She studied him, her eyes narrowing. Someone had said something similar to her before . . .
The man looked Luna dead in the eyes and when he spoke again, it was with such authority there was no questioning the truth of his statement. “Let’s get one thing straight: I’m notyourenemy.”
A shudder flowed through her—she’d hate to be whoever that was. Looking over her shoulder, the street ahead was empty, shadows stretching from the quiet buildings under the early morning light. “So . . . you’re going to let me go then?” Was she going to live through a second encounter with a unicorn?
He frowned, as if he had been insulted by the question. “I was never the one holding you captive.” With a deliberate turn of his back, he strode away, vanishing into a shadow of nothingness.
Chapter 6
Marketplace
Consequences be damned, Luna was going to enjoy her outing. What were the chances that the intruder would attack now after she had chatted with him anyway? And even if he did, the king knew there was a shadow unicorn lurking around. His men were already prepared to deal with him if anything were to happen. Besides, if she turned around to go tell a guard now, they’d probably be more concerned she was outside the palace grounds and not believe anything she had to say about the unicorn, like the first time.
The market was filled with an array of people, stalls, and tents that covered almost every speck of the massive open square. The makeshift merchant stalls were each set up to display goods in their own unique way: Shelves, crates, and tables, while others had signs and tents to step into that allowed the purchaser a degree of privacy.
She tucked a few loose strands of hair back into her scarf, straightened her clothes, brushed off her tumble with the unicorn, and strolled forward, ready to experience all this place had to offer.
The sheer chaos of the market overwhelmed her senses, the crowd was quite dense and she found herself having to squeeze her way through. Merchants called out as she passed by, wanting her to come see their goods. They shouted they had the best prices, some even grabbing her arm in an attempt to drag her over. For a moment, she thought she would drown from all the noise and smells, let alone all the people, but from the corner of her eye, something caught Luna’s attention.Fire.Everything and everyone seemed to disappear as she moved towards the flames.
A tanned shirtless man with straight black hair spun a large staff, both of its ends on fire. The flames danced with his movement as if they were an extension of his body. She watched with a sense of awe, moving closer for a better view. He raised the staff into the air, tossing it above him, and time seemed to slow as flames twirled and danced above the gathered crowd.
The flames grew brighter and brighter, reminding her of the light she had bled earlier. Some small part of her had always denied the idea she was ill, but after today, there was no more denying it: If the unicorn hadn’t healed her, she would have died. She sighed and watched as the staff of fire fell in slow motion. At least now, she knew her unique blood was the reason she would bleed out. She supposed that was one mystery solved.
The fiery staff landed perfectly on top of the performer’s right foot. The gathered crowd cheered as he reached down, grabbing and raising it above his head with triumph. Luna joined the crowd’s applause as they continued to cheer and clap. The man then bowed, signalling that his show was over.
The crowd dispersed and Luna walked on, travelling from stall to stall to admire the array of items being sold: clothing, jewellery, books, housewares, and trinkets. One stall she passed had wooden plaques with pyrography, while another’s shelves showcased small animal figurines made of stone. She marvelled at all there was to see until the smell of caramelized sugar mixed with warm vanilla beckoned her forward. Her stomach led the way as she wove through the crowd, shoulder to shoulder, her progress maddeningly slow. When she finally reached the source of the mouthwatering aroma, she eyed the pastries with wonder.
The stall was a simple wooden table crafted with two ledges in which rows of little baked goods were on display, from pastries to flaked pies. She must have looked like a drooling dog because the merchant standing behind the table was grinning widely at her. His smile faltered when he told her the price of his baked goods and she shook her head; coins had been the last thing on her mind during her hasty rush to get out of the palace.
The merchant bit his cheek, looking her up and down before he grabbed one of the pastries she had been eyeing and cut it into several small pieces. “Sample. Next time, you buy!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she accepted the sample and happily placed it into her mouth. The dessert was wonderful. Flaky and moist. One bite wasn’t enough; she wanted more. Hell, she wanted to consume every last morsel this merchant had to offer.
She had been about to thank the man for his generosity when the woman standing beside her started to giggle. “Dearie, if you think this is good, wait until you get to the stall Corey runs. I just came from there and let me tell you—”
The merchant grunted and the lady stopped talking to glare at him; it seemed she was shaming him for interrupting her.How odd, Luna thought to herself. Advertising someone else’s items seemed rude, but after an intense moment, the merchant rolled his eyes and turned away to entice others to buy his goods.
The lady smirked and leaned in, her voice lowering an octave as one does when they share a secret. “Corey’s macarons are justsimplyto die for. Best I ever had, and I’ve travelled many places throughout my life.” For someone who claimed they were well travelled, she didn’t look that old, maybe a few years older than Luna herself. Although not wealthy, the lady did look faintly foreign. The white shirt she was wearing was wrapped tightly around her body, pinned by a brooch of half circles intricately woven together—a symbol Luna had never seen before.
“Oh?” Luna replied. It was truly unfortunate that she forgot to stuff her pockets with coins before coming over the wall. She’d have to remember to bring some for next time . . . if there was a next time.
The lady straightened and ran a hand through her hair, which was not quite blonde, nor brown, and barely long enough to cover her ears. “Come, I’ll show you where she is.”
“I don’t have any money.”
With her thin lips pursed, the lady flicked her wrist in the air, dismissing Luna’s comment with a wave. “With those pretty blues, I bet Corey will give you a sample as well, maybe even two.”
Luna didn’t need further prompting. “Alright, lead the way!” Experiences were the whole reason she had come to the market in the first place. So, like the naïve girl she was, she followed the stranger offeringto take her to sweets.
They found a gap among the numerous people walking and rejoined the packed crowd, the woman manoeuvring with ease. As they began to shuffle forward, the lady turned to her and said, “By the way, my name is Marion.”
With a friendly smile, Luna replied, “It’s nice to meet you! I’m Luna.”
They made their way through the crowd, but it became too difficult to walk side by side so Luna ended up trailing behind her most of the way. Moving through disorganized rows of tables and stands, they passed by stall after stall of merchants. Though Luna stayed as close as she possibly could, there were a few times where she lost sight of Marion and had to search through the sea of people to find her. Luckily, Marion had noticed and was waiting for her each time. They had walked a fair way through the market square when Marion abruptly cut through the sea of people and slipped between two stalls. “It’s this way,” she called over her shoulder.
Luna took a moment to glance at the two merchants’ goods. Both sold beautiful but fragile-looking vases. The only difference between them was the material; one of the merchants sold orange clay vases, while the other’s was clear glass. As Luna carefully shimmied between the tables, her hip bumped against one and a vase, shaped like a melting icicle, began to wobble back and forth. Luna froze and watched in horror as the vase toppled off the table.
Marion dove to the ground, catching the vase in the last possible second. “That was a close one,” she said as she returned the icicle to the table. “A vase like that runs for quite a pretty penny around here.”
