a colourful bazaar had sprung up. It was there that all the perceptible changes had their source. Small traders and local vendors jostled for customers’ attention, whilst lorries gliding closer to the sea vied with them for space. The chaos that reigned everywhere had only intensified.
Fortunately, the dragon didn’t lose sight of the others, and Kei stayed close to him. Sticking to their original plan, they looked for a spot with a good view of the bay and the ships anchored there. Draco kept glancing towards the bazaar, drawn by the smells, the vendors’ cries and the riot of colours. He decided that on the way back they would walk through the market.
The marketplace was truly enormous, and it took them a long time to make their way through the area. As Ari had said, the further they moved away from the warehouses, the smaller the vessels moored at the quays. When the waterfront narrowed again, the ships moored there were not monstrous galleons, but smaller single-masted vessels with modest crews. Here, too, the earlier crowding had eased. The traders were still calling out to one another, and the carts were filling up with crates, but it was all happening in a more peaceful atmosphere. Here, one could also spot boards displaying notices and offers of voyages to various parts of the world.
‘If you ever want to sail somewhere, you’d be better off looking at the Merchants’ Guild,’ said James, as soon as he noticed what the dragon was looking at. ‘It’s safer, though perhaps not exactly cheap.’
‘Good to bear in mind,’ Draco muttered to himself. ‘Will this do?’ he suggested, spotting a jetty where only a single small sloop was moored, and with no one in sight nearby. Further along, a two-masted corvette was docked.
‘I think so.’ Forth looked around more closely and scrutinised the end of the jetty particularly carefully. ‘We should have a good view of the whole bay.’
They made their way calmly in that direction. Even as they passed the merchant ship, there was much to see. The barrier protecting
