Page 9

A village shouldn’t have been scarier than a vampire.

But Raphael, whatever else he was, was only one person.

The town was… so much more. Sounds and scents warred for my attention.

The afternoon sun blazed overhead, warming the crown of my head.

The cloak Raphael had gotten from who-knows-where was wrapped around my shoulders; Raphael wore a matching one, the hood drawn low to hide his red eyes and shield him from the sunshine.

My attention bounced between the different sights, my steps slow and unsure.

When we’d finally broken through the forest onto the main path and the rooftops had come into view, I’d frozen in the spot.

Raphael had reached for me, to urge me along.

That had startled me enough that I kept moving, even though it felt like I’d spilled into another world.

A boy ran towards us, chasing a stray ball.

A child.

Gods, it had been so long since I’d seen one.

My mind had convinced me the only other people who existed were men between fifteen and thirty-five, who served time in Greymere.

But… here was a boy, with soft brown hair that stretched in every direction, and outstretched, unafraid hands that reached for the ball.

My throat tightened.

Raphael toed the ball with shoes he’d stolen from some poor fool, and it landed easily between the boy’s hands. The boy giggled, clutched his prize to his chest, and ran off in another direction in search of fresh amusement.

“We’ll get supplies while we’re here,” Raphael announced.

I eyed his stolen items. “We have no money.”

He reached a palm out to me, a small leather pouch in it. I took it and startled at the sound of coins clinking together.

“Where’d you get this?”

His face was hidden by the cloak, but I knew he was judging me for my silly morals. “I found it with your cloak. Do you need more details than that?”

I didn’t.

“Use that to buy what we’ll need to make it to the City of Answers. Better shoes and clothes than what you have now. Some food staples, if they won’t slow us down. And cards. I’m not sure what the peasants might have here but try to barter wisely.”

I frowned. “Where will you be?”

“Concerned, dove?”

I scowled. “Hardly.”

He chuckled, low and smooth. “I have other matters to attend to. There’s a tavern at the edge of town. I’ll meet you there after dusk.”

Raphael disappeared with ease into the crowd. I headed for the market. A strange pit filled my stomach. People looked at me, curious who the new face was. A village this size surely got occasional visitors, but likely the same ones over and over. I was a new face.

I didn’t dare become a memorable one. Not if the soldiers came looking for us after Nelson’s murder.

The cards were the most daunting, so the first items I took care of were more mundane.

A new blouse and skirt cost me a coin each, but I was ashamed to admit, after all my years of forced asceticism, I couldn’t resist. Not when I’d finally washed away the grime on my skin.

Wearing the worn, dirty clothes, the same ones I’d worn for several years, was like wearing a set of iron shackles.

Raphael’s constant comments about my clothes smelling had nothing to do with my decision .

Food was… overwhelming. My memories of the palace lingered like hazy waypoints, telling me I shouldn’t be impressed with the meager offerings from the baker, the hard cheeses and dried meats.

But years of rat and stale, moldy crusts had turned those simple options into the most luxurious foods I’d ever seen.

I wasn’t sure exactly how long the rest of our trip would be, but I didn’t let myself spend too much money.

It was safe to say Raphael wouldn’t take kindly to his “hard-earned” money disappearing into spoils he couldn’t appreciate, and I didn’t need a lecture from a vampire.

Or for him to bite me in retribution.

It was uncomfortable, walking between the stands, making small talk with the sellers and villagers.

In Greymere, I would go weeks without speaking.

With Raphael, our conversations were also brief.

But this was my chance to gather information.

I gave a fake name of course, and made vague allusions to the husband I was traveling with.

As benign as the village appeared, I’d be foolish to let anyone think I was alone or unclaimed.

We were two days’s journey by horse from the City of Answers, closer than I would’ve guessed.

That was likely closer to five days if we went on foot.

I asked in a roundabout way for gossip on the capital, but there was little that reached this village.

King Vaughn the Storm-blooded still reigned; that was hardly surprising—if anything had happened to him, it would’ve reached even Greymere.

Prince Marcel the Bountiful is the light of the kingdom , added a girl my age, winking as she told me of his latest feats in a tournament.

