But then again, before today, she’d never had a reason to notice. It was only her current obsession with finding someone wearing a piece of obsidian that had her noticing now.
But a moment later, she put the thought out of her mind again. Gosta was as human as they came. She’d worked in the hospital for close to twenty years, she knew almost everyone who came through the front door by name, and for all her cool demeanour, she’d earned the respect of every doctor and nurse in the hospital.
So Gantalla wasn’t paying a lot of attention when Gosta slid the necklace out from under her blouse, letting the jewel on the end dangle in the sunlight. Gantalla was so distracted that even when she laid eyes on the jewel, it took a moment for her to realise what she was looking at. Gantalla’s mouth fell open and she stared at the obsidian gem, quiche halfway to her mouth. Her entire body seemed frozen to the spot as her brain tried to process the implications of what she was seeing.
“Come now,” Gosta said softly. “You didn’t think you were the only one, did you?”
Gosta?Gostawas from Chalandros? Grumpy, cantankerous Gosta who went out of her way to criticise Gantalla’s work?
Gosta fingered her necklace again. “My father gave this to me,” she said idly, as a young couple walked past their table. Seeing all the people milling about the square, Gantalla reminded herself that they were still very much in public. She would have to be careful what she said. “He was a jeweller out at Green Vale for many years. You might have heard of him. His name was Adrian Salas.”
The cryptic comment hit home. Gosta was a salas, then. In her native form, her skin would be jet black. The males of her species were huge and muscular, but the females more moderate in their size and stature. Gantalla nodded, then realised that Gosta was waiting for her to reply. “What about your family?” Gosta asked, when Gantalla failed to think of anything to say. “Where did they come from?”
“A place very much like this, actually,” Gantalla said. “It was always verygreenthis time of year.” They should have found somewhere more private to talk. But of course, until a few moments ago, Gantalla hadn’t known there was anything to say that might have needed privacy.
Gosta got halfway through smiling at Gantalla’s comment, no doubt picking up on her meaning easily… but then her face fell, and her eyes darted over towards the cage, where Alithmain’s green skin was on full display.
“Oh,” she said, a wealth of trepidation in her voice. “Oh, I see.”
“Um… back to your charming necklace,” Gantalla said, warily eyeing a stallholder as he wheeled his cart slowly past the table. “I have one very like it,” – she slipped her own necklace out of her shirt – “and my sister is coming to town. I was hoping to get her a matching one as a gift. Do you know anyone in town who might be selling them?”
“Yoursister?” Gosta said, an edge to her voice. Her gaze slid across to the cage again. “I thought you said your sister was refusing to leaveGadash.”
“She was. But it seems she changed her mind after all.”
Gosta opened her mouth to say something else, then snapped it shut again. Then she tried again. “My gosh, it’s rather hot out here in the sun. I think we should move somewhere more shady.” Without waiting for Gantalla to agree, she stood up, making a beeline for a far quieter corner of the square. Relieved to get away from the crowd, Gantalla eagerly followed her.
“There, now we can talk properly,” Gosta said, once they were away from prying eyes. “Gods above, is sheactuallyyour sister?”
“She really is. Just out of curiosity, how long have you known what I am?” It was an irrelevant detail, but Gantalla was eager to know.
“A bit over a week. I caught a look at that necklace of yours while you were changing for bed one evening. And even then I wasn’t sure at first. You seemed sohuman, fitting in so smoothly with everything around here. Then again, I suppose plenty of people have told me the same thing. But I’ve been here getting on for twenty years. How long ago did you cross the gate?”
“Three weeks,” Gantalla said.
Gosta suddenly coughed and spat out a lump of her quiche. “Three weeks? Great gods, girl, I thought you must have slipped in unnoticed and been laying low for a while. Three weeks and you’re saving lives, and finding work, and getting marriage proposals. Well, it’s no wonder your head’s spinning. And now your sister… You must hardly know which way is up or down.”
“It’s been a challenge. There are plenty of things I don’t like about this town, but I don’t want to offend anyone. But everything’s so different and complicated.” She shook her head, shelving her own troubles for the moment. “I really need a necklace. Do you know where I can get a new one?”
Gosta gave an uneasy shrug. “It’s not a simple question. I know where youmightbe able to get one. But she doesn’t always have them in stock. These things are rare as hen’s teeth on this side of the gate. Most people order them a good six weeks in advance. That way, she’s got a chance to get another delivery through the gate.”
“Who is this person? And where can I find her?” Gantalla asked. “I have to at least try.”
Gosta nodded. “Her name’s Kit. She runs a jewellery shop down Vintage Street. It’s next to the pub – the Staghorn. You ever been there?”
“No. But I know the name Kit. She’s a witch, right? I met her sister on my way through the gate.”
Gosta’s eyes lit up. “Did you, now? Well, be sure to mention that to her. She’s been here near on two years now, and every time she opens her mouth, she’s prattling on about her sister. I’d half begun to believe she’d made the woman up.”
“No, she’s definitely real. And she has a plan for getting through the gate. It’s just a matter of timing.”
“Speaking of timing, I need to be getting back to the hospital. But one more thing before I go. I assume that if your plans for helping your sister go right, then you’ll be leaving town?”
Gantalla nodded. “I think we have to. I don’t want to just abandon everyone at the hospital, but we can’t stay here.”
“I totally agree. And don’t worry about the hospital. You have a supposed brother in Palashran, right? Is he real, or just a convenient ruse?”
“No, I made him up.”
