They emerged onto a bustling street. Before them stretched a lively fair, crowded with people. Cats roamed lazily among the stalls.
"Everyone who lives here has their own purpose," said Oldrich. "Some work for the good of others, some for themselves. In the end, a picture forms. Do you like it, guest?"
"Mm-hm," Lirael couldn't tear her eyes away from the crowd. "You… you look so much like humans. What do you call yourselves?"
"How? Hmmm… I suppose we make no distinction between anyone who lives in this world. We are inhabitants. Be it a man, be it a cat — we are souls who failed to reincarnate as humans. Tell me, guest, how are we different from you? Why were we divided, if we are the same as you?"
A heaviness settled in Lirael's chest. Many passersby glanced at her with sorrowful eyes.
Suddenly, Oldrich's gaze darkened, and his voice turned coarse.
