The other four children were standing in front of a very small cart, hitched to Breeze, one of the oldest and most feeble of the horses in the stable.
“Well, you can see ol’ Cadwalder is feeling remorseful for all his bad deeds,” Char said.
“At least it’s a cart, at least it’s a horse,” said Ven, climbing in. “All ashore who’s goin’ ashore.”
They piled in the cart one by one, and Saeli, who could speak to animals, gave directions to Breeze. The cart lurched forward on its bumpy wheels and began rumbling down the road to town, slightly off-kilter.
The morning was bright, and with the exception of Ida, everyone was laughing and chatting away, the excitement of the adventure beginning to grow. They fell silent as they passed the White Fern Inn, the place where Maurice Whiting, the man who had worked with Cadwalder to have Ven arrested, lived. Mr. Whiting kept vicious guard dogs, but not a sound could be heard in the yard as their cart rolled by. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the pristine white inn was no longer in sight.
After about an hour the shining gates of the city of Kingston came into view.
Ven turned to the others.
“All right, this is how it’s going to work,” he said. “Saeli, Nick, Char, and Clem, you go to the booth in front of the Gated City and buy our tokens. See if the money changer will give you gold crowns, silvers, and coppers for the leftover value in the gems. Ida, once we get to town, you’re on your own. No one’s going to be able to help you if you do something stupid, so try to stay out of trouble. We will meet you back at the fountain in the center of town when the Market warning bell rings an hour before the gates close. I’ll meet up with the rest of you at the gates just before nine o’clock, when they open.”
“And where are you going?” Char demanded. “You better not send us into that city and not show up.”
“I’ll be there when the gates open,” Ven promised. “I just have something to do first.”
6
The Abandoned Pier
AT THE NORTH END OF THE TOWN OF KINGSTON, THE NEAT cobblestone streets gave way to hard-packed sand dotted with shells. This section that had once been part of the harbor was empty now. Broken boats littered the beach, and an abandoned pier stretched out into the water like a bridge to nowhere.
The pier had a good many holes and missing boards, so Ven was careful as he walked to the end of it.
“Amariel!” he shouted over the water. “Are you there?”
Only the slap of the sea wind and the screams of the gulls answered him.
* * *
So I waited. Whenever I came to see her, I was never sure whether she would be there, and if she was there, whether she would be in the mood to speak to me. Amariel is hard to predict. From what she tells me, I think all merrows are.
So I waited.
* * *
Finally, the head of a young girl broke the water, her dark hair streaming. She had a pleasantly angled face, with bright green eyes that gleamed with the same curiosity that Ven’s did. On top of her head was a delicate red cap laced with pearls. She surfaced just as Ven started to call again.
“Amari—”
“There’s really no need to shout,” she said, clearly annoyed. Then her eyes gleamed a little brighter. “What are you doing here? Are you ready to come explore the depths with me, finally?”
Ven sighed. It was the same question she always asked him. He gave her the same answer he always did.
“I wish I could,” he said. “But I have to do something in the Gated City today.”
Amariel leaned back in the water, and as she did, a huge tail of magnificently colored scales crested the waves where her legs would normally be. “Of course you do. You always have something more important that keeps you from coming with me. So what do you want?”
Ven pulled the translucent oval stone that the king had given him out of his pocket. “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”
The merrow swam closer, and Ven held the stone down so she could get a better look. It caught the morning light and gleamed in much the same way it did in the dark.
Amariel stared at the stone for a moment, then shook her head.
“There are some rocks, plants, and fish in the depths that glow like that,” she said. “They are a source of light deep in the ocean where the sun can’t reach. But that doesn’t look like something from the sea.”
“I didn’t think so,” Ven said. He looked at the stone again, then put it back in his pocket and buttoned it for safekeeping.
“But I thought I would ask you, anyway. You know a lot of interesting things that nobody else I know does. And I just wanted to say good morning.”
“Oh,” said the merrow. “Well, good morning. And goodbye.”
“Wait!” said Ven as she started to dive. “Do you know anything about the Gated City?”
The merrow looked at him oddly. “That city?” she asked, pointing behind him.
Ven glanced over his shoulder. In the distance the high wall and guard towers were visible. “Yes,” he said. “That city.”
“Oh—well, yes, actually, I do,” the merrow said. “There’s a wonderful place to eat there in the center of town called The Mermaid’s Purse that makes terrific clams. It’s got a lovely view, near the eastern wall, at the top of a tall set of stairs.”
“Really?” Ven asked in amazement.
The merrow’s face went sour. She slapped the surface with her tail, splattering him with seawater, then waved her lower fin at him.
“What do you think?” she said sarcastically. “Do I look like I do stairs?”
“Er, good point,” said Ven, dripping wet and feeling foolish.
He smiled sheepishly at the merrow. She was glaring at him.
The harsh cry of a seabird, high above, shattered the silence. Ven looked up as a giant shadow glided over him. The albatross was circling above; it made one last pass, then flew away out to sea.
