“It’s empty,” he observes.
“It might just look empty.” I yank him forward. We get halfway into the room before I give up. “Fine. It’s empty.” I drop his hand. “Shit. I have no idea where to even start looking for the Market now.”
“I can ask around,” he offers, already pulling out his phone and typing out a text.
I shrug a thanks. We’re about to exit, but then I spot something on the ground. I bend to pick up the small, white rectangleof cardstock. On it is a handwritten address. Perhaps? I hand the card over to Matthias.
He gives one bob of his head. “Best shot.”
We jog back to my car, plug the address into my GPS, and peel out of the lot. We end up at another warehouse, this one in Bridgeport. Again, it looks empty, but I refuse to be discouraged. I grab Matthias’s hand without him having to prompt me and yank him inside. This time, we take two steps into the room and are transported to a full, lively market.
“Holy shit,” he breathes, eyes wide as he takes in the space filled with tables upon tables of vendors carrying magical and mystical items. “Whoa, is that pickled beetroot? That’s extremely explosive. Cool.”
“Cool,” I repeat, less enthusiastic.
He points to another table. “And are those chocolate cauldrons, with real potions as fillings? Amazing.”
I drag him along as I search for anything that could be amber blood.
“Why is this place half herbal shop, half craft fair?” he asks, head swinging around as he attempts to take it all in.
“Murderous craft fair,” I respond, still searching for my intended item.
We keep walking, and that’s when I spot someone familiar. A tall demon with green, scaly skin and bright-orange hair. Kit’s friend. What did he call him? Hallett?
Before I know what I’m doing, I drag Matthias up to him and say, “Hi.”
Hallett studies me, curiously not maliciously, which is a start. “You are not Tonkitgrol,” he states matter-of-factly.
“I’m Lacy,” I confirm. “Kit…left. I was wondering if you know where I could find amber blood?”
He raises an eyebrow, scanning me more. Then his gaze shifts to Matthias. “That one is a witch, but”—his eyes flicker back to me—“you are not. And the witch is not very powerful. Whatever you need amber blood for isfarout of your depth, I assure you.”
Matthias growls, “I am plenty powerful.”
Hallett looks at him again. “You could be. But not yet.”
“Please,” I say. “We need it for Kit.”
“Then have Tonkitgrol ask me for it himself.” He disappears without another word, as though he had never been standing there to begin with.
Matthias’s eyes bug out of his head at the witness of teleportation. Quicker than expected, he shakes himself back to reality and says, “Well, fuck.”
“We’ll keep looking,” I resign.
We continue wandering through the aisles of the Market. I ask a few more vendors and get told over and over they don’t have it. It’s hard to find. A hot commodity. Out of our depth. I gnaw my lip as I survey the full room, hoping the amber blood has magically appeared. “This is impossible.”
“Could we find a substitute?”
“Potentially. I wonder if…” I trail off when my eyes lock on the second familiar face of the day.Fuck.Then I say it aloud, “Fuck.”
I start pulling Matthias toward the exit, picking up speed.
“What?” he asks urgently as he runs after me. “What’s the problem?”
Before I can answer, I’m halted by the problem himself. “Balores,” I squeak, skidding to a stop, Matthias bumping into my back.
His mouth widens in a sneer. “Miss Groban.”
