The western sky port of Biran opened up at the end of a notch, where the road cleaved deep between two mountains. Jiro hadn't been to Biran, a city known as the Home of the Metal Miners. The best smiths in the kingdom lived here. Most of Daracka's excavations for iron settled in its mountainous region. It was a city like most ancient cities—one built on top of a tepui.

A small market for traders who could not enter its gates rested at the mountain's foot. Jiro and Alet could replenish their supplies here, but she had insisted on visiting Biran. She didn't tell Jiro her reason, and he didn't ask. In both time and money, he could afford to stay one night in the city before heading north to Kazima.

They walked into the market wearing their salakots over their heads, concealing their faces. They passed through a gathering of stalls. Some sold food and clothing, but most sold metalworks.

"We should find a stable for the nyx," Jiro suggested. He kept his head low, letting Alet lead the way with the animal in tow.

"Down here?" she asked. "Can't we take her to the city?" She glanced up at the hoist that crawled like a massive serpent over the face of the cliff, making its way to the top of the mountain.

"It would be more expensive. If we take her to the city, we'll have to pay for both the hoist load and the stable up there." In his head, Jiro counted the coins in his pockets, making sure not to spend too much of it and leaving more for the rest of their journey.

Alet grunted with dismay, but she didn't argue, and it didn't take them long before they found a stable. They reached the only one in the port. A long shed that offered accommodation for domesticated animals.

They'd handed their nyx to a handler and stood to watch until the man had secured it. When Alet seemed satisfied, she turned away first. Jiro followed her to the hoist, and they moved toward the foot of the cliff.

When they neared the mechanism, Alet raised her chin and looked at the high structure of metal that leaned on the side of the tepui. It sprouted from the ground and climbed to the top, like the backbone of an animal.

"What is it?" Alet stared in amazement.

Jiro followed her gaze and understood that it might be her first time to see such a massive thing. He remembered the way he felt when he saw the one in Kata. He only knew about them in books before, and gazing at them, in reality, was a wonder. Even now, he felt the same amazement. "It's a hoist. It's going to take us up to the city."

Alet's lips parted. "The city is up there?"

"Yes. Many cities in Daracka are on top of mountains, especially the settlements that came before the lineage of the old kings ended. You know, when every Darackan could still fly."

Alet nodded, gazing upward, neck craned as if she could see the city from the ground. "Can you fly that high?"

"I can." It wasn't that high. The Aradack mountain, where his people lived, rose higher. He looked up and guessed he would not even feel his breath change there. He would not even feel the usual clog in the ears when he flew to unbelievable heights.

They walked to a gathering of people where they paid a man managing the hoist. Then they waited in line with the other passengers. The people around them fashioned tunics with shorter sleeves and trousers or skirts that lengthened to their knees. Some of them carried sacks, crates, and barrels. Others towed their trade on carts.

"What is that?" Alet pointed to the large wheel mechanism where a dark-muscled animal with a long snout worked the circular structure revolving on an axle. Its fur coat was deep brown and beautiful, and it looked like a giant goat with a perfectly sculpted body. The chains of the hoist cranked, and the animal made a sound Jiro had never heard of before.

"I have no idea." Jiro mirrored Alet's astonishment. He had studied all field guides on Aradack but had never heard of such a magnificent beast. Its long mane and tail whipped against the breeze, and its hooves clunked on the metal wheel.

"It's called a horse," a female's voice said behind them. Jiro and Alet turned to see a woman wearing a bandana over her head. She smiled at them. "It's an animal from Suluna," she said.

"An animal from Suluna?" Jiro wondered.

"Yes." The woman's voice dropped into a whisper. "It is illegal, but the Kavisera of Biran enables trade with the Sulunese. It's a pity that the Kahani never visits the south. If only she could see what is happening to this city now."

Jiro had heard of this before. After the Brilliance, Daracka and Suluna had gone into a treaty, but trading between the kingdoms was limited. He only stared at the woman while Alet continued to observe the hoist until the carrier landed on the ground, chains cranking loudly.

"Unloading!" Someone shouted, and people came out from the crate attached to the end of the chains. When it emptied, the same person called again. "Load the hoist!"

Jiro and Alet were ushered in, following the rest of the passengers. They were pushed to the farthest corner, squeezed between bodies and cargo.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, and Jiro noted how small Alet was beside him that the top of her head only leveled to his lips. They were so close that he felt her when she took a deep breath. He began to sweat in the heat as the sound of the cranking machine started again.

