"They'll be fine," Kenji assured her."The gate guards will keep an eye on them.No one will bother them."
Wren dismounted, suddenly nervous without her protectors beside her.
"The horse can come," Kenji added, seeing her hesitation."People will stare, but they'll be curious more than frightened.A wooden horse is strange, but not threatening."
She nodded, confident the horse would follow.It was very good at sensing her intent.
"Ready?"Kenji asked.
She took a breath.Beyond the gate, she could hear the sounds of the town, people talking, horses clopping."Ready."
They passed through the gate, and Wren's breath caught.The town was beautiful.
The lower level spread out before her, a wide marketplace with cobblestone streets, lined with shops and stalls.Buildings were a mix of stone and timber, with colorful awnings and hanging signs.The architecture was distinctly Asian-European fusion, with curved tile roofs beside peaked gables, paper lanterns hanging next to wrought iron fixtures.
But it was the cliff face that made her stop and stare.Houses were built directly into the rock, climbing up in terraced levels.Windows and balconies jutted out, connected by staircases that zigzagged up the stone.Gardens grew on every available ledge, flowers, herbs and compact vegetables.Water ran down carved channels, feeding the gardens and creating small waterfalls that caught the morning light.It was like something from a painting.Practical and beautiful at once.
People were everywhere; merchants setting up stalls, shoppers browsing, children running between carts...and they were all stopping to stare at her and her horse.Whispers followed her as Kenji led her deeper into the market.
"Is that wood?"
"Look at its mane—those are leaves!"
"That's the woman from the cursed farm—"
"I heard she has trees that grow clothes—"
"Monsters escorted her to the gate—"
Wren kept her chin up, trying to look confident despite the attention.Her horse walked calmly beside her, unbothered by the stares.
"They'll gossip for days," Kenji said quietly, not unkindly."Might as well get used to it.You're the most interesting thing to happen here in months."
"Wonderful," she muttered.
He grinned."Come on.The Marshall's waiting at the trading post.And you'll want to meet Mei, the lady who runs the general store.Best prices, fairest deals."
They wove through the market.Wren tried to take it all in—the bakery with its window full of pastries, the blacksmith's forge sending up sparks, a textile shop with bolts of fabric stacked to the ceiling.A tea house with tables outside where elderly men played board games.
And everywhere, the gardens.Compact, intensively planted, every inch utilized.She understood now what Walter had meant about space being limited.The town was built up, not out, maximizing defensible land.
Kenji stopped at a large building with a carved wooden sign:Mei's General Goods—Trade & Supply
"Here we are.Mei's inside.She's direct, but fair."He paused."And the Marshall should be here soon."
Wren tied her horse to a post outside—the horse settled immediately, patient as ever—and followed Kenji through the door.
The shop was packed.Shelves lined every wall, filled with tools, fabric, preserved foods, medicines, hardware.The organization was immaculate despite the density.A counter ran along the back, and behind it stood a woman in her forties with sharp eyes and graying hair pulled into a neat bun.
She looked up as they entered, and her gaze fixed on Wren immediately."So," she said."You're the one growing trees on cursed land."
Wren smiled, a little nervous."Yes, ma'am.I'm Wren."
"Mei."The woman came around the counter, studying Wren with an appraising look."I hear you have unusual goods to trade."
"I do."
"Show me."
