So when I bought it today, I felt a momentary pinch of guilt but told myself it was okay. Especially with the credits coming in from Kaldur as his blood giver. It would be more money than I’d ever seen in my life at once.
I tucked myself into a secluded bench on the very edge of the square, one where I’d be able to watch everyone coming and going without being in the way or noticed. It was shaded and cool now, but in an hour, the sun would be overhead and the stone would warm beneath me, so I let the hot tea and the steam cake heat me up for now.
After I polished off my breakfast cake, I took out mynotebook, flipped to an empty page, and began to list out different things I saw. It was something I liked to do not only as an exercise for my writing but because I often loved to read them back over. Little snippets of people’s lives or visuals that struck me.
Thick curling ribbons of fog creeping over the Western mountains.
Two girls passing—a blonde human and a Kylorr with red eyes—giggling over a handsome Bartutian boy, who smiled at them.
The scent of cloves and sweet cream, beaconing and welcoming like a siren.
A clumsy-footed child who tripped on the cobblestones, his worried mother rushing over to calm his wails.
The harsh whip of the banner flags in the square like a thunder clap, the icy breeze on the back of my neck.
I saw Kaldur.
My breath hitched, my hand stilling over the soft parchment of my notebook.
Then I wroteA handsome Kylorr, with eyes like mirrors and a grin like my favorite dawn.
Even the mere sight of him made my heart race in anticipation, but for now I was content to study him as I sipped on my spiced tea. He wasn’t wearing what he’d worn last night, which brought a pinch of relief. Hehadcome back to the keep last night…and yet he hadn’t come to me.
He was walking with a local shopkeeper, who’d apparently flagged him down. I thought the male was a clothier and owned the shop frequented by nobles. I’d never stepped foot inside—the prices were much too high for someone like me—but I had often admired the silks and sturdy linens in the window. The beautiful embellished ball gowns mixed with simple, but elegant, everyday wear made an interesting display. But there were two kinds of people: those who went inside the shop and those who admired from outside its gilded doors.
I’d always been a part of the latter group.
I watched as Kaldur smiled, placing his hand on the clothier’sshoulder and listening as he spoke. Even from afar, I was transfixed. Kaldur was the type of magnetic male that consumed one’s attention, the kind to draw gazes and keep them. I’d never met anyone with his pull before. My stomach fluttered because now I knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of that smile, of that rumbling voice and those mesmerizing eyes.
Another breeze swept through the square, making my hair flutter around my face, which I tried to brush back into place.
From the distance, I saw Kaldur’s head lift. Then he was looking straight at me, and I felt frozen, trapped within those eyes.
I watched him frown, his expression darkening briefly, before he turned abruptly back to the shopkeeper. He murmured something, which seemed to satisfy the clothier because he said his goodbyes and turned down the road back toward his shop.
Kaldur stood alone now and slowly turned to regard me. Hesitantly, I stood from the bench, tucking my notebook into my satchel, my cooling tea still clasped in one hand. When I made a step toward him, he shook his head, casting his gaze around the square, eyeing the milling nobles and citizens of Vyaan, many of whom were looking at him.
He gestured his head toward an alley between two shops that were closed today. There was a stiff pattering in my chest when I realized…when I realized he didn’t want me to approach him. Because he didn’t want to be seen with me?
That hurt more than I thought it did.
Don’t assumeanything,I reminded myself. Maybe he had another reason for it. Slowly, I headed down the alleyway, seeing that it led to a small, private courtyard that both of the shops shared. I guessed the doors in the back were meant for delivering goods, further evidenced by the stack of empty crates piled up to one side of the deserted courtyard.
Since it was shaded, it was cold, the shop buildings blocking out the sun. To soothe my dry tongue, I took another sip of mytea while I waited, trying to ignore the hurt that was winding its way in my chest. I waited for a long time, long enough to wonder if I’d been mistaken, if he was even coming.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard a heavy stride clattering down the cobblestones.
Kaldur appeared, and he leaned against the wall of the building, regarding me after he cast an assessing view over his shoulder.
“Don’t want anyone to see us together?” I asked. It was meant to be a joke, but I was mortified when I heard the small tinge of hurt color the question.
He smiled, but it didn’t make me relax. There was an edge to it, one that amplified a hardened glint in his eyes.
“You would know no peace if I didn’t take precautions,” he finally answered. “The Vyaan people love their gossip, just like your keeper friends in my House.”
I didn’t know if I should feel stung or grateful by the admission.
“I didn’t expect to find you in the village today. Come to spend your stipend for the month?” he asked. “I wonder what will catch your eye…a vase perhaps?”
