“Five.”
The man looked at her, then back at the fae, chewing on the inside of his lip. He twirled a ring around his finger like he had all the time in the world to wait for Vade to come back with a better offer.
Vade set the dagger back on the table and ushered her along. Orelia reached into her pocket, but he stopped her. “I’m buying these,” he said.
“Six!” The man called out.
Slowly, Vade turned around. “Six, and you throw in a sheath.”
The man pressed his lips together but grabbed a black sheath from a crate and placed it next to twin daggers.
Vade flicked his head in the direction of the crates. “Got anything from the Drain back there?”
The man’s mouth fell open, a hand pressed to his chest. “I beg your pardon? I am a respectable merchant! I don’t deal with the likes of such business.”
Vade set the coin on the table and gathered the weapons he’d purchased. The merchant was quick to snatch it up as he gave the fae a scolding look.
“What’s the Drain?” Orelia asked as they continued to a table covered in short swords.
He lowered his voice when he spoke. “A place you never want to go.”
“Why not?”
Vade quietly surveyed the steel-covered table. She was used to him not answering her questions, despite how annoying it was.
“I can pay for my own weapons, by the way,” Orelia said.
“I’m rich. This is nothing to me.”
She rolled her eyes.So damn arrogant.
“Plus, all the money you own is in your pocket,” Vade said. “You don’t have enough for much out here.”
He was right, but the comment wounded her pride. He could probably buy the entire table and it wouldn’t put a dent in his purse.
Vade tucked the daggers he’d bought under his arm and pocketed the sheath before picking up a short sword and handing it to her. “How does the weight feel?”
Orelia hadn’t touched a sword since sparring with Tommen years ago, but she stepped out of the crowd and went through a few simple movements that came back to her more easily than she expected. “It’s a little heavy.”
Vade plucked another out of the pile. “Try this one.”
She swung the blade once across her body and back up in a diagonal sweep. “Better.”
“Twelve silver,” the woman standing behind the table said. Her lips were painted the most vibrant shade of red, and her eyelids were surrounded in cosmetics so dark she could barely see her eyes.
“Ten,” Vade offered.
“Eleven.”
“Deal.” Vade paid the woman, and Orelia offered to carry the weapons. The least she could do since he’d bought them.
“I got it. No one will try to take them off me.” The fae looked so formidable against the joyous crowd, decked in darkness with the humorless expression she’d come to expect. He was much too serious,and she wondered what he would look like if he actually smiled. Not a cocky grin or a condescending smirk, but a real, genuine smile.
It would probably bring her to her knees. Her cheeks warmed at the thought. He was an arrogant ass, but he wasn’t the worst to look at.
Vade told her to stay where she was as he negotiated with a woman running a clothing stall nearby. Orelia shifted Bute’s jar to rest under her other arm and took in the sights and sounds of everything around her. She couldn’t wait to explore the city later. She didn’t even care that Vade was buying her clothes without her input, she was just anxious to have a real meal, see the bay, then discover what else Ricaboro had to offer.
When Vade was satisfied with his purchases, they crossed through town and turned down a quieter street away from the main market. People fluttered in and out of card houses and taverns, and a few shop owners were closing up for the night, snuffing out the lanterns hanging outside their doors, some using candlelight, others with trulights.
