Chapter Five #2
I laugh. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I was thinking about the food I want to eat today. I want to stop for three—no, five—of the candied fruits before we do anything else.”
Sebastian rolls his eyes. “With that sweet tooth of yours, I’m surprised you have any left in your head at all.”
I may only have a handful of hours left before my life is turned upside down, but I will live every ordinary minute I have.
Talya hooks her arm through mine. “If you are going to be a demon’s ass, Sebastian, then you can stay here while we stuff our faces with all the delicious food we can find.”
She pulls a face at him, then drags me off toward the nearest cluster of booths selling food.
Sebastian calls out for us to wait, but Talya picks up our pace, waving her free hand in the air without a glance back.
The aroma of caramelized sugar, roasted meats, and an assortment of other fried sweet and savory delicacies fills the air, reaching us several blocks before the edge of the main square. Clusters of people meander the streets in every direction.
Talya practically drags me into the crowd… and right past the first vendor with an assortment of candied fruit.
“Talya, we just—” I tug on my arm, but she is stronger, and my efforts don’t even slow her down.
“Trust me, the one we want is just a little further up,” she says over her shoulder.
I glance back longingly at the treats I’ve been dreaming about for weeks as bodies move in to block my view.
Other vendors sell jewelry, bolts of cloth, notions, various garments, paintings, dishware, or charms. But I’m too busy making a mental list of all the things I want to gorge myself with to give them my attention.
Pastries stuffed with various fillings, both savory and sweet. Skewers of roasted and caramelized meats, and battered and fried vegetables. Colorful bite-sized cakes.
My stomach growls painfully as I mentally tick them off.
An older couple walking in the opposite direction looks around in shock at the sound.
The man even glances toward the sky as if he expects the cursed dragon to descend on us during the day.
I duck my head and quicken my steps to walk beside Talya.
Perhaps skipping dinner and breakfast in preparation for all the things I needed to get done before today wasn’t the best idea after all.
At the heart of the square, a temporary stage is set up for a play that will be the final event of the day. For now, a traveling troupe is performing a balancing act, and off to one side, a woman dances with a baton lit with fire on both ends.
In another corner of the square is a smaller stage with a makeshift seating area surrounded by children watching a marionette play. Musicians and dancers fill any space they manage to find.
I bump into Talya when she stops abruptly. “Here we are!” she announces proudly.
My eyes widen at the rows of assorted colorful skewers. Some are mixed with different fruits, while others are all the same. The ones coated in chocolate are popular, but the ones I want are all covered in a clear, hardened candy shell.
The man running the booth turns around to set out another batch to replace the quickly disappearing selection that an older man is selling.
“Four of your finest, please, Mr. West,” Talya says in a faux formal tone.
“I’ll take five,” I correct.
Talya side-eyes me. “Make it seven total then.”
“Miss Byron, you made it. Lillian has just left to make a delivery. She’ll be disappointed that she missed you,” the young man says. He hands her two of the skewers and the rest to me. “On the house,” he says with a wink when I reach for the money to pay.
“Thank you, William! Tell Lillian I’ll stop by again a bit later.”
Their conversation is cut short when the older man calls out for more. William is gone with an apologetic smile and a wave.
I bite down on the first skewer. The sweet coating crunches and melts on my tongue, mixing with the juice from the different fruits. I devour three before I pause long enough to speak. “These are even better than I remember.”
Talya is looking at me like I just sprouted a second head. “You skipped breakfast again, didn’t you?” she asks with an arched brow.
I shrug. “Something like that.”
Also lunch.
“Demons and saints, Violet, what are we going to do with you?” Talya sighs in exasperation.
I polish off the remaining two as Sebastian catches up to us.
“Here you two are.” He throws his hands. “You know Mother would turn into a demon if she knew you ran off like that.”
Talya takes the empty skewers from me and shoves all of them into his hand and closes his fingers around them as she says, “Oh, for demon’s sake, Sebastian, I’m a grown woman and it’s the middle of the day.”
I press my lips together to stifle a laugh at their bickering. It didn’t even take them an hour.
“Besides,” she continues, “How would she know unless you tell her?” She steps up to him and glowers. “And if you do, I will make you wish you lived with the wild demons.”
He looks down at his hands gripping the sticky ends of our skewers, then back to her face. His eyes narrow, and I can tell it’s only going to get worse if I don’t stop them first.
I push my way between them and thrust an arm out, pointing to a random food stall. “Let’s go to that one next. I’m still famished!” This time, I drag Talya. “Come on, Sebastian, or I can’t promise there will be any left for you.”
The two siblings quickly get caught up in the excitement of the day. I will say, even though they are quick to fight, they are just as quick to forgive and forget.
We sample as many of the different foods as we can before I even complain about being full.
“If you two gluttons are quite finished, perhaps you could deign to help me pick out a gift for Lilly?” Sebastian takes the opportunity to lead us to a stall selling brooches. His cheeks darken with a slight blush.
Talya and I barrage him with questions about his fiancée’s likes and dislikes until we’ve narrowed down the choices to a handful of different options.
I shiver from a change in the air. The din of chatter changes to a murmuration of hushed voices. We turn to see the crowd parting as the clomping hooves approach the center stage.
“What’s happening?” Talya asks, excitement mingling with worry in her voice.
I close my eyes for a brief moment and swallow down my nerves. “Let’s go see,” I say, moving forward before I lose what little courage I possess.
Sebastian stops me by my elbow when a carriage surrounded by several soldiers riding identical white horses comes into view.
The entourage halts at the center. The guards and their mounts are dressed in the same shades of blue and silver as the carriage where my fate waits inside.
I shake his grip and force my feet to move forward.
“Vi, wait. We should stay back,” Talya says.
I smile for her as if nothing is wrong. “It will be fine. I only want a closer look.”
Then I slip into the crush of people before either of them can hold me back.