Katherine wove through the marketplace, dodging a cart piled high with fruit and narrowly avoiding a merchant who was enthusiastically brandishing a silk scarf like it was a battle flag.
The air was thick with the scent of roasted nuts, fresh bread, and a hundred different spices.
She barely sidestepped a flying cabbage (why was there always a flying cabbage?) and quickened her pace.
Her destination was more important.
Elseid.
That strange little shop—the one she had visited with Menalipo.
She hadn't planned on coming back. But Zamir's words had stuck with her, lingering in the back of her mind like a question she hadn't fully asked yet.
So, here she was.
The moment she stepped inside, the familiar scent of polished wood, aged leather, and something faintly metallic greeted her.
The shop looked just as it had before—a collection of oddities and forgotten things, some of them mechanical, some of them magical, and most of them a little too intriguing for their own good.
Her eyes landed on the back table, where a series of tiny mechanical toys clicked and whirred in delicate synchronization.
She stepped closer, drawn to a small metal bird that hopped forward in precise, robotic movements.
"Well, aren't you fancy?" she murmured, resisting the urge to poke it.
It was oddly familiar. Not in the way of recognizing a specific object, but in the way of recognizing a concept. The way it moved, the way it was built… it reminded her of something.
Something from home.
She frowned. That didn't make sense.
Before she could dwell on it, a quiet voice cut through her thoughts.
"You notice things quickly."
Katherine turned to see Zamir watching her, arms crossed, expression as unreadable as ever.
She blinked at him."What, staring at tiny birds is a rare skill now?"
His lips twitched, just slightly."Not the bird."
Katherine hesitated, her thoughts clicking into place like puzzle pieces.
"Zamir… are you like me?"
His expression didn't change."That depends. What do you mean?"
She crossed her arms."These machines. They remind me of things from my world. Not exactly, but close. And I want to know why."
Zamir studied her for a moment, then said simply,"Things aren't as different as you think."
Katherine narrowed her eyes."That's not an answer."
"It is," he said. "You're just looking for a different one."
She let out a slow breath."You do realize how frustrating that is, right?"
"I've heard."
She huffed."Fine. Then let's try this: why do things like this exist here?"
Zamir's gaze flicked to the mechanical toys, then back to her."Because you're not the first."
Katherine felt something in her chest tighten.
"Others like me?"
He gave a slight nod. "Yes."
"How many? Where are they? Are we talking a handful or—what, an entire secret society?"
Zamir didn't answer immediately. Instead, he studied her with an expression that made her feel like she was standing at the edge of something important.
"Enough," he said at last. "But not all of them stay."
A flicker of unease ran through her.
"What do you mean 'not all of them stay'? Where do they go?"
His expression remained steady."That's for you to figure out."
Katherine groaned, dragging a hand down her face."Of course it is."
She turned back to the clockwork creatures, their tiny gears still clicking and whirring in perfect rhythm.
This world wasn't just something she had read about.
It had been touched by others before her.
And if that was true, then… what else was she missing?
She sighed, glancing back at Zamir."You know, one day, I'm going to ask you a question, and you're going to give me a straightforward answer."
His mouth curved slightly."Maybe."
She narrowed her eyes."That wasn't a yes."
"No, it wasn't."
Katherine sighed again."I should stop expecting normal conversations from you."
"That would make things easier."
Shaking her head, she turned away, but the weight of his words settled into her bones.
She didn't have all the answers.
But she knew one thing for sure.
Zamir wasn't just a shopkeeper.
There was more to him.More to this place.More to everything.
And she was going to figure it out.
***
Katherine made her way back to the old woman's stall, practically floating at the thought of fresh bread and cheese. The comforting scent of baked goods wrapped around her like a warm hug, making her stomach grumble in anticipation.
As soon as the woman spotted her, she chuckled. "Back again? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were addicted to my bread."
Katherine gasped dramatically. "Me? Addicted? Pfft! That's ridiculous." Then, under her breath, she muttered, "It's only a mild obsession."
The woman smirked, handing over a fresh loaf. "Mild, huh? You came back awfully fast."
"Shhh, let me live." Katherine waved a hand before pulling out her pouch of coins. But this time—oh, this time—she was prepared. Gone were the days of fumbling and awkwardly trusting merchants to give her the right change. She had studied the currency system like her life depended on it.
With expert precision, she counted out the exact amount for her bread and cheese—plus the little extra she had been short on last time. She set the coins down with a flourish. "Behold! A perfectly calculated payment. I am officially a functioning member of society."
The old woman raised an eyebrow, amused. "Ah, so you've figured it out at last."
Katherine puffed out her chest. "I have conquered numbers! Bow before me."
The woman let out a hearty laugh. "Alright, alright. But if you're so good now, maybe I should raise my prices."
Katherine clutched the bread to her chest like a knight protecting a sacred relic. "You wound me, kind bread lady."
At that moment, a mischievous boy darted past, nearly toppling a stack of loaves. Without thinking, Katherine lunged forward, catching the top one just in time. She held it up triumphantly. "HA! Reflexes of a bread-saving champion."
The boy, unfazed, stuck his tongue out at her before disappearing into the crowd.
The woman sighed. "That's Timmy. Always running around, causing trouble."
Katherine smirked. "I like his spirit. But maybe I should set up a bread-catching station."
The woman chuckled. "You'll need quick hands for that, my dear."
A sudden commotion from a nearby fruit stall caught Katherine's attention. A small argument had broken out between a merchant and a customer over the price of apples. Katherine leaned in slightly, fascinated.
"I swear, you raised the price since yesterday!" the customer accused.
"The price is the price," the merchant replied flatly.
The old woman snorted. "Happens all the time. Prices shift depending on supply and demand."
Katherine hummed. "So, it's like a medieval version of surge pricing?"
The woman gave her a look. "A what now?"
"Never mind." Katherine grinned, taking another bite of her bread.
As she stood there, listening to the lively chatter and the occasional shouts of merchants advertising their goods, she felt an odd sense of belonging. Maybe, just maybe, she was starting to find her place here.
She glanced at the woman, realizing she had never even asked her name. That felt almost criminal, considering this was her second visit.
Before she could overthink it, she blurted out, "Wait—I don't even know your name."
The woman smiled. "Gledis."
Katherine repeated it in her head a few times. Gledis. The name suited her.
"Well, Gledis, I'm honored to know the name of the finest bread-maker in the land."
"Oh, flattery will get you nowhere," Gledis said, though her amused expression said otherwise.
Katherine just grinned. Maybe this world wasn't so different from hers after all.