Dralin by John H. Carroll Read Free Book Online Page A

government officials
counting them.” Frath grinned and winked at her. “The last few
officials that have suggested a census be taken disappeared
mysteriously and the City Guard has been discouraged from looking
too hard for them.”
    Sheela’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s
terrible.”
    Frath hadn’t really thought about it before.
“Well . . . yeah, I suppose it is. Maybe this was a bad idea. I
didn’t really think about . . .”
    “No!” Sheela cut him off, stopping him with
a hand on his chest. “This is a wonderful idea. I want to see more
of the city and everything you’re telling me is fascinating!” She
closed her eyes and did a little spin. “I’ve always dreamed of
being in the big dangerous city and now I’m here.” She stopped and
put both hands on his chest. “And the best part is you, Frath. I
feel so safe when you put your arm around me. You know so much
about the city. Listening to everything you tell me and seeing
everything you show me is so wonderful.” Sheela became very
serious. “Thank you for taking me out. Thank you for being my
friend and . . . just thank you for everything.” Once more, she
wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his
chest.
    Frath ran his fingers through her hair and
kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes to savor the sensation
of having her close. “I love you,” he told her earnestly.
    “I love you too, so very much,” she
responded, looking into his eyes again. They kissed, ignoring the
disapproving looks of people passing by.
    A moment later, they were walking again.
Frath took up the conversation once more. “So you have the City
Center in the middle of Dralin. You have Wraith Lake, Dralin
Academy, and the Grand Assembly Estate around that. Both the
Academy and the Grand Assembly Estate are larger than most royal
castles or palaces,” he said. “In a wide circle around that is the
Tower District. Beyond that are the older districts like the Noble
District where the Shining Shield Inn is. The Mosh District and
Carnival District used to be much different, but have changed into
their current forms. There are three other old districts around it
too, for a total of six. Beyond that are more than I can easily
name, all spreading out in every direction.”
    “Dralin is the biggest city in the world,
isn’t it?” Sheela asked.
    “Well . . . No one’s really certain. It
might be. Oimryi, the capital of Mayncal may be the same size or
larger. Some say there are larger cities on other continents across
the oceans, but I don’t know if it’s true.” He gestured ahead, to
where the towers stopped and an open park took over. “Wraith Park
is just ahead.”
    Once again, the transition between districts
was abrupt. One moment, there were buildings on either side. The
next there were well-maintained grassy areas cut by meandering
paths. Sheela stopped shortly after they entered. It was easy to
understand why. Wraith Lake had powerful magic that disrupted
everything around it.
    The grass was pink instead of green, not a
pleasant pink, but the sort that shocks the eyes and makes the
stomach turn. The leaves on the trees were odd colors as well. Even
more bizarre were the shapes of the trees. No two were alike and
all were twisted in different ways. One on their left was as tall
as the wizard’s towers nearby, but all of its branches grew
downward. Another one was low to the ground with branches a hundred
feet in every direction, defying gravity by not touching the
ground. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it.
    “The flowers are glowing,” Sheela said
softly, pointing at a row of luminescent blue blossoms lining the
path. “Is it safe to touch them?”
    “It’s safe,” Frath said. “Don’t eat anything
that grows here though. You’ll likely lose your mind.”
    Sheela went to the flowers, squatted down
next to them and ran fingers carefully along the petals of one.
Frath squatted next to her and ran his hand