Talk To Dragons

With clear directions from the innkeeper, Violet easily led the way to the market square. She had considered asking for the best established shops to visit, but instead decided that she would probably find better deals from vendor stalls trying to appeal to travelers.

The market was a sea of people. Mostly set in a grid pattern, the wooden stalls of varying sizes filled the enormous square and funneled people of all walks of life. Engel and Violet had never seen so many different styles of clothing and there were even a few different races mixed in the crowd. It was exciting to see people other than humans as it might have suggested they weren't far from their destination.

"It's so loud here," Engel commented. "Do you see where you want to go?"

"No, it's hard to see the stalls through the people," Violent replied. "We're going to have to do some walking and look up close."

"I think I spotted a dwarf in the crowd when we first walked up. Maybe a lizard person too. But I'm not certain."

"If we see an elf, we should try to trade for information. If they speak English." 

The walk through the stalls was tiresome. Each vendor yelled their way, shouting their pitch of product quality and availability. There had been a few interesting collections of things that Violet wanted to browse through, but nothing that they actually needed for their trip.

"You know what I was thinking?" Engel began, as he tried his best not to be stepped on by the crowd. "You should have a weapon of some sort. So that you don't have to put your hands at risk."

"I don't think I'd be very capable with a blade," Violet said. "I don't have much muscle either. Wielding a weapon would probably be more of negative."

Done with their first lane of stalls, which had been mostly fruit and similarly perishable foods, Violet turned to lead them down the next trek and spotted something with promise. The first stall they came across was littered with books and scrolls in piles and on shelves. The young man watching over the literature was lost in an enormous book set on a table that he stood over, examining with a magnifying glass.

"Hello, bookseller," Violet greeted, gaining his attention. "Do you have any maps? Or perhaps would you be knowledgeable of elven cities and willing to sell such knowledge?"

"Well, hello, little witch," the man replied. "I have some maps but I'm afraid they're more aged collector items than useful tools. Also, I haven't the faintest idea where an elf city would be. Sorry."

"Damn, I put up my well-spoken demeanor for no reason then," Violet said with a sigh.

"You did well," the man said with a laugh. "Since I have you here, do you know Wokren?"

"Wokren?" Violet repeated. "The language? Not at all. You'll never find anyone that knows that. It's been dead in witch culture for centuries."

"That is truly a shame."

The man retrieved a dusty package from a bookshelf behind him and set it atop the front counter. It was clearly a book wrapped in heavy paper, held closed with twine.

"Would you mind taking this book off my hands anyhow?" the bookseller asked. "I can't read this or sell it to anyone, and every time something bad happens to me I have the tendency to blame this witch relic."

"This is a witch book written in Wokren?" Violet questioned.

"Yes. It's very lengthy and appears to discuss an enormous range of topics, judging by the ill.u.s.trations. I've tried to have a few scholars take a look at it but they either refuse due to no interest or fear of curses."

"Sounds like a smart precaution," Engel said.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take it off your hands," Violet said.

The little witch reached to grab hold of the book, but when she touched the paper it caught fire with flames of black and silver. The paper protecting the tome was destroyed in a matter of seconds and the young man jumped backward a few feet in shock.

"That's new," he said.

The book was somewhat like Violet had expected. It was covered in black leather and looked to be much more weight than she would have preferred to carry. The pages appeared in good condition from the visible edges, although they were incredibly uneven all around. Much worse than was typical. The cover itself seemed to have some sort of design made into it, but the book had apparently seen a great deal of interaction with a blade.

"Wow, someone sliced this thing all to Hell," Violet said. "Fearing a curse was well-deserved."