Page 28 of To Touch A Silent Fury

“Miss?” he asked.

I glanced behind me. “I think I have changed my mind.”

He smiled, but it looked different. More sour. “You would turn down my gift to you, moon sister? It is only a drink.”

I touched my stomach and faked a queasy grimace, which was probably made more convincing by my fear. “I am feeling ill from my travels here. I think a drink would be unwise.”

He shook his head again and stepped towards me with the wine in hand. “Not so, wine is great to settle a stomach.”

But I had felt it in his touch. There was something amiss here. His mind was riddled with guilt, deceit, and ill will. Whatever he intended, be it to swindle or harm, I wanted no part of it.

I pulled my lips into something resembling a smile. “I appreciate your kind offer, sir. But if you wish to offer me help, could you instead point me towards Medrilla?”

“Let’s have a drink first. Then I will happily lead you to your purpose.”

I looked to my right, seeing a clear path down the promenade as I prepared to run.

Before I had moved another muscle, a man dressed entirely in white leapt forwards from my left. I hadn’t seen him approach, but then he was ahead, standing between the merchant and me.

His shoulders were wide, his hair medium-length and light brown, and his stance confident. What more I might have been able to gauge from staring at his back was lost, however, for I was so stunned by the impeccable brightness of his white clothing that all other characteristics fell short.

The merchant’s eyes widened, and he took a step back, placing the bottle on the cart behind him.

“The lady said no.” The blindingly clothed man pulled a narrow sword from the scabbard at his hip and held it before him.

I took another step back, watching with a thumping heart, my hand over my mouth.

The merchant raised his hands, the poured cup still sloshing in one hand. “I meant nothing by it, your lordship. I was only offering the moon sister a taste of a rare dessert wine.”

“I heard your offer, and its response,” he said. “Pass me the cup.”

The wine seller shook his head. “This is no good for you, your lordship. It’s a sweet one. A woman’s taste.”

The lord in white raised the sword to the merchant’s sun-wrinkled neck. “I will not ask again.”

He gulped, holding the cup out. “Take it, take it.”

The lord threw his delicate sword into his other hand, and then returned it to the man’s neck, his right hand reaching to take the wine. Given his matching slim-fitting white gloves, I was surprised at his dexterity. They looked so shiny that anything held in them would surely slip from his grip. But he clutched the cup well enough, swirled it, and put his nose to its rim.

A moment later, he dashed the cup to the ground, this new wine joining the ‘swill’ in the cracks between the stones as the clay shattered into ten pieces. I caught its aroma on the wind, strong and sweet, with a touch of something more earthy.

“Guards!” His snarled yell was contained, his other hand keeping the sword perfectly steady.

“Please, your lordship,” the merchant cried, craning his chin away from the blade. “There is some mistake.”

“My nose is never wrong,” the man spat.

I moved back another step, my hands shaking. The scene had drawn a number of spectators, and they were starting to look at me again. My escape route was no longer clear, filled with peering citizens. Three men dressed in dark purple appeared,gold tassels hanging from their epaulets, and rallied immediately to the lord’s side.

“Seize this merchant at once,” he demanded.

The three guards grabbed the wine seller, and as they pulled him away, he met my eyes, full now of the hate he had hidden from me before.

Then my confusing and grandiose saviour swished his sword around in a graceful arc before sliding it back into its leather home and turning to me. His pretty hazel eyes were set into a pleasant face, with pink lips and a long nose. He stared at me, taking in my white eyes with unabashed interest.

I flinched back, once more looking for an escape route and finding none. There was nothing to do but await his response. If he hadn’t known what I was, he did now.

He ducked into a bow, sweeping his hand low with his head to the floor in deference. He truly was equipped in the most sparkly white outfit I could ever have imagined. “I am honoured to make your acquaintance, my lady.”