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“Question,” Noel began, already trying to strike up that casual conversation with the barkeep. “Is there anyone around here that specializes in faerie shit?”
Grey refrained from flinching, but the barkeep bit her lip and drummed her fingernails on the countertop for a minute. “There’s a guy a few blocks from here. He’s sort of an archivist and doctor with an oddities shop. I think that’s probably the closest you’ll get if you’re trying to identify or sell off something faerie-related.”
“Thanks,” Noel said, holding his bottle up with a smirk. “Trying to offload some stuff, so hopefully he can help or point me in the right direction.”
She nodded. “Sure thing, sugar. Is there anything I can get for you, sweetie?” Her head turned to Grey.
“N-no, thanks.” Something told him she wouldn’t be calling him ‘sweetie’ if she saw the mark under his sleeve.
She patted the bar top. “Just call if you need anything.” And she strode down to the other side of the bar to help another patron.
“Faerie shit?” Grey hissed. “Aren’t people going to ask questions if?—”
“Nope,” Noel breathed, tipping the bottle back against his lips. “Treasure hunters are a big thing the further you get from the Grand Capital. Don’t worry about it. This is normal out here.”
“You’re sure?”
“A hundred percent.” He downed a little more and waved to the barkeep before he turned to leave. Grey stuck next to him on their way out, back onto the bike, and down the street to their next destination.
Cavan’s Oddities spanned the width of the first-floor window in silver-trimmed white painted letters. Noel pushed the door open, jingling the bell hung along the frame as they wandered into an eclectic collection of boxed crystals, carved stones, and mirrors hanging from floor-to-ceiling of one of the walls. An entire library sat undisturbed in the next room over, the archway caged off by an old-fashioned elevator shutter.
“Lithomancer,” Noel muttered, tracing the tables with boxes of loose rocks with a finger on his way to the gated doorway.
Grey picked up one of the crystals and ran his thumb over the buffed edges. “I’m not sure we’re going to find what we’re looking for here if this is it…”
“Looking for what?”
He jumped, juggling the crystal and squeezing it in his grip as he spun with Noel to a man in a black, long-sleeved tee-shirt rolled up to his elbows and faded, brown leather gloves. He was tall and lanky with disheveled, coffee-colored hair and a five-o-clock shadow that only furthered to emphasize his sickly pallor. His dark eyes slid from Noel to Grey as he took a step forward, the crystal digging into Grey’s palm when the man’s vision stuck to him before dropping to where one of his supposed oddities was being held. Grey held back a grimace from the mere thought that it was probably slick with sweat by now.
“Some text related to faerie rituals,” Noel said with a shrug, like he was tossing the idea out there. “We found some weird markings and stuff, so we’re just trying to make sure we’re not being followed or anything creepy like that.”
Grey went to put the crystal back, and the man plucked it from his hands, turning it over. “Amethyst is quite good for protection,” he said, tapping it against his other palm with a gleam in his eyes. “I’m Doctor Cavan, by the way. I’d be happy to assist if you’d like access to my books or anything else. It’s quite rare to have someone pop in with an interesting request like this.”
Biting his tongue, Grey put on a tight smile to match Noel’s on their guided tour to the mini library. Doctor Cavan slid the amethyst in his pocket, trading it for a key he twisted in the lock and pushed the gate back.
“Come in, come in. Take a look around.” He hovered by the entry, holding his arm out in invitation to step onto the large, woven rug. Dust puffed up with each step, drifting through the air as they proceeded toward the hulking bookcases. Noel tugged a tome off the shelf, and Doctor Cavan pushed off the frame, humming and peeling off his gloves on his way back to the front of the shop.
Pages fell open in Noel’s hands, sounding with the creaking of the book’s spine. “Try not to go for anything directly connected to the Hunt right away,” he breathed.
“S-sure,” Grey forced out, peering at the shelves. Creature names and fair folk encyclopedia volumes spanned the first one at his eye-level. His fingers trembled as he reached for one, the weight buckling his arms for a moment.
“Are you okay?”
“F-fine.” Well, he’d felt fine when he walked into the shop, but now he wanted nothing more than to collapse into a chair and take a nap.
Noel scowled and pulled the tome from his grasp. “You look a little worse for wear, maybe you should stick to the lighter?—”
“There’s some more books upstairs if you two aren’t finding what you’re looking for.” Footsteps sounded behind them again, spinning Grey around. Doctor Cavan stopped short of the threshold, hands tucked into his pockets with a wistful smirk that made Grey’s stomach twist. “They’re considerably thinner since they’re specially bound scholar notes. Would you be interested?”
Grey hesitated, sharing a questioning look with Noel before he pushed down that unease and started forward. “I’d like to take a look if that’s all right.”
Doctor Cavan beamed. “Right this way.”
The second Grey moved to follow, and the doctor slipped from view, Noel grabbed his sleeve. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Grey nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll check upstairs.”
Noel frowned, but he let go, and Grey jogged after the doctor.
