“I made some breakfast,” Elena said, handing me a bowl of scrambled eggs from the hens we kept in a coop on our small patch of land outside the barn.
“Thanks.”I took the bowl and scooped up the eggs with the wooden spoon.
A slight smirk on her face hid the unasked question:What were you up to so late last night?She never asked, but Elena was far wiser than a typical fourteen-year-old.She knew of my talents and my rage.Perhaps not the depth of it, but we had the same history, the same wounds.Those lies of omission weighed on me, but they were the price I paid to preserve her innocence for just a bit longer.
“We’d better get going soon,” she said.“Second bell will be any moment.”
I scarfed down the remaining eggs.“Let’s go.”
The Citadel Market wasn’t far, but the herb cart’s wheels kept catching on the broken cobblestones of the Wharf District.Unlike thefucking pristineroads of the Garden District.
I cursed as the wheels caught in a rut for the fifth time.“This fucking road!”
“Language, Cas!”Elena scolded, but she was smiling.“You’ll taint my delicate ears.”
“You already curse like a tavern drunk,” I quipped back.
“The hells I do!”
We locked eyes, trying to look serious, then burst into laughter and traded insults the rest of the way.
When we reached the Citadel District, it was like we had entered a different city.Trees and gardens lined the streets, and elaborate banners hung from poles, each adorned with a serpent wrapped around a sword—the emblem of the Tarnasau Dynasty.The homes had intricate stone facades.The people on the streets in their luxurious clothes scurried around like mice, all undoubtedly heading to very important engagements.Stationed at every corner were members of the Royal Guard, eyeing us with our ragtag cart, worn shoes, and peasant clothes.
The Citadel District was at the center of Analon, so this was the ideal spot for vendors to sell their wares.The kingdom knew this, of course, so the tax was atrocious.As we walked into the large central square that housed the Citadel Market, an imposing guard wearing gilded gold armor put out an arm to stop us.
“Six coins,” he said flatly, holding out his hand.
It had been five coins last week, but I bit my tongue and fought down the rage.Arguing with a guard was like yelling at a brick wall.A wall that would likely fall on you if you yelled too loudly.
I handed the guard six coins from my purse.
“Move along,” he said without a second glance.When I peeked back, I caught him putting five coins into a chest and slipping the sixth into his pocket.I held back the urge to punch him.
The market was already bustling, with countless carts and tables lined up under canopies and customers buzzing between them like bees.Merchants from across the kingdom sold everything imaginable: fish caught this morning, hand-painted pots, fruits and vegetables freshly picked from local farms.
As we pulled the cart, the booming sound of the second bell rang out.The mechanical clock tower rose high above the Citadel Library.People miles away could hear the bells.
“We’re late,” Elena groaned.
Most merchants had already set up their carts.We claimed a less-than-ideal spot and folded down the side doors of our cart, turning them into long tables on which to display our wares.Inside the cart were dozens of small drawers filled with dried plants, herbs, minerals, and a hundred other items that could be used for everything from formulating medicines to flavoring stews.
It was a slow morning for business.One young woman needed lavender to scent a candle she was making.I let Elena handle the sale as I watched, but I had nothing to worry about.She answered the woman’s questions with ease and haggled a price that was fair but still fetched us a decent profit.My heart swelled at the young woman she was becoming.
Thiswas why I took the risks I did—to make a better life for us.If I could save enough to buy a farm of our own, we could escape the city’s corruption and live in peace.Maybe just one more year of stashing away coins.Perhaps two.
As the morning wore on and the drought of customers continued, I rested my head on my arms and daydreamed about the Bleeding Oak and how I might scale it.The Citadel Gardens were not far away.
It took only a bit of convincing to persuade Elena to watch the cart by herself for a while.
“Only if you’re off to woo some handsome man,” she said.
I rolled my eyes.“I’ll be back soon.”
It was a short walk from the market to the Citadel Gardens.The city’s laws restricted most amenities in the Citadel Districts to highborn residents only.My kind was explicitly forbidden from the library, theater, and eateries, among other things.But the gardens were open to all.However, that didn’t prevent the Royal Guards from giving me long, suspicious looks as I walked by.
The entrance to the gardens was a towering arch more than twenty feet high that spanned the road, mounds of purple wisteria weaving through its wrought-iron filigree.Beyond the arch was a wonderland of trees, bushes, and flowers, exploding with color.The fragrant scent of honeysuckle wafted on the gentle morning breeze.The gardens were silent, save for the buzzing of honeybees and the gravel crunching under my feet as I walked down the path.
After weaving through mazelike trails bordered with box hedges and maple trees, I came to the center of the garden: the site of the Bleeding Oak.The tree towered over the surrounding landscape.Its massive trunk had many branches that lifted to the sky.True to its name, there was a gash across its trunk where sap flowed out continuously and pooled beneath it.
