Finally she was able to relax slightly as she reached the first of many markets. Here, she only had to watch out for pickpockets and swindlers.
At the food markets, the wares on display were pitiful, while the merchants and tinkers in the goods markets hawked desperately; it seemed no one was buying. Ella found it strange, walking through market after market. She couldn't see enough goods, or buyers, for so many extensive markets. Once, before the war, this must have been an incredible place, where the citizens would have spent hours at a time, examining one thing after enough until something took their fancy. Ella hoped prosperity would return to Seranthia.
The atmosphere drastically changed as Ella climbed a hill and entered the district of Fortune. For all the woes of the common people, Fortune appeared lofty and prosperous. Tall fences barred entrance to the expansive grounds of the manses, but Ella could still see through the bars to the facades of the extraordinary houses. In Seranthia, lords and merchants were often the same thing, with marriage between fading aristocracy and wealthy merchant families common. If these people were having hard times, it wasn't apparent from looking at their grand residences.
Ella felt confident enough here to ask directions.
"Excuse me," Ella stopped a thick-set woman with a boy at her side, "could I please get some directions?"
The woman looked at Ella askance, but noted the cut of Ella's travelling dress and hooded white cloak. "What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for an inn. Do you know where I can find the Cedar Palace?"
The boy at the woman's side tried to pull on her hand, but she stopped him with a glower. "If you turn left at the next junction, the Purple Star is about ten minutes walk," she said. "The Cedar Palace is further down the street past the Purple Star. It's directly above Barlow's."
"Barlow's?"
"It's an eating house. One of the best in the area. Good luck," the woman said, before taking the boy and leaving Ella behind.
Ella heard bells in the distance, signalling the middle of the day. Something in her chest told her she was close. Perhaps it was the rumbling of her stomach; she hadn't eaten since leaving the ship.
Resuming her walk, Ella passed a series of boutiques. Fortune's residents didn't shop in markets; they went to specialty stores for hats, shoes, dresses, or cloaks. She passed a dignified row of terraced houses, and then an eating house with black iron bordering the large windows and the name announced in letters of shining brass.
Ella looked into the window as she passed Barlow's, and there was Evrin Evenstar, a napkin tucked into his collar. Today he was dressed in fine garments, yet his piercing blue eyes and white hair flecked with ginger were unmistakeable, even through the window.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ella approached the entrance, yet drew back when the door was opened by a stiffly dressed man with moustaches. "Yes, madam?" the doorman said.
"Ella!" Evrin cried, seeing her from his table, drawing the attention of several patrons.
Seeing Ella recognised, the doorman drew back, allowing Ella to enter. She smiled and handed the doorman her satchel. Diners looked at her curiously, before returning to their meals. Ignoring the waiter hurrying towards his table, Evrin rose from his seat and held a chair for Ella himself.
"It's good to see you. How are you? Did you just get here? You're just in time for lunch," Evrin said.
Ella shuffled in her seat and allowed Evrin to push her chair in, before he returned to his seat.
"I came as soon as I got your message," Ella said. The tables were spaced far apart, and amidst the low murmur of the other patrons there was little chance she could be heard, but Ella still felt uncomfortable in the dignified eating house. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"
"Barlow's is safe," Evrin said. "You should order. I've just asked for the bluefish in orange sauce. Sounds unusual, but the orange and dill work in perfect harmony…"
Evrin flagged the waiter, indicating Ella.
"Madam?" the waiter said.
Ella realised there was a dining card in front of her, a tall rectangle listing exotic-sounding dishes. "Umm…" Ella said. "I'll have the trout."
"Very good," said the waiter.
"Oh," Evrin said, catching the waiter's attention before he departed, "and we can't drink too much, so perhaps just the one bottle of wine. I'm thinking a light red. Perhaps a Louan gremandy?"
"An excellent choice, sir." The waiter departed with a nod.
"How do you pay for the meals here?" Ella asked. She couldn't help but think of all the skinny people on the streets.
"I don't," Evrin said. "Barlow, the owner, also runs the Cedar Palace, the guest house upstairs. Once, I helped him with the streetclans. He's good at what he does, and they wanted a piece of the pie. Barlow supports several charitable ventures — why should he pay the streetclans money that could go to the poor? Let's just say, I helped him, and now, on my visits to Seranthia, Barlow doesn't charge me."