Tangle in the Dark - Kassidor

with Alan's world were also apparent and she wondered onceagain if this was all his doing. She would keep that in mind,but for now she seemed to have no choice but play the roleshe was cast in.There was nearly a quarter mile of structure before theygot to the temple/palace itself. Some of the buildings theypassed were substantial with plastered stone walls, pavedcourts and beautiful murals on their walls. The atmospherewas refined, even among the poorer houses, often only threerooms with open fires for a kitchen. Even the plainestclothing was well made and colorful. Children were clean,happy and healthy, but loud. Mothers were indulgent andloitered in groups nearby, chatting and laughing and flirtingwith the men working nearby. Stone-built shops held goods ofevery kind, the noise told her there were few fixed prices. Hernose told her their drains still didn’t have traps, but theyweren’t open ditches either. What little she knew about thistime was that it was farther back in time than Greece orRome, but the level of comfort seemed at least as good, andprobably far better among the poor. On the other hand, shehad to remind herself that this is still a simulation.The merchant stalls were thickest on the wide pavementsthat surrounded the walls of the palace. They approached asmall gate from the north. Instead of taking the broad steps upto the main floor, they approached a smaller door to the sidewhere a single military man leaned against the wall looking402