After that short and much-needed rest, Luke and Ilyrana finally emerged from the inn and headed straight toward the bustling market of Eldham. The sun was still lingering high, casting a golden gleam over the rooftops and wooden stalls arranged across the open square. Ilyrana had her hood drawn over, as always—a practice now second nature to her, to hide the distinct grace and elongated ears that marked her as an elf.
The market wasn't massive, but it was undeniably lively. Carts full of freshly harvested produce, bundles of herbs tied neatly in strings, smiths hammering away on tools and small weapons, and weavers calling out with vibrant cloths and garments in hand—it was a modest portrait of rural prosperity. Luke could already tell that this town stood on the higher tier among those they had passed.
