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like the time Sri and a couple of his friends diverted
the watering channel to create a mud slide for the younger kids on a hot day. The
crops grew thirsty, while several dozen children abandoned chores to ride the
muddy slope. The barrage of complaints their parents received from both farmers
and parents was unprecedented, yet Sri acted as though the water should have been diverted and never acknowledged anything to the contrary. Sri was
capable of surviving. If Tip could locate Sri, he would send a communication
home to his mother and ease her worries.
    Focusing on Sri increased Tip’s
confidence and restored peace within him. With his sense of purpose renewed, he
continued without incident toward the main street, and found it thriving with shoppers
in the late afternoon sun. He turned left, heading west toward the main
marketplace, looking into the shop windows as he walked. The first window
displayed wildly colored hats of all varieties, even ones which would fit the
species with the tall, curly heads. What was the name of that species? He
shrugged. It didn’t really matter. The next window showed lacy-looking outfits
Tip was certain he would never wear. He wondered what one did with them and
continued to stare until several young females passed by, giggling at him. He
grinned back at them, then continued toward the marketplace.
    This main street was wider than the
previous one, allowing streaks of sunlight to filter through. Occasionally a
city transport zipped by, spewing dark fumes out of exhaust tubes in the back. The
longer Tip walked, the more he noticed the grimy black smudges on the windows
and the increasingly bad smell. Compared to Kentish, the air here was stale and
stifling.
    The city suffered at the hands of
the Tyrnotts, in stark comparison to its once-glorious past. His father had
explained some of the history on their earlier visits to the city. The Tyrnotts
taxed the city heavily and diverted many services and resources to their own
benefit. However, because the Caldot population believed that the Tyrnotts
restored and maintained peace after the Miyrans lost control, many accepted,
and even supported, the Tyrnott rule. The citizens of Kentish escaped much of
the Tyrnott influence due to their isolation from the city and their simpler
way of life. The Tyrnotts couldn’t extort any excess from the Liputs if there
was none. Still, the condition of the city seemed far worse than Tip remembered.
Now that he must survive in these conditions, they seemed insufferable in
comparison to Kentish. Hopefully once he joined the royal warriors, the
conditions would improve.
    He continued to take in his
surroundings, walking swiftly toward the marketplace.

Chapter 7
     
    Prizene peered out the cloudy diner
window again and pushed her fiery red, curly hair out of her eyes. She always
loved her hair, but now that she needed to blend in, it was a liability. She
tucked a lock behind her ear and turned back to her broth.
    She glanced toward the counter to
see the odd-looking server, whose face appeared to be smashed-in, darting his
eyes away from her. The other diners seemed just as strange as the server. They
were quite fascinating, actually. As a child, Prizene dreamed of leaving the
protective barriers of the northern foothills and meeting other species. Now
that she had finally gained the incentive to leave, she needed to be careful. She
rubbed the mark behind her left ear, then began fiddling with the locket she
wore around her neck. At least the mark blended well with her red hair, such
that only someone looking closely could see it. A Graelith was unlikely to even
realize she was marked.
    Was leaving home the right decision?
Her father could probably have hidden her. As Krystics rarely were marked, the
Tyrnotts likely wouldn’t have searched their home. She never would have been
happy, though, cooped up indoors all the time. She had made an agreement with
her friend, Traudin, after he was marked to find him in the