I thought it might have closed, given that night was falling, but the bazaar was still bustling, the warm glow of the streetlights making everything look like a hazy dream of gold, jewels, and magic.
If Safiyya had been with me, she would have been raiding the gold stalls like a mad woman, filling her satchel with all the magical objects she could carry.
I walked through the market, pausing at a stall with a collection of rings, each one heavily engraved with ancient fae.
“What do they mean?”
The female who operated the stall had long dark hair and glowing blue eyes and looked as though she’d just been dragged through a swamp, wearing strips of fabric that fell off of her in waves.
Khapisi