Just as he was about to further plan their itinerary, he stopped in his tracks.
Something reached him on the wind; a strange, but not unfamiliar scent.
“What's the matter?” asked Minx.
Kaleb worked the air for a few moments, then nodded. “It's that scent again. The dragon scent, from yesterday.” He frowned, still perplexed by it. There's no mistaking it. It's the exact same. But who does this scent belong to? he wondered. It doesn't sit well... Something about this gives me a bad feeling, but I can't put my finger on why...
“The same scent?” asked the Fae huntress, eyes wide.
He nodded. “It looks like we might be on the right track. This seems like more than a coincidence to me.” He quickened his step, passing a handful of travelers. “Come on, let's hurry.”
For once, she didn't argue as she came up beside him.
Chapter 9
This great city of men, large and busy though it was, struck her as primitive compared to her own home. Reportedly the pinnacle of human society, Karn felt anything but civilized or modern. Its architecture was bland, utilitarian, and there was very little greenery to be seen between its crumbling outer walls. The varied characters that shambled through its streets, too, were of the surliest and seediest kinds—it seemed a city of hooded vagrants. She held her bow close as they drifted through the crowds, taking in the sights. Just when I thought my opinion of humans couldn't get any lower... she thought with a grimace.
Minx followed the young dragon shifter through the main gate, passing a number of large buildings. Beggars lined the streets, seeking charity, and would-be pickpockets in search of easy marks hung back near the alleys and byways, watching the crowd. To their right gurgled a fountain, its clear water reflecting the sunlight in brilliant glimmers—just about the only pretty thing in sight. Deeper in, positively choked by a large crowd, was what appeared to be an open-air bazaar. “What's going on over there?” she asked, giving Kaleb's arm a tug.
He'd been too busy trying to lock onto that dragon smell again to notice. “Oh, it's a marketplace. Trading, buying, selling—don't you have those back home?”
It took all her strength not to sock him in the gut. “Of course we do. Fae cities are the greatest and most sophisticated in the world.”
The pair started into the market area, wandering by swathes of howling merchants and muttering buyers. “Have a look around. Maybe you'll find a little nicknack worth buying. Traders come here from all over. It's said you can buy almost anything in Karn—and looking around here, I believe it,” said Kaleb, strolling casually with his hands behind his back.
It took only a few minutes of wandering through this open-air market to discover that the wares on offer were unlike those Minx had dealt with elsewhere. Many vendors set up along the square worked in living stock—strange creatures of every shape and size were being sold at varying prices. Some among them looked familiar, boasting qualities of Wuff, Krah or Plurn heritage, though others, sickly and malformed, possessed more unheard of characteristics. These creatures, bred by the Zuscha, squealed and growled from large enclosures all around them.
The Zuscha, known informally by her kind as the “Dark Fae”, were not evil as their common name might suggest, but were rather fond of unethical biological experiments. It had been the Zuscha who, through their perseverance in the darker ley-line arts, had created the artificial races that now populated every corner of the world. Their dark work had brought forth certain successful species, such as the Wuff, along with less spectacular specimens, like the Krah. The Zuscha possessed an unquenchable curiosity regarding the mingling of species, and had used their peculiar talents to breed many different creatures—the least successful of which were now being sold at this marketplace. One could purchase highly unnatural organisms in this place, born from combinations impossible in nature, and utilize them for hard labor, defense and more.
The sight of these strange creatures was distressing to her, but as she and Kaleb walked through the bazaar, she pondered something. All of these strange creatures. Could Mau have been brought here? “Do they sell Faelyrs?” she asked, stepping past the dragon shifter. She looked around narrowly, seeking her companion in the rows of cages.
“Probably,” he replied, eyeing a certain of the species on offer with particular disgust. “This slave-trade is rather barbaric, isn't it?”
Merchants hawking their goods called out in loud voices across the square, trying to lure buyers to their stalls. “Come and get 'em,” shouted one. “Fine work-beasts here. They're skilled at heavy lifting and farming work.” Still another voice rose up over the crowd noise. “Half-off, today only! When they're gone, they're gone! You're gonna regret missing out on these. You—yeah, you! I think you need to come and take a look. These prices are truly rock-bottom!”
Minx pushed past a number of idling shoppers. “Can I interest you in a necklace, miss?” asked a merchant to her right, holding out a number of gaudy pendants. “Can't beat these prices!” She ignored him and pressed on, nearly losing Kaleb in the crowd. Mau, are you here? she chanced, hoping that the Faelyr would pick up on her thoughts.
There was no reply, though.
Still undeterred, she hung a tight right and found herself walking through a new wing of the bazaar, this one stocked with larger cages. She studied their contents, gritting her teeth. Come on, Mau. If you're here, let me know. We've always shared a special connection. If you can hear me, please give me a sign of some kind! I can't stand this.
“Hey,” uttered Kaleb, tapping her arm and nodding at a mass of cages across the way. “Maybe we ought to give this guy's wares a
