A multiverse flea market

Although the town was set in the dry western regions, it was more fortunate than most towns on the seaboard; it was situated within the bifurcation of the Mors River. The town was therefore on a natural island; sturdy stone bridges allowed pedestrians and wagons to enter and exit at will and in safety. Compared to the land beyond the two rivers, Linmoor was a little paradise.


Space was restricted; therefore buildings were three to five storeys high, narrow affairs with communal walls. The cobbled alleys were narrower still, permitting little natural light, but were clean and dry. Only at the harbour jutting into the ocean was space set aside- for informal trading. Here the population of Linmoor gathered to buy and sell at bright, gaudy stalls, anything and everything anyone could need, want and imagine. Here they came to socialise and seek the sun, and to gawk at visitors, for there were plenty of those at any given time, Linmoor being well known for its market.


The din was incredible. A babble of chaotic sound enveloped them instantly. Vannis almost grabbed at his head and Rain frowned. Saska took it in her stride. They left their skiff with a man who could have been the twin to the sailor in Mintor. Saska quietly gave him the same warning she had given the other, but was not sure whether he believed her.


Stepping off the jetty behind the two men, she stared open-mouthed at the wares on display. Despite the watering sun no one seemed inclined to pack up. She had never seen the like in her long life. As they threaded their way through the dense throng, even Vannis looked around with avid curiosity. There were clothes, bright and drab, catering to all tastes, pots and pans, jewellery, semi-precious and costume, vegetables ordinary and exotic, toys, quaint wooden bowls shaped like fish and swans, leather belts studded with semi-precious stones, knives for hunting, knives for eating, soaps, drying racks, candles in a variety of shapes and sizes, pot plants, alcohol, foods deliciously aromatic…and she was glad she was walking on two legs and not swimming in some far ocean. For once her hankering as a Sylmer for open water receded into the background.

We Immortals are too aloof from everyday life. Wistfully she looked at Rain’s retreating back. I’d have liked to enjoy this with him. She caught Vannis looking at her and mentally shook herself. He did not need to know what her weakness was. Or who. He had already referred to her relationship with Rain, if one could call it that, but he did not need to know how much it mattered.

HOUSE OF VALLA