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however, were a lot busier with workshops and stores facing the street while their stairs saw a steady stream of traffic in and out. Eurik saw a blacksmith putting a piece of metal in the coals next to a butcher, who loudly praised his wares. Next to him two women wove baskets. Food, bowls, knives, shoes—just about everything was on sale.
    It was strange to walk amongst the crowd. Their clothes, their skin, their eyes, their width, their height—it all was different. Eurik was taller than most of the people he saw. For a change he had to look down more than up.
    And there were women, too. Not remarkable on its own, and it wasn't the first one he'd seen. One had visited the island back when he was eight or nine. But he'd been a child back then, not really aware of all the realities that came with being part of a race that had sexes. He found his eyes linger on one of them who was about his own age. She stared back and Eurik quickly looked away, feeling nervous.
    With all of these new things to see, hear, and feel, it was hard to keep track of where they were. He'd still be able to find the harbor, but only because he could cast his awareness out through the chiri in the ground.
    The impact of thousands of feet disturbed the Earth chiri , like raindrops falling on a pond, giving it a peculiar restlessness Eurik hadn't felt before. It did make it easier to tell there were tunnels underground. 'Must be those famous sewers.'
    And above ground were the famous aqueducts of Linese, providing the fountains Eurik encountered at every crossroads with water; the only commodity that appeared to be free in this city.
    The buildings around them changed, growing smaller and becoming entirely made out of wood. The crowd parted to reveal a group of six, clad in leather armor and carrying wicker shields and staves, marching down the street.
    “Better get out of their way. The wicked are the law down here,” Dak warned him as he himself moved to the right.
    Watching the city guard pass them, Eurik noticed they wore short swords at their sides. One wore a horn. The watchmen looked around, more than one pair of eyes lingered on Eurik, but they kept their pace and soon the group was swallowed by the throng again.
    “Come on, the Anauceros ain't far,” his guide urged.
     
    ***
     
    Whoever made the sign for the inn got things mostly right. It was green, scaly, had six legs, and its head was lowered as if to charge. The now extinct beast of burden hadn't had a set of big horns though. At least, the illustration of the skeleton Eurik had seen lacked them.
    Entering with Dak in tow, he made his way inside and approached the man behind the counter. Eurik waited for the innkeeper to finish pouring a drink, but before he could speak up the man did so himself. What he said, Eurik couldn't tell because he didn't recognize the language.
    “Ah, I'm looking for a room,” he tried.
    The innkeeper blinked, then spoke again, this time in Linesan. “I'm full.”
    “I do not require much. A place to lay my sleeping mat down, nothing more.”
    The innkeeper's left eye appeared to be permanently half-lidded, giving Eurik an unnerving stare. He scratched his cheek. “I got no beds. And my guests paid good money for some privacy. Most didn't bring any horses though, so I got room in the stables, I think. It's been busy.”
    'More haggling.' It was time Eurik pushed back. “Truth be told, I was mainly interested in finding out what a bed looked like. I can easily make my own shelter.”
    The stare came back for a moment, and the innkeeper grunted. “Two moons. That'll get you a comfortable place in the hay, as well as supper and two beers.”
    Eurik didn't even try to fight his smile. “Two silver coins sounds expensive. It's not like the hay will be ruined if I sleep on it, and beer only costs two copper pieces.” Hoyashi had told him the price of many items.
    It was the innkeeper's turn to laugh. “Two coppers, ha, I don't sell water here