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Chapter XI

Saure woke early the next day, eager to get out exploring. Fred had left the bedroom shortly after Saure had fallen asleep, and she met him in the stables. She gave him quite a start, as he had been in the middle of his morning wash. He was very particular about his privacy during washings. This was just one more instance of strange behavior in a very strange cat.

The cobbled streets were relatively empty; the produce vendors were just setting up shop. Flower stands wafted their airy, delicate perfume into the dull morning mist that hovered just below a man's waist height. The inn stood at the mouth of a sloping ramp path that led down into the greater marketplace. There was a little courtyard beyond this, sporting two almond trees and some sparse green grass. The stands were scattered along the continuation of the cobbled street, and buildings crowded along its edges. The alleys in this place were extremely narrow, and reeked lightly of rubbish and moldering rainwater. As long as one didn't wander far from the central streets, Nora was a relatively pleasant city.

Saure was disappointed that the more interesting stands hadn't opened yet, but took the opportunity to venture deeper into the city with pleasure. Fred heeled close by her side, making sure to appear docile and obedient at the end of his lead. Saure ended up folding her end of the lead into her waist sash and forgetting about it.

The girl and cat wandered beyond an open set of huge doors into another section of the city. Saure noted a placard on the wall beside these doors that this section was known as Ruthford Juxt.
"Juxt is actually short for juxtapose." Fred explained. "They shortened the word to mean 'a section juxtapose the last one.' These sections were probably built as afterthoughts to the original fortress. See how the walls are just as thick here as the outer wall?"

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Saure nodded.
The Ruthford Juxt looked more like a cozy little town and less like part of a great city. It seemed that the further they went from the four main roads, the less crowded and impersonal the buildings and structures became. Here, she saw a quaint little fountain with gryphon statues spouting plumes of water from their hooked beaks, and tears trickling down their chiseled cheeks. The stores in this juxt were proper stores, ones with four walls and a door you could open. She tried many of the handles, but they were all locked this early in the morning. There was, however, one baked goods vendor up and selling breakfast to early risers at his stand right before the doors to the next juxt. Saure and Fred settled down next to the fountain to break their fast, the girl sitting comfortably on the great cat's broad back.

Soon enough, the sun breasted the high walls and melted away the remnants of mist. Folken began to emerge from their dwellings and begin their daily routines. Shops opened their doors to the crisp morning air, vendors began to assemble their stands and display their wares. Saure was delighted to find that she and Fred were among the first customers to visit the marketplace.

There were a thousand fascinating items for sale. Blown glass vials, exotic potionry and plants, jewelry of such intricate and beautifully bizarre design as such she had never seen. Gemstones and jewels glinted and shone with their own mysterious luster from rippled velvet displays. Fruits and vegetables plucked fresh from the royal gardens gleamed with dew and made the mouth water at first sight. Clothes and armor of every imaginable style and size were laid out or modeled on crude mannequins. And above all, chests and cases and shelves and tables stacked and crowded with books and scrolls. These, however, upon closer inspection proved themselves to either be blank journals or the idle musings of dimwitted hopefuls. Some were maps and journeyman descriptions of places far across the sea. These often included sketches of fabulous creatures and foreign