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I brought a knee to my chest and shoved him upward toward the clouds. Laughing, I flipped over and dropped faster with wings tucked to my side. From below, I might look like a giant arrow darting from the sky.
From the force of the fall, I landed in a crouch close to the line of trees in the forest. Zander next, then Snow, Dawn, and Otis at the same time. When Tank landed, he cracked the earth and several nearby trees uprooted and collapsed with a loud thump.
“Ssi-bal. Sorry.” Tank shrugged and tilted his head sideways. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
Zander narrowed his eyes at him. “Keep your hood up and don’t talk.”
After we exited the woods, we followed Zander along a cobblestone path into the village. People passed by us on horses and parked at the stable. Houses made from stone or wood with straw roofing lined both sides of a wide dirt road.
Children with grime on their clothing chased each other and mothers hung their wet laundry on ropes. In the fields, men tended the farmland. Some chopped wood and tossed the pieces onto a rolling cart.
Past the homes, wagons had set up in orderly fashion selling fruits, vegetables, live animals, and fresh kills of meat and fish. Others sold chopped wood, fabrics, cowhides, eggs, and milk.
My team seemed to be taking in the culture and observing the humans, but not Otis. He had his head down the whole journey. I understood him. I felt overwhelmed too.
A set of hands grabbed my cloak.
A woman with deep wrinkles across her forehead released me. “Beautiful lady, what you have on won’t be enough for the winter. This fine wool cloak is perfect. Only one coin.”
The embroidered design on the black cloak—intertwining golden vines with thorns coming out from them—was like none I had seen before. I traced the raised thread with my fingertips.
Giving her a coin wasn’t about needing a cloak, and it was a perfect opportunity to purchase them for Snow and Dawn. They needed one too.
The little girl beside the woman bit down on a corn on the cob. Unruly strands stuck out from her braid, and her cheeks were caked with dirt. I felt sorry for this child. Angels might not have human freedom, but at least we didn’t starve or have to scramble for food to survive. Some humans barely made it day by day.
“Do you have one coin?” I whispered to Zander.
Zander reached inside his pocket and handed me one.
I placed out my hand again. “One more.”
He furrowed his brow.
I leaned closer and nipped his earlobe. “I’ll make it up to you tonight. Besides, I can’t just buy one.”
Zander gave me another coin. After the exchange, I tossed the thick fabric over Snow and Dawn. Something about giving a gift filled me with warmth.
“Oh, look.” I rushed to the next wagon filled with apples. I made Zander give me another coin and bought one for Otis and Tank.
This was so much fun. The street was alive with the bright colors of the shop awnings, beckoning me in. I marveled at the merchandise and chatted with shop owners. A few coins were exchanged here and there, but I also left with stories and smiles, and my heart was warm with satisfaction.
A little girl, about eight years old, halted in the way of my path and stared at me. The hood over most of her head prevented me from seeing the rest of her face, but her eyes gleamed like ruby gemstones. Had I imagined it? Perhaps the reflection from the sun had caused it.
The little girl’s gaze shifted to the rest of my team. Could she tell we weren’t humans? She herself seemed different. Demon? Vampire? Or even a half-breed? And if she was a supernatural being, what was she doing in the human market?
“Come, Nadira.” The woman holding her hand tugged her along, then the woman suddenly halted.
When she turned to face me, chills ran down my arms. My wings didn’t ruffle in warning but I itched to pull out my sword.
“What’s wrong?” Zander’s warm breath fanned my face from behind me. “Who is she?”
He had felt something off too. Nobody else from my team noticed. They had wandered to the wagon selling scented candles.
I ignored Zander’s questions as I seemed to be entranced with this woman wearing a dark cloak. I tried to make out her face, but the hood covered most of her features and I couldn’t get a view of her eyes. But I caught a glimpse of long scars on her hands. She covered them quickly by pulling down the sleeves that had flapped from the sudden breeze.
This woman … no, not a woman but something else. An ancient word filled my ears. I didn’t understand the chant or what was happening.
Someone bumped my shoulder. Zander grabbed my arm or I would have stumbled forward. When I looked back, the two were gone. No traces of them on any of the wagons I searched. Only a second had passed, they couldn’t have made it to the other side of the market.
