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That wasn’t entirely true. A number of people were looking at the Brother like they wanted to hear more.

He must have picked up on that too. “Don’t despair, my friends.” He started weaving through the crowd, handing out pamphlets. “You are not alone. We must stick together. Help one another. Love one another. Fight for one another.”

A lot of people were nodding along to his words.

“The Brotherhood of Earth welcomes you all,” he said. “Those who have lost their siblings and spouses to the Curse. Those who have lost their parents and grandparents to hunger and disease. Those who have lost their children to the Choosing. And those who have seen their freedoms stripped away by a totalitarian regime.”

That last sentence must have crossed an invisible Government line because suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the Watchers swooped in to escort the Brother off the promenade.

“What are they going to do to him?” I asked Eris.

“Nothing, most likely,” she replied. “People love the Brothers—perhaps even more than they love the Knights. The Brothers take care of the sick and the neglected. We fight the Curse, but they clean up the wreckage of humanity that the Curse left behind. So when it comes to reacting to the Brothers, the Government has to be very, very careful. Or else they could have a full-scale uprising on their hands.”

“I had no idea things between the Government and the Brotherhood were so tense,” I said.

“Few people do,” Eris said as the team rode another escalator up to the street above. “And the Government works hard to keep it that way.”

More malls waited for us up here. Like the Castle with its many castles, the Emporium was a mall of many malls. Indoor malls. Outdoor malls. And malls that were a bit of both. Everywhere I looked, buildings covered in bright electronic display panels flashed through advertisements.

Preorder your baby dragon today!

Everlasting flames for sale!

50% off last year’s celestial globes!

The streets were packed with people flitting in and out of the buildings, toting large bags and loading heavy crates into unicorn-drawn carriages.

“This place is sick!” Dutch said, grinning in a rare show of enthusiasm.

“Cool,” Asher agreed. His eyes were darting around, drinking in so much so fast that I was surprised he could still walk straight.

I hopped out of the way of a frazzled-looking woman taking her pet duck for a walk on a leash.

“Here’s your money. You’ll need it to complete your Quest.” Eris handed Bronte a small velvet pouch.

Bronte opened it and poured two small iridescent marbles into the palm of her hand. I guess that was the money.

“Where will we find Miss Christie’s shop?” Asher asked as Bronte returned the marbles to the pouch and looped the pouch’s chain over her neck.

“That’s up to you to figure out,” said Eris.

I headed over to a huge map of the Magic Emporium. They were all over the place, and I could see why. It would be very easy to get lost here.

“Found it,” I said as my teammates joined me at the map. Then I continued walking down the main road. “This way. We can get there faster if we cut through this mall.”

A young, muscular man with an unusual sense of fashion—and no sense of direction—cut in front of me, nearly knocking me backward.

“Hey, watch where you’re going, girl!” he shouted at me before storming off, closely trailed by six men with even bigger muscles.

They sure were in a rush.

“Is everyone here so rude?” I muttered.

“Not everyone, but the place does attract all sorts of people,” replied Eris. “How would you describe the man who shouted at you?”

“Arrogant, mean, and loves to run into strangers and then blame them for it.”

She chuckled. “I mean, what did he look like?”