The Amulet Of Nicmir (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 1)

Chapter 21

It was hard not to stare at the shining Nemaru city as they approached it, but Sam managed, given the fact that if he'd stared, he probably would've gone blind. The sun was out, a welcome reprieve from the consecutive thunderstorms they'd encountered in the two and a half weeks they'd been traveling. But it was deliriously hot, and the humidity was suffocating.

And for once, Sam wished for the fall weather back. Or maybe for the temperature to make up its mind and stick to one degree all year.

At least he didn't have to carry Crynia any longer, now that her ribs had healed enough that she could walk. Not that he'd minded, considering it'd given him a good excuse to at least try to get to know her a little better, but in the sweltering heat, it would've been torture. Even now he was tempted to take his shirt off as a means to cool down, but something told him Lillian wouldn't approve.

The others looked as hot and exhausted as he was. Nyle walked in the back, Lillian in the front, with Crynia, Sam, and Chad between them.

Chad was quiet. Not that he hadn't been quiet before. His typical reply was a shrug or a shake of his head. But this silence was different, not so obviously sad. More of a thoughtful lack of speech, like he was pondering or waiting. What for, Sam had no idea. Chad's silence unfortunately also kept him from using his perfect perception to figure the boy out.

When they finally reached the city, the smell of the food in the market hit Sam like a wave straight out of heaven. And as their boots clunked across the drawbridge, the sound echoing to the filthy green water of the moat below, nostalgia crashed into him with nearly enough force to make him stop in his tracks.

He'd been here before, once, with Lillian and Philip and their father. Nerelion had had official business with the king, leaving them to roam the city as they pleased. Sam had only been ten, but he remembered every detail. Like the bit where he and Lillian dared each other to swim in the moat, and came back with half a dozen enormous leeches each.

He shuddered at the memory, forcing his gaze away from the water and up to the red stone gargoyles on either side of the gate. They were hideous creatures, with spiked tails and nasty teeth and evil eyes. Dried lichen mottled their scaly bodies.

Sam jogged up and fell into stride beside Lillian. "Brings back memories, eh?" he asked, turning sideways to slip past a haycart that smelled of horses and sun-dried grass.

Lillian looked at him and smiled a little. "Yeah. Remember when—" She stopped and sneezed into her elbow. Her eyes were watery when she looked back up, and she laughed. "Can't say I missed the hay. I guess I'm still allergic."

Sam grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Hopefully we won't collect any leeches this time, though," he said.

Lillian laughed again, shakily. "Hopefully."

It took them well over an hour to reach the castle, weaving through a labyrinth of alleys and side streets to avoid the crowds. Sam's head swam with the mingling odors of cheap perfume, sweat, and sewage in the poorer parts of town, where half the streets were packed with people with clothing of so many different colors it made his eyes hurt to look at them. The other half boasted stands of jewelry and a vast arrangement of small desserts and candies.

"What's going on?" Sam shouted to Lillian, over the noise. "This looks a bit busy to be market day."

She wove around two men carrying massive baskets of star fruit before answering. "Today marks the beginning of the Nashti, the five-month celebration of the gods. They host a festival on the first of each month. It's stupid, if you ask me. But they take it seriously."

"Ah." Sam glanced behind him to assure that the others were still trailing them. It would be far too easy to lose someone in this crowd. "And what, do extra citizens just pop out of the ground every year for this? The amount of people here is suffocating."