Enemies and Allies (Bound to the Abyss Book 3) by James R. Vernon

Author:James R. Vernon [Vernon, James R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Three Moons Realm Publishing
Published: 2016-04-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

The same humid air Ean had dealt with since entering the Deadlands greeted him as he stalked out of the inn. What he wouldn’t give for a cool breeze for both his body and his temper. The scarf covering his face felt like an oven. Not slowing down, he stormed over to the open market, hoping to find anything that might distract him from his own anger. While the light outside seemed to be fading, the market grew busier.

Ean noticed the stalls of food first as most of the shoppers were elsewhere. Laid out across the stands, some in boxes while others piled together, all of the usual staples Ean would expect from a farming community were there, with one small difference: Each food, while recognizable, was different from its counterpart grown in the south. Fresh ears of corn had kernels of a golden orange instead of a light yellow. Vegetables that were normally a lush green now wore shades of blue or purple. Apples and oranges had taken on a similar dark blue hue and were only distinguishable by the texture of their skin. Moving closer to the stands, Ean noticed another discernable difference. Nothing gave off a smell. No citrusy aroma from the orange, no bite to the senses from an onion, not even the earthy smell of the corn was present.

Curious, Ean walked up to one of the stands with a large pile of apples sitting in a wooden crate.

"How much for an apple?"

The woman behind the stand gave a noncommittal shrug. "Three for a single copper coin. This batch is almost a season old and I would just be happy to be rid of them before they start to turn."

"They haven't started to rot after a whole season?" Ean’s specialty was in medicinal plants, but he did have some knowledge about the edible kind. "That seems strange."

The woman's face scrunched up as if she had bit into something sour. "Strange? How so? Everyone knows most food grown in our lands keeps longer. Where exactly are you from?"

"Just a joke," Ean blurted out. "Long day of traveling and I suppose my humor is suffering from it. How about three coppers for five apples?"

The offer seemed to placate the woman and she held out her hand. When Ean put the coins in her palm, her expression softened.

"No harm done," she said. "The question just caught me by surprise. Take at least six apples. I would feel guilty and you are doing me a favor by lessening the load I'll have to pack up and carry home, even if it’s just by one extra apple."

"Thank you," Ean replied as he picked out six apples at random. After he had tucked them away in his pockets he gave the woman a nod. "Have a good evening."

"May you ever walk in the grace of silence."

Ean turned away and moved down the rows of stands. He had no idea if there was a normal response a native person could give here, but he had already shown his ignorance enough in one conversation.

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