"Outta the way! Outta the way!" The soldiers cleared a path through the crowd as they chased after Dahlia who had merged herself into the bustle hub that was the local market; a kaleidoscope of stalls each bright in itself streamed as far as one could see.
Air was filled with rancid meat, fresh loaves and salty odors from the ocean shore. The marketplace buzzed with constant talk by traders and haggling customers.
There were carriages laden with goods or people conflicting for space, their wooden wheels clattering rhythmically against the cobblestones. Like she has always been a part of it, Dahlia melted into the crowd, her face hidden under an unlined cloak. Her heart raced like an animal fleeing from a hunter’s arrow.
She had left the palace after stealing away a horse from the roy
