blocked her
way. Kara looked up, instantly afraid. A huge bull-headed man stood
in front of her, arms crossed, glaring down at her. Steam huffed
out of his nostrils.
Kara backed away wordlessly, stunned, ready
for the thing to attack her. Once outside the booth, the bodyguard
relaxed.
Maybe I should wait here.
The roar of the crowd passing down the aisle
grew. She turned to watch, her curiosity and awe hindered by the
nagging fear that Dante would not come back before someone
recognized her as human.
A quad of dwarves stumbled by. They carried
large steins filled with an amber colored liquid that slopped over
the rims and dripped onto the ground. The four seemed to be in very
good spirits. Their good humor was infectious. She smiled to
herself.
Creatures of all sizes, colors, and even
smells passed by her. A wolf creature, walking on two legs, smelled
like cinnamon when it passed. A small scrawny reptile creature with
big eyes, carrying a spear smelling of peaches.
Kara’s stomach growled. She wished Dante
would hurry up, so they could get some food. She glanced back at
the booth but there was no sign of him. The bull man caught her
eye, and she quickly looked away.
A tickle at her ankle made her swat with her
hand. She connected with something, and jumped back. Panic pulsed
through her and her eyes grew wide. The animal sniffing her looked
like a cross between a dog and… She wasn’t quite sure what
else.
“Graaach!” Its mouth opened revealing rows of
pointed teeth and a blood-red tongue.
Kara bolted into the flow of traffic,
instantly running into someone or something. She quickly apologized
to something large and hairy. But in doing so, bumped into someone
else.
Kara became a bobber in a sea of creatures.
The crowd bumped her around turning her several times until she
lost sense of which direction she headed, until she finally ditched
into the booth opposite the nymphs’. She fought to tamp down the
panic that beat inside her. She paused a moment to get her
bearings.
She looked back at the stream of races and
tried to catch a glimpse of the booth Dante had gone in, but she
couldn’t see it.
Did I just get lost? A frightened
voice asked inside of her, but she willed it away. Kara turned back
to the nearest booth, a canvas tent, where several tables of
jewelry and trinkets sat displayed. Farther back, it looked as if
there were swords that had gems infused in the hilts. Maybe the
shopkeeper here would be able to point Kara in the right
direction.
But as she started in, her eyes caught sight
of one table and one object on that table, a necklace. It held an
amazing blue stone. The stone set in a crystal pendant resembled
the shape of a bat, wings outstretched, but no head.
“Pretty.”
She jerked back, startled by the voice. “I’m
sor—” Her words trailed off as she saw the creature looking at her
from the other side of the table. It stood only about three feet
tall, its chin just about resting on the tabletop. Two huge pointed
ears laid flat against its greenish head and rose two inches higher
than the balding dome.
“I, Goblin Skrag.” The thing stepped back
from the table and did a mock bow to her, one of its thin bony
hands waving the air in front of him. The voice reminded Kara of
coins rattling around in a tin cup. The beautiful jewelry he was
selling was very much in contrast to the ugly thing running the
booth.
“How I help you?” Skrag’s speech broke like
that of a little child who had newly learned to speak. He paused in
between his words when he didn’t have to.
Kara couldn’t take her eyes away from Skrag’s
saucer-sized, yellow eyes. His almost nonexistent nose reminded her
of a skull she once saw.
“Um…I’m just looking,” she said dismissively,
hoping that he would go away. Her eyes focused back on the
necklace.
“You look good. Very pretty.”
At first, Kara didn’t know if Skrag flirted
with her or told her that the necklace was a good piece. She hoped
he
way. Kara looked up, instantly afraid. A huge bull-headed man stood
in front of her, arms crossed, glaring down at her. Steam huffed
out of his nostrils.
Kara backed away wordlessly, stunned, ready
for the thing to attack her. Once outside the booth, the bodyguard
relaxed.
Maybe I should wait here.
The roar of the crowd passing down the aisle
grew. She turned to watch, her curiosity and awe hindered by the
nagging fear that Dante would not come back before someone
recognized her as human.
A quad of dwarves stumbled by. They carried
large steins filled with an amber colored liquid that slopped over
the rims and dripped onto the ground. The four seemed to be in very
good spirits. Their good humor was infectious. She smiled to
herself.
Creatures of all sizes, colors, and even
smells passed by her. A wolf creature, walking on two legs, smelled
like cinnamon when it passed. A small scrawny reptile creature with
big eyes, carrying a spear smelling of peaches.
Kara’s stomach growled. She wished Dante
would hurry up, so they could get some food. She glanced back at
the booth but there was no sign of him. The bull man caught her
eye, and she quickly looked away.
A tickle at her ankle made her swat with her
hand. She connected with something, and jumped back. Panic pulsed
through her and her eyes grew wide. The animal sniffing her looked
like a cross between a dog and… She wasn’t quite sure what
else.
“Graaach!” Its mouth opened revealing rows of
pointed teeth and a blood-red tongue.
Kara bolted into the flow of traffic,
instantly running into someone or something. She quickly apologized
to something large and hairy. But in doing so, bumped into someone
else.
Kara became a bobber in a sea of creatures.
The crowd bumped her around turning her several times until she
lost sense of which direction she headed, until she finally ditched
into the booth opposite the nymphs’. She fought to tamp down the
panic that beat inside her. She paused a moment to get her
bearings.
She looked back at the stream of races and
tried to catch a glimpse of the booth Dante had gone in, but she
couldn’t see it.
Did I just get lost? A frightened
voice asked inside of her, but she willed it away. Kara turned back
to the nearest booth, a canvas tent, where several tables of
jewelry and trinkets sat displayed. Farther back, it looked as if
there were swords that had gems infused in the hilts. Maybe the
shopkeeper here would be able to point Kara in the right
direction.
But as she started in, her eyes caught sight
of one table and one object on that table, a necklace. It held an
amazing blue stone. The stone set in a crystal pendant resembled
the shape of a bat, wings outstretched, but no head.
“Pretty.”
She jerked back, startled by the voice. “I’m
sor—” Her words trailed off as she saw the creature looking at her
from the other side of the table. It stood only about three feet
tall, its chin just about resting on the tabletop. Two huge pointed
ears laid flat against its greenish head and rose two inches higher
than the balding dome.
“I, Goblin Skrag.” The thing stepped back
from the table and did a mock bow to her, one of its thin bony
hands waving the air in front of him. The voice reminded Kara of
coins rattling around in a tin cup. The beautiful jewelry he was
selling was very much in contrast to the ugly thing running the
booth.
“How I help you?” Skrag’s speech broke like
that of a little child who had newly learned to speak. He paused in
between his words when he didn’t have to.
Kara couldn’t take her eyes away from Skrag’s
saucer-sized, yellow eyes. His almost nonexistent nose reminded her
of a skull she once saw.
“Um…I’m just looking,” she said dismissively,
hoping that he would go away. Her eyes focused back on the
necklace.
“You look good. Very pretty.”
At first, Kara didn’t know if Skrag flirted
with her or told her that the necklace was a good piece. She hoped
he
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