The Raven and the Dragon

Chapter Nine

No. No, it can't be.

Kit dragged them around a cart, giving her a clearer view of the being. There, stalking among the merchants and shoppers, was a birdlike creature identical to the one they had seen in the mountains. For all Nimah new, it was the same creature—no, the same elf.

"...do we know them?" she whispered to Eve and Kit. "It's probably rude to assume." It's probably rude to assume. As if she were trying to guess if two people were related and not wondering if she had run into an elf in the middle of civilization. Nimah looked to Eve—she was the elf expert. "Should we ask?"

Eve licked her lips and stepped forward, calling out in that magic-like language they'd heard during the parade. The bird-elf turned around immediately, its head tilting to the side as it started at him. Eve seemed halfway through her next sentence when the creature darted forward. It was so sudden and swift a moment that Nimah found herself reaching for weapons that weren't there. The bird-elf examined them, whistled, and clicked; when its beak opened, it spoke in elfish, its throat bobbing as it formed the words. "...we have met before," Eve said. She addressed the elf in their native tongue; they responded, the head-tilt becoming more pronounced as they did. It was hard to tell who of the three of them the bird-elf was looking at. "He says he is welcome here. And that...I am as well?" She seemed distracted for a moment, but shook off her confusion and spoke in elfish again.

The next sound to come out of the bird-elf was a noise that Nimah recognized: "Piper."

It still spoke like it was talking through a flute, but that did sound like a name. Nimah glanced at Eve. "Is that..."

"His name," Eve confirmed quietly.

"Oh. I'm...Nimah. This is Kit. She's Eve. Hello."

"He-llo." Piper—and was that his real name, or only the name that the non-elves in this place called him?—examined them all for another long moment, whistled, and suddenly scurried off into the crowd.

"...we'll see you around, I suppose!" Nimah called after him. To Eve, she added, "Did we do something wrong?"

"He sounded busy. Not offended." Eve had a strange look in her eyes. It seemed hopeful, but wary, like she didn't want to hope too much. "This is a very strange place."

Kit nodded in agreement.

The statement became truer and truer the more they explored. Nimah had an eye for fine things from all over the kingdoms, but there were things there she'd never seen before. She saw fabrics in unusual colors and patterns, wind-up toys that moved more fluidly than any she'd seen before, jewelry in strange styles usually only seen on the bodies of the very wealthy being worn by just about everyone. Nimah was itching to examine everything, to ask questions, but she didn't want to look too much like an overly eager outsider. That was sure to get her targeted by pickpockets, should there be any around.

There was also the matter of the dragon.

They hadn't noticed it at first—she had noticed a bit of smoke coming from the center of the market, but she had assumed it was from cluster of cooking fires for the food vendors. However, as they stepped free from one cluster of carts, she saw the truth: there was a dragon lying in a section devoid of carts, coiled up like a cat. Everyone walked by it, unconcerned; despite knowing that being equally unconcerned was probably the best option, Nimah couldn't help stopping to stare. How else was she supposed to react? There was a dragon in the middle of the market, and no one seemed bothered by it. Was the dragon always there? Was this normal?

"They'll throw you to him if you even think about stealing," said someone behind them.

Nimah turned around. The man who'd spoken had dusty grey skin and long dark hair pulled back away from his face. His eyes were either a very dark brown or completely black. He made up for the lack of color in his face by wearing deep crimson robes. His cart was full of crystals and stones, some more expensive-looking than others. "Just thought you should know," he added as he polished one of the stones. "I've seen it happen."