Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
BIANCA
D espite all the evil I’d seen, I imagined places like The City of Light didn’t have black markets. I know it’s na?ve to have such a mentality in this world. The underground market is exactly that. Located on the city’s outskirts in an area stricken with poverty and bad luck. The stink of the place reminds me of the back-alleys Matias and I had to survive in. So do the suspicious looks under dark jacket hoods and distrustful stares.
We find roughly twenty stands lined up selling all kinds of things, most likely illegal items. I don’t let my eyes linger on anything or anyone for longer than necessary. The deeper we move inside the street, the louder it gets. My eyes can’t help but wander toward the commotion. A large group stands cheering and screaming as two dogs fight in the middle. Bets and chatter pollute the air from several men and women, while others simply observe.
“Does it feel like home?” Jesse asks me.
Asshole .
“Piss me off, and I’ll yell ‘narc.’ Let’s see if you make it out without at least a broken arm.”
These types of streets do not take kindly to people like Jesse. The ones born privileged enough not to know what it is like to fight for your next meal. One look at him, and they wouldn’t care whether my comment was true.
“I was kidding,” he grunts. All the humor is gone.
“Fierno doesn’t have dog fights.” I turn away from the lurking eyes. “We have a fighting ring for those willing to make a coin.”
His eyes search mine. “Have you ever done it?”
The memories flood back, but I stop them before they get too far.
I shake my head. “No one exits those whole. Matias and I never deemed it worth the injury. Doctors are expensive in Fierno.”
We stop in front of a small stand. We walk inside the covered area to find all kinds of stones. Jesse searches through the ones on the stands, looking for the Stone of Breath. I recall the picture Alejandra showed me today. A clear stone with gray and blue tones. None of the stones on the shelves look like the one we are looking for.
“Looking for something specific?” An older woman with grayish hair approaches us.
Jesse spares her a glance before turning back to the shelves. “No, just looking.”
Mistake. I want to shake my head and shake him once I am at it. No one comes to these types of streets just looking. Everyone’s here for a reason.
“Where will we find your dark rocks?” I ask the woman.
She searches my eyes while taking her sweet time answering my question. I hold her gaze, giving her my best death stare, and after a minute, her lips curve slightly .
“The back,” she gestures with her finger. The small hall space looks dark and crowded. “Can I help you find a stone?”
“The Stone of Sight,” I say.
Jesse gives me a look, but I tell him to hush with a nod. His eyes narrow at the gesture, but he doesn’t say anything. The old woman points with her finger toward the rock. My eyes land on it instantly, and just beside it lays the rock of breath.
“That would be twenty gold coins.”
Stupidly, Jesse pulls out a coin bag from under his coat. He counts twenty cousins and hands them over to the old woman. Now, I’m fuming inside at his outer disconnect from how things are done around here. I would like to speak to whoever granted him the gift of wisdom and challenge that decision. I might have never been to this black market before, but I have been to many before. You do not accept the first price mentioned.
“Good day,” I grumble to the wide-eyed woman.
I push the bag back under Jesse’s coat. I take his hand with my other hand and rush out.
“It’s like you want us to get robbed.” I scowl at him as we walk outside the tent.
A group of men are already standing outside the tent with their arms crossed, ugly smirks accompany them. I can probably take on three of them and Jesse a couple more, but we’re still heavily outnumbered.
“Drop the bag, rich boy.” The voice comes from a man standing behind Jesse. From Jesse’s frozen posture, I can conclude the man has a blade on his back. “Actually, drop everything you have in your pockets.”
“You too, girl.” Another man pops up from the shadows.
Jesse throws his bag of gold coins to the floor before us. Like children in search of candy, several men dive for the coins clinking on the ground .
“The alley,” I whisper to Jesse as I unsheathe my knife.
In one swift moment, I cut the rope holding the front of the tent. I summon a gust of wind to blow in, and the front begins to shake and tear open.
“Ay.” A man makes a grab for me, but I don’t let him get close enough.
I slide my knife down his palm and rush to the side. Waiting for Jesse doesn’t even cross my mind. I’ve seen him on the training grounds, and I hope none of his skills are tentative to training sessions.
