“What is it?” he asks.
“It is a place where humans go to buy food and drink, like a market.” Fey have markets, don’t they? Or they should at least know about them from the last time they were on Earth.
And just like that, I suddenly realise something. “I need money!”
“What is money?” asks Mabon, wide eyed with curiosity.
“Um…small metal or paper tokens that you exchange for things that you want?” I try.
My heart continues to sink as I watch their blank faces. This could be more of a royalty thing than a fey thing, but that doesn’t help me at all.
“If there are things in there that you want, we will go in and take them,” says Dyfri as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Fine,” I sigh wearily.
We step inside, and humans flee. In no time at all, we have the fairly large shop to ourselves. The princes examine all the items on the shelves with great interest, even though Dyfri is pretending to be slightly bored. The guards walk behind us, stoically. Acting as if they have been into a human grocery store a thousand times before.
Mabon rattles off a thousand and one questions, and it is a good thing I grabbed a trolley out of habit, because it soon gets filled with an eclectic array of items. Which is good, I suppose. As it will be cover for what we really came here for.
Nevertheless, it is a relief to finally find the aisle with the salt. As we reach the right shelf, a strange silence falls. I look back at my friends. They are frozen, motionless, with their too wide eyes fixed on the floor, even the guards.
I look down. Shit. Some salt has spilt. Hastily, I brush it under the shelving unit with the edge of my shoe. But there are still some tiny grains. Damn It!
Think Jamie, think! Before the shop staff figure out what is going on and learn how to fight fey. I haven’t had time yet to ponder if a bloody and dangerous uprising is in anyone’s best interest.
My hands fly to the fastening of my outer layer of robes. I untie it and spread the silk on the floor, covering the salt. I can only pray that it looks like I’m covering the mess so the princes’ dainty little feet don’t have to step in it.
The fey all blink, shake their heads and come back to life.
“Are you okay? What did it do to you?” I ask as my heart hammers away and my arms tremble.
Dyfri scowls at the floor as if personally offended. “It’s like a human being punched in the face. Something about it short circuits our minds.”
“I got to one thousand, five hundred and sixty-eight before you covered it,” says Mabon, almost proudly.
I stare at him. “You counted the grains?”
He shrugs. “I had to.”
I shudder. Then I quickly drop a tightly sealed bag of salt into the trolley and hurry everyone down the aisle. At least I know it works.
Suddenly, Mabon gasps and wanders off towards the security guard standing by the checkouts.
“Oh! it is so handsome!” drawls Mabon.
The security guard looks terrified.
“I’m going to ride your cock,” says Mabon.
The security guard turns bright red. He is not a patch on Rhydian, but he is a good-looking chap who clearly loves the gym. I can see Mabon’s attraction.
“Mabon! Leave him alone!” I say.
The lilac haired prince turns to me. “Why?”
“Because we don’t have time,” I try, because I don’t think any other explanation is going to work.
Mabon sighs heavily. “Fine. Guards, take him to my rooms for later.”