“That bird has been following me since the morning of my birthday in Vaarn,” Ven said, shaking the water out of his hair. He took off his cap with the albatross feather attached to it and shook it dry. “I wish I knew why.”
“Maybe she likes you,” suggested the merrow scornfully. “Birds aren’t known for having the best of taste. But then, you haven’t been keeping her waiting, I suppose.”
“I really am sorry about that, Amariel,” Ven said as the merrow crossed her arms. “I would love to come with you to see your world in the sea, and someday I will, if you haven’t lost patience with waiting. But I have to do something for the king today. Even if he did fire me.”
Amariel’s green eyes grew wide in alarm.
“He fired you?”
“I think so,” Ven said.
The merrow exhaled sharply, then squinted as she looked at Ven.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “You don’t look burned at all.”
“No, I mean he told me in front of a lot of people that I don’t have a job with him anymore,” Ven said. “But before he did that, he asked me to find out the story of the stone I showed you. So I’m going into the Gated City today, where it seems to have come from. It’s Market Day, the only day of the week you can get in and out of the city.”
He stopped talking. Amariel was staring at him in confusion.
“I didn’t mean to be stupid about the stairs,” he continued. “But I didn’t know if perhaps you had decided to give your cap to someone and grow legs. Didn’t you say merrows could do that if they wanted to explore the dry world?”
“Yes,” the merrow said disdainfully. “But only stupid merrows. It’s supposed to be a human man that you give your cap to, and my mother says merrows who do that are kept like slaves by the men after that and go all boring and human, forgetting about the sea. Ugh. Believe me, there’s nothing so interesting to me in the dry world that would make me do that.”
“Well, then, I’m glad,” said Ven. “I wouldn’t want you to change at all from the way you
are. Even if I do get splashed occasionally.”
The merrow’s face softened a bit.
“Well, I guess I do know one thing about the Gated City,” she admitted. “Remember Asa the fisherman? The one I told you about who can cut gills for you when you’re ready to explore the depths?” Ven nodded. “Well, Asa says there are underwater caves farther up the coast that lead in and out of there. But he warned me never to go near them. I guess the people who live in that place aren’t especially nice—like pirates.”
Ven shuddered. He had met pirates.
“Well, that’s good to know, anyway,” he said. “Thank you very much. I’m glad I asked you.”
“Good luck,” said the merrow, preparing to dive. “Stay away from pirates, even if they’re on land.”
“I will try,” Ven promised.
“Goodbye,” said the merrow.
“Goodbye,” said Ven as she disappeared below the waves again.
He waited until he could no longer see any sign of the beautiful multicolored scales, then shook himself dry one more time and headed back to the gates in the middle of Kingston.
He did not notice the quick sparkle of rainbow color that glinted eerily behind him, from the other side of the Market wall, in the morning sun.
VEN, WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN?” CHAR DEMANDED AS Ven approached the booth at the main entrance to the Gated City. “We thought you might have been stolen before you even got in there.”
“I’m fine, and I’m sorry,” Ven said. “Did you get the tokens?”
“We did,” Clemency said as she and Saeli held up five long ribbons on which round medallions had been strung. They passed them out, Saeli choosing the one with the bright blue ribbon that matched the big bow in her hair. Ven took the one Clem handed to him and examined it quickly.
The token on the ribbon was exactly like the one that had formed the seal on the box that was sent to the king’s father.
“The gems the king gave you were more than enough to get us in,” Char said, handing Ven three gold crowns. “There’s enough here for a right fine noon-meal, and maybe even a little shopping.”
“The king called it ‘walking-around money,’” Ven said absently, looking up at the guards with crossbows manning the tall walls that encircled the city. “If we keep our wits about us, we should be able to learn something about the king’s stone and have a fun day at the same time. We need to each take a certain number of stores or booths or whatever they have inside there, and look through all the wares. Maybe we will see something like this, something that glows, or has cracks in it. Look high and low, in the bricks of the buildings or the cobblestones of the streets. If everyone looks at something different, we have the best chance of seeing a clue. We can divide it up by direction points—I’ll take the north, Char can take the south, Clem the east, and Nick the west. Saeli, you watch the ground, since you’re closer to it. You might see something we wouldn’t.”
“We just need to be sure we stay together,” said Nick. “If we get separated, we may be done for.”
“Shhh,” said Clemency. “The guard is climbing up onto the podium.” She pointed to an elevated spot to the left of the main gate.
Ven turned to see a soldier dressed in the colors of the town guard of Kingston step out onto the elevated ledge and over the crowd that had gathered, waiting to get into the Gated City.
“Good morning,” he said. “Today, as I’m sure you all know, is Market Day. Here are the rules. First, no one enters the Gated City without an official token. Tokens can be purchased at the booth below. You can enter and exit the City as many times as you like, provided you have the token with you. If you do leave, and do not have the token when you return, you will be denied admittance.
