The lower streets narrowed until the carriage could go no further.
Aria stepped down without waiting for help, her boots landing in a shallow puddle that rippled outward. The driver muttered something under his breath and tugged at the reins, already turning away before she had fully moved aside.
"Charming," she said, brushing damp from her hem.
Zelda leapt down after her, landing lightly, tail flicking once before she began prowling ahead as though she owned the street.
The guide hesitated. "It is just ahead, my lady."
Aria waved him off. "Go. I can follow a crowd."
He did not argue twice.
The noise thickened as she moved forward. Voices layered over each other, sharp and uneven, broken by coughing fits and the scrape of wood against stone. Someone shouted for water. Someone else swore loudly about running out of cloth.
A woman carrying a basket pushed past her shoulder without apology.
