Oracus: The Lavorian Rider

Twenty - King Xarmoud

The next morning, Oracus awoke with Kivali firmly in his mind. He got himself washed and dressed, then made for the sitting room to see if Kivali was already up. To his disappointment, he only found Eistra, and she was rocking in her chair, knitting what looked like a very long scarf.

"Good morning, handsome!" she said as Oracus walked in. "Did you sleep well? The bed wasn't too uncomfortable, was it? What would you like for breakfast? Ham? Eggs? Bread? Mushrooms? Or just some oats? Maybe a bit of everything? You don't have to eat but a good breakfast will keep you going all day so I think you should."

Oracus had almost forgotten how much Eistra liked to talk. "Morning," he yawned. "I'll just have some oats please."

Eistra was on her feet and in the kitchen before Oracus had finished speaking. "Kivali left early this morning," she shouted through to Oracus. "I don't know where she's gone, but she said she wouldn't be long. Quent is still in bed, the lazy so-and-so. I should wake him up!"

Eistra talked incessantly while Oracus ate his oats. By the time his bowl was empty, he was beginning to develop a headache, so decided to leave the house for a stroll.

"Be careful out there!" Eistra warned him before he left. And he could feel her crossed eyes burning into his back as he passed the strange folk in the alley ("Toenail soup, sir?").

Oracus turned onto the street where the many shops had intrigued him the day before. The rain was no longer falling, and the day's air was clear and warm, and Oracus doubted he would spot Kivali given how dense the crowds of people were. So instead of searching for her, he decided to focus his attention on the shops.

Every five paces there was a different type of shop to observe. With so much footfall through Lalacia, it was near impossible to enter every door, but Oracus made full use of the displays in the windows of all the shops he missed out. There were shops full of clothes: from battle armour to nightwear, both in a variety of sizes and colours, as well as silk linens, clothes for workers, day clothes, evening wear, hats, shoes, socks, and even fingerless gloves. There was a large variety of food stores too: butchers with chopped meats, grocers with fruits and vegetables, bakers with breads and pastries, and a fishmonger's stall too. There were also weapon stalls, with every style and shape of blade imaginable, while alehouses and inns made up the majority of the rest.

Oracus advanced along the street with endless enthusiasm until the gates of the city came into view. It was a disappointing feeling knowing he would have the return to Eistra's house, but before he turned around, he spotted one last tiny store that was almost hidden from view behind an apothecary.

Oracus approached the store with renewed vigour and grinned when he saw the fading picture of an open book above the door; it was the library.

The door creaked as he pushed it open. And when he stepped inside, it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. But when they did, he saw books had been piled everywhere. The library was empty of people, but there was barely room to move between the bookshelves and the mountains of tomes on the floor. There were more piles on and under tables, and there was even a pile that had been stacked in front of the window, which went some way to explaining why the library was so dark. The door closed behind Oracus, and his first breath was full of warmth and dust.

"Hello, my dear." The kind whisper of an elderly lady with silver hair came from between the shelves. When Oracus smiled at her, she disappeared again into the ocean of texts.

Oracus started by walking between the shelves and scanning the titles of the books. Any that caught his attention he would pull free and have a quick read of their pages. With each book he opened, more dust would rise into the air and make him cough, and he would close them more delicately before putting them back.