Page 80 of The Other Omega

Lucien said nothing else, and I was glad to have a little time to look. There was already so much to take in.

The shops along the walkways still had their lights on. Through one window, I saw shelves of bread and a woman wrapping something in paper. A few doors down, two men were carrying wooden crates into another shop. People still sat outside a café, talking over their drinks, and someone watered plants on the balcony above.

Homes lined the street too, some with small balconies and chairs outside their doors. Others shared walkways where neighbours stood talking. A woman leaned over a railing to call to someone below while two children hurried past her carrying a basket between them. Farther down, I could see a family sitting around a table beside an open window.

I stayed at the railing longer than I meant to, trying to work out where one walkway went before it disappeared beneath another. Every time I thought I understood how the levels connected, I spotted another staircase or bridge I hadn’t noticed.

“I’m going to get so lost,” I said, looking at the steps winding up beside a row of shops.

“You won’t be left to find your way alone, little one,” Caius said. “Someone will always accompany you.”

I laughed softly. “I was only joking. Although I really am terrible with directions.”

Caius turned to Lucien, who took out his pad and started typing immediately. Darius joined them, and the three of them began talking in their own language.

Of course they did.

“Pay them no mind,” Alaric said. “They simply need to be certain every reasonable measure has been taken for your safety.”

“Don’t you want to join them?” I asked, then looked at Leon, who seemed more amused than worried.

“They’ll come to me once they have a plan,” Alaric said.

“A plan?” I laughed. “All right. They can do whatever they need to. I’m not going to complain about people trying to keep me safe.”

Alaric nodded and offered me his arm. The others finished talking and followed us.

The walkway was wide enough for several people to pass each other comfortably, with smooth paving beneath our feet and a high stone railing along the open side. I kept looking through the gaps between the buildings at the levels below until the smell of fresh bread caught my attention again.

There was a bakery ahead.

Even after everything I’d eaten, I slowed down to look through the window. Small round loaves sat beside trays of buns, and the woman inside was taking the last few buns off a tray.

“The shops here serve the surrounding homes,” Leon said. “Most household supplies can be found within a short walk of the residence.”

“I’d like to come back when I’m not quite so full.” I smiled at him, then looked through the window again.

“Of course. We’ll arrange a time for you to see them properly.”

He gave me a small smile, then looked ahead again.

None of them seemed bothered by the quiet, and I was perfectly happy walking beside them and looking around.

People noticed us as we passed. A man carrying a parcel looked at Alaric and moved closer to the buildings to give us room. Two women coming the other way stepped aside as well, stopping their conversation until we’d gone past.

A few people looked at me, but nobody approached or tried to speak to us. They gave us plenty of space, even though the walkway was already wide enough.

I stayed close to Alaric, very grateful that I didn’t have to introduce myself to anyone else tonight.

We crossed a wide bridge, and I kept my eyes firmly on the buildings ahead instead of looking down either side. Once we were across, I could see the level we’d just left, with the bakery window still glowing among the others.

It already looked a long way away.

After a while, the shops became less frequent, and we turned into a quieter street lined with houses. Some were so large I might’ve mistaken them for public buildings if not for the curtains, balconies, and plants outside.

The front doors were enormous compared with anything back on Earth, framed by deep stone arches. Rows of windows stretched above, long balconies running between stone columns with plants spilling from boxes along the edges. I had to look right up to work out where one house ended because there was so much space between each front door.

“These are all private houses?” I asked, looking at a set of doors wide enough for several people to walk through together.