At one booth, firelight hits a small copper-colored ring, catching my eye.
I hover my hand over it, and look to the woman selling, silently asking if I might pick up the ring. Her weathered face is framed in white curls, and her blue eyes shine when she gives me a nod.
The ring is delicate, and I roll it through my fingers, getting to know its shape. The material has been melded to mimic a vine, and tiny leaves wrap around its entirety. It’s mesmerizing, but I set it back down.
Healers and knights do not wear jewelry, and there’s no room in my life for trinkets.
Phil snatches me up, linking her arm in mine. She’s holding two long, thin sticks that are skewered through some kind of charred meat.
“What is that?” I crinkle my nose when the scent of smoke burns it.
“Best not to ask,” Phil says as she rips a piece off her stick and chews.
The Smog has withered away at the land so much that we don’t have many animals left, which means meat is in short supply. I’m not going to turn down a meal, but mystery meat is not exactly appealing.
I close my eyes and take a small nibble. The skin crunches and sticks in my back teeth, but the meat itself is moist, and the taste is like any other meat I’ve ever had, which isn’t much to go by.
“It’s actually not so bad,” I tell her after managing to swallow.
At the end of the walk, Phil stops me in front of the soldiers with the log of participants.
I reach for the quill to put my name down, but one of the soldiers slaps his swollen hand over mine.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the fae demands, deep wrinkles and scars mar his face.
Out of shock, I take a step back, pulling my hand out from under his.
“I’m applying to compete,” I say, looking around for a familiar soldier to vouch for me. There has to be one somewhere.
“Like hells you are!” A vein in his forehead begins to protrude.
“Is everything okay?” a deep, oddly welcome voice asks. My cheeks heat in response. I wanted to do this without any help from Eryk, but I guess he’s my best option.
“No!” I say at the same time the soldier says, “Yes. I mean, no, sir.”
Eryk grabs the quill from the soldier and hands it to me.
“Really? It sounded a bit like you weren’t going to allow this talented fae to show us her skill in the Queen’s tournament.” He seems to be singing a much different tune from the other night.
Not wanting to push my luck, I add my name to the long list of contenders as quickly as I can.
“Thank you, Eryk,” I say, a little reluctantly.
“No need to thank me. Just save me a dance at the banquet this evening?”
“I’m not sure that’s—” I start, but Phillipa cuts in.
“She’d love to! See you tonight!” And she whisks me away.
“Phillipa!” I squeal at her.
“No time to argue! You promised. Plus, we have to go get you ready.” She wags her eyebrows at me and pushes me down the road toward her house.
It takes me a few minutes of listening to the rhythm of our footfalls on the dirt, but eventually a thought pops into my head.
I grip my nails into Phillipa’s arm. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I’ve been trying to get your ass to a nice event for years. You don’t think I’ve prepared for this exact moment?” She doesn’t wait for me to respond. “I’ve got a plan.”
