A couple of those bat people—Tyasmorans—were selling fruit. I recognized the apples, but everything else was unfamiliar to me.
Kas pulled a coin from the pouch on his belt and handed it to one of his knights. “Two lulas.”
“Yes, Sire.” The knight—a massive guy even bigger than Kas, with long black hair—went to the table and pointed at a pile of round, pink fruit. He handed the coin over and grabbed two pink things. Passing the fruit to Kas, he said, “Your Majesty.”
“Thank you, Brellen.” Kaspian handed me one of the pink things. “You can eat the skin. Just bite into it.”
I smelled it and got of whiff of something sweet and familiar. Then I bit and instead of crispness, I got something between crisp and soft. Juice burst into my mouth and dripped down my chin. I groaned when I recognized the sugary flavor and swallowed.
“This tastes like a mango!” I absently wiped my chin with my sleeve. “I love mangoes, but you can't just bite into them like this. They have a thick peel that you can't eat.”
“Mango.” Kaspian tested the word. “They are tropical fruits?”
“Yup.” I glanced at the white buildings that had reminded me of Greece. The weather was sure similar to that part of Earth, but I didn't think they grew mangoes in Greece. Serai was similar but not the same. “Lulas, you called them?”
“Yes.”
“Are they grown here?”
“That's right. Many types of sweet fruit grow in my kingdom. Lulas are found further inland.”
“What else? Show me more!” I took another bite.
“I recall you wanting to slowly introduce me to your world. Now you understand my desire to proceed faster.”
“Yeah, I get it. And I'm sorry I didn't show you more. I did drive you up to Portland after pulling two hours on the line, if you recall.”
“I know you tried, Mate. I'm not blaming you.”
“It's a shame I wasn't even in my clothes when we left. Then I'd at least have my phone on me. But I got nothing. No proof of what humans on Earth can do.” Melancholy swept over me. “Nothing of who I was.”
“I think perhaps that was Ensarena's will.” Kaspian glanced at the sky. “Your human science is interesting, but it could be bad for this world. We should proceed on our own merits and ideas.”
I shrugged. “My phone wouldn't have worked here anyway. At least, not for long. I might have been able to play some videos I had downloaded, but I wouldn't be able to connect to the Internet. And the battery would have died soon.”
“I think even a little proof of those wonders would have been too much for Serai. Best to leave the magic of your world there and mine here.”
“Well, I'm here. That's enough, I suppose.”
“More than enough.” He lifted my hand and kissed it.
I cleared my throat.
“Did that embarrass you?” Kaspian drew me inland, going up one of the side streets.
“Huh? No, it's all right. I've just never had a boyfriend who does that.”
“Kisses you?”
“Kissesmy hand. It's what guys do with women.”
“Ah. I can stop if you prefer.”
“You know what? This is a new world and a new me. I want to explore new things. So, I prefer that you do whatever feels natural.” I winked at him. “If it makes you happy, proceed. I'll give it a try.”
Kaspian lifted my hand and kissed it again. “It does indeed make me happy. Now, finish your lula. There's a restaurant up here where we will break our fast.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
