Weiin¹Literally wei (crystal / precious stone) + suffix in (center), meaning the center of the Province of Wei, in other words, Wei’s Capital. All Capitals of all Provinces are named as such., or the City of Wei²Literally wei (crystal / precious stone). Wei is the name of the Clan (family name), also the name of a Province. as the commoners called it, was a large, bustling city, its tall, large buildings made primarily of stone. Wooden carts and vending stalls clogged the main streets, and there were loud, lively people walking everywhere.

Snow couldn’t help blink at the overwhelming mix of sounds, at the restless movement, at the strong smells.

The entire city had been built against the slope of the tall mountain ridge, nestling against its massive dark, stone like a child cuddling in its mother's embrace. With its economy mainly dependent on its rich and abundant crystal and precious stones’ mines, the city had started as a small miner’s settlement and had quickly grown to become one of the largest cities of the Empire. With its booming economy, in time it had also inevitably developed into a well-renown center of commerce for all the surrounding Provinces, including Nox³Literally nox (night). Where Nox is the name of the Clan, also the name of a Province..

Snow’s head kept turning from one side to another, his eyes wide, his heart beating fast in a mix of excitement and fear. He had never seen himself surrounded by so many people. People that, amazingly enough, seemed completely oblivious of his presence, too busy going about their lives, greeting one another, haggling at the vending stalls for a better deal. He wished he could join them. Wished he could get a closer look at the things they were selling, at the shiny gemstones covering one table, at the colorful paper toys hanging on the other side of the street, at the strong smelling food that an old woman was cooking and selling in small paper bags.

The name Wei did sound familiar but, looking around, he couldn’t believe he had ever been to this place, much less lived here for years he could no longer count. The room where he’d been kept was always silent and dark. The only voices he had ever heard had belonged to the woman that had kept him, and to the clients she brought him on a daily basis. The bright, glowing city in front his eyes could hardly be the same place. Or so he thought, initially. A thought that quickly changed as they left the main streets, leading their horses to much darker, much narrower places.

Two bright torches holding a pair of blue, trembling flames, and the hanging wooden sign painted with a blue diamond, signaled the entrance to a small, obviously rundown inn.

Without a word, like a previously rehearsed scene, HawkEye dismounted his horse and went inside. He came back just a few moments later, nodding and gesturing them to approach the place.

The dark monster slid off his horse and, without a word, helped him down like always.

“I’ve already payed for a night in advance,” HawkEye informed them as they untied their luggage from their saddles. MenTar⁴Literally men (lake) + tar (wind) handed Snow his small bag, containing his change of clothes and his blankets. “I’ll take our horses to the back. Apparently there’s a small stable there.”

ZenTar⁵Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind). nodded.

“I’ll meet you there as soon as we check our accommodations,” MenTar added, looking serious for a change, and HawkEye silently led their horses away.

“Let’s do this, then,” ZenTar sighed, pushing the door open, and stepped inside, followed by his brother.

Grabbing his arm, the monster dragged Snow inside after them, and Snow quickly looked around the small room, filled with wooden tables and chairs, practically empty at that time of day.

“Good afternoon, master!” ZenTar greeted someone in a cheerful tone and Snow tried to see who he was talking to. But no matter how much he stretched his neck, the dark monster in front of him kept obstructing his view. He tried stepping to the side but the hand around his arm quickly pulled him back to his place. And so he just stood there, feeling too short, surrounded by the four tall men.

“Afternoon, travelers! Three rooms, that’s what the previous fellow told me. Am I right?” someone’s voice answered, sounding deep and rough.

“If you have them free we’ll take them.”

“Sure, sure! You are in luck. Had you arrived tomorrow you’d find yourselves sleeping under the bridge,” the rough voice laughed.

“Oh really? And why is that?” ZenTar asked with what sounded like genuine curiosity.

“You don’t know? It’s the big market. It happens every other month. And it starts the day after tomorrow. The city will be cluttered with people, some selling, some buying. Whatever it is you’re looking for, whatever your taste or poison, you are sure to find it there!”

“Oh, that sounds truly interesting.”

“It is, it is! You can’t be said to have lived a full life, if you have never attended one of Wei’s big markets!”

“It seems we’re in luck then! Not only we managed to find adequate boarding, we’ll still have the chance to grab this amazing opportunity!” ZenTar laughed good-naturedly and the man joined him.

“Your rooms will be up those stairs. Third and forth door on the right, and third door on the left. Will you gents be wanting for an evening meal later on? Not to brag, but my missis is one of the best cooks in town! And our wine is pretty good too, if I may say so myself.”

“Don’t mind if we do.”

“No trouble at all!” the rough voice replied, sounding happy.

“Well then, we’ll go upstairs and unload our luggage.”

“Make yourselves at home!” the man replied and Snow saw ZenTar’s head bow lightly before he turned and made his way towards the stairs.

MenTar followed him and so did the monster, dragging him by his arm. He still tried to take a peek at the man they’d been talking to, but the hood over his head worked both ways in concealing him and in concealing the world around him from sight.

The stairs were narrow and dark, creaking beneath their feet, and the corridor they led to was no wider, the only source of light coming from the small window at the end of it.

ZenTar counted the doors and opened the third one on the right and the third one on the left, peering inside.

“Check this one,” he told his brother and disappeared through the door exactly in font of it. It didn’t take them long to return. “You stay here,” he told the monster signaling the room he’d just emerged from. “MenTar and I will take the room in front. HawkEye and BigMountain will stay next door.”

Nox nodded and didn’t waste time, dragging Snow inside. Only when they crossed the threshold did he finally released his arm.

Snow took one look around and wished he could run away as fast as his legs would carry him.

The room was small, the walls dark and stained. The mattress over the bed was lumpy and covered by what had once probably been a white sheet. The chair abandoned in a corner was crooked in strange way. The window was small, the glass so dirty that he could hardly see outside. All in all it felt very much like a prison, and he wished he could just sleep outside, in the streets, or in the stables with the horses.

Dropping his bag on the floor, the monster crossed the room to look out the window, peering left and right, even though Snow doubted that he'd be able to see much.

The closing of the door on his back made him jump, and Snow quickly stepped to one side to give way to ZenTar.

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” the older man asked, talking to the monster, but his green eyes peered at Snow, filled with doubt and suspicious.

“I’ll be fine. We managed to arrive in time, like planned.”

“I know we did. That’s not what I’m talking about.”

The monster turned and his blue eyes landed on Snow as well, making him take a step back.

“You mean him? I’ll be fine. I’ll cut his throat before he can utter a single word,” the monster declared dismissively and Snow took another step back. His cold eyes openly confirmed the words he’d just uttered.

ZenTar sighed and tossed a long sword at him, the slender blade glistening as it flew across the air. The monster grabbed it without difficulty, obviously too used to handle that kind of weapon, and it was quickly swallowed up by his darkness.

“Keep it, in case you need it.” ZaiWin⁶Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). nodded and crossed his arms, keeping the sword close to his chest. “I’ll go and take care of things. I’ll leave HawkEye and MenTar behind. You should try and get some rest. We’ll be back in the evening.”

ZaiWin nodded again and ZenTar turned to Snow, offering him one of his fake smiles before he left.

Silvareiel

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