Msaka awoke early the next morning. Not wanting to waste any time, he quickly ate and performed his spell practice, working on the three new spells, as well as a few old ones. It wouldn't do to let his other magic slide, especially with the troubles he'd been facing recently. He was irked by the fact that he couldn't really work out his more destructive magic within the confines of the inn, but knew there was really no way around that without getting arrested by the city guards.

Finishing his work, he left the inn, intending to find out when the next caravan to Raseir might be leaving. He was all too aware that travelling with a caravan would provide little protection - certainly it would suffice against the normal desert creatures, but if the spellcaster who'd been attacking him got involved, it wouldn't help much at all.

"I'll have to be scanning for magic constantly again," he thought. "What a frustrating waste of time."

Unsure who would be the best person to ask, he decided to try the gate guard. If anyone would know, it seemed likely those working at that post would. If not, he'd at least be able to find out what merchants led caravans there, and inquire with them.

He crossed the plaza, ignoring the morning business being transacted, as well as the people involved. He wasn't feeling particularly antisocial, but didn't want to get sidetracked. He certainly didn't want a repeat of his unexpected performance the other day. Not that he really minded having done it for the child, who had been innocent enough in making the request, but the fact that everyone else had seen it as well still embarrased him.

Reaching the gate, he passed through, glancing around. A slight breeze was blowing, wafting the stench of the saurus pens past the gate. Msaka wrinkled his nose, and wished that he had a spell to block out scents as well as sounds. How the guards could put up with the smell for hours at a time was beyond him. True, their senses of smell were less developed than his in his current form, but even so, it would still have been bad without that.

Holding his breath as best he could, he paced over to where the guard stood. The guard cast a glance at Msaka as he approached, but quickly turned his attention back to surveying the region around the gate. Apparently Msaka was no longer a curiosity to the city guards, he found he was slightly pleased to see.

"Do you know when the next caravan will be leaving for Raseir?" Msaka asked.

The guard turned his head to regard him again. "Yes effendi. The next one will depart in six days time, if it is on schedule. Of course, the recent troubles may affect that, but it is hoped they will not."

"How can I join that caravan? I need to go to Raseir," Msaka said.

"I would suggest speaking to the caravan master before they depart, effendi. With the talents you are said to possess, I am sure you will be welcome on such a journey," the guard answered, scratching his chin.

Msaka nodded. "They leave on the morning that day?" he asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"If they are on schedule, they will depart that morning," the guard replied, casting a glance around the area before turning his attention back to Msaka.

"Good. I will be there. Thank you for the information," Msaka said, then turned and walked back towards the gate.

Reentering the city, he crossed the plaza to the street leading out of it. Six days didn't seem like too long to wait, and would give him time to find anything else of interest in the city, as well as prepare himself for events to come. It was unfortunate, he thought, that Aziza's refusal to help him was forcing him to do what he was planning, but she'd really left him with no other alternative.

He proceeded down the street to the first intersection, then turned right. He was fully aware that he was going to end up wandering randomly for a while, but he had plenty of time to spare, and could easily return to his inn room if he became completely lost.

The next hour passed fairly quickly, as Msaka methodically explored the streets, or at least as methodically as was possible given their winding and irregular nature. Familiarity with them might prove useful later, he reasoned, even though he had yet to find any points of real interest.

Eventually, he emerged into a plaza that he hadn't visited before. To his right was a large palace which towered over the plaza, easily the dominant feature. The architecture was breathtaking, with spires and arches everywhere. It was quite obvious that this was the Sultan's palace, particularly given the numerous city guard members patrolling the area around it.

Besides the street he had entered from, there were two others leading away from the plaza to the north and west. There were only a few stalls in the western side of the plaza, as opposed to the crowded state of the others. Presumably it was a requirement that the area before the palace be kept clear.

A few buildings fronted into the western side of the plaza, looking newer than most of the ones Msaka had seen in other locations. He glanced over the signs above them, trying to determine what trade each of them supported. One showed several small plants and leaves, which made him curious. "Perhaps it is some kind of garden?" he wondered, and decided to take a look. Crossing the plaza, he opened the door, which bore symbols of earth, plants, and fertility carved into it, and stepped inside.

The interior was huge, and did indeed look like a garden. Rows of carefully tended plants and small bushes of all types stretched from one end of the building to the other, with small paths winding among them. The roof seemed to be made of clear glass, through which the sun shone. The air was warm and damp, presumably to help nurture the plants, many of which certainly weren't native to the region. A few people were visible throughout the garden, some appearing to tend the plants, while a couple of them seemed simply to be enjoying a stroll among the vegetation.

Msaka walked slowly along one of the paths, noting each of the plants he passed. While a few seemed decorative in nature, many of them looked like they had other uses as well. He wasn't familiar with all of them, by any means, but of the ones he did recognize as being native to Tarna, some were certainly suited to medicinal uses.

It struck him as odd that such a range of plants, obviously from extremely different regions, could all be growing here together. While it was possible that the careful tending was responsible for that, and the apparently healthy condition of the greenery, it seemed likely that something more was involved. Glancing around to be certain that no one was looking in his direction, Msaka subtly cast his spell of detection.

His suspicions had been accurate - to his magical senses, the entire place was filled with magic. It was fairly subtle magic though, focused on nurturing the plants. No small amount of magical effort had been involved - whoever had done this was a potent spellcaster, or else had taken a very long time to set the enchantments in place. Perhaps both, Msaka thought.

At least, he mused, the climate was more suited to his liking than the dry desert air he had been enduring since the caravan entered this land. He wondered briefly why so much effort had been expended to cultivate the plants. It didn't seem likely to be simply for aesthetic reasons, but it was entirely possible that the place had been created with the idea that it would provide a steady supply of unusual plants to the apothecary, as well as any others who needed them. It certainly would have advantages over having to bring them in on caravans.

Msaka looked the plants over some more. "Yes," he noted, "Some of these have definitely been harvested. So that must be what this place is for. A lot of work, but with the prices that could be charged for what's grown here, it would be very profitable."

Msaka looked around to see where the workers were, intending to ask a few questions to ask about the creation of this place. The kind of magic involved in it might prove useful to his own people in some ways, particularly in maintaining a stock of magically useful plants, some of which were far from easy to forage.