Chapter 5-1

Nareiv was not the capital of the A. O. K. – that honour belonged to a sedate town by the name of Ironbridge, where the serious business of governing was done. But Nareiv was the heart of the Alliance, and on a grand scale the heart of society. Bustling with daytime business and nightlife, the metropolis beat with the heart of the masses that crowded into its every metre.

“Sweet mother...” Milly muttered as she stared down at the city from atop the hilltop road. It stretched out for as far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of brick and iron. The streets were packed like a slaugherhouse. The sounds of a thousand conversations and hawking shopkeepers was already audible, their dull roar that of a hornet’s nest.

“It is pretty damn big,” said Anjanette.

“Meh,” said Leonas. “Too crowded for my tastes.”

“You been here before?” asked Anjanette.

“No,” said Leonas.

She laughed. “Then enjoy it. If you can’t be a slack-jawed yokel on your first trip to Nariev, where can you?”

Leonas shrugged. “You’re probably right. But remember, we’re here on business. We need to find that shard. So don’t spend money frivulously, no matter how much you want to try the latest fashions.”

“You never let me have any fun,” said Anjanette in jest.

“Just don’t get mugged and I’ll be pleasantly surprised with both of you,” he sighed. “Now, let’s find a place to stay and then hit the shopping districts. We’re just looking for the shard, remember.”

Their horses continued trotting along the crowded road. The line for entry looked to be at least a mile long. “Um, Leonas, if you don’t mind me saying so,” said Milly. “I thought you were against the whole quest thing, but now you’re really serious about it.”

“If you’re going to do something, you may as well do it right,” said Leonas.

“I hate to say it, but Milly’s right,” said Anjanette. “Stop being such an asshole and let us have some fun. We might never be back here again.

Leonas sighed. “Maybe you’re right. Alright girls, go wild.”

“Yay!” Anjanette said, already scheming up a shopping list.

* * *

A chaotic mob filled Golden Street, everyone going in different directions and in a hurry to get there. Street musicians were barely audible over the chatter of the wealthy and the vendors hawking out their prices. The street was like a living fashion show, every outfit stunning. Some were enchanted, patterns subtly shifting as Anjanette stared at them, enchanting like a snake charmer. The people were pretty too, looking like they had just stepped out of one of her soaps.

Anjanette caught more than one person trying to cop a feel or grab her purse in the crowd, but they all earned a stiff roundhouse kick to the head and she moved on.

She stepped into the first store, a brick shop full of exotic dresses and accessories, enraptured by the spell of Golden Street. And then she saw the price tags. A single piece of clothing could go for three or four gold crowns. She had about seven.

Anjanette hoped that her thieving skills weren’t rusty.

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