Then I realised that Marshen was not pointing towards the ticket stand, but towards the young man behind it. I doubted he was older than eighteen.
“And tell him what? Perhaps I should tell him that I lost someone dear and that I need to go to some ceremony.”
“Mmm…Delia, look at him. Does he strike you as the empathetic type?”
He did not. In fact, I noticed that he was drooling over a group of young ladies. They laughed and giggled as they passed a bottle of red wine, taking small sips in turns.
“You see now. I think he’s more interested in tits and ass. It’s time to shine, Delia.”
“I am very much shining, Marshen. I have a three-day layer of sticky sweat all over my body,” I replied flatly.
“Do you want the tickets or not?”
“Fine.” I exhaled.
I loosened my milkmaid braids and set my hair free, running my fingers through each lock. My hair reached my lower back in twisted cascading waves, a reminder of its tight plates. As I swayed my head right to left, Marshen let out a long whistle followed by a “yeesh.” I unbuttoned the two top buttons of my shirt and sauntered towards the young man.
I leaned over the stand, exposing my bustline, and cleared my throat. Once I got the young man’s attention, I gestured with my finger for him to come closer. I traced my fingers along his arm, just like the heavy-breasted waitress had done to Aegir.Then I leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “I will pay you well for two of those tickets.” I bet Daekon was grinning as he watched me perform my seductive attempts.
“Sorry, lady, the line is full.” The young man removed his arm and moved aside.
I disappointedly watched him getting back to ogling the same group of ladies. But as I traced his stare, I noticed that he was not drooling over the women. His gaze was aimed at a shirtless and chiselled blond man.
I made my way back with pursed lips.
“Don’t feel too bad,” Marshen teased. “For what it’s worth, I would have given you the tickets.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, I am not feeling bad at all. Andthatis because my looks are not the problem here. He is not interested in ladies—look.”
Marshen peeked his head and let out a “huh,” then shifted his gaze, only to meet my wide grin.
“Your turn, Grandpa.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Marshen grumbled something beneath his breath as he took off his shirt, showing off that glowing pale Fae skin of his. I snorted.
“Give me that,” he said, snatching my hair band from my wrist. He bound half of his hair up, revealing his tapered ears.
Not bad at all, I thought. I admit, Marshen was easy on the eyes. He had a well-built physique and a beautiful face with platinum hair and celeste eyes. The young man must have thought so, too. Marshen returned, two tickets in hand. I wished to bounce and screech, but held all of it inside, lest I attract attention.
“The ticket boy is going to be heartbroken when I stand him up this Sunday. I promised I would take him out to watch the stars.”
“That’s just cruel.”
“I felt like I had to add a little dash of romance there. Besides, don’t you want these?”
I seized the tickets. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” I urged.
Saying that the cartway line was full was an understatement. It was overwhelmingly packed, and I could not seem to breathe properly. I held Marshen’s tunic in a tight fist as he pushed through the crowd. We moved from one crammed roofless carriage to the other until we found ourselves in a cart occupied solely by crates and boxes. The thought of not having to share my breath with anyone other than Marshen allowed me to catch it, and I took one deep inhale after the other.Finally.
Marshen gave me boosts to help me climb on top of the stacked and locked crates. The smell of cumin and saffron told me that they were filled with Rameli spices. We sat up there, away from everyone. My gaze lifted towards the high ceiling. It felt strange, the darkness of it. Though, to my surprise, I found myself embracing some part of it.
Moving at high speed through smooth-surfaced rock felt surreal. The soft lights emitted from the wall-mounted torches appeared as a straight bright line as we glided across Jebel.
I rested my head against Marshen’s shoulder, and as my eyelids grew heavy, I imagined all those Earth Wielders, their dark skin gleaming with sweat as they pushed one cart after the other along the northern line.
CHAPTER 60
