Despite its name, the Night Market was vibrant. Tucked in a wide clearing in the center of the wood, the market was littered in canopies of rich blue and gold and silver shaped tents and carts.
Jesters pranced about night after night, juggling pomes and knives, and bursting into tunes that encouraged spontaneous dancing.
Jonas was captivated by the owlery. Grand birds with wingspansnearly as wide as my arms perched on thick pegs in a domed tower. I laughed when four of the creatures flew to him instead, settling on his head and shoulders.
“Owls are rare in the fae realms, but my mother loves them,” he told me. “I always tried to whittle them for her, since they’re seen as good omens.”
“Frigg told me of your woodworking talent.”
Jonas laughed and paused at a cart with gold bangles and polished stone necklaces. “I doubt Frigg used the word talent. I tried. My daj is actually quite good with building things. He told me when he and Maj were still two unseen orphans, he wanted to apprentice with a carpenter near the docks.”
“The king and queen are orphans?”
“They are.”
“But she had her brothers, yes?” Bard and Queen Malin seemed close, and I knew their eldest brother was the consort to the Night Folk King’s sister, their children shared cousins between the Ever Queen and the alver princes.
Jonas lifted one of the gold bangles, inspecting it. “Their family history is torn up through endless wars for the alver throne. My uncles were there, but no one knew they were truly related. Honestly, my uncles are my mother’s cousins, but they all claim each other as siblings. My parents were littles who slept in a hayloft, working for their keep until life tossed them into the streets where it was thieve or die.”
He selected four more bracelets, handing the shopkeeper some elven coin Grandfather left for us to use.
“But if they discovered she was the heir, then they must know their family line.” I hooked my arm through his as we walked on.
“They do now. Whether Daj wants to admit it or not, he truly is from a noble bloodline. Sander and I are both named after our grandfathers who both died in old alver wars.” Jonas flashed me a grin. “As I told you, your desires to help the littles in the realms will be well received.”
We wove through the shops, pausing to purchase items here and there: a white iron knife for Sander, Von, and Prince Aleksi from theNight Folk realms, some silks for Tova and Junius, new pig skin leather from elven hogs that could take properties from foliage—healing or poisons—and add it to whatever was placed in the skin. Jonas planned to gift them to Niklas.
The bangles were for his mother and the women he saw as sisters: Frigg, Livia, and Princess Mira.
“Think Bloodsinger would accept a gift?” He looked at a gold sphere used to gauge dangerous sea storms.
“I think Erik Bloodsinger pretends none of you matter to him save for the Ever Queen, but I saw his concern for you when we came here. I think he would grumble about it, then you would see it on his ship for every voyage.”
Jonas laughed and pressed a kiss to my head. “You have him figured out, Fire.” He looked to the shopkeeper. “I’ll take it.”
Later, when only a blood red sliver of sunlight still burned on the horizon, we made our way back to the wood. Elven guards kept in line behind Dorsan. Doubtless they were not keen to spend Stärnskott on duty with a princess they feared. In truth, I was not keen to spend Stärnskott with them.
Jonas wanted a scheme. I planned to give him one. “Dorsan. I think the prince would like to see the Underfalls.”
Dorsan’s features pinched and he looked to the sky. “Showers will begin soon. Do you not wish to go to the watch point, My Lady?”
“The path takes us straight through.”
“But it is quite narrow, and we have the horses.”
“I thought we could take it on foot, and you lead our charges to the watch point.”
Dorsan gave me a look that hinted I was not fooling anyone. “You would be alone for a time.”
“And we are often alone in Klockglas,” I insisted. “Besides, as everyone seems to agree, we’re both a little wild.”
Jonas’s eyes sparked with a familiar heat. “I stand with my wife’s decision. Wherever she plans to take me, I wish to go.”
Dorsan sighed. “As you wish, My Lady.”
We passed over the reins to our horses and I took hold of Jonas’shand, leading him through a thick tangle of dark oaks until we came to a web of pathways—some were platforms draped with ropes in the trees, others cut across the bubble and steam of cooling swamplands.
“Tree houses.” Jonas tilted his head back, gazing into the boulder thick limbs of the treetops.
