“Livi!”
“I’m up, I’m up,” I call back to her as I change out of my nightdress and into a pale blue woolen shift. Combing my fingers roughly through my hair to tame it quickly, I tie it up and out of my face with a leather strap.
Walking out of my bedroom, I spy Aunt Fleur flitting around the kitchen with way too much energy for this hour.
Aunt Fleur still looks incredibly young for someone who found herself raising her troublesome niece since infancy. If it existed, I would swear she’s mixing a little magic into those poultices that she uses. She’s petite, a fair few inches shorter than me, with flowing silver hair which is currently tied up into a tight knot at the nape of her neck.
“What can I help with?” I ask as I step fully into the kitchen.
Aunt Fleur looks up at me with emerald eyes that match mine. They narrow taking me in, giving my question careful thought as she finishes wrapping her well-worn apron around her homespun gray shift dress.
“Would you be able to run into town and pick up a few more bells? I think I’ve misplaced some of the ones we used for Beltane. And then once you’ve finished with that, perhaps you can enlist Thomas in helping you gather some more mushrooms and berries for the feast tomorrow.”
I smother the urge to roll my eyes. Shealwaysmisplaces the bells. And of course, they’re supposed to be the most important part of the preparations for tomorrow. The common superstition is that bells hung above your doors and windows will keep the Fae from crossing the threshold of your home.
“Yes, of course. I’ll run out for the bells now and drop them off before I head out with Tom.” I gather my woven wicker basket from near the door and slip on my shoes.
“Hurry off now,” she says as she shoos me out the door. “And be careful, dear!”
“I’m always careful, Auntie!” I shoot back with a knowing grin.
All I hear as she shuts the door behind me is her scoff and something that sounds likeyeah, rightmuttered under her breath. I’m laughing as I make my way down to the main path that leads into town.
Willowbrook isa small and quiet village, surrounded on three sides by a dense forest. People tend to avoid it, choosing instead to settle down in towns closer to main roads that link the kingdom, but also due to the faerie portals rumored to lurk in the forest.
The thought makes me roll my eyes. Once again, the townspeople getting carried away. I’ve yet to stumble on one myself—and I know all the nooks and crannies of the forest around town—but it’s always the talk of the town when someone stumbles into the tavern in a frenzy, raving about having fallen through a portal and thethingsthey had seen.
The walk into town from our small cottage on the outskirts is a short one. Passing by a few other outlying cottages, I cross the rickety wooden bridge that’s situated over the river running along the town’s western edge before finding myself in the middle of town. The main square is bustling with activity from the market. It seems everyone is finishing up their Samhain preparations, same as me.
I pass a few stalls set up as you step into the square and smell the various food goods they’re offering, causing a rumble to call out from my stomach, alerting me that I’ve once again skipped out on breakfast in my rush to get out the door. The sugary, sweet smell of the fried dough causes me to salivate, and I slow my steps to admire them before I shake myself out of my hunger-induced trance.
You’re not here to indulge in treats, Olivia. In and out for the bells.
I pick up my pace the slightest as I make my way through the stalls, eyeing the wares. There’s a stand set up outside the crumbling, dark stone building that serves as the blacksmith’s shop, showing off his latest craftsmanship. Everything from longswords to decorative letter openers. Another stall boasts a large variety of baked goods and breads. I nearly hesitate again, being drawn in by my hunger, but I keep moving.
I browse the stalls from afar as I pass, looking for my target. Herbal teas and remedies, exotic spices, vibrant fabrics, crystals that claim to provide healing properties or luck. My eyes catch on a stall featuring jewels and I find myself gravitating closer to get a better look at the items. I don’t know what it is about this stall but something about the shimmering gemstones catches my eye.
I feel like a crow, distracted by shiny objects.
I nearly snort to myself at the comparison.
“Can I help you find something, dear?” an elderly woman asks from where she’s sat on a stool behind the stall. Her gray hair is frazzled and her clothes simple, if not even a bit worn.
“Oh, no, I’m only browsing. Thank you though,” I say with a polite smile as I continue to peruse her wares. Blood red rubies, which remind me of the screaming woman from my dream, causing a shiver to run through me. Deep forest green emeralds in a shade matching Fleur’s eyes, bright deep blue sapphires thatremind me of a bottomless ocean. They’re all so beautiful, but nothing Fleur and I could even come close to affording.
I’m about to turn away from the stall when my gaze catches on a pendant necklace. The chain is thin and simple, but it’s the pendant that grabs my attention. It’s relatively plain in comparison to some of the gaudier jewelry on display. It depicts a golden sun intertwined with a silver crescent moon. I don’t know what it is about this one that stands out to me, there are no twinkling gemstones, just the simple metals. But perhaps the simplicity is what makes it beautiful. The combination of night and day, light and dark.
“Would you like a closer look?” the lady asks, releasing me from the trance I fell into admiring the necklace.
“Ah, no, it’s alright. I should really get going,” I say as I start to back away from the booth. I turn to head off to finish my search for the stall I need when I collide into the massive stone wall of a body. Hands shoot out to grip my upper arms and steady me before quickly releasing me.
“Apologies,” a deep, smoky voice that wraps around me grunts out. My eyes track the voice to the mass of a man clad in all black leather and a hood drawn up over his head, concealing his features.
“Oh gods, no,I’msorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I rush out, flustered.
“No harm done,” the man says with a jerky nod before stepping around me and continuing through the market. I watch as he starts to disappear into the crowd, which fortunately for me, he towers at least a half foot above everyone else so it’s no struggle to track his path.
I shake my head to refocus on the task at hand. Bells. Need to get the bells.
