Page 17 of Ember and Eclipse
Devdan grunted as he took a large bite of his breakfast.
“The lady could use some shinies for tonight, I say.” Leeda winked at Rel and gave Devdan a wicked smile before prancing away with his empty cup.
She felt her own lips shift into a sweet smile. “Yes, let’s go shopping.” She made sure to say it loud enough for people to hear.
He glared at her, but a smirk curled his lips. “You know how my knee gets bad in this weather,wife.” There it was again.
“I’ll go alone then,” she supplied, “just the stalls around the inn. Or I’m sure one of these fine gentlemen would escort me in your stead.” Rel looked around the crowded tavern, and several men smiled at her after looking her over.
“Our watchmen will keep a good eye on her,” Leeda added without looking up from the table she was wiping down.
There was no real reason for him to say no, and the longer the conversation went on, the more people began looking at them. Closely.
He gave her a false smile. “Perhaps my knee can hold out for a little while.”
She clapped her hands together. “Thank you, husband.” And she ensured she added her own implications in the word.
“Anything for my love,” he rumbled. His stare was exacting, assessing even. He knew what she wanted, and she was going to get it one way or another.
Five minutes later, after the hunter tried and failed to get her to go upstairs to ‘dress better for the weather,’ they were outside in the crowded streets.
He stopped them before the bustle and made a show of tightening her cloak around her and pulling up her hood. Stooping down, he whispered in her ear, “Stay close. If I even suspect you’re trying to run, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you back inside, understood?”
She nodded, and he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.
Her curiosity didn’t have to be faked. And she let herself pretend that she really was just a merchant’s wife, perusing endless amounts of goods with all the security and pompousness one has with being well-off.
In every direction there was something new to look at. There were the day’s fresh catches, the huge fish hanging from hooks as the fisherman regaled the shoppers with how they were caught. Mixed in were those selling decorative shells, luminescent pearls, and impossibly large shark teeth. Other sellers shouted about the quality and rareness of their wares, competing with the stalls around them. Intermingled between the booths were street performers claiming they had magic, but who were really just using sleight of hand, and actors putting on shows of long-passed events.
But Rel was also studying the streets, looking down each alleyway, marking the number of guards and the foreigners amongst the locals. She looked for anyone who could be an ally, especially other witches, though she knew they would not make themselves known in such a way. Witchkind was not welcomed in the mortal world, just like mortals didn’t venture into coven territory. Regardless, she studied everything and memorized anything that could later help her escape.
Children weaved in and out of the crowd, giggling and existing in a world of their own. Three would’ve run headlong into the hunter if he hadn’t redirected them around him at the last moment. The city was more chaotic than she remembered Romul being, even though Romul was far larger, but compared to the Mark, Gavenport might as well have been the epitome of orderliness.
She’d occasionally point out something mundane to the hunter, and he would hum. He spent the bulk of his time looking at faces and surroundings as well, ensuring no one was looking too closely at them. She was hisbounty, after all.
“Your neck is achingly bare, my lady,” a swarthy seller crooned, gesturing to her. He held up an emerald necklace. The stone was wrapped in an intricate coil of wire that accentuated the stone’s shape. The gem itself reminded her of the swamp and the vibrant plants that lived in her abode. Her throat clenched.
“We aren’t interested,” Devdan said, pulling her away.
“How much?” she asked, digging in her heels. She didn’t even have any money, the hunter having taken hers, but it was more to annoy her captor than anything.
“For you,” he eyed her as if he was considering a price solely based on her beauty, “Three hundred coin.”
“I could buy you twice the amount of jewels for that price.”
The merchant nodded good-naturedly, his lips pulling down into a thoughtful frown. “Perhaps, but this is arealemerald and a rare one at that. Just look at this coloration. It looks the very same as the iris of your lover’s eyes. Let’s try it on. No harm in that, eh?” He was stepping around the booth toward her, and she slipped her hand from the crook of Devdan’s elbow before he could catch it.
She lowered her hood, and the merchant’s gaze studied her features before he clasped the necklace around her neck.
The seller’s expression turned into sincere awe. “I’ve been selling jewels for forty-seven years, and though I have matched thousands with pieces in that time, I am always amazed when one is truly made for someone. This emerald wasmadefor you. Like magic. Like a match for your soul.”
He stepped back and grabbed a hand mirror. “See for yourself.”
The deep green gem sat perfectly in the center of her throat, kissing the dip of her neck like a jeweled lover. Itwasbeautiful. She had seen many fine adornments during her days in the heart of Romul, but she had never owned any. Neverdreamedof owning any. She reached up to touch it tentatively, imagining entirely new lives for herself until Devdan broke her reverie.
“Still not worth three hundred coin—”
“Two hundred! It is already hers, look at it.”
