She took a deep breath and met his insistent stare. “So, what’s your genius plan, then?”
A small smile appeared on Eyden’s face but it was gone before Lora could even fully take it in. He grabbed a piece of black fabric and stood up, those ice blue eyes fixated on her.
“First, I’m going to sneak you out of here. And tomorrow...tomorrow we’ll see about that cure.”
* * *
The disguise Eyden had for her turned out to be a simple black cloak. It almost fell down to her shoes and Lora had pulled it closed tight around her, making sure her human clothes were hidden as much as possible. The hood blocked most of her view as she struggled to keep up with Eyden’s quick pace. He led her through more stone corridors, walking close to her but far enough that they weren’t touching.
Lora had been scared of encountering more fae but she was so focused on not tripping over her disguise that her mind had little time to take in the figures around her. There was more of a crowd here than in the human market. People—fae—rushing past them. She noticed others in similar cloaks. She supposed some buyers might prefer to remain anonymous. Whatever the reason, it worked to their advantage. They weren’t stopped along the way and soon enough she could see a narrow staircase ahead of them.
Eyden opened a small, wooden cellar door and then they were outside, surrounded by trees. The cool but not unpleasant night air brushed her face. Behind them, she could make out the familiar indigo shimmer of the portal hidden in the woods.
Lora inspected the door. It was slightly raised from the ground and looked utterly simple, a far cry from the steel-reinforced security door in her world.
“Come on. Keep up,” Eyden said as he started off towards faint lights in the opposite direction of the border.
Lora hurried after him, but she couldn’t help but turn around one more time, thinking she should remember the location of the door. But when she looked back, all she saw was soil. No sign of a door. For a second Lora thought she had lost her mind before she remembered that it was most likely a spell. The possibility both intrigued and frightened her.
She quickly pulled up the map of Liraen on her phone, checking her current location before they walked too far away from the border. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in this terrible world.
Soon enough, they left the woods behind and walked on almost empty, narrow side streets. It was already dark out and the few street oil lamps provided little light. Lora wondered how well the fae could see in the dark. It was hard for her to adjust to the low light and make out details. Thankfully, they didn’t run into any fae.
She did catch a glimpse of a horse strapped to a wooden post in front of a building. It was kicking up dirt as it shuffled around. Its glowing orange eyes were like two beacons in the night. According to her research, fae horses were stronger and more resilient than the ones she had encountered on Earth.
Eyden slowed down when they neared another building. He walked up the steep wooden stairs with no banister to the second floor and unlocked the mud brown door at the end of the short corridor. As he disappeared inside the flat, Lora had no choice but to follow.
The space reminded Lora of a studio apartment. To her left was a small kitchen with a table for four by one of the two windows. In the middle was a spacious black sofa opposite two comfy chairs and a tiny fireplace. And on the right side of the room was a large double bed partly hidden by a room divider, its design made out of black metal that didn’t conceal the whole view. Eyden’s flat had a minimalistic design with no bright colours in sight. It didn’t show off anything personal and she couldn’t glimpse any special fae artefacts either.
Eyden shut the door before taking off his coat. Lora felt stuck. She simply stood there, next to the door, still dressed in the large cloak. Was she really going to stay here? With this stranger—this fae?The thought was so absurd that she almost laughed, yet she knew this was her new reality. It had been too hopeful to think she could find a cure that same day.
She reached for the knot to open her coat but Eyden halted her. “Wait,” he said as he walked towards the opposite side of the room and closed the curtains.
“Do a lot of people, I meanfae,peek into your window?” She meant it as a serious question yet it came out teasingly.
“No. I chose this place because it overlooks another building with no windows. And barely anyone walks the small path between them. Better not to risk it anyway.”
Lora couldn’t argue with that, even though his statement wasn’t exactly comforting. She supposed the black market business here in Chrysa came with secrecy similar to the illegal trades in Bournchester. Nodding her agreement, she finally took off the cloak and her backpack, then continued looking around the room.
Eyden settled into the sofa, clearly not caring about Lora’s discomfort. Was he not at all unsettled by the stranger in his flat?
“Do you think you can lose the British accent tomorrow? I have some clothes that should fit you but your voice will give you away. And I’m assuming you’ll want to go with me, no?” he asked.
“Obviously. How would you explain the virus to a healer? Do you know anything about it?”
“Not really, that’s why I didn’t seriously suggest you stay here,” Eyden answered, arrogance radiating off him. “Now, the accent? Know anything about Turosian?”
Lora caught his gaze and held it. “I don’t think it’s all that difficult. I’ll manage,” she said, trying to imitate Eyden and channel what she had learned about the history of fae language, which was quite similar to her English. To her ears, the accent sounded like a mix of different human accents. Maybe how a well-travelled Brit might have adapted a blend of pronunciations from different cultures.
“Not quite there, but it’ll do. We’ll say you’re not originally from here.”
Lora gave him a questioning look. “As in, if anyone asks, you grew up in Quarnian. It’s far enough that no one really travels there. At least, I’ve never met anyone from there, not even a trader.”
Lora knew enough about the seven remaining kingdoms to understand his reasoning. Quarnian was farther north and separated from Turosian—the kingdom she was currently in—and the other countries by the sea.
“So, should I say I’m from Opalia?” Lora asked, bringing up the kingdom’s capital.
“I see you’ve done some research.”
