As she finished the last line and slid the journal back into her satchel, the sound reached them first—soft voices layered over one another, chiming tones, a distant hum that felt almost musical rather than loud.
They followed it.
The forest thinned into a wide clearing, and there—woven seamlessly into living trees and curved roots—was what could only be a market. Not built in straight lines, not divided by stalls in any orderly way, but flowing outward like a living thing. Paths braided through one another, canopies of leaves formed natural roofs, and glowing spores drifted lazily through the air like lantern light.
Lira stopped short.
"Oh…"
Renkai slowed beside her, equally taken aback.
Creatures filled the space—dozens of kinds, maybe hundreds—and many of them were unlike anything Lira had ever seen, even in her most imaginative studies.
Some looked like animals at first glance… and then she realized they were also plants.
