The goblin man’s smile vanished immediately… he began to stutter.
“How… how is that possible?” His eyes drifted back between me and Xavier, and then they stopped at me, his gaze calculating.
“You know, for a human… she smells like magic,” he murmured, sniffing my hair again. “The kind of magic which is older than our town, and older than all of you together.”
Before he inspected me closer, Xavier threw him on the ground and Sparrow took the Faerie Water from his hand.
“You know you made a deal and you better not smell again what is mine, if you want to keep your nose,” Xavier warned.
“Right.” His voice hesitating, almost as if he was buying time. “But how about another riddle?” he suggested. “For a hair strand of your beautiful mate?”
“Before you’ll touch her, I use my shadows to slice off your fucking hands. We’ll leave now,” Xavier stated, gripping me tightly.
“Hmmm,” the goblin man chuckles amused. “I see, you’re very possessive of her. Who can blame you? She’s smelling sweet.”
With one movement, Xavier’s shadows began manifesting, as he used them to attach the man’s hand and ankles to the chair.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“If you are not going to listen to me, and the laws of your land forbid me to kill you… then at least you’re rotting here.”
Sparrow chuckled, looking over to Xavier.
“Good shot, brother.” He looked at the little bottle in his hand,studying it.
“I can’t believe Seth wants that for Lydia… and he didn’t even say what purpose the Water has…” His voice low, his gaze drifting toward the goblin man.
“It has healing properties,” the man explained quickly. “And in the hands of the right people it gives wisdom and knowledge.”
“This small liquid, really?” Sparrow asked, continuing to regard it like a strange curiosity. “We will go to Seth now. He said he’ll meet us at Carnivalland’s Veil. Are you coming with us?”
Xavier shook his head. “No, I’m not keen on meeting Seth again,” he said, taking my hand and giving his brother a nod.
We left the Underway of the Goblin Market and suddenly found ourselves back in the tailor shop. It was so strange to see the stacked gowns and fabrics knowing there was a whole world of other things hiding behind the curtains.
“Why don’t you want to be there as well?” I asked, my fingertips brushing over his.
Xavier seemed conflicted; his eyes closed as he pressed a kiss on my face. “You’re my priority. Your wellbeing, and nothing else.” He grazed the tip of my knuckles in tender movements. “I’m also trusting Sparrow,” he added, finally meeting my gaze. “It is only going to be a formal performance with Seth, and I know my brother is really good at putting on a show.” His response made me smile, imagining Sparrow charming even the cold and brooding Seth. I couldn’t believe he was mated to Lydia. She seemed bubbly compared to Seth, almost the complete opposite of him. As my gaze drifted over Xavier, I perceived how different he was from me. Where he reacted strongly, I was soft, where he was ice, I was fire. Maybe opposites didn’t just attract, but also balanced each other.
As Xavier and I both left the tailor shop, my stomach rumbled loudly.
“It looks like we should get you some food before we leave,” hecommented, amused.
“I thought you’d want to leave as soon as we got the Faerie Water.”
“Yes, but your body needs rest and some food, and I’m not allowing you to feel hungry any longer than necessary,” he replied, his tone serious, as he looked around for a place to eat.
I followed his gaze, until my gaze kept halting at a shield saying, “Market Hall Bakery.”
“What about cake?” I asked, smiling.
He smiled and shook his head.
“Cake? Well… if you want cake, then this is what you’ll get my love.” Xavier chuckled, taking my hand in his to lead us to the Bakery which was right in the center of the main street, surrounded by rose bushes and twinkling lights. Every table even had a small umbrella, to ensure privacy.
As we sat, a man with light ginger hair and blue eyes came up to us, greeting us friendly.
“Oh, meeting a woman with my hair color is very rare and so nice. It is a pleasure to meet you, I’m Ben,” he said and shook my hand.
