At the city entrance, the gatekeepers admitted Viran without hassle. Geiln was much more upscale than Pergran. Sparkling marble towers loomed close to the city wall, and the rest of the settlement had been built in tiered levels leading down to the harbor.
They descended to sea level. Stucco houses with red-tiled roofs sat in neat little rows, and not a single cobble on the streets was out of place. Open-air markets lined the sandy sidewalks closer to the water. Merchants paused in their business to stare at the procession—not just because the dynast’s son was walking through town, but because of the pallid, oddly dressed girl with him. Keriya heard murmurs of speculation and looked down to hide her eyes.
A blast of damp, salty air hit her as they rounded a corner. She looked up again an
