(Chapter Seven: The Academy Test)
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Morning sunlight warmed the stones of the capital. The streets were busy and bright. Carts rattled by with stacked crates and tied tarps. Shop signs hung like little flags. Strings of colorful cloth crossed one lane like a party that never ended. John and Fizz walked with the flow.
John kept one hand on the cart handle. He pushed easily and steadily. He looked around as he walked. He had seen towns. He had seen markets. This was bigger. It felt like ten towns stacked together. The air smelled of bread, spice, leather, smoke, and sweet fruit. A bell rang somewhere. Another answered it. A hawker shouted about peaches. A child laughed and ran past with a ribbon on a stick like a small banner.
Fizz drifted at shoulder height. He turned slowly in the air, taking it all in. He looked left. He looked right. He looked down the long street and let out a soft "wow."
