I found him standing away. "Okay, I'll come again at twelve. What you see in your dream is real, so guard it."
I didn't understand what he was saying, and I couldn't move my tongue. I slowly fainted in the water. I saw someone appear and disappear, but I couldn't understand what was happening. I focused on him when he appeared again.
I recognized the voice. It was her.
It was the girl walking out of the place. I tried to speak to her, but she couldn't hear me. I knew I was dreaming, but the feeling was so real that I felt someone walking and bump into me, and I felt a jolt. But he didn't notice me, so I continued on my way, following the girl whom the merchant had stopped. "Are you leaving so quickly?" She didn't answer him. I think I understood her. She walked out the door and into the market. I found people standing at a corner near another building, trying to enter. Their numbers were blocking the way. The girl pushed through, trying to get out of the crowded path.
She reached a gathering place. People were following her, but this time I didn't feel like I was bumping into anyone. So I didn't know if I was still dreaming. Minutes hadn't passed before someone, masked, bumped into her and stood stunned in front of her. I noticed his scarf fall from his shoulder, revealing clothes that didn't belong in this group. He had adorned them with precious stones before quickly putting the scarf back on.
The girl continued on her way, but he froze as if he'd seen a ghost and followed her. I followed them both.
He called out to her, "Caroline," but she didn't seem to hear him.
He followed her, and her steps began to quicken. He started to run after her, bumping into someone in front of him until he reached a small passageway and continued on his way, me with him. She had disappeared; there was no one there. But when I looked up, I saw her holding onto a rope dangling from a window. She jumped onto it, and it fell. "Who are you? Why are you calling me by that name?" He didn't answer. When she removed the mask from his face, she looked at him for a few seconds, and he hid his face with his hand. She looked Behind her, a voice approached the passageway, signaling two masked figures like him. She moved away, stopping to watch them draw near. "Are you alright, sir?"
He stood and took a scarf from one of their shoulders, covering his face.
"Follow her!" I heard this and hurried towards her to warn her. I left the passageway, looking left and right, and saw her disappear into the crowd. I followed her.
She took his scarf to cover her face and emerged from the crowd, walking among other people who concealed their faces. Their large bodies suggested they weren't there to show their faces in the marketplace. As she walked among them, one of them noticed her and stopped. "Are you one of Cyrus's emissaries?" She looked at him, his voice filled with anger. "I don't know who you're talking about." She turned away, but he grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"
She pushed his hand away and hurried off, but he and two others followed.
She started running, throwing everything in her path to delay them. I hurried after her, and we both ran. She looked back and saw them in the distance, then bumped into something in front of her, falling to the ground. She looked up and saw it was one of the creatures being auctioned. Its feathers were so long they completely concealed her. She hid among the feathers, and they passed right in front of her without her seeing them. We were behind some wood, and my breathing began to slow as I saw them get away. Then I saw someone holding the creature's long neck and moving it forward to display it. I looked back at them; I guess they hadn't gone far enough.
I knew she would appear if this thing stood still...
But I couldn't find her. I tried to look around him, but she had vanished! I followed him as he walked forward, then I heard a sound from the auction.
He appeared before the crowd, and everyone looked up at him as he ascended the stone stage. He was so enormous that his body overshadowed half of those standing in front of the hall, which opened onto the market. The auction began.