As soon as they took a bend around the hill, a dazzling scene appeared in Ethan's view.

In front of them a valley stretched out far and wide. It was dotted with tents decked up with colourful flags, bits of embroidered clothes and all kinds of beads and shiny trinkets. Merchants sat with their goods sprawled in front of them. Men and women  in colourful attires crowded around the makeshift stalls, bargaining, chatting and laughing.

The four travellers got off their steeds and led them gently through the crowds. Ethan couldn't help but marvel at the variety of goods laid out there. It seemed that everything from clothes to food to tools were available there.

 The four of them meandered through the pressing crowd and reached a large tent at the back of the fair-ground. It was an ornate tent made with camel hide. Around it a number of small tents were sprinkled.

As they approached the tent, a man came out of it and hurried towards them.  He was a gaunt and tall man, but his bearing showed that he held considerable strength in his long limbs. As he came near and greeted Juran with a slight bow, Ethan could see his face wrinkled and crisscrossed with thousands of lines. 'The man might be actually old or he might be one of those high mountain tribes whose skin ages early due to constant exposure to extremely dry and cold winds,' Ethan thought. 'Must be the second one, 'cause this man is all agile and youthful, otherwise.'

"Dovak is at your service, friend! Tell me, what brings you here?" He said, smiling.

Juran returned his bow. "Can you please arrange for a place where we can stay for the night?" He asked.

"Here, or in the town? You must be going there today? Or is it that you have just come to the fair for some shopping?" Dovak's eyes crinkled with amazement.

"In the town. We'll proceed there in the afternoon. But we've to buy a few things now. Can you look after our horses and arrange for some lunch?" Juran said.

"Sure, mate!" Dovak smiled. "Leave your horses here. My people will look after them. Come back here at noon for lunch?"

"That'll do," Juran said and leaving their horses there, the four of them came away from the tent.

"Liz, you get the things you need. Take Ethan with you. I'll go arrange for our next journey. I'm taking Ahir with me." Juran said.

So they split up there and went their different paths. Ethan felt a bit apprehensive at being tucked with Liz. He didn't know why his heart raced and his cheeks felt hot as he followed Liz through the crowd of crooning and haggling traders and buyers.

Ethan couldn't bring himself to be too close to Liz, so he followed the trail of her blazing red stole that she had casually wrapped around her shoulders. Earlier, she had taken off her black cloak, unveiling the ornate purple clothes she wore beneath it. Ethan had a hard time looking away from her as he didn't want to make himself look more awkward than he already was. Still, whenever their eyes met, Ethan had cringed from the hint of an amused laughter in the corner of her eyes.

So, there he was now, standing in a small clearing, some feet away from a stall where Liz had been rummaging through a dazzling display of trinkets.

"Ah! Buying bits of stone and metal even at such a time! Girls will always be girls, I guess!"

Startled, Ethan spun around only to find Gailar standing behind him, his eyes fixed at Liz and smiling in amusement.

"You, again! What are you doing here?" Ethan asked.

"Just what you guys are doing! Shopping, I think!" Gailar said in a mocking tone.

Ethan didn't know what to say. So he chose to keep silent there. It was Gailar who spoke again.

"I can see that you are still following at Juran's heels, like an obedient dog!" He said in the same mocking tone.

Ethan seethed inwardly, but he kept his face emotionless. "Leave me alone, Gailar," he said coldly.

"Why forger, are you that angry with me? I just came to say 'thank you' in a proper way. For saving my life there." Gailar said.

Ethan was surprised to hear the tone of sincerity in his voice. But the next thing that Gailar said caught him off guard.

"I came to warn you there." Gailar was saying. "Juran sells information to the Cerebs. Can it be that he is shielding you so that he can hand you over to them by himself?"

Ethan took a few seconds to process Gailar's words. But he was not surprised much. He had realized long ago that Juran was more than just a common merchant and he knew that Juran would rather protect him as a unique weapon than turning him over to anyone else. "Thank you for warning me. Now go away, please!" He said.

Gailar ignored him completely. "And another thing. That Dovak scum, he has sold himself away! Tell your friend not to trust him anymore."

Ethan stared at him silently as Gailar sauntered away. 'Why is it that I want to believe in him? Why does it seem to me that he's saying some truth here?' He couldn't understand himself.