The Questing Game

"I've always liked Shaceans," Keritanima said. "They've all got senses of humor, and they have a zest for life you don't see in many places. Sometimes they're so happy it makes me sick."

"We may happen across a duel or two as well. Do not worry about them. Shacean warriors and Musketeers love to fence, and often impromptu duels erupt between two Musketeers who are trying to prove their fencing superiority. They are not fights, only tests of skill. To them, it is a game, nothing more."

"Strange game," Dar mused. "How often do they get hurt?"

"Not as often as you may think," she replied. "Injuring an opponent is considered to be bad form."

"I see Wikuni ships," Dar noted. "Are they going to cause us any problems?"

"They shouldn't," Keritanima replied. "Even if they see me, they can't do anything to me. Binter will tie their arms in a knot if they do. Wikuni have to obey the laws of the land they visit, and I don't think kidnapping is allowed here. The worst thing they can do is see which ship I'm on, then try to chase me down on the open sea." She smiled mischieviously. "And they won't see that."

The ship nestled up against a large wooden quay that esxtended well out into the harbor, and then the ship was tied down by heavy, darkened ropes. And when the gangplank was lowered, their group filed off the ship. They gathered around Dola

"I think we should stay together," Keritanima said. Seeing her like that made Tarrin's fur itch.

Dola

"Certainly, Dola

"But I have to stay near Tarrin," Azakar protested.

"Just this once, I think we can depend on Binter and Sisska to watch over him," Faalken said. "If you don't mind, Keritanima."

"Not at all," she replied with a toothy grin. "Miranda has her own list of things."

Miranda nodded, patting Sisska on the arm. "Would you mind escorting me, Sisska?"

"As you command, Miranda," the massive Vendari female said in her deep, very un-female voice.

After splitting up at the docks, Tarrin followed Dola

But things felt much better to him. He had solid ground under his feet, and the land stretched out before him in every direction. Every step past the confines of the deck made his mind feel more and more at ease, and rides of tension and uncertainty began to unwrap themselves from his mind. The smells of the city still curled his nose, but mingled in with the smell of humans and waste and the sea was the smell of trees, of farmland and nature, wafting in from over the hill. He was no longer trapped on the open sea, and it made him feel a great deal better. Allia too seemed to relax somewhat, but hers was the relief of getting off the ship, getting away from the sea.

The Shaceans did stare a bit, but it had more to do with Allia than him. Tarrin, they dismissed as an exotic Wikuni, Binter was considered to be Wikuni, but Allia was unique, strange, new, and her beauty caused almost every head to turn. It brought more attention to them than Tarrin would have liked, but at least it was all focused on his sister and not on him. She even had several children tugging on her shirt, asking questions in their flowing language, which Allia couldn't understand.

"It's the hair," Keritanima said after they passed a young girl who had been gently rebuffed by Allia, having dropped her illusion as soon as they lost sight of the sea. "They usually only see silver hair on old ladies. A couple of the more daring ones asked if it was natural."

"I do not think I would appreciate proving that to them in a city street," Allia said bluntly, which made Keritanima laugh.

"That could cause a riot," Dar noted.

"That could be interesting," Keritanima said with a nudge on Allia's side. "Let's try it."

"You go first," Allia challenged.

"Children," Dola

They reached the large plateau, and found that it held a huge central market. Merchants in stalls and tents crowded into a huge open area that was relatively flat, and the place was packed with both merchants and customers. All social classes could be found moving about, for the bazaar offered many things to customers, and all of it was packed very tightly together. One could travel to many shops through the city and assemble their goods, or make one trip to the bazaar. It was much like Suld, and Tarrin figured that they had the same thing here. The better goods were found in shops, but for the frugal or hurried shopper, everything could be found near to each other at better prices, but not at as good a quality. There was a wide avenue that went up the hill from the bazaar, and it created a wide open path that led directly to the castle at the hill's peak. That same avenue went down as well, all the way to the docks. Such a street seemed unwise to him. It provided attackers a convenient path directly to the city's main foritifed position.

"Everyone mind your belongings," Dola

"I don't have anything to steal," Dar said with a chuckle.

"We will all meet right here in an hour's time," Dola

"Alright," Dar said.

Dola