I gave her a tight smile and asked for directions to the enchanted card dealer. She shrugged and pointed me towards a shop a few doors down.

The door chimed as I walked in, though no bells hung from it. A sure sign I was in the right spot.

Witches each had their own specialty of magic, like King Vaughn, who commanded the weather, or Marcel, who created abundance as he wished.

They could use their magic, or store it with intricate spells in the form of cards.

If someone wanted to access magic from others, they could do so using the cards, which led to a thriving trade industry across the kingdom.

A pyromancer might make cards for someone in the winter with enough heat to keep a fireplace burning without wood for several weeks, or just a few hours, depending on their strength.

All witches paid a tithe of magic to the king through their cards.

As a void, I had no magic and had to rely on the cards of others to use magic. And since I had none to trade, my only choice was to buy it.

“Greetings, traveler,” the shopkeeper said from behind the desk.

The woman was melting. That was my first thought upon seeing her.

Every part of her body seemed to sag. Her ears dropped, her chin dipped towards me, highlighting the hanging skin on her neck.

Her hair was silver, with dark strands interspersed, her mouth half open as she regarded me like she couldn’t quite be bothered to close it.

My mother would’ve had a fit if she’d ever looked like that. She’d have used every beautifying card in the kingdom to avoid that.

But then, my mother would never grow to be that old.

“Hello,” I said, rushing to get the word out before my memories took over. “I need some cards.”

She snorted, gesturing to glass cases that lined the store which were filled with enchanted cards. “You and everyone else who walks into my shop.”

Apparently, merchants’s attitudes towards service had changed since I was a child.

I stepped closer and examined the cards. “I need travel staples, so some warmth, body enchantments, and protection. And two disguise cards.”

We could wander around the village with just our cloaks hiding our identities, but in the city, it would take something stronger to hide Raphael’s red eyes. Besides, I didn’t know if the guards might come looking for me before I had a chance to get to the Monastery.

“Is that all?” A huff. “Let me see what I can do.”

She eased off her stool and trudged to the back.

The door chimed as someone else came in.

I fingered the coins in the pouch, trying to figure out what would be reasonable to pay while scanning the cards.

One was enchanted for clean drinking water, made by an aquamancer.

Could be useful to have. It came in a variety of types, from little enough to sip from, to enough to enchant a never-emptying flask.

“Alright, I’ve got your cards.” She slapped a small deck onto the glass desk and took her place back on her stool. The cards fanned out, and she pointed to them, one by one.

“Warmth for a cloak, to keep off the spring chill for a week. Bodily enchantments for your legs so they don’t tire.

A hunger spell to stall your body’s needs for up to three days—if you want a card that will give you food, that’s extra—this one will make you a tent, no muss, no fuss, and collapse when you’re done.

Two disguises.” She gave me a judgmental look.

“Will distort your face. Just picture how you want to look, and it’ll work.

These ones will let you start a fire, even if the wood is soaked through. And for protection, this is premium.”

The icon on the card depicted a swarm of insects.

“Bees?” I asked.

“Hah!” She looked down her drooping nose at me. “Wasps. Much better.”

“Do you have anything more powerful?” Wasps wouldn’t be any good against ogres or trolls. I had the vampire for protection—for now. But counting on someone to keep me safe was asking to get hurt. “Like a fireball or… or an explosive?” I asked hopefully.

She snorted. “Bah! I’ll be surprised if you can afford these. Fifteen gold pieces. ”

“Fifteen?” I clutched the coins in my fingers. It sounded high, but the truth was, I had no idea what a fair price was.

“Fifteen?” a voice echoed. “Now, Darlene, you and I both know this is nine, at best. Eight, if Brian made the tent one.”

I blinked.

The other patron who had come in had wandered closer. He was a boy, or maybe more accurately a man close to my age, except he seemed so much softer than all the men I’d seen.

He eased closer, peering over my shoulder to look at the cards.

“Seriously, Darl?”

The shopkeeper—Darlene—frowned, clearly unhappy that he was negotiating on my behalf. “Don’t you have your own business to ruin? And don’t call me Darl, boy.”