THE TRUE STORY OF THE EMIR

RARIUS YUROKI

part 3-Landa the city with golden domes

 The old merchant paused, took the water bottle from the belt of his robe worn by time and dirty by the desert sand, looked around, turning his eyes towards infinity, as if he wanted to peer beyond that sky, then calmly said: I will not tell you about the long journey by ship towards the South but only about the arrival on that island with its great city, shining with buildings with golden domes.

We arrived at the port early in the morning, many people were already crowding the docks, in the distance after long walkways you could glimpse the walls with their very high gates, along the stretch of road that led to the entrance many crosses with the corpses of criminals or certainly thieves, placed there to discourage any ill-intentioned people.

I remember the Emir telling me: here we are just travelers looking for a home and a job, so forget my title, from today I will only be a Scribe-Magistrate, having said that I sent myself on a scouting mission to see if we would be welcome, I told the guards at the gate that my lord would like to meet the Regent or the Ubar of the city, I told them that having escaped the flood on the island of Svago, Sir Darian was looking for a new home and a job in the offices of the scribes, a guard heard of the arrival of a Magistrate and ran to call the Commander, he was about to go outside the walls to patrol the surrounding area, they said that some Panthers had been seen wandering near the warehouses of the port, he stopped for a few minutes talking to Darian explaining to him that the palace of the Scribes was at the end of the colonnade, on the large square where a tent had been raised in the center to protect the citizens or merchants from the scorching sun, and went away ordering a guard to accompany us to the Palace.

The palace was majestic with large staircases, on each floor were the offices of the Castes. Naturally those of the Scibi were on the penultimate floor, there were marbles and friezes everywhere, it was like entering a fantasy world. Darian looked around happy to have chosen the island of Landa as a destination, the guard accompanied us to the large hall with a fountain in the center, where the majestic doors to access the offices overlooked, I knocked in vain on the door of the head of the Caste, perhaps it was too early for work, the guard called a slave and ordered us to visit the city while waiting for the Ubara to be available, when Darian asked the name of that woman the guard said her name is Lady Zyphera Kimono, her companion the Warrior Builder was called Sir RariusYuroki, of course he said the city is large with a thousand problems and it is difficult for her to have time but she receives the nobles of the high Caste in the afternoon before the sun sets.

Darian was a little annoyed, but he knew well that in big cities everyone is busy with their work, the slave took us around among the marble colonnades and the many flower gardens and very tall palm trees that gave a little shade from that scorching morning sun, the slave left us under the large tent in the square where the many shops crowded with people and merchants overlooked, and went away to prepare us an adequate and quiet accommodation, before leaving he said to the Emir, I will find you a house outside the walls on the residential island where only the nobles of high Caste can access by crossing the river from a walkway that starts from the beach up to the top of the hill, he said I remember that the last Magistrate left it empty before leaving, but the furniture is there, he ran away quickly due to disagreements with the Commander.

We sat down waiting for the oven slave to come and take the orders, the voices of those people became more and more insistent but Darian didn't seem to notice, until finally someone arrived, she was a splendid woman dressed in green, definitely a Healer, she sat on a cushion on the other side of the table leaving the escort outside, Darian had sparkling eyes, that woman with her green dress with gold embroidery and her veil also gold, haughty elegant but at the same time polite, she greeted Darian with a smile introducing herself, I am lady Blue she said, I am the Pysichian of the city, I have no family anymore, my companion died at sea during a trip while my two daughters are far away with their companions, she willingly agreed to accompany Darian to the house that had been assigned to him upon request made by the slave at the builder's office, she stood up begging Darian to follow her.

We walked through half the city until we reached the small houses of the citizens along the sandy bank of the river, until we reached that footbridge, which gave access to the road that went up the hill and at the top, the slave said, was our new house.

well3*part