Kings Game

Chapter 6 - Nul (2)

Kell once more led Roran through the streets, weaving in and out of buildings. Instead of leading Roran towards the outskirts of the city, she led him deeper in. The streets became bigger and wider, the stone paving the roads smoother and better maintained. The further in they traveled, the more people passed them on the road.

Before long they were moving through crowded streets, full of people, merchants, and the occasional pair of guards watching over everyone. As the people pressed in, Kell made an effort to dodge between the bodies and avoid direct contact. A scowl settled onto her face as she was forced to weave around people.

When someone bumped into her without looking, Kell snarled and swore. "Why are these streets always so damn busy during the day?"

"You don't like crowds, do you?" asked Roran.

Clenching her teeth, Kell said, "What gave you that idea? It was tight enough that she had to hold her spear against her body to avoid accidentally bumping into people with it. "We're almost through the worst of it. Come on, this way."

Kell grabbed Roran's shirt and dragged him towards a door built into the side of a large, stone building. Moving with a sense of urgency, Kell slammed her shoulder into the door, forcing it open and pulling Roran off the street. Behind the door was a hallway with only a few startled people. Kell breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's better," she said. "Most of these buildings are connected. It's a little slower, but we can make it to my apartment without wading through the people on the street."

"What is this place?"

"This building? I'm not sure, part of the markets. Whenever there's a procession, the streets become unusable so they connected all of the stores and buildings. This way, whenever one of the Kings wants to show off his jewelry or wives or whatever, people can still move around and shop."

As Kell spoke, they worked their way through the stores. The first building was made of smooth stone with thick, wooden doors along the way. That building gave way to rough red bricks and an open storehouse with a handful of merchants peddling their goods. The storehouse led into a tavern with wooden flooring and a smattering of people drinking and laughing.

The hallway was a kaleidoscope of establishments, buildings, and people. Kell moved through it with ease, once more comfortable and cheery now that she wasn't drowning in a crowd of people.

"How long have you lived here?" asked Roran.

"Only for a couple of years. The apartments on the inner rings are pretty expensive and I didn't make enough until after I got my title."

"I meant in the city."

"Oh, for as long as I can remember really. I have a few vague memories of my early childhood, but this is where my life began."

Roran tried to imagine spending his childhood in this massive metropolis and couldn't. As someone who'd grown up surrounded by farms and forests, the idea of being surrounded by towering buildings made from stone sounded awful.

"Here we are," said Kell, "Finally."

The hallway opened up into a large chamber. It was clean and well maintained, with a handful of people milling about. A large bulletin board took up one entire wall and a series of counters were lined up along the rest. A variety of people manned each counter, selling everything from food and wine, to swords and shields, to silks and lace.

"Home sweet home," said Kell. She steered him across the room, ignoring the looks from the other people milling about, and headed straight for a large staircase. As per usual, Kell took the lead, bounding up the steps two at a time. These stairs, at least, were wide and well maintained.