City in the Sky Read Free

vast majority were human. Everyone came to Vidran, in the end. It was one of the major ports where the Aeradi and Mermen came to trade with the rest of Cevran.
    The population of non-humans rose as he crossed the bridge over the great North Selt River, whose immense navigable length was another source of Vidran's wealth. In the moments it took him to cross the bridge, he saw barges from the Dwarven North Hold and the Duredine's Kingdom of Garria.
    He knew he'd arrived at his destination when he heard the high, trilling roar of the first dragon. The eastern edge of the Trade Quarter housed the pens where the Draconans corralled their beasts. Even his current worries couldn't keep Erik from taking a moment to stop and watch the magnificent creatures.
    The dragons were immense, sinuous creatures. Their necks stretched out a quarter of their length from their broad, wing-bearing bodies. Long spiked tails flicked out from between a single pair of stocky legs, the tails' neatly-shined spikes gleaming under the sun as they flicked back and forth.
    Most of the dragons here were the huge blacks, the ones that carried the traders and goods of the Draconan peoples across the length and breadth of Cevran. A small number of smaller beasts were kept in pens near the ones for their larger brethren, which likely meant a caravan had come in recently. The only reason for the lesser dragons, the ones who bore the Draconan's elite Skyborne warriors, to be in Vidran was if they'd just escorted a trade caravan in.
    The armies of Hellit, the kingdom whose main port Vidran was, were quite capable of handling a handful of Skyborne, but no one wanted war-trained dragons stabled in a city. The Skyborne caravan escorts normally encamped well outside the city, but would be inside it for the first night or so after arriving.
    The combination of the shrill cries of the greens and browns with the louder and deeper roars of the blacks created a cacophony of noise that pressed in on Erik's ears, and he shuddered, remembering the one time he'd been here and something had roused every dragon in the pens.
    It was an experience he wouldn't soon forget, and the memory helped him leave the dragons and press on to the store he was seeking. Tucked away just inside the Aeradi section of the Trader's Quarter, it looked exactly like a hole in the wall until one entered it.
    To a large extent, much of what the Aeradi traders did was pick up goods from one place and trade them for goods from another. They did trade goods of their own manufacture, but were more circumspect about which of those they traded.
    This little hole in the wall traded the sort of things they were very circumspect about trading. Air Magic involved the creation of empowered crystals, and once empowered, those easily-used crystals became both valuable and dangerous.
    Those sorts of crystals glinted from every wall and display case in the small store. Despite the nondescript appearance of the outside, the inside of the store was both well-kept and well organized. The crystals were organized by purpose and price, everything clearly labeled.
    Erik had been here before, and the proprietor rose from behind the plain wooden counter at the end of the store with a smile. He was pure Aeraid, with the same slanted eyes and dusky skin as Erik, but coming in at barely under five feet tall.
    “Erik,” he greeted the smith. “It's good to see you again. What are you looking for today?”
    “I need forge crystals, Jaron,” Erik told him. He thought for a moment, counting in his mind. “Three of them,” he finished.
    “Those aren't safe things to play with, Erik,” Jaron said quietly. “You certain?”
    “I worked with them when I was in Garria,” Erik told him. “I need them for a job.”
    Jaron nodded. “All right.” He paused, and then added: “They aren't cheap , either.”
    “How much?” Erik asked as the Aeraid merchant crossed to a specific shelf.
    “Four gold marks each,” Jaron replied. He