“Is that the palace?” she guessed.
Eyden followed her gaze and replied, “Yes.”
“Chrysa must be a pretty small town.” She hadn’t expected to see the palace, as they weren’t in the capital, Parae, but rather in a neighbouring town by the border. She had found an old photograph of the impressive building once during her research for a paper. Lora wondered how similar it would look from up close nowadays.
“Parae is the next town over. You can reach it on foot quite fast, including the palace,” Eyden replied in a low voice. “It’s why there are so many damn guards around.”
And sure enough, Lora noticed two guards crossing the street ahead of them. Their black and turquoise uniforms shone in the sunlight. They each had swords sheathed at their sides. The image made Lora uneasy but thankfully, they disappeared down the path.
Lora’s fingers twitched. She wished she could write this all down, document the history she was experiencing firsthand. But it had to wait.
“We’re here.” Eyden pointed towards a small tavern to their right.
This wasn’t exactly the meeting point she had imagined. It seemed too public for such a secretive case. Yet Eyden looked unbothered by the small fae crowd as they entered the building. Lora let her eyes wander, taking in the scene. It was around noon and many fae were enjoying their lunch or already drinking. They had gathered in small groups, sitting at round tables, eating some sort of vegetable dish.
Eyden ushered her towards the bar at the end of the room. Only two fae were seated on the high bar stools with a couple of spaces between them. Eyden approached a young woman. She was taking a sip of her steaming drink, sitting up straight, her sleek dark brown hair flowing down her back.
“Halie,” Eyden said as he stopped close to her, leaning against the bar.
Lora stood awkwardly next to him, keeping her distance, letting Eyden take the lead as promised.
The fae turned her head lightly to the side, taking in Eyden. A pleasantly surprised smile formed on her lips. “Eyden, what brings you here?” She set down her mug, dark liquid shimmering inside.
Eyden returned the smile, more polite than genuine to Lora’s observation. “I was looking for you, actually.”
“Really? Miss me already?” Her smile turned teasing.
Eyden’s smile brightened a bit. “I’m in need of a favour.” He shifted, his smile fading as he looked at Lora before returning his attention to Halie.
Halie’s vibrant emerald eyes travelled to Lora, irritation lingering in her gaze. “And who’s this?”
“This is Lora. We’re working on a trade deal together,” Eyden replied matter-of-factly.
Lora took a tiny step towards her and almost extended her hand before she remembered it wasn’t a fae tradition. “It’s nice to meet you, Halie,” she said, trying to muster up a polite smile. If Halie was the answer to her predicament, then she would suck it up and play nice.
“It’s Sahalie to you,” she replied, her warm tone gone.
Maybe it would be more difficult to act friendly than she had already anticipated.
Eyden either didn’t notice the tension or decided to ignore it. He leaned in close to Sahalie. “How about we get a table?” he said, eyeing the small, isolated table in the back corner.
The implication was clear and Lora was itching to put some distance between her and the other customers. There were too many fae surrounding her. She felt like a fraud, as if at any moment, one of them would see right through her disguise.
“If you buy me another caftee,” Sahalie said, seeking Eyden’s eyes.
He nodded, already signalling the bartender. He got one for himself too and Lora ordered a water, not trusting any other substances in this enemy territory. Sahalie’s caftee smelled like basic coffee with a hint of something sweet that Lora couldn’t quite place.
As they moved to the table, Lora took in Sahalie’s more elegant outfit. She wore similar trousers but they looked to be made out of a more comfortable, expensive material. They had a shiny dark grey stripe along the outer side of her legs that matched the colour of her thin-strapped top.
Sahalie chose the seat closest to Eyden, leaving Lora to sit opposite them. As she took in the two of them, sitting close together, their shoulders almost touching, Lora wondered what their history was. It wasn’t any of her business but she couldn’t help but try to assemble the pieces they had each revealed.
Eyden angled himself further away from Sahalie as if he wanted to be able to keep an eye on both women at the same time. His pale eyes shifted between them as he said, “Lora here has some information about the human virus that’s plaguing Earth. You’ve heard about it, right?”
“Some rumours, yes. Why does it matter?” Sahalie replied. She seemed more bored than surprised by his question. It was exactly as Lora had imagined. She didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy coming from Sahalie. Anger was starting to rise inside her, boiling her blood, yet she remained composed, tuning out her enraged thoughts.
Eyden kept his face indifferent. “I have a buyer who’ll pay handsomely for a cure. I was hoping you’d help us out.”
She seemed to consider his words. “How did you even know I’d be here?”
