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“What are the other buildings for?” I asked him.
“Those are the barrack, weapon storage, and feeding halls for the men,” Ben explained. “They used to be all housed in the single large building, but the emperor considered that a risk and built the others thirty years ago. The old building was then converted into a training arena and hosts the thunders during their tract.”
I leaned forward and raised my voice. “Sprint the rest of the way, Ferox, and I promise you a bucketful of carrots when we get home.”
Ferox threw back his head and neighed before he gave a burst of speed. Ben and I grasped our respective sides of the carriage as we careened down the road. Neither bump nor pothole slowed him down, but it did give the carriage some air.
I yelped as one of the bumps tossed me out of the seat. Ben wrapped his arms around me and drew me back down to earth, namely the location of his lap. I twisted around and found him grinning at me.
“I wouldn’t want you to fly without me,” he teased.
We somehow managed to make it to the turnoff in one piece and the foot traffic forced Ferox to slow down. We passed through the long line of thunder vehicles and found a parking spot further south with the rest of the carriages. Ben helped me down and we joined the throngs of curiosity seekers as they made their way to the arena. Booths lined either side of the walking path and barkers called out their wares.
“Fresh fish! Drawn from the seas at Pernix just this morning!”
“Battered chicken! Get your battered chicken here!”
“Candies of all shapes and flavors! Get your candies and watch the races!”
I must have looked like a hungry kid because Ben brushed his fingers against my arm. “Did you want something to eat?”
I sheepishly grinned up at him. “A piece of candy would be nice. That is, if we’re not going to be late.”
“The preliminary races run for several days,” he assured me as he guided me over to one of the booths. “And there are the exhibition races, as well, where drivers test their speeds over a certain distance. Whatever your heart desires to see, there are races enough.”
We reached the candy stand and I drooled over the myriad of suckers, hard candies, and many other assortments I didn’t recognize. I looked up at my native guide. “What should we get?”
“What flavor do you favor?” he asked me.
“Strawberry.”
“A bag of your strawberry explosions,” Ben requested as he dug into his pocket.
The man used a scoop and dug into one of half a dozen canisters. The container held round little hard candies which he poured into a bag. Ben paid for the food and handed me the goodies before we continued on our way.
I peeked into the bag and inhaled a succulent scent of strawberry. “What are these?”
“Explosions,” he told me as we neared the enclosed arena. “They are sugar shells hardened by heat and filled with juice extracted from fruit.”
I popped one into my mouth and my eyelids drooped. “Oh wow.”
He chuckled as he plucked one from the bag. “I’m glad you approve. These were always my favorite treats growing up. My father would avoid taking me to the Plaza for fear I would spot a vendor selling these wares.”
I cast a sly look at him. “Was he afraid you’d insist he buy the booth?”
“Or insist on enough that I would spoil my meal and my mother would know of his sabotage of my health.”
A commotion ruined our playful conversation. The noise came from one of the booths that sold an assortment of small pieces of driftwood. The trinkets hung from strings that dangled down from the roof and were set out on the table according to size. They looked a lot like the one Mouse possessed, and the sign over the top proved my theory.
The sign read ‘Prized Lucky Charms,’ but at that moment they weren’t bringing luck to the proprietor. A group of burly men, some carrying helmets, had crowded in front of the small booth. Many of them wore full-body outfits featuring logos and crests. The looks on their faces showed they weren’t there to buy.
“What do you mean by selling these things?” one of the men snapped as he grabbed a dangling driftwood.
The small man behind the booth shrank from his larger foes. “I-I just wanted to bring luck-”
“What you’re doing is bring us back luck!” the man growled as he ripped the wood down. “Bringing these charms here is sure to send bad things our way!”
“Yeah, your practically inviting it!” a man in the pack shouted.
