The Unknown Alchemist

Chapter 19 - Not all those who wander are lost

Each morning Avery would leave the house first thing and explore Corinth. She never went far, just wandered to different areas. She went down to the wharf and watched the sailors unload their goods, or she strolled down cobbled streets to visit the shops. She kept to the edges of the markets but gradually got used to the sights and sounds of the city.

Ember Place was a bustling hive of activity. The primes were busy with their work, constantly travelling to distant cities, meeting with merchants and other community leaders. The slipstreams made travel instantaneous but negotiations were ongoing and would take them away for days.

Roedin didn't come around the house often as restlessness throughout the territory had him busy putting his whispers to use. Arctos would stop by to report on city security and meet with Hayden on warrior training and faunid relations. A few legions had been mobilized to protect villages outside the city walls and were at the ready for a looming battle that Avery never got the details of. Arctos would always say a polite hello to her then follow Hayden into his study where they would pour over maps and espionage reports from Roedin. Avery was curious to know what was happening but didn't want to interfere with their business.

Adelyn was often pulled away to the Spark to meet with city planners and government officials and Sari was constantly embedded in meetings, sometimes with people looking for assistance and others looking to win favour with the alpha pack. If Niamh came to the house at all she usually ignored Avery, hardly sparing her more than a terse hello. Avery often hung around the kitchen, chatting with Nicholas and Cora, or running errands on their behalf.

As the cooler nights of autumn arrived attention turned to the upcoming Fire Festival. The leaves on the trees began to change to brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges, and Corinthians frantically cleaned their yards and parks, hoping to showcase trees they had carefully tended for centuries. Faunids and sapiens from the country filled the city's inns and restaurants, bringing their goods to market and transferring it to shipping companies to be transported to other territories.

Sometimes in the evenings Sari and Avery would pull up chairs by the fire with big mugs of tea or glasses of wine and enjoy the silence of each other's company as they each dove into a book. One evening Sari came home late and groaned as she sat in the big armchair, exhausted after a long day of preparations. Avery poured her a cup of tea and then curled up on the couch again, scribbling in her journal.

"What do you write in there?" Sari inquired as she nursed the warm cup in her

hands.

Avery blushed. "Nothing much. Just doodles and sketches. Things to remember or questions I want to look up."

Sari was about to ask more when the front door opened and Niamh walked in the room bringing in the cool night air.

"Hello, my dear. What brings you over this evening?" Sari asked as they brushed cheeks.

The beta prime paused when she saw Avery on the couch but took a seat in the adjacent sofa chair.

"I came to talk about the brawl on the docks today," she said to her mother. "Arctos and I had a tough time sorting it out and the jails are full of a combination of angry farmers and drunk sailors. The sentiment seems to be spreading in the city."

Sari sighed put her head back on the chair, shaking it in frustration. "This seems to be happening more and more. What's going on in the country that's fueling this anger? I originally thought it was just tension when the Pantheri females came into heat, but it seems to be affecting other races too."

Niamh huffed. "The Fire Festival is about the trees during the day, but it's the unofficial start of mating season at night."

"Well hopefully the pressure will be released when the events start. We can't be spending too many resources compensating businesses that are damaged in random vandalism," Sari said with a furrowed brow.