Manes, that sucks. She just found out she is her sister. Stealing something from her won’t do good to their new sister bond. She swallows hard before finding my eyes.
“She is going to understand, Honey,” I comfort her. She nods, but fidgets her fingers and it is a sign to me she doesn’t trust me fully on that part. I push my cylinder into Eliane’s hands, my fingers too big to get the damn thing open. It took me ages thefirst time to figure it out, and I’m not about to struggle through it again when she can do it in a split second. She looks at me confused and furrows her brows together. Realization sinks in and she grasps the thing out of my hands, taking the top off for me. I fidget the piece of parchment out and unfold it. I read the letters in front of me before showing it to Eliane.
Gwen
I definitely don’t care about taking something valuable from her. I’ve disliked her from the start. She raises an eyebrow in question. I feel her thinking. “Are you okay with that?”
“More than okay,” I firmly answer her question. Darkness surrounds us as we stroll outside. I know what Gwen values a lot.
Her reputation and wealth.
“Let’s steal the ice queen’s money,” I snap.
“How do you want to do that? I can carry some. But my pockets aren’t big enough to carry a fortune,” Eliane answers, grinning. She is definitely right, so that is why I have a better plan.
“We are going to steal her parents’ will and inheritance.”
Finding out where Gwen lives isn’t that hard. She is rich. She must be. So Ilanos it is.
I know through the stories Mum once told me there are a lot of different kinds of shops in the village of Ilanos. From clothing shops and hatters, to fortune tellers and such as magic healers. Some are just too good to be true, but their marketing works and that is all that matters to a shop owner. There also appears to be a magic address teller that can find houses, relatives, and much more by hearing of just a name. That is our first destination.
“I hope the shop is still open,” Eliane breathes out as she walks next to me. She wrings her hands together before grabbing her hair, attempting to make a braid.
“I assure you, it is,” I answer, holding my gaze forwards.
“How do you know?” she continues, biting her tongue before correcting herself. “Oh you probably have been here a lot of times before. Sometimes I forget I was the only one locked away.” She makes it sound like a joke, but I hear the disappointment in her voice. I narrow my eyes at her before I decided to answer.
“No, I haven’t. I have come here less than you can count on your fingers. I just have my window open, and I can hear the music drum all night.”
As she looks at me confused, my mind brings me back. The music is as always, loud enough to hear from this distance. We are reaching the bridge that bridges the palace to the main village. I haven’t been here a lot. The last time I remember was before the trials, when people dancing and magic wine surprised me. She doesn’t give me the satisfaction of answering and keeps her mouth shut as our feet drag us closer to the village.
Eliane’s eyes widen, and I swear I hear a soft gasp as we enter Ilanos. Lanterns and strings of light crisscross above, casting a warm glow over the houses. She looks around, taking it all in.
It is only then that I realize. She has never got the opportunity to see this. Happiness fills my chest at the thought of me being the first one she experiences this with. To be her first something. A gleaming smile rises on my face as I watch her go from window to window looking inside all the shops we stroll by.
The square with lots of flowers, cobblestone pathways, lights and pillars I watched people dancing last time, comes into view. Eliane looks over her shoulder, and I try to drop my smile when she looks at me, but I can’t help it. I give her a nod of approval, a little shove in her back and she bolts forwards. Before I can blink my eyes and come closer, she joins the people dancing in the middle. She looks hilarious wearing fighting leathers, dancing in between people that are all dressed up, but she doesn’t care. Ridiculous, some would say.
Ridiculously cute.
She smiles from ear to ear as she shakes those perfect hips and throws her hands in the air. She brushes her fingers through her wavy shiny hair as she loosens the braid, letting her hair flow in all possible directions. I put my hands on my hips, watching her every move.
A long, blond-haired man with a soft beard and green eyes strolls towards her.
No way.
She thinks men don’t look at her, her reaction earlier made it clear she has no experience with the other sex at all. But every man here turned his head as she started to dance. Eliane her movements slow down as the man whispers something in her ear. She gives him a nod of approval and before she steadies on her feet the man wraps an arm around her waist and forces her into a dance.
That isn’t going to happen, buddy.
My feet stamp towards her and rage bubbles in my veins. I ball my fist together ready to throw a punch. Eliane blinks her lashes innocently at me as she catches me coming closer. Teasing me-that is for sure.