“Next, be aware that the Market closes three fingers before sunset,” he continued. “An hour before that, a warning bell will sound once. This is the signal that you should bring your shopping to an end and make your way to this gate. You must be on the Kingston side of the gate when the final Market Day bell sounds, or you will be forced to remain within the walls of the Gated City until the next Market Day, one week from today. On that day, you can present your token and you will be let out before anyone else enters.” His eyes narrowed. “If you can survive that long.
“Finally, when each of you purchased your token, you were warned of the risks of entering the Gated City. This place was founded as a penal colony for thieves and criminals of the worst sort. And while that has not been the case for many centuries, we make no guarantees as to your safety or the safety of your possessions. You’re on your own. If you do not wish to abide by these terms, you can return your token for a refund from this moment until the opening bell sounds. After that, no refunds will be given.”
“Are you sure about this, Ven?” Char asked nervously. “It’s not too late.”
“You can stay if you want,” Ven replied, struggling to keep his curiosity from overwhelming him. “I can’t wait to see what’s on the other side of these gates.”
“One last warning, folks,” the main guard said as the hands of the clock in the tower moved toward the top of its face. “For your own safety, stay in the middle of the Outer Market and as far away from the Inner Market as you can. There is nothing of any value to good, law-abiding citizens in that place anyway.”
With a harsh clang, the brass bells in the high tower just beyond the wall began to ring the hour nine times. As the sound of the last note died away, there was a blare of trumpets and a roll of drums.
The three guardians of the gate stepped forward with great ceremony. They inserted enormous keys of black steel with many teeth into the lock of the gate. They turned them several times in different directions, then stepped back.
Slowly, the huge gates began to swing open.
The crowd squeezed forward. Each person struggled to get as close to the entrance as he could.
“Hang on to those tokens, now,” the guard warned as the crowd swelled toward the gate. “Remember, if you lose it, you’ll be living in there forever.”
The five friends looked at each other. They quickly checked the tokens around their necks, then followed the crowd that was pressing through the opening into the Outer Market of the Gated City.
7
The Market of Thieves
* * *
Beyond the gates was a sight like none I had ever seen before.
Kingston is a pretty town, with well-kept gardens and fountains that spray colored water. The buildings are tidy, as are the streets, from the base of the statue of the king’s father in the square to the cobblestones at the edge of the fishing village where the streets end. It’s pleasant on the eye, certainly more clean and neat than the messy port city of Vaarn where I was born. Everything in Vaarn is coated in soot, much of it from my father’s own factory, and the salt of the sea wind.
Stepping into the Outer Market of the Gated City, however, was a little bit like being slapped across the eyes by a rainbow of light and color.
Past the red stone of the towering wall was a carnival, a bazaar of some of the most spectacular colors, sights, smells, and sounds that I could ever have imagined. Within the square inside the gates were many festival booths, all trimmed with brightly flying flags in scarlet and gold, purple and azure silk, dancing merrily like kites in the breeze. The booths themselves were formed of colorful fabric as well, each one a different shade, many of which I had never seen. Some of them were just beginning to be opened for business.
In the center of the square were pit fires over which food was roasting, filling the air with smells so tempting that my mouth began to water. In one pit a whole ox was turning on a spit. In another a woman was grilling long skewers of fruit. And in the center of yet another pit fire was a giant pumpkin shell, large as the cart we had come to town in. The top of the pumpkin had been sawed off, and thick orange soup was bubbling inside it, sending the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg into the air around us.
* * *
IS
IT TIME FOR NOON-MEAL YET?” CHAR MOANED, CLUTCHING HIS stomach. “I gotta have some of that soup.”
“Three more hours,” said Clemency.
“But you can always eat early,” said Ven. “What difference does it make what time it is? We’re in the market. We can do whatever we want.” Saeli nodded in agreement.
Ven’s skin was itching so much that it felt like it would peel off his body. He turned around slowly, trying to take in all the sights.
The brightly colored booths were set up in a series of circles, almost like streets. The pit fires and other places where food was being sold were mostly in the inner circles. Tents and booths with wares for sale seemed to be in the outer circles, some of them flying colorful flags, others with brightly painted maypoles or wooden signs in front. Ven’s eyes were flooded with all the colors.
Just then he heard McLean’s voice in his head.
I imagine it’s a spectacular place, full of bright colors and sweet smells and glorious music. That’s why you must be especially careful, Ven. Outside the Gated City, those things serve to delight the heart. Within its walls, their purpose is to distract the eye. And the mind.
He unbuttoned his shirt pocket and took out his great-grandfather’s jack-rule. It was his most treasured possession, a folding measuring stick with a knife, a magnifying glass, and other tools that had been made in the underground kingdom of the Nain almost a thousand years before. Carefully he extended the lens and looked through it.
Past the circles of colorful booths were buildings surrounding the square. The buildings on the closest street were beautifully kept, with window boxes full of flowers, carefully tended gardens, and neatly shingled roofs. They stood side by side, sharing walls, with occasional alleys between them.