7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

T his city was nothing like the last one. In fact, I'd almost confuse it with a trip down an old street in the middle of London - at least the ones I've seen in movies.The structures, seemingly constructed from brick-like materials and adorned with plaster, boast stained glass windows gracing each residence. The narrow path leading to the central city square poses a challenge. The charcoal-colored stones beneath my feet are far from smooth or meticulously arranged. Lost in admiration of the towering buildings, I find myself stumbling and stubbing my toes repeatedly. Fortunately, the boots I wear cushion the impact, rendering the experience less painful.

The main square unfolds in a spectacle of beauty. Garden boxes, adorned with vibrant flowers of unfamiliar shapes, capture my attention. The red-glowing blossoms evoke the image of candles, almost convincing me that touching them might result in a burn. Chuckling at the whimsical thought, I'm drawn to the focal point—the central fountain. Children frolic in its crystal-clear waters, splashing about with unrestrained joy. It's so hot. I'm tempted to join them. A hand touches my shoulder and I jump, letting out a small yelp as I do. "You frighten easily." Corvu snickers.

"Don't sneak up on people!" I snap, folding my arms over my chest.

"Come on, we can't stay too long in this town if you want to keep going. But it would be a good idea to get horses and food." Using horses for our journey would be the best idea for traveling in this world. My feet were still exhausted from the days prior.

"How do you get horses in this world, exactly? I don't have money to pay for it." Corvu's face relaxes with a devilish grin.

"I came early to source us a way of earning muney." The way that he said the word sounded similar but still different. I'd have to ask later. "But in the meanwhile, who's hungry?" Gecko's face lit up like a Christmas tree, if they had Christmas that is.

"Me!" He exclaims, a smile spread across his face.

Corvu's smile flattens, "Sorry kid, adults talking." With some force, Gecko punches Corvu in the side, but Corvu chooses not to avoid or react to the attack. Instead, he grabs Gecko by the back of his neck with one hand and ushers him in the Eastern direction of the town. There were signs that indicated to me where we were, Nancledra, although the fact that there seemed to be more humans about made me feel safer in general.

We pass a few shopfronts, including some that looked like regular flower shops and bakeries. We don't stop until we reach a small cul de sac of homes. Corvu stops in front of an older man sitting on the steps that led up to the stone building behind him. There was no better way to describe him, he was Santa Claus with claws. Although, it would be a misinterpretation to call them claws, it was as if his actual fingers were long and pointed. He had to have at least two extra knuckles joining each finger. It was repulsive to look at although I tried not to stare.

"Hello again," Corvu smiles at him, this time more genuine than cheeky, ", I brought back those extra legs we talked about." Extra legs? Are they going to cut off my legs? Do human legs grow back in this world ?

"Excellent," His voice even sounded like he should be Santa Claus, loud, cheerful and deep, ", I just can't get around like I used to. Here, collect these." With his long fingers, he holds out a rolled up piece of paper, which Corvu takes from him. "If you can get everything before sundown I'll double it."

"Thank you again, and we will be back before then." He nods and gestures for me to follow him away from the man. Gecko hops alongside us.

He doesn't stop walking till we reach a spot that looks a little like a cafe, at least from the appearance of many outdoor wooden tables and a waitress with four arms trying frantically to serve everyone at the same time.

"Okay," Corvu pauses, making sure we're listening, ", the old man needs some items from around town, and for our services to collect them on his behalf he will pay thirteen gal, double that if we do it before sunset." I wonder what the conversion rate would be when it came to money around here. Were we being paid in cents? Dollars? Hundreds? I didn't know.

"How much does that buy exactly?" I question. Corvu seems to be unsurprised at my questions now,

"At least two horses if we can get this done before sunset." I was surprised that a day of work would pay back so much. "The old man said he'd give us the third horse. He's a noble and doesn't really care about spending too much at the moment."

Gecko nudges me, "I think it's because he's nearly dead." I hush him but I can't help but smile.

"You're probably not wrong. But our first collection is grounds from this seatery. He already placed an order a few weeks ago." I had no idea what grounds or a seatery was.

"I'll go."

"Great, go straight to the man when you collect them. It's four bags, you might need to make two trips." Gecko nods and walks between the tables and the bustle inside the establishment. He was far more confident than I was. "And we will go on to the other collection item and pick up some food on the way." Sounded like a great plan to me. I hadn't eaten since last night and the sun was up well into the day.

Corvu guided me through the city like he'd been there a thousand times. He knew all the shortcuts and people were generally quite friendly toward him, even offering to give him fruit and nuts for free because of a favour or two he once did for them. Unlike Gecko and Luca's family, no one seemed frightened or worried about what he was. Not that I really knew myself. He'd clearly been to this town a few times before but again, I felt like asking would just be prying.

After eating what looks like an orange but tastes like an octopus, we proceed to a stable kept by a woman with fine black hair and a big hunch. After giving us two large bags of… honestly, I'm going to say it's horse shit, we continue back toward Santa's house. Dusk is quickly approaching, but Corvu doesn't seem particularly worried about not making it back on time. He is a lot faster than I am, even with the bag he is carrying. Somehow, weight just doesn't seem to impact him. The way he knocked around those pig-nosed Daemonaria is really impressive. In my case, carrying the backpack Gecko insisted I wear and additionally the bag of dung, my speed is a lot closer to a crawling pace rather than a walking one. Corvu notices I am trailing behind and stops now and then to let me catch up. He clearly knows I'd get lost without his guidance, but he could at least help me carry it if he doesn't think it's so heavy.

Some time later, we reach the old man's house, Gecko is sitting on the front steps with him chatting away when they notice us.

"Well done, you two." He chuckles deeply, sort of clapping his unusual hands as we drop the sacks of manure near his feet. "Lovely. This will add great flavor to the stew." I think I'm going to throw up. As a reaction, I rather indelicately put my hand to my mouth to resist the urge to gag. Corvu chuckles, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "Here." The man tosses a small bag toward me, which jingles as I catch it. "There's thirty in there for you. I have three horses I won't be riding, you can have them. Consider it a gift." It's possible I've lived in New York too long, but I love the way some people are around here, kind and generous. Although thinking back to the Shorg that almost flattened me, I suppose I can't consider everyone here to be that kind. "If you want, you can stay upstairs for the night. I'm cooking a stew for dinner!"

"Ah," Corvu responds, ", as kind as that offer is, we can't impose on you any further. Besides, we do have a bed for the night. But thank you." Gecko hops up from sitting beside the man and grabs my hand. Sometimes it doesn't occur to me how young he really is.

Bidding the man goodnight we head off further East of the city.