124 Broken City (1/2)

As we crossed into the now open portcullis, I found myself staring up at a city whose grandeur was nothing like that of Shärleden or Broken Sellsword's Canyon, although it definitely held its own beauty.

The streets were paved blocks of sandstone. So were the walls and houses around them. The greens which were so common in Shärleden were sparse, a potted plant here and there or a lone tree cropping up from the stonework was all I could see.

What caught my attention, however, was the myriad of colorful tapestries and banners that could be seen from nearly every angle of the street we'd just walked into.

I assumed it was a bazaar of some sort. The hawkers and merchants chanting out prices of their products were sort of a dead giveaway, although many of these fairies gave us a wide berth. Possibly this was due to the surly faces of our guides. As if the horns sprouting out of their foreheads didn't make them look evil enough.

But no sooner had we left one bazaar, our guides taking us through a side street with narrow steps down and then up and then left and then, well, next thing you know, we'd found ourselves in an even bigger marketplace where even street performers, many of whom looked like the jesters and harlequins of old Europe, entertained the throng of shoppers with their silly performances.

It was quite a sight. In fact, Luca and I had walked over to the edge of a gathered crowd. Toward its front, a miniature theater had been set up for the sprite performers on the tiny stage.

\”What do you think it's about?\” Luca asked.

We would find out soon enough as the play had started.

Apparently, it was a tragedy, like Shakespeare's Macbeth, only, with its own fairy twist.

The lead sprite, a rather big one for his kind, played Garm. He was discussing palace etiquette with the sprite whose harshly painted face reminded me of Kabuki theater. I think it was their way of pointing out he was the bad guy and Garm, who had pristine white teeth, was the good guy. Of course, this evil sprite was Garm's nephew, Auranos, and the vixen looking sprite beside him, the one with the fishnet stockings and the black dress, apparently that was Aura.

I glanced behind me to the satyr commander escorting us to Garm. He'd simply gazed back at me with a shrug.

\”We allow our performers to exercise artistic license, to interpret history the way they see it,\” the satyr said.

I rolled my eyes at him before turning back to the stage and nudging Luca with my elbow.

\”More like propaganda,\” I whispered.

Luca nodded. \”Definitely.\”

We continued watching the street play, which, in the entire fifteen minutes of the first act, portrayed my friend, Aura, as a harlot who craved power over anything else. Her brother was no less evil, plotting behind their uncle's back and seeking to steal the Patriarch's seat from his rightful ass.

Fake Aura handed fake Auranos a sharp sprite-sized knife. He looked down at it with a wicked gleam in his eye.

\”This is just wrong, just wrong…\” Luca's fists had tightened into knuckles. \”Good thing Aura isn't here…\”

\”Yeah, Good thing…\” I said, remembering the reason for Aura's disappearance. It was the other big headache of my night. \”Come on… I've seen enough.\”

We turned around and walked away with Luca and Ashley needing to pull and prod Edo away from the play. I couldn't fault the murderous vibes he was giving off after seeing his charge defamed like that.

The Jester's Court was true to its name, filled with all sorts of attractions and shops hawking wares from all over the central region. The packed streets turned into dead-end corners, widened and narrowed suddenly, or went up or down uneven steps with seemingly no rhyme or reason to them. It was like a giant maze, and I was certain it was meant to be this way to keep intruders out or, even more likely, in.

But one thing that struck me more than the colorful sights and sounds were the deadpan faces of its citizens. Even a smile was quickly replaced by a seemingly melancholic mood that spread out from the gathered crowd. More than looking dejected, the citizens of Jester's Court seemed broken somehow.

Eventually, our guides led us to a final wide stone street that led straight to the massive fortress that loomed over the city.

Surrounded by thick walls whose battlements were taller than the city gates, half a dozen pointy towers rose up to meet the night sky like spears defiantly aimed at whatever heavenly prank had been played on its owner. The portcullis beyond was the same type as the entrance to the city, but the bars were thicker.

\”Place giving off a creepy vibe to you?\” I asked Luca.