Page 501 of Kingdoms of Night

“Good idea!” Suzianna said from afar. At some point since he announced his presence, she had put as much distance between them as possible, standing at the bottom of the leveled room’s steps. “Let’s get you out of here!”

Since he didn’t object too much to my far riskier ideas, I sealed my agreement with a kiss. “Don’t go anywhere til I return.”

He withdrew with a parting kiss. “I’ll be waiting.”

Keeping my wits steady, I joined Suzianna outside, where she was talking to Baltasar.

Still terrible at their act, they jumped apart with comical obliviousness. This last effort had to succeed so I could put a stop to this ridiculousness myself, even if I had to march them to the altar myself.

“I say it’s about time I visit the city, don’t you?”

Baltasar gave me a curt nod. “Just don’t leave my sight this time, understood?”

“If you lose sight of me, it’s your own damn fault as a guard who can fly.” I patted his wings as I linked my arm with Suzianna’s. “Lead the way.”

Determined to not return without a cure, I let them take me down and out of the palace.

* * *

Nighttime in downtown Daraqamar was beautiful.

Gaslamps lit the streets, emerging from the walls of houses and shops, or towering lampposts that came in varied shapes. My favorites were those shaped like flower stems, forged with leaves, their bulbs milk-white and bearing blue fire.

On the way to the marketplace, Baltasar and Suzianna argued from over my head about whether I should be disguised. Baltasar had brought me the veil I had arrived in and a coat with billowing sleeves to keep me from being spotted and disturbed, but Suzianna insisted that this would make me stand out to begin with.

In the end, at the verge of the shopping district, I had settled for a compromise, wrapping myself in Suzianna’s buttery-yellow tasseled shawl. Neither hidden nor a sore thumb, I just appeared to be another shopper bitten by the chill.

We passed the shops, browsing the windows primarily for potions. Who could I even ask about capturing heavenly light?

People hustled around us; I caught bits and pieces of their discussions. Some were questioning the strange celestial event from a few nights back, offering up theories as to what caused it. That made me move faster, to waste less time in our search and avoid feeling worse by reliving those moments.

Past the structured layout of the shops with the moon-doors was the true marketplace. Laid out along the curve of a crescent, the stalls each bore a variety of fascinating products. Some things I recognized from back home, others I approximated from resemblance or function, and then there were ones I didn’t grasp at all—and didn’t have the time to investigate.

While interrogating one of the brewers about the strength of his potions, I caught Suzianna admiring the silverware of a stall behind us.

“You want to go check it out?” I asked her.

Flustered, she shook her head. “No, no. We’re here for you.”

“I might take a while here,” I argued. “If there’s something you want to see, go.” Her large, round eyes showed conflict, but I gave her a little shove. “I’m serious, go see what suits what else we have at the palace.”

The excuse of it being for the palace was what encouraged her to move. Baltasar’s eyes followed her as she jet across the street, and I wanted to push him after her. “Hey, can you do me a favor?”

He quirked a suspicious brow at me. “Depends on what it is.”

“Go see what she likes—for her, not just the kitchens or whatever else—and buy it for her.”

Suspicion had given way to confusion. “I can’t—”

“You can. Use the money you brought for me, and get her something. Tell her it’s from you, if you’d like.”

The wrinkled skin on his nose scrunched up with his brow. “Why?”

“Don’t you think she deserves something nice?”

“Of course I do, I think she deserves the world!” He slammed his mouth shut too late, flushing mossy-green with embarrassment. “I mean, she’s an excellent member of the housekeeping staff.”

“I know what you meant.” I winked. “Now, go show her that you mean it.”

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