dairy roll, on the other hand, smelled mouth-watering. I took a bite, finding it hard and crusty on the outside with a soft, melted cheese centre. I knew Ren was happy with it because he was quietly chomping away.
“So, what’s our next move?” he asked once we’d finished eating.
“We should find a place to shelter for the night. We’ve both been walking for hours and my feet feel like they’ve given up and turned into one giant blister.”
“Lovely,” Ren grinned at my unseemly description. “Let’s get moving then. I don’t like the way that group over there keeps eyeing us.”
He was right. We’d garnered the attention of a gathering of men and women nearby. Some of them had horns like Vas and Sven. Others had unusually coloured hair and eyes like the woman from the stall.
They looked poor and desperate, and though Ren and I had trekked for miles we still looked more presentable than they did. We didn’t have the hard, world weary eyes of the people who’d lived in Treyu all their lives.
Swift on our feet, Ren and I hurried away from the market and further into the city. I took a quick peek at the map the little demon had drawn up to make sure we were going in the right direction.
“Shit, a few of them are following us,” Ren said, panicked, as he glanced over his shoulder. I turned to look and sure enough three men and two women were following us down the narrow, winding street. The buildings went as high as the eye could see, all the way up to the foot of the mountains. Currently, we were in one of the lowest, poorest sectors, which explained why those people were following us.
“They probably want to rob us,” I whispered to Ren. “Do you know how to make any defensive spells? Something that will work to scare them off?”
“I know a few, but they can be hit and miss,” Ren said as I reached inside my backpack and retrieved the dagger Roman gave me. I discreetly slid it into the waist of my jeans before scoping out the area. I quickly realised they were herding us down narrower and narrower streets.