Page 46 of When the Merchant Met the Orc

“Exactly.”

I’m warm and content—so grateful that I have a friend like Kaya.

Chapter 24

Rychell

In Leafshire Cove’s square, the wind whips through the fallen leaves and over the cobblestones like the spirits are already here. The orange, purple, and black cloth strips in the trees tangle in the branches. The last of the sunset glows a soft pink to introduce this moonless night. Nisa, our mayor’s wife, crouches near a decorated archway of willow branches to relight a smiling dusk hollow. Tully made these lovely miniature torches that one can light with the bespelled phraseTully’s fire is the best fire. I have to chuckle at her impressive ego. More dusk hollows flicker and float above our heads—once again, our town witch, Tully, is at work. Nocturne is a witch’s holiday, or so she tells us.

Nate eyes the dessert table beside us. Clove and sugar pies, purple dusk-hollow-shaped candies, and spiced Nocturne cakes with orange icing are piled high on black-painted wooden platters. Small dusk hollows hang from ribbons and cast glowing light over Nate’s excited face.

Horns made of gray-painted parchment are tied about his head, and the wings Laini the weaver made for him cover his own pixie wings like mittens. He grabs a candy and eyes me warily.

“I saw that,” I say, looking away and toward the road.

“But we can’t wait for Master Osric. He’s late! The Twilight Telling will begin any minute now. Look!”

Nate points at the largest of the bonfires, where Halvard is pulling up a stool.

A shiver of excitement travels through my veins. Halvard wears a black tunic and trousers, tall black boots, a wide belt of woven ivy, and a set of antlers carved of wood. It’s the costume of the Wild Fae, and I must admit it looks very, very good on him. Without sleeves, his arm muscles are shown off nicely, but that’s not the real reason the costume fits him. It’s a feral sort of look, and it reminds me of the orc chasing ritual that occurs in the darkest parts of the forest.

“Ma! You’re not listening!” Nate tugs at my dress.

I’m wearing a purple-dyed costume with a crown of crystals. It’s a reference to the first human’s visit to the Veiled Kingdoms. Since I’m a human, I figured I should take from the part of this land’s history that deals with my kind.

“Sorry, Nate,” I say. “What is it?”

“I said, we can’t wait on Master Osric. It’s past time to get eating!”

I laugh and watch younglings gather around Halvard, their eyes wide. They’re eager for a ghostly tale. Nate is right. Osricislate, which surprises me.

“Fine, go ahead and have a treat,” I say.

“We both need one.” Nate selects a small, square cake and licks the icing. He plucks a circular clove and sugar pie and hands it to me. “Eat this. You have to.”

“I have to?”

He nods, his face solemn.

I raise my treat to his.

“To the spirits!” we say in unison.

“Ah, this is proper Nocturne behavior,” Tully says as she saunters up with her minotaur mate, Argos, on her arm. They’rewearing all white, long woolen tunics with strands of what appears to be real spider webs strewn over their shoulders and across their torsos.

“That’s not real, right?” Nate asks, his azure cheeks going sky blue as he stares.

“No, I wouldn’t treat spiders that way,” Tully says.

She tucks her red hair behind an ear and leans close to Nate’s ear. “Don’t forget to make sure your mother finds a handsome fellow or lovely lady to woo tonight before you leave.”

Nate’s cheeks go purple, but his grin is genuine. “I would never forget that, Tully!”

She tousles his hair, and he bats her hand away.

“Watch for my Romulus horns!”

“Oh, sorry. You look just like our town gargoyle,” Argos says.