Chapter 32
Doused with new disguises, we slipped out of the weapon shop, but Marc paused on the street and turned to face me. “We have a long day before the concert. What would you like to do?”
I shrugged. “I’m not really sure. What do you want to do?”
He turned his face toward the port. “I’d be happy just standing on the balcony staring out to sea. Or better yet, taking that boat back.”
A thought struck me. “How will the Wraithcourier know we want to go back?”
“It knows when a stupid, selfish, inconsiderate pirate wants a ride.”
I jumped at the unknown voice. Marc merely smiled as his gaze fell on a nearby lamp post. “So you escaped her.”
Ramaro strolled out from behind the pole and plopped down a few feet away. His terrible yellow eyes glared at us. “Yes, no thanks to you lot.”
“Did you catch her mouse?”
Ramaro spat out on the ground. “Of course. A terrible, nasty rat it was, too.”
“Then you have done a good deed for the day,” Marc insisted.
Our short friend scoffed. “A good deed would be to give you a thrashing.”
“So, do what do we owe the pleasure of your arrival?” I spoke up.
He lifted his chin. “I came here to make sure the captain forgets that he’s not here to have fun.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“The captain didn’t bring you here just to show you off to all his relatives,” Ramaro told me.
Marc narrowed his eyes at his crew member. “You’re getting dangerously close to mutiny, sailor.”
The agama scoffed. “A captain shouldn’t keep secrets from his crew, and this woman is part of your crew.”
I stepped between them. “What are you two talking about?”
Marc folded his arms over his chest. “I’ve hardly kept it a secret that I had a purpose in bringing Rose here to meet with Eldric, though that turned out to be a fruitless search. His books had nothing about other worlds.”
I studied him with a thoughtful expression. “Did you bring me along because you thought someone might know something about how I got into this world?”
“And how you might get back,” he added, though I noticed there wasn’t much enthusiasm in his voice. “That’s still important to you, isn’t it?”
I thought back to Tim and choked up. “Yeah.”
He sighed. “Well, it all came to nothing, anyway. Eldric couldn’t give me any hints to help you.”
I managed a smile. “That’s alright. I just appreciate that you’ve been trying to help me. I haven’t really been of much help to you, after all. If I weren’t here, then you’d probably be able to do whatever you want and go wherever you want.”
A crooked grin slipped onto his lips, and he slipped an arm around my waist. He drew me close against his chest, and his heat was a salve against the chilliness that came from the cold stones beneath our feet. “But the company wouldn’t be half as enjoyable.”
Ramaro rolled his eyes. “If you’re done with that, what are we going to do next?”
“Why don’t we take a look at the sea from the balcony, and then just enjoy the sun and the sea breeze?” I suggested.
Marc leaned down and pecked a kiss on my forehead. “I think that’s a fantastic idea. Let’s hurry there faster than short legs can keep up.”
“You won’t lose me that easily!” Ramaro snapped as he flexed his legs.
Marc guided me away with swift steps with his eyes twinkling. “Then try to keep up.”
Marc and I laughed as we practically sprinted down the road. The agama slammed his tail down once on the stones before he took off after us.
The rest of the day was just as amusing.
The sights and sounds of the city made me smile and piqued my curiosity, and many of the people wore bright smiles on their faces.
The tastes, sounds, and even the smells were a treat, and by the time the sun began its descent, my mind was filled with precious memories.
We stood on the balcony again, watching the last rays of the sun glitter along the calm sea. I grasped the railing and leaned over, admiring the view and taking in the sweet scent. A faint breeze wafted over us, bringing with it all the wonders and odors of the capital.
Marc leaned close beside me. His focus was closer, namely, me. “What do you think of the capital?”
I recalled the curious characters he had introduced me to, and a laugh escaped me. “I think I’ve never been to a more lively place. Even the city I grew up in didn’t have this much fun.” I leaned away and admired him. “Maybe it’s like you said. The company makes all the difference.”
His sharp eyes looked me over. “But you still miss home.”