The animal, the horse, inside the wheel made a frustrated noise, turning the structure and starting their ascend. It was a slow ride, but it only took a few moments.

Near the top, Jiro could make out the city's walls, an impressive facade of giant slabs along the rim of the tepui. When they made it onto the plateau, the crate faced the tall gates of Biran that opened up to a vast market of various items.

Most trades here were still of metalwork, but there were plenty of other items too. There were rare contraptions made of wood and fabric, and other commodities. Some stalls sold food; meat, vegetables, and fruits. And some also traded livestock.

Houses and buildings here looked the same as in Kimracka, made of stone, wood, and shingles. Their beautiful window panes were of delicate capiz shells. If not for the high altitude, Jiro would think they were back in the city by the black sea. But Biran was bigger and busier than Kimracka. Some of its roads were paved, and its traffic was congested with people, domesticated animals, and carriages.

The noise of the city was welcoming music from their long journey in the silent Forest of Zinar, but somehow Jiro liked the quiet better. He compared it with the peaceful Aradack. It might not be grand or wealthy, but it was serene. It was the home of the flyers, the land where arat trees grew. On the other hand, Biran was the land of smiths and mining.

The citizens of Biran wore fabrics of vibrant colors. Most sported cotton in reds and yellows. Some wore woven clothes, almost similar to the Aradacko's traditional attire but were slightly different in that they had more patterns. There were also a few who looked like the Maginoos from the north, the people who wore barongs and mestizas. They even walked like them with their chins held high, eyes looking down on their noses.

"Is this what it feels to travel?" Alet spoke.

Jiro glanced at her, who gaped and turned a full circle in the middle of the market. The amazement in her blue eye was contagious. Yes, that feeling of fascination was how Jiro felt when he first left Aradack. The same wave of emotion came to him when he arrived in Kata before Mariko attacked him.

The sudden remembrance of the Maharlika woman kicked him out of the awed state. On reflex, he lowered his head to hide his face.

"We shouldn't draw attention," he told her.

Alet closed her lips and looked at him. "Can we at least look around?" The wonder on her face had stayed, and she waited with great expectation.

He could not say no to her. Not to the excitement emanating from her blue eye. "Only for a little while."

Alet's lips curved into a grin, and Jiro hadn't expected her to smile, which surprised him. Something bloomed in his chest at that smile. His breath caught, and all he could do was stare. He was grateful when Alet didn't hold his gaze as she returned to the city. His face felt heated because of that look she'd given him just now.

They walked a while until they came upon a street that was too wide to be a street. Flat rocks of different colors paved the road, red and gray being the dominant shade. The stalls pushed back beside the far buildings, and only people walked about. No carriages passed by. A wooden arch to the entrance of the road read Plaza Biran, which made Jiro wonder if it was not a road.

"What is this place?" Alet asked, passing under the arch first.

"I don't know." Jiro followed her to the center of Plaza Biran, and he noticed the road was round. Yes, certainly not a road.

As they moved toward the center of the circle, they came upon a man holding a shaved bamboo stick. He lifted it to his lips, blowing to one end. A sweet sound came from the bamboo stick, almost like a whistling but on a lower note.

"What is that instrument?" Alet asked.

"It's a flute." Jiro had read about it before. The culture was one of the things he'd learned about in books, including a little bit of Sulunese culture. This instrument came from the kingdom beyond the Southern Sea. He'd read that it played music but never realized how mesmerizing it could sound.

"It's beautiful." Alet gaped and stared as the man pressed his fingers into the holes on the flute, creating different notes.

They stayed there watching the man play music, and the people around dropped coins into a cup by the musician's feet.

"Old kings! You can collect money with music?" Jiro asked, astounded.

Alet nodded. "They're called street performers. You haven't seen one in Kimracka?"

"No. I might not have been paying attention."

"Most of them are at the ports. Travelers are usually more generous to give money for music."

Jiro nodded, and after a few more minutes of listening, they decided to leave. It was about time since the street performer now gave them expectant glances, and Jiro could not afford to spare some change no matter how lovely he played.

They bought and filled their bags with supplies and walked around the city for a while. Biran was so large that they could not discover all its corners in one day.

