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“It’s probably not right,” she demurred. “My logic doesn’t apply to all of Fufu’s tasks, after all. A horn might make sounds, but then how does a mountain and fleece figure into this? Unless the lyre can only be gained after the mountain is stormed? But a fleece would muffle sound, not create it, right?”
She shrugged the other shoulder (must exercise her limbs equally for symmetry’s sake).
“In any case, I’m sure you know best, Ere. Lead on.”
“I would,” the male muttered with some exasperation, “if I knew where we were and where we’re going.”
“Easy enough. Let’s find the closest public bath and ask,” Divina suggested. “It’s where the people socialize and gossip.”
She organized the scent jars she liked best into a wooden box that the merchant proffered.
“You are full of surprises,” Ere noted, sounding impressed.
Divina spared him a glance, surprised by his surprise.
“What? My guess about the public baths? It’s how every society works,” she expounded matter-of-factly.
“You just find the places where people gather, relax, and enjoy themselves at leisure, and start making friends if you want to find out what’s going on. Fortunately, I’m in the mood for a nice cleansing bath. All this traveling has worn me out.”
“We only poofed here less than an hour ago,” Ere pointed out.
“Nevertheless,” Divina insisted, “I need a break. My tender feet aren’t used to walking so far. Speaking of which, we need to find a better conveyance than our own limbs. A nice little wagon pulled by pretty steeds, perhaps.”
“It was barely two miles…”
Divina turned to the seller, ignoring Ere’s protests.
“How much for these?” She presented the items she wanted to buy.
“Fivedrachma,” the merchant answered.
Divina took off one of the finely wrought silver bracelets from her wrist.
“Will this be enough?”
The man examined the jewelry with a critical eye, smiled, and nodded with acceptance.
“Perfect!” Divina said happily.
Almost as an afterthought, she asked, “Where can I procure some horses? Preferably attached to a cushy carriage?”
The merchant frowned a little.
“Only the Archons and their armies possess horses in these lands.”
“Archons?” Divina queried with a wrinkle of her nose, unfamiliar with the term even though she understood the language.
“Oligarchs who ruled ancient Greece,” Ere inserted in a whisper at her side.
“That can’t be true,” Divina argued, looking around her at the vast, seemingly endless stretch of hills and valleys.
“There must be a better way to get around.”
“Horses are for battle and racing,” the merchant explained. “Donkeys are for labor. Horses are prized more than mansions here. You will not find anyone who is willing to sell them.”
“I take it they are rare to be so revered?” Ere joined in the conversation.
The man nodded.
