Keeper of Life - NaPoWrMo Entry

Vendors finished setting up their booths, the ribbons and decorations covering the street. District six held the majority of celebrations, but many enjoyed watching the fireworks from their homes and held get-togethers here. In addition to the individual apartments and homes being decorated one could argue district two was even more festive then the main square in six.

The trolly bobbed back and forth as they sped through the streets, everyone clearing a path as they went by. At this time of the year they were always filled, passengers traveling from home, to the festivities, to their friends house then visiting the merchant square for the public market. The day was home to public wares that were sold by those who weren't usually vendors. Necklaces and pottery, novels to shirts, everything was sold there, all handmade. There was even a fortune telling booth set up this year, where a robe clad figure would read your future through a glass ball everyone called crystal. Later in the night, after the fireworks blossomed in the sky a large fire would fill the square. They would surround it without the need for external light and drink ale and wine made from the collected berries and grapes outside the wall. It was common for many to stagger home or even to find some still sleeping, leaned up against some random house because they missed the trolly, or couldn't make it even that far.

This year had a different spin however, guardians were constantly flowing through the crowd, their horns glowing, looking, watching. The demons had to be somewhere, but it was a large city, and there were not enough guardians.

“Matriarch,” he said approaching her.

“Report,” she ordered him.

“The commander reports no activity after the... incident. They've done full accountability on all guards, and have done two complete sweeps of the yard,” he said, “The area is clear and he Distrcits have been swept, but there is simply too much. There's no way to track them,” he said. The vendors talk filled the backdrop to their concern, Valor cursed under her breath. There just wasn't enough around The Tree to keep them out, what else could they do? Valor thought of bringing in stone to wall up the entrances but there wasn't enough time now.

“We'll just have to-” she paused and listened. “You,” she said pointing to a orange mare, “what did you just say?”

“About the apples matriarch?” Val scowled. “I just said I haven't seen Weave, he and his daughters always sell baskets here, they... they go well with the apples,” she said.

Perhaps The Tree had blessed them after all. “Where do they live?” she asked.