It must be a holiday of some sort. Or a birthday, maybe. Surely, they didn’t celebrate like this every night? Who had coin to drink like that every night? As I walked across the front of the tavern, my gaze scanned the fae there, trying to land on someone who looked approachable.
One girl, about mid-twenties, was staring at her nails, looking bored.
I stepped up to the edge of the porch railing and called out to her. “Miss?”
Her head snapped up and she looked at me, her gaze taking in my worn cloak and split shoes. She recoiled a little and I suddenly felt embarrassed. These fae were all dressed in silks and crushed velvet, their brightly colored clothes hadn’t seen more than three washes. And their hair was pinned perfectly in place, their faces covered in makeup.
“I’m visiting my cousin from another city, and she’s already gone to bed. I’ve got a headache and need to find the apothecary?” I asked her, looking further down the cobblestone road. There was a stretch of buildings that opened up to a larger part of the city. I was hoping this girl could just point me in the right direction.
“A simple headache?” She laughed. “My friend inside has some healing magic. It’s limited to milder conditions, but a headache is easy for him. I’ll just go get him—”
I cut her off in panic. “I’d rather a tincture so I can keep some for later when a healer fae might not be so accessible.”
To think of all the times in Isariah that we went to bed with aches and pains, and healer fae were just lounging about in The Gilded City, taking them away for free! I noted that she’d said her friend’s magic was limited to milder conditions, so I wasn’t going to ask him to help my father.
She paused for a second but then nodded. “Keep going down this road. Make a right at Rose Lane, left at Willow Street. Avis Apothecary.”
Relief spread through my chest at the simple instructions. “Thank you.” I gave her a genuine smile, then turned to leave. My heart pounded in my throat as I walked away and prayed that my way of dressing was not going to get me into trouble here. Didn’t they have poor people in The Gilded City? The woman looked at me like she’d never seen a torn cloak in her entire life! Never mind that, I didn’t have time to worry about my clothing. My father was on death’s door. With that in mind, I broke into a jog. I only passed two people, both elderly. They looked like shop owners, as I’d seen one of them locking a door to a clock-making store. It was going home time, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted the apothecary shop to be open or closed. If it were open, I could ask the apothecary for the proper remedy, but then I’d have to run out with it and they’d call the guards and send them after me. If it were closed, I could break a window and sneak in, but I’d have to rummage to find the correct remedy myself.
What had Sorrel called it? I’d already forgotten, but I was sure if I saw the label I would remember. Anti-infection?
I decided to leave it up to fate.
I hit Rose Lane and turned right, trying not to look around the city in wonder like a tourist. But it was beautiful. More beautiful than I’d imagined. First, it was soclean. The roads looked swept, there was no dirt on them…or trash. Each street had a little glowing lamp with a basket of hanging flowers and when I peered up to look at the source of the light, I saw a crystal. It was just like I’d read about, the one the energy fae charged with magic that made electricity. It gave off a light purplish hue, which drowned the city in a subtle lilac glow. The siding on the buildings was painted a different color for each shop. Pale yellow, pale pink, light blue. It made me happy just to look at it. There was nothing depressing about this place. In Isa, you were always staring at something that needed to be fixed or cleaned, but here, everything looked perfect.
The Willow Street sign jolted me from my fascination, and I turned left, yelping when I came face-to-face with a Gilded City guard.
The golden flame emblem on his breastplate stared at me from beneath his cloak.
He startled as well, and I jumped back to avoid being touched.
“You scared me.” I grasped my chest, trying to think up answers to all of the questions he was going to ask.
Why was I here? Why was I out alone after dark? Was I even from here? Why were my clothes so tattered?
His gaze ran over my half-cloaked face, and he nodded. “What are you doing out here after curfew?”
There was a curfew?
Think, Fallon.
My heart knocked against the walls of my chest as I envisioned being arrested after getting so close to my goal.
“I have an order to pick up at one of the shops, but I’ll rush home right after. I promise.” I positioned myself towards the street, preparing to run if he tried to seize me.
He gave me a cheeky grin. “You know you’re supposed to stay on the West Side of the city after curfew. So don’t be seen by any other guards, okay?”
The West Side of the city? Why?
“Okay,” I mumbled, relief spreading throughout my body as I relaxed a little.
He nodded and then left.
Thank the Light.I breathed and continued to walk down Willow Street.
What was on the West Side of the city, and why was I supposed to stay there? I didn’t wait to find out. I merely spun and walked as fast as I could down Willow Street, scanning the shops for what I was looking for.
Delilah’s Deli, Swann’s Sweets, Mae’s Magic Shop, and…there it was, Avis Apothecary. There was a pattern here, the cutesy matching letters thing. I’d have to go home and tell Hipsie she needed to change the name of her tavern to Tabitha’s Tavern to be on trend.
