Tales From a Thousand Worlds

A sharp burst of laughter snapped Blade’s thoughts from the half empty glass of wine before him that he had been staring into, staring though not really paying attention to. He looked up from the table in the tavern he had discovered some days earlier, one overlooking the lake upon which the great city of Qaiqala had been built. The tavern was packed with revellers of all kinds, drawn from the furthest reaches of the Swordlands of Kharadas, and even beyond. Drink flowed free and the frivolities spilled out from the tavern, and through the city, for it was the night of the famed Festival of the Eggs and Ducks. None now knew the origin of the festival, nor its purpose, but it marked the start of the harvest season, and that was a thing worth celebrating, even if those who lived in Qaiqala, largest, richest and grandest of cities in the world, had never seen a farm nor worked upon one. It was an excuse for a drink and a riotous time, and that was good enough for them.

Follow this link for Part One of The Sign of the Bronze Hammer