They tired themselves by walking, and Alet's enthusiasm had faded into the late afternoon. She had gone quiet, and the excited smile had left her lips. She stared up at the capiz panes on the windows of houses, a distant look in her blue eye.

"Are you alright?" Sometimes Jiro had a hard time understanding her moods. She could be happy at one time and cold and gloomy at another.

Alet did not answer as if she heard nothing. She kept her gaze on the houses, and Jiro hadn't pressed her, but he wished she hadn't ignored the question.

Jiro stayed silent afterward, and soon they found an inn near the city wall.

"We can stay here tonight," Jiro suggested as he walked up to the inn's entrance, Alet following behind him.

"Beautiful blue skies." A burly lady from behind a desk spoke when they came in. "'You here to stay at the inn?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Jiro said. "Two rooms, please."

"For the night? We only have one room left, but it's got two beds," the woman said.

Jiro hesitated. They could look for a different inn with available rooms for each of them, but Alet spoke before he could. "We'll take the room with meals and baths."

"'You ever tried the kawa bath?" The woman smiled.

Jiro and Alet only stared.

"You'll like it. Warm water for both of you." The woman behind the desk clicked her tongue.

When they climbed up to the room, there were two pallet beds as promised, but only a tiny gap separated them, each pushing up against the walls. It smelled dank and a bit cold. But Jiro thought the cramped room would do, considering they had been sleeping on the ground for days. It was an improvement.

"I was hoping for bunk beds, but this should do," Alet said, propping herself on the banig by the window. She nestled her head on the pillow and huffed out a comfortable breath.

Jiro looked at the way she laid. His eyes glanced at her hips, and a sudden shame crept in him, making him turn away. "I'm going downstairs to bathe first," he announced, walking out of the room without waiting for her response.

He found the kawa bathtub, which was a large wok, large enough to cook a man. It sat over a flickering fire as steam rose from the water contained within. Odd, Jiro hesitated, but when he touched the water, he found it warm and not hot. It was inviting.

As he removed his clothes and dipped in, the room fogged, and the scent of damp wood drifted in the air. The comfortable temperature around him was relaxing. He closed his eyes, contemplating.

During the past few days in the Forest of Zinar, he had nearly forgotten what he was doing. He reminded himself now that he was escorting Alet to Kazima. After that, he would return to Aradack and confess his crime, or he could confess to the Kahani. He clenched his jaw thinking of the possible punishments. But he would accept it.

Jiro reminded himself that he had only used the task to escape the pain of his mother's death, but somehow, with Tata Ero's death, it was pointless. He was still in pain, still fearing, and still breaking. This was much worse. It was no longer a refuge from all the raging storms within him.

"Mama," he whispered over the water, but no one answered.

Jiro stayed in the kawa bath until the fire died and the water went cold.

When he came back to the room, it was already dark. A candle by the door was lit, and Alet, hair damp, sat on the banig she'd claimed.

"They have a separate kawa bath for females," she said as if to answer an unasked question.

Jiro was about to say something but a scratching noise came from the window beside Alet's bed. He almost jumped in surprise while Alet only turned her head. A kukatra stood on the sill, tapping its wings on one of the capiz panes. He huffed out a laugh at his reaction to the animal's presence, and Alet waved her hand to drive it away.

"No!" Jiro said, but it had already flown into the night.

Alet slid the panes closed. "What?" She asked as she jumped back onto the banig, sitting down with a pillow on her back.

Jiro only sighed, and he turned to his banig before speaking. He sat in the same manner, legs stretched out, and they both faced the closed door.

"In Aradack, we believe that when a kukatra is near, it's a blessing." He remembered the night a kukatra landed on their house. He had thanked it back then, but it was two nights before his mother died. If the creature was a true blessing, shouldn't his mother be alive now? That thought had questioned his faith.

Alet didn't speak, and he stayed quiet until he noticed she was staring blankly into the space in front of her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, startling her and releasing her from her daze.

She looked at him as if she didn't understand the question.

"Are you alright?" Jiro repeated, wondering what she could have been thinking.

"Yes." That was all she said, and then she stood and blew out the candle. The room fell into darkness as she returned to her bed—only her shadow was perceivable. She said nothing more and laid on her side with her back facing him.

Everything became still.

"Beautiful dreams, Alet," Jiro whispered.

.