His face flushes deeper, and he grips my wrist. “Let me go.”
I don’t. “What’s your name?”
“Far—” He swallows. “Fare.”
“That’s cute too.”
He pushes on my wrist again, and this time, I let him go. He walks a few paces away before glancing over his shoulder. “What’s your name?”
“You can call me Day.”
“Day,” he repeats, keeping those captivating eyes on me.
Turning, I step on the path toward the city. “Hey, Fare,” I call. “You can continue your little garden walk, or you could come with me, and I’ll show you what a good time Hadria truly is.”
He pauses, chest moving with his heavy breath. “I don’t know you. Besides, weren’t you trying to get into the gala?”
I look back at the glowing window. I know everything that awaits me in there: Damocles’s judgmental gaze, being told by Decimus how pitiful my performance was in a recent spar, and awkward small talk with all those stuffy Autumn folk.
My gaze narrows on the boy in front of me. Maybe they aren’t all so bad.
“I already got what I came for.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, Little Leaf.” I hold out my hand. “Be impulsive for once in your life.”
“Fare, hurry!”I inch through the narrow tunnel, my shoulders brushing the rough stone. The air is cool, a stark contrast to the humidity of the city. “This is the second to last thing I have to show you.”
Fare grunts, following behind me. “I don’t know how it could top the man who pretended his monkey could talk.”
I shoot him a glare over my shoulder. “Celerdidspeak.”
A laugh bubbles out of Fare, a sound I’ve quickly come to enjoy. “I already told you; the vendor was throwing his voice. He certainly didn’t deserve your coin.”
“Oh, but sweet Celer did, even if he tried to bite my poor fingy.”
Fare laughs harder, and I can’t help but join in.
So far tonight, I’ve managed to provide this little Autumn Leaf with quite the tour of Hadria.
Our first stop was to grab a couple of cloaks. I claimed they were for his protection—runaway servant that he is—though truthfully, I don’t think anyone would care about that. What I don’t want is for a citizen of Summer to recognize me and freak him out.
Because I’ve come to learneverythingfreaks him out.
The scorpions that scuttle across the road? He yelped and grabbed my arm.
The smell of garum repulsed him, even after I devoured two helpings of the saucy fish.
And his face went completely red when we walked past the public baths and he saw a bounty of naked fae inside. I’d be lying if I said his reactions didn’t amuse me though. It was like seeing my city for the first time.
He enjoyed the market, somehow devouring four Libum cakes, his lips glistening with golden honey after. He found the arena intriguing as he watched through the window, but his particular interest lay in the architecture—the way the marble was shaped, and the legends carved into the walls.
I have to admit, no matter how many times I’ve walked through those halls, I’ve never seen it quite like I did with him.
But he lit up at the Dockside Book Forum. It’s located in a rougher section of the city, where vendors have all converted their little boats and rafts into bookstores. I suppose being studious must be an Autumn trait, because not only did we have to buy a bag, but it took no time at all for Fare to fill it to the brim.
I swear he chose the heaviest damn tomes, because my shoulder is aching with the weight of this thing across my chest.