I gripped the railing a little tighter. “It’s hard to hide anything from you, isn’t it?”
Ramaro scoffed. “Not even if you hid it in your shirt.”
“Especially if she hid it in her shirt,” Marc added as he pushed off from the railing. “But are you ready for the concert?”
I hopped back and clasped my hands behind my back. “Definitely.”
He offered me his arm. “Shall we?” I accepted the arm, and we made our way up the path.
Ramaro rolled his eyes as he followed us.
The concert hall stood not far from the tower that had so caught my attention on my first walk through the city. I couldn’t help but pause and stare up at the tower. There was something so entrancing about that imperious structure. Something seemed to call to me from behind those smooth walls.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away, but still asked my question to Marc. “What’s inside?”
He chuckled. “A lot of stairs.”
“Is that it?”
He cocked his head to one side. “Were you expecting something else?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I. . .I just feel there’s something in there calling to me.”
“Probably all the wind that blows through the cracks,” Ramaro piped up as he sauntered closer to the structure. “It hasn’t been fixed in a century, and is full of enough holes to make a mine jealous.”
A shiver ran down me as I imagined the whole thing toppling over. “Is it safe to stand here?”
Marc admired the tower. “There’s nothing to worry about. The tower will outlast us all. Now let’s get going and see if those scamps bought us some good seats.”
My gaze fell on his coat as we continued. “Don’t the tickets say where we sit?”
“They have numbers, but I’ve never been to one of these.”
I blinked at him. “You’ve never been to a show?”
Ramaro choked on a laugh. “He’s been to plenty of shows, but nothing this fancy.”
“And you won’t be going to this one unless you figure out how you’re going to get in,” Marc pointed out.
Ramaro’s eyes darted over to me and my heavy coat. “Why not the usual way? You were so eager to do it when we arrived.”
“Can you stay under there and keep your mouth shut for a whole concert?”
Ramaro lifted his chin. “Of course.”
Marc caught my eye. “If you don’t mind.”
“The more the merrier,” I mused as I stopped and opened my coat. “I doubt we’ll know anybody there.”
The sun was almost completely behind the horizon by the time we reached the majestic concert hall.
The structure was square and completely enclosed, with thick timbers holding up the wings.
A dome stood over the central body, and its capped peak pierced the darkening sky.
White mortar and stone, smoothed by many hands, made up the walls, and a grand porch covered the head of the long line that wound its way from the two pairs of doors and around the block.
My feet ached just looking at the crowd. “That’s a really long line.”
My ‘belly’ moved. “That’s for the people who haven’t bought a ticket yet. We get to go to the doors and turn ours in.”
We bypassed the line and received more than one jealous glance from the crowd.
The line moved through one of the sets of doors, and the other set was guarded by a burly man with a surly expression.
His large arms were crossed over his broad chest, and a long, dark mustache hid much of his face.
A scar marred his cheek, and the rest of his face was pocked by some long-ago disease.
His sharp, beady eyes watched us as we approached him. Marc was all smiles as he strolled up to the guard. “Good evening. We have some tickets-”
The man held out his hand to us. Marc set the tickets in the guard’s palm. The silent man flicked his wrist, and the tickets exploded in a puff of smoke.
My mouth dropped open. “Why’d he do that? How’d he do that?”
Marc squeezed my hand. “No need to worry. It’s an old trick to see how well the tickets burn. See?”
The smoke cleared, revealing the tickets, or what was left of them. There were only stubs left, and part that had the numbers.
The man held them out to us. “Enjoy the show.”
“I’m sure we will,” Marc replied as he took the tickets and led me inside.
The foyer was a massive affair, with carpeted floors, paneled walls, and columns evenly spaced to keep up the roof above our heads.
Stairs on either side revealed that the ceiling was the floor of a large balcony.
Another two pairs of doors were open on either side of a long desk, and people streamed through into a dim interior.
Murmurs filled the air, as did the excitement from the crowd. It made my arms tingle and my heart flutter. I couldn’t wait for the show.