I shook my head and grabbed his arm. “Look there.”
Following my gaze, his back straightened. A beautiful promenade flanked by marble statues led to the library, a towering building surrounded by rows of decorative pillars.
I tilted my head toward it. “You should visit. Might be your last chance.”
“But—”
“I’ve shopped here a thousand times. I could do it in my sleep.” I nudged him. “Go on. I’ll find you when I’m done.”
Guilt briefly flashed over Eleos’ face before he drank in the library: a simple, but elegant building whose sides were carved with likenesses of the three lesser gods.
“Thank you.” Eleos nearly tripped over both his words and himself. “I’ll be quick.” He took a step, then whirled around and caught my wrist. “I’m not supposed to leave you.”
“The Guild doesn’t attack people in broad daylight. Even if they caught me, at worst, I’d be thrown in a brothel. That was Laverna’s favorite threat.”
My attempt to reassure him had the opposite effect. His fingers tightened around my wrist. “Never mind. I’m staying with you.”
“Maiden’s grace. I wasjoking. I’ll only be gone for half an hour.” Pushing him, I encouraged him to go.
I wasn’t joking, and trying to deceive a psyche was a foolish mistake. He read the truth on my face with ease. “Lady Aethra . . .”
“I’ll be fine. I promise.”
His severe expression eased. “Alright,” he said reluctantly. “Half an hour,” he swore, finally turning away.
Smiling, I watched him run up the steps and disappear through the great doors. Adjusting my bag, I turned on my heel and returned to the markets. Balancing on the patterned stone bordering the waterway, I watched my reflection in the water.
Water. Ainwir had asked me exactly once what I wanted out of life. At age fifteen, I’d blurted out a silly answer, but in the eight years since, it had never changed.
I wanted a house on a lake, or maybe a river. A loving husband and two children. That was all.
It was such a tiny thing, but anything we’d never have seemed like a wonderful dream. Unattainable. Distant. A paradise far out of reach.
Lifting my head, my gaze caught on a stall selling flowers. Wandering over, I examined the collection of petals, noticing a pale blue bloom sitting by its lonesome, without a bouquet to keep it company.
Wishing I could justify wasting coin on frivolous blossoms, I ran my fingers under its petals and admired its beauty. As a child, I’d pick flowers and weave them for Ainwir. Sometimes he’d humor me and wear the little crowns on his head.
“Like that one, do you?”
Startled, I turned to see a man standing beside me. Wearing a wealthy burgundy coat and a matching red and white mask, it was plain to see he was a nobleman. Wavy hair the color of wine tumbled past his neck, resting below his collar in a neat bond.
Retracting my hand from the flower, I smiled, glancing at the florist. “It’s beautiful.”
Reaching into a satchel at his waist, the nobleman pulled out a gold coin and passed it to the florist. The woman’s eyes flew open, and she happily accepted the rich payment for so small a thing.
The stranger plucked the blue flower and tucked it in my hair. I tensed when he touched me. “It suits you, Aethra.”
I froze, studying his features, trying to discern if I knew him. The mask concealed his entire face, with slits for his eyes alone. Eyes that matched Eleos’: sage green.
He leaned in, whispering in my ear. “Care to walk with me?”
“I’d rather not,” I spoke in a whisper.
The masked man lifted his gaze to the library behind us. “Would you like your friend to return to your inn alive?”
Blood running cold, I stiffened and nodded.
“Good.” He smiled. “Come with me.”
