Chapter Three
Fallyn
The Gateside Market was the one place in the city you could buy anything, anywhere, at any time, and as such it teemed with every sort of activity imaginable, from the mundane to the incorrigible.
Backlit by the harsh sconce light and the softer, muted light of enchanted floating orbs, it was a place where laughter and hushed whispers met, bordered by black and rusted wrought iron.
As long as you didn’t kick up a fuss, even the city guard turned the other cheek, which meant no matter which god you worshipped, quietly or otherwise, you were welcome if trouble didn’t follow you beyond the threshold.
Thaddeus and I caught up at a small table as a blanket of stars appeared overhead.
“How long have you two been together?”
I whirled my head to my left. The question came unbidden from a weathered, thin lipped old woman at the table next to us in Odessa’s brief absence.
Her wrinkled eyes were bright as they assessed Thaddeus and me.
His blonde hair to my dark. His brown eyes to my green.
As we talked animatedly, I’m sure we did look like a couple, though the thought was off-putting to say the least.
“I’m sorry?” I squeaked a laugh.
“Her and I?” Thaddeus looked at me in mock disgust, crossing his arms in front of him, but the teasing gleam never left his eye.
“Hey!" I swatted his arm and holding my head high, "You’d be lucky to have me!”
“I would, but you’re out of my league so it wouldn’t be long before you broke my heart.” His dramatic tone was horrible and a touch overdone, so I couldn’t help but give him mock sneer in response.
She chuckled with her whole face, the valleys of her aged skin like parchment softened by countless hands as she brought her drink to her lips thoughtfully.
She eyed us over the brim of her cup with a flash of devious curiosity that had tugged a small, unwitting smile from me.
“What about your other friend? The girl with the pretty red hair? You two would make a fine match.”
Sure, I thought. If Odessa’s new wife didn’t have anything to say about it.
Odessa and Rowena were the couple to root for.
The couple you hoped your own relationship would emulate.
Sweet. Supportive. Healthy. And according to Odessa, ever the over-sharer, the best sex she’d ever had.
If they ended up being actual soulmates confirmed by an oracle, I think the whole city would collectively squeak in excitement for them.
I could see it, I think wistfully to myself.
The way Odessa softens around Rowena, and the way Rowena dotes on and adores Odessa.
Too bad there isn’t an oracle in the city.
I knew they had plans to come to Ipsilon to beseech the help of a well-known one there to know for sure.
I sighed inwardly, wishing they were coming tomorrow.
They would make our trip so much better.
“Nope, not her either. I’m ever the bachelor,” Thaddeus replied, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded behind his head.
Odessa came back with two cups of some sort of steaming beverage, with another one precariously perched on top of the two.
I got up to take that one with a sigh of relief that she didn’t drop it.
It smelled fine. I think. She always does this.
Makes us try every type of drink at her favorite place and the Gateside Market.
This particular vender sold elixirs and drinks made to boost energy and taste good, something that the local botanist despised, saying it ruined her business.
But honestly, she ruined her own business.
If she would just make it so her potions and tinctures didn’t taste so putrid, she’d probably outsell him hand and foot.
As it was, they were squabbling in the background behind us, too far away to really hear the rabble.
“Ever the bachelor? And you’re saying that’s by your own choice, are you?” Dess teased.
“Do you even know how to be nice, sweetheart?” The mousy voice plopped into the seat between Dess and me. Rowena was the definition of short and sweet with her long brown curls and doe-like green eyes darting to acknowledge and greet each of us in turn. “Hi everyone.”
“It’s not my fault I’m mean to those I love,” she protested between sips of her drink. “There’s probably something psychological going on there.”
“Oh, there’s most definitely psychological going on there.” Thaddeus choked on his drink, making a face. “This is so sweet, are you sure it’s not just cake that’s been watered down and put in a cup?”
I hazarded a sip myself. Thick, sickly sweet syrupy sludge touched my tongue, and I wondered if Thaddeus weren’t exaggerating for once. I must have made a face, because Dess burst out laughing.
“Fallyn,” Odessa’s forced smile rendered my control over my uneasiness useless, “we’ll all be at your wedding. When it happens, we’ll be there, and we won’t leave until they force us out.”
“Dess wants to move to Ipsilon to be closer to you.” Rowena’s words tumbled out of her mouth like a confession and Dess swatted at her.
“Idgit! It was supposed to be a surprise!”
“It’s still a surprise!” I laughed, this bit of news so sweet it thawed my heart just a bit. But neither heard me.
“Look at her! She needed something good!” Rowena glanced at me as she realized she was talking about me like I wasn’t here.
I frowned, wondering if I looked like a kicked puppy.
I didn’t miss the loaded glance Thaddeus shot me before replacing it with a lopsided grin that felt too stiff.
“Sorry, Fallyn. I just wanted you to not feel so alone. We may not be able to ride with you literally tomorrow,” Rowena reached across the table to place her hand gently over mine, “but we’ll be there in spirit, and in a few weeks, we’ll be there in person. ”
“Maybe you can apply to be her lady’s maids,” Thaddeus mused between sips, cringing with each one. Odessa’s smile grew.
“Yes! And you get the final say, right?” She turned to Rowena with a smile as big as her eyes. “Let’s move to Ipsilon and be her lady’s maids. Then we can all be together. And Thaddeus, perhaps you can be part of the royal guard.”
“I sent the required documents this morning for application.” Thaddeus said smugly into his cup. My head whirled to him in astonishment. He tsked, waggling his eyebrows at me. “Did you really think we weren’t going to follow you?”
Tears poured unchecked from my eyes as I saw the devotion and love from my friends. “What did I do to deserve you all?”
“Probably something ridiculous,” Odessa said. “And likely illegal. But we’re coming with you. Just a few weeks into your betrothal, and once everything is set, we’ll watch your back. Nothing will happen to you on our watch!”
I wish I’d shared her certainty, but at least her enthusiasm was catching. I smiled widely through my tears as I began to picture my new life. Bleak—but better with them there. Perhaps I could survive, even forge a life with them there.
That felt brazenly optimistic, but the steely weight hidden at my side felt like a physical promise.
After all, I’d live for at least as long as I was producing heirs, which meant I had time. Time to run, or whatever the case may be.
I felt hope welling inside me, a rustling of roots before the sprout burst through the soil. Perhaps, with my friends, this death sentence might at least be fun.