A man stands in my path with his fists clenched. He throws two punches as soon as I’m close enough, missing me miserably. It should be embarrassing for a big boy like him. I let his arms near me enough to take them and twist them up. Momentum is my best friend when fighting men three times my size. The movement trips him forward enough to land on another man who was running close behind me. Two down; I count as I turn to keep running.
Jesse must have cut the other side of the tent because, as I clear the street, I see it flop down amongst the other bodies. I let out a laugh as I watch the men tremble and push one another out of the way. I’m sure the old lady will not appreciate the destruction of her tent. Serves her well for arranging the setup. I don’t fool myself into thinking this had been a coincidence. I make it to the alley and find Jesse panting midway. He isn’t too far ahead of me. He looks over his shoulder and stops when he spots me.
I raise my hand to him as I close the distance. He mistakes my gesture with a high five. I don’t have it in me to tell him I did it so I could activate my glamor over both of us. His smile is full of victory and adrenaline.
It’s not long before we hear footsteps rounding the corner. His eyes dart toward the noise as his body turns away, ready to flee. I take his hand tightly and shake my head. His eyes narrow as they search mine; he’s choosing whether he can trust me. Sweat is already dripping down his face, but I am sure new sweat breaks out.
The footsteps slow as they turn the corner. The group of men walk slowly down the alleyway. Jesse’s eyes don’t leave mine as they approach.
“Someone has trust issues,” I say.
I try to let go of his hand, but he doesn’t let me. His eyes never leave mine. I can feel the hectic beating of his heart from his palm. It hitches even higher as the men finally reach us. Then, they pass us like we are invisible, because we are.
“We can see them, and they can’t see us?” His question is full of wonder.
“My gift.” I move behind one of the unaware men.
“This is too cool.”
The amazement in his eyes brings goosebumps to my skin. It is cool, and I’ve only scratched the surface of it. Before I forget, I remember the item in my pocket.
“Here.” I extend my fist in his direction.
The smirk that spreads on his face is contagious. I open my fist on his waiting palm.
His eyes instantly snap to mine. “Both?”
The old woman might notice both of them gone, but not right away. I took both rocks to create confusion. If anyone were to ask why we were there, it would leave them with more questions than answers. At least, that was my plan. The additional rock is the perfect diversion. From the approving nod coming from Jesse, he agrees.
Learning my lesson from the previous day, I waste no time leading the way back to the glass castle.
“How would you have done it?” Jesse finally asks.
I’m not surprised by this question. The Lord of Wisdom is damned to be bothered that someone else knew more than him. This also helps me understand what Jesse’s power really does. It’s not so much that he knows absolutely everything, but once he learns it, it’s never forgotten, on top of being able to hear lies.
“Always haggle,” I say, starting my lecture on Surviving 101.
I’m glad he started the conversation because I wanted to say something about it. Being on the teaching side feels good after weeks of being a student.
“Always?”
I nod.
“Never count your money in front of them, do it under the coat. Pull out only what you need.” I pinch the stitching of his jacket. “Perhaps try wearing more common clothing.”
“I found this old and dirty coat.” He looks it over like it should be obvious.
“Might not be super clean, but these types of fabrics aren’t common in the lower classes. They make you stand out.”
I go over some things Matias and I would wear or do to blend in. The Lord of Wisdom might not know everything, but he is good at listening. He nods along to my stories and asks follow-up questions. When we make it back to the glass castle, I can drop the glamor, since we should be seen walking around the halls.
“You aren’t too bad, you know.” Jesse’s eyes bleed with the truth of his words.
“You could be worse, I guess.” I shrug, not letting the weight of his friendly words show.
Once we reach Brandon’s suite, I’m about to excuse myself to my room when Isabel walks in with food trays.
“There you two are!” She waves us over to the dining table at the side of the room. She pouches a small cart with two trays covered by a cloth. “Are you hungry? ”
“Are we?” Jesse asks ironically before diving into one of the trays.
I look down at my hands. “I need to wash my hands.”
Jesse rolls his eyes. “You have to make me look bad?” He gestures with his head to the bathroom. “Go ahead.”
“They’re disgusting,” I say over my shoulder.
“They aren’t even that dirty,” he defends between bites.
“You’re disgusting.”
I see a glimpse of his shocked expression before I shut the door behind me. A small smile is on my lips when I look at the sink mirror. What a day.