"Get the fuck off me!" Linnie shouted, wrestling free from the half-asleep Liora.
She was... gnawing on his leg, as if it were a turkey's.
"Huh? Linnie? Why're you in our sleeping sack?"
"I'm not! We're packing up camp, you're the one who slept late! I just came to wake you up!"
Linnie, for some reason, felt slightly guilty. Not towards the girl, but to the boys he'd once lived with in that stable—a time so distant from his current life, it seemed like it had been years, rather than only a couple of months.
He remembered how he'd been such a pain to wake up, and actually regretted it, now that he was on the other end. Perhaps he was being civilized? Just a little?
He shook off the thought, kicking the girl off of his ankle.
'No... I'll never be civilized, I'm a demon!'
"Why're you smirking to yourself like that? That's soooo creepy," Liora snickered.
"DIE!"
"Ow!"
Corvailles announced itself to the party long before its grand stone walls came into view.
First came the sound of bells chiming from somewhere that wasn't too far ahead, their chorus bright and celebratory and layered over the noises of ship rigging and thousands of voices.
Then came the smell. Somehow, even out of the bounds of the city, the smell of salt, spices, sugar, food frying in oil, and the unmistakable smell of the fish markets reached them.
"Oh man, I'm starving! Whatever that is smells good!" Linnie said, jogging ahead.
"Meow~!"
Lady seemed to be quite excited for the city, too.
"That's weird. The city's lively, sure, but not this lively," he said, stroking his chin in thought. Then he groaned. "Wait... don't tell me..."
Neither Linnie nor Liora took note, and instead broke into a race to the top of the hill. Surely, Corvailles would be in view from there. And it was.
"Wow..." Liora said.
For the first time, she didn't know what to say.
Corvailles rose out of the coastline like a beautifully painted fresco. The outer canals were visible, irrigating the sprawling fields that surrounded the walls. They flowed from within the city, no doubt connecting to the sea on the other end.
It was no mystery how they purified the seawater for drinking and irrigation. You might think it was the work of the city's resident wizards—and you'd be wrong!
No, instead, it's the work of a blessing that draped over the entire city. The blessing of Saint Pischt, the ocean deity, and the patron saint of Corvailles.
When Linnie learned about this connection, he nearly fainted. What were the chances? This 'Saint Pischt' was exactly the... person? Thing. This saint was exactly the thing he needed to speak to!
What luck!
They reached the gates, and though Aliza was ready to flash her family's seal, Alwyn quickly let her know that wouldn't be needed.
This was The Great Everflame Wizard, Alwyn, after all.
As they entered past the gates, Linnie picked up Lady off the ground and brought her close to his chest. It would be easy to lose a cat where they were headed.
He watched the canals as they glittered from the morning sun, crossing one another like the veins of this massive city. They threaded between sturdy stone buildings that towered higher than anything else Linnie had ever seen.
The architecture was an interesting mix of elegance and practicality, with arched bridges, grand balconies, and colorful banners. Yet, all of it felt clearly lived in. It was busy. Loud, even. And very alive.
Boats of various shapes floated through the canals: slim mailing skiffs, fat merchant barges stuffed with crates, little rowboats that darted between them like small fish. Water slapped against the boats and surrounding stone in rhythmic splashes, like the city was constantly playing a song.
And street vendors leaned over railings to shout their deals at the passing boats, like the lyrics to the song. Somewhere out of sight, a musician, or perhaps many, played a lute incredibly fast.
They wanted their tips!
Linnie stopped walking, he couldn't help it. His eyes trailed up a tall clocktower covered in beautifully painted pale tiles. It showed an impressive, fantastical scene. He wasn't familiar with the story, but it was captivating nonetheless.
Alwyn slapped him on the back.
"Keep moving, it's way too crowded to stand still like that. I don't think I'd be able to find you if you got swept away," he snickered.
It was true. Alwyn had a certain... presence, that allowed the party to cut through the dense crowd. If one were to stray a little too far from him, however, they'd surely get lost in the sea of people.
Aliza was looking around, for a tavern no doubt. She hadn't said anything since they entered the city, but it was clear even she was excited to finally be back in civilization.
Liora, on the other hand, was practically vibrating. She pointed at everything. Every passing boat, every store, every canal. She spoke so fast that she nearly tripped over her own excitement.
"Linnie, look! Look at that building! It has a lion—that is a lion, right?—carved into the roof! And those boats... wow, why are there so many boats!? Do people not walk? No, of course they do. There's more people surrounding us right now than I've ever seen in my entire life!"
After she took a gulp of air, she continued.
"And that vendor is selling some kind of... candy stick? Why have I never seen a candy stick before? Alwyn? Hey, Alwyn, can we get candy sticks? Alwyn? Al—"
"Ehh... those things are pricey. They're tourist traps, don't be fooled! They don't even taste good," he said, shutting her down.
"Hmph."
The closer they walked towards the central district of the city, the thicker the crowds became. Festival decorations hung everywhere—crimson cloth draped from balconies, golden lanterns hanging from tethers that stretched across the city, above their heads.
Children wearing paper sailor hats sprinted past, waving tiny wooden ship toys around.
"I totally forgot. It's festival season!" Aliza said, clapping her hands over her mouth. "I've always wanted to see the spring festival. What's it called again? The Feast of..."
"The Feast of The First Voyage," Alwyn said. "And it'd be awesome if I wasn't here for strictly business. Alas, we cannot partake in the super fun festivities... what a... shame."
Aliza raised one eyebrow, giving him a suspicious look. No one believed those words, not even Alwyn.
'A festival... I've never—'
Liora interrupted his thoughts, saying "I've never seen a festival before! This is so cool!"
'At least I'm not the only one.'
The boy had never been surrounded by so much noise or color, or people for that matter, moving in every direction yet somehow not colliding. It was both extremely overwhelming and extremely exciting.
He caught a glimpse of the inner harbor as they rounded a corner. It was an enormous basin filled with ships that were bigger than any building Linnie had ever seen.
Well, any building he had seen before he stepped foot in Corvailles.
Their sails were painted with bright colors, presumably for the festival. Workers hauled crates up ramps, and fishermen bartered at an obnoxious volume.
Liora tugged his sleeve, grinning so wide it must've hurt.
"Did you see that giant boat over there? You think they'd let us on it? I've never even seen a real boat before, now that I think about it!"
"Me neither," Linnie said.
He was still sort of lost for words, too busy staring, trying to decipher the feeling that stirred within him. It was the first time in a very long while that Linnie had seen something truly and completely new to him.
The boy didn't even imagine that a place like this could exist at all.