TE17 Mysterious Montenegro

Thekla Kraußeneck

big; itwas so big that the sky looked likeanunbroken stratosphere of leaves and twigs and branches that stretched endlessly in all directions, so that Zack could not even see where the end of the tree canopy was. It cast an oppressive feeling upon him. The floor was paved with white stones, and a road led away from the gate, branching and forking. The houses along the street were not on the ground, but hovering above it. Zack glared at them: all of the houses were egg-shaped and three to four stories high. He was starting to realize how the cocoon city had got its name. Spiral staircases connected the cocoons with the floor. There were ordinary cocoons with bright windows and colorful doors with house numbers and large cocoons with arcades or shop windows. Most of them housed shops, a hotel, restaurants, small shopping malls, bookstores or outfitters, whose names usually stood on the entrance and could be recognized from the street. SirOminous accessories for occultists. Stella’s Instrument Center. Gus & Gambler, the world’s largest collection of temporary enhancements. Halafaz - bar for hallucinogenic drinks. Peter’s Potion was a colorful bakery with muffins, chocolates, and neon- colored vials on the shelves, next to it was Pierre & Lyrics, a bookstore with a dusty window display reading “Library of the Stone Books: The Potion Book, the Encyclopedia of Time, the Quest Guide ...” The shop “Diamond Path” exhibited trinkets, gold rings, ornate necklaces, ruby-studded tiaras, and heavy chains with oval-shaped onyxes set in silver.

Zack’s breath became shallower, as they penetrated deeper and

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