True enough, D.C. did manage to get them out of the palace without being seen, but that was more thanks to the contraband Bubbler vials she’d somehow pilfered rather than any real skill on her part. It helped that both she and Alex had donned disguises in the form of cape-like cloaks made out of a shimmery charcoal-coloured material with hoods that cast shadows over their faces, making them indistinguishable even with light streaming straight into their eyes. D.C. claimed the cloaks were made of Shadow Essence, a special kind of energy used by Shadow Walkers—a race of grey-skinned beings who walked around on swirling clouds of shadows. Caspar Lennox, the professor who taught Alex’s Studies of Society and Culture—or SOSAC—class at Akarnae, was so far the only Shadow Walker she had encountered. It took her a while to move past her inclination to compare him to a vampire, but once she did, she’d ended up becoming rather intrigued by him and his perpetual cloud of wispy darkness.
According to D.C., Shadow Walkers were well known in Medora for being mysterious but also doing exactly what their name implied—walking through shadows to transport themselves to new places. Hearing that, Alex had asked D.C. how it was possible, and her friend’s answer had caused her head to spin.
“You know how the sun gives off energy?” D.C. had said. “Well, long ago there was a race of beings who discovered that darkness also has its own unique energy. They found a way to trap the energy of shadows and refine it to a point where they could use it. They became known as Shadow Walkers, because the first thing they learned was how to use the energy to walk through shadows.”
When Alex had pressed for more details, D.C. had shrugged and said, “I’ve never Walked before, so I can’t tell you much about how it works. But from what Bear told me, the ring you were given from Blake last Kaldoras has enough Shadow for three Walks, so you can see for yourself what it’s like if you figure out how to access the Shadow Essence inside.”
Even now, wandering around outside under the heat of the sun, Alex glanced down at the ring on her finger, repeating the conversation in her head. It looked the same as it had the day Bear’s brother had surprised her with the gift. The band was black and the onyx-like centre stone of the ring coiled with darkness. Knowing it was infused with Shadow Essence made Alex realise it was more mysterious than she’d originally thought—but she still had no idea what it could actually do.
“What do you want to see?” D.C. asked, reclaiming Alex’s attention from her ring as they walked casually along Tryllin’s harbour.
Alex was entranced by all the sights, sounds and smells surrounding them. Apparently Sunday was the local fish market day, or so she guessed from the not-so-pleasant aroma that came in wafts strong enough for her to wrinkle her nose and hold her breath.
“It’s your city,” Alex responded. “Surprise me. But, uh, let’s maybe go somewhere away from the fish.”
Alex was certain her friend was grinning beneath her Shadow-infused hood, but D.C. didn’t comment as she led them away from the harbour and up one of the well-travelled, cobblestone roads. It made Alex wonder about something.
“Why do you have roads if you don’t have cars?” Then, not sure if D.C. knew what a car was, Alex added, “Or, um, transport vehicles?”
With a shrug, D.C. said, “Back in the days before Technos invented Bubblers, we used horses and carriages to move people and things around. The roads were necessary then, but that was long before I was born. These days the roads are mostly used as large pathways for walking traffic.”
Alex nodded in understanding as the two of them continued up the cobbled street until they reached the outskirts of the city.
“This road will take us into the centre of the city and then right back to the palace,” D.C. said. “It’s my favourite street in all of Tryllin. There’s so much to look at, with so many people bustling around.”
True enough, the moment they turned around a bend in the road, Alex discovered exactly what she meant. It was as if they’d walked into a whole new world. The noises, the colours—it was overwhelming. There were people everywhere: children running and screaming, adults calling out to one another, street vendors bartering prices with customers. Alex had never experienced anything like it before. The entire street was a trade market. Even the buildings that lined the sides of the roads had salespeople calling out to promote their wares.
There were people everywhere.
“Come on, I need to eat,” D.C. said, dragging Alex forward.
They stopped walking after a few minutes and D.C. stepped up to one of the shopfronts on the side of the road and entered the doorway into the building.
Inside, Alex was hit by an aroma so incredible that her mouth instantly began to water.
“This is the best shop in the whole city,” D.C. said with a contented sigh.
Alex looked around the comfortable room with its cosy couches and coffee tables. She followed D.C. to a glass-fronted bench and her eyes widened at the cakes and slices on display behind the“It’s a bakery?” Alex asked.
“Mmm-hmm, and it’s amazing,” D.C. said.
Alex had visited plenty of bakeries and patisseries, but she decided to humour her friend and see what all the fuss was about. And it turned out that D.C. was right; Mrs. Gribble’s Cupcakes and Nibbles provided them with delicacies that, in Alex’s honest opinion, defined ‘ambrosia’. Food of the gods, indeed.
After half an hour of scrumptiously decadent binging, Alex’s moans of pleasure turned into groans of discomfort.
“I’m never eating again,” she said, pressing her hands to her aching stomach and following D.C. back outside. “But that was incredible.”
D.C. nodded emphatically and asked, “What now?”
“I’m the tourist. You’re the guide,” Alex reminded her as they set off again. The streets remained crowded with people but they seemed less congested than earlier.
“Yeah, but is there anything in particular you want to do before we leave?”
Alex thought about for a moment then said, “I’d like to see the parade your dad mentioned.”
“Sure, we can do that, so long as we keep out of sight. My parents will be able to recognise the cloaks, even if they can’t identify us through them,” D.C. said. “If we keep following this road, it’ll take us right to where we need to go.”
They picked up the pace and continued onwards, with Alex marvelling anew over the energy and vibrancy of the street vendors and their customers, but her focus shifted when the throngs of people became thicker the closer into the city they travelled. The congestion deepened until Alex and D.C. were forced to walk in single file as they pushed their way through the crowd.
“If we get lost, meet back at Mrs. Gribble’s, okay?” D.C. called over her shoulder. “Just follow the street back.”
“Sure thing,” Alex called back.
There were so many people that Alex began to feel claustrophobic. But she continued to follow D.C. and soon enough the noise of the crowd was drowned out by a loud voice speaking through some kind of amplifier.
“… is such an honour, and we hope you enjoy the rest of the festivities.”
Alex and D.C. finally pushed through to a clearer spot that gave them a view up to a platform in the distance where the king and queen stood addressing the crowd.