14
CODY
Yurka is like nothing Cody has ever seen.
In her dreams, she remembers the old Ithil, before the burning. But Yurka is better, much better, than a dream.
The gates of the Lair Town are propped open. The road is broad and gray-cobbled by stones from the Summer Alps, which loom over everything, as mighty as gods.
The town is bright, and expecting guests: the iron lampposts are wound tight with pine garland. Music bellows from behind the freshly scrubbed windows of taverns. Swaying musicians strum ratty harps and lutes in the street.
It’s a small town, but the streets are bustling. Townhouses stand, shoulder to shoulder, and sometimes a pub or boutique squeezes in.
Over every doorstep, a banner is strung, bejeweled by dangling glass casings, each one with a tea candle insi
