Leaving the Basement that had sheltered him overnight, Annan continued toward the second City Wall.
The Oddities followed a pattern: they appeared only at night, in places without light. As long as Annan kept away from the houses lining the Street, he would not encounter them...
Before noon, Annan finally passed through Strange Tales City's second City Wall and entered the Inner City.
The streets and houses were far wider and more refined than those in the Outer City, but the unsettling silence and lingering chill were even more palpable. The sunlight spilling over them held no warmth at all.
Pfft—
Several weapons lay discarded in front of a house not far ahead, while a bone was spat from an upstairs window now and then.
Annan took a straight alley to avoid the place.
If the Skeleton Horse were still here, I'd probably have charged into the Royal City by now, Annan thought. But if it were that simple, the Southern Kingdoms would already be holding a banquet to celebrate the Princess's rescue.
In any case, the World Tree Leaf spared Annan a great deal of unnecessary trouble. He walked the deserted Street as though sightseeing in a lost city-state.
Only his Shadow and the Burnt Girl followed him. One fell behind him; the other appeared on the wall.
As time passed, Annan's Shadow grew long and thin. The Burnt Girl appeared once more and drove back an Oddity creeping toward him. Then he looked at the second Shadow on the wall in sudden confusion.
The Burnt Girl is right beside me... So whose Shadow is that?
"It's following me."
Annan pointed at the second Shadow on the wall.
The Burnt Girl walked to the wall and touched Annan's "Shadow." A struggle he could not comprehend began. Before long, she