The person I was tagged by seems to have deleted their blog, or otherwise has fallen off the face of this website. I can’t find them anywhere.
Anyway, the only thing I have in my main WIP so far is the opening, so, enjoy all the lines (so far) of The Wanderer’s Guide :]
The gentle ringing of bells dances on sea breezes that ruffle Frangi’s hair. Quick tip-tapping on the limestones of the street catches the attention of no-one as they hop on two wooden peg legs through the market streets, and towards the wandering lantern caravan parked against the city’s eastern wall. Their eyes cannot remain on one thing for more than a moment as they walk.
Harpies haul cargo from their ships as a lithe venkiri clad in blue silk and sea glass etches another tally on the papyrus. Her tail swishes rhythmically, keeping track of the seconds. Not a crate goes unaccounted for. A small windsnake bobs and weaves under and over the stretched silks making up the street canopy, riding on the breeze. Light reflects off of glass marbles, the local currency, as they change clawed hands over freshly caught fish, small cylinders of pink salt, and incense sticks. A crew of sandsailors pull their cart through the street, full to bursting with the previous night's catch. They watch the rattling cages of misshapen, black crustacean-like creatures screech and shake.
At least, that's what Frangi would’ve been seeing. What their pupiless eyes actually see is quite different.
They see the living red mist spiraling out of bunches of pearls and shells tied in knots, sea charms, and swirling around the harpy sailors. Blessings of protection from their goddess. They see the golden patterns interwoven in the canopy, the sun's light bearing down on it for so long it has become entwined with the silk threads. They see two-dimensional dusky shadows with holes for eyes slink around shop corners, bickering over fallen blackened incense. And within the sandsailor’s cages, instead of strange crustaceans - they see fractal twisting clusters of abyss. The largest one slams against its cage, kept inside only by a gray barrier of dusklight. Overall, a kaleidoscope.
No pressure tagging @rosei-tinted-glasses, @sunnynwanda and @revenantlore
