Page 8 of Cage of Destiny
“Do you know where theBilarie Market is located?”
He chuckled. “You ain’t from aroundhere, are ya?”
She stopped ten feet away from him,realizing her mistake. Commoners didn’t speak so articulately.Grevik always made fun of the way she spoke. “No. I’m visiting myuncle. He asked me to help sell his goods at the market, but Islept in. He’s going to wallop my arse if I don’t get there soon.”She held her breath, hoping the man bought her lie.
He eyed her suspiciously, probablyassessing her outfit and trying to decide where she was from. Wereher clothes nondescript enough? Too nice?
She smiled sweetly. “Please? He’s theonly family I have left. If I don’t pull my weight, he won’t let mestay with him.”
The man finally nodded. “The BilarieMarket is on the northwest side of the city. It’s a good five milesfrom here.”
She thanked him and took offrunning.
Anger seeped into her pores. Nathenekhad sent her on an impossible task. Two hours to go five milesthrough a crowded city, steal half a dozen tangerines, and thenfind the guard station where the soldiers who policed the city werebased. He wanted her to fail. Well, she wouldn’t. She wouldcomplete this task no matter what.
Pumping her legs, she ran faster,knowing she’d have to maintain this pace to make it there and haveenough time to find the right merchant to steal from. The one withthe red awning. If they all had red awnings, she’d pummel Nathenekwhen she saw him.
Chapter Three
After a solid hour of running, Allyssa finallyfound the Bilarie Market. She had to stop three times to ask fordirections. It ended up being the smallest market in the city, theone not everyone knew about, and the one that sold predominantlyfish.Fish.Andshe was supposed to steal tangerines.
With her hands on her thighs, she bentover. Panting, she tried to catch her breath, sweat dripping downher face and back. It had been a while since she’d run that far,that fast. That, coupled with the twists and turns she constantlyhad to make in these cramped city streets, made the run heredifficult.
Someone bumped into her. She stood andstarted walking, not wanting her legs to cramp. Seagulls flewabove, squawking. Merchants lined both sides of the street, sellinggoods from carts. The market’s vibrant colors were a welcome sightafter running along the streets with tan buildings jam-packedtogether. Unfortunately, the smell was not. Some of the fish madeAllyssa gag. She needed a scarf to wrap around her face to ward offthe stench. Given the early hour, there were a surprising amount ofpeople buying goods.
The sun crested the hill in thedistance, casting the market in a bright light. In a few hours, theheat would be unbearable and the smell atrocious. Unable to tell ifthe merchants were organized in any particular order, Allyssa wentto the closest one. “Tangerines?”
“You must not be fromaround here,” the man said. “This is a fish market.” He wiped hishands on his soiled apron. Like many of the people who lived inEmperion, he had lighter skin, blond hair, and blueeyes.
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable and outof place, Allyssa hurried down the street, acutely aware of herdarker skin, brown hair, and brown eyes that came from her father’sheritage. Traditionally, royalty held those traits. However, overthe past few decades, that had slowly started to change. Rema’sblonde hair and blue eyes, typically traits of the lower class,were a constant reminder of her colorful past. Rema’s commonerancestor had married a prince, blending the two cultures together,forever changing the course of history.
Not having time to be overly concernedwith her appearance, Allyssa scanned the market. There had to betwo dozen red awnings—far too many to go to each one asking if theysold tangerines. She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm andthink logically. Nathenek sent her on this mission for a reason.Darmik would tell her to observe her surroundings and not to jumpinto anything without thinking it through first. Running aroundseeking out fruit in a fish market would make her stand out. Whenshe stole the tangerines, merchants would remember her and be ableto identify her as the thief. Deception was the key.
Stopping at the next red awning, shecasually asked the elderly woman when the salmon wascaught.
“My son just brought it inthis morning,” the woman said with a smile, two teethmissing.
Allyssa doubted the salmon was caughtthis morning; yesterday maybe, but she didn’t push the matter. “Mysister hates fish,” she mused. “Mum wants me to make a sauce forit. What do you recommend?”
“Add spices. I have severalthat will help mask the strong flavor.” She bent over and startedpulling out jars of spices from below the table.
“Spices are too expensive,”Allyssa said as another customer arrived, garnering the woman’sattention. She used the distraction to leave, heading toward thenext red awning, forcing herself to walk slowly so she wouldn’tstand out. This cart was loaded with shrimp. Continuing, she actedlike she had done this a hundred times, trying not to panic at therising sun. Time was running out.
Just when she was about to reevaluatethe likelihood of completing the seemingly impossible task, shesmelled it. Citrus. There were only two red awnings within twentyfeet. She went to the closest one, not seeing anything ofimportance. When she went over to the second one, she saw threeboys with similar faces manning the goods. They had to bebrothers.
The youngest one, maybe fourteen,smiled at Allyssa as she approached. “Care for some fish, ya?” heasked.
She smiled and shook her head. “Idon’t care much for fish.”
The boy laughed. “Then why are you ata fish market?”
The oldest boy tended to anothercustomer while the middle one rearranged the fish.
“My mum sent me,” she said,trying to speak like a commoner. “What’s your name?”
“Jarak. These are mybrothers. The oldest one is Krek, and this one isLarek.”
The boys had blond hair and blue eyes,a reminder she didn’t fit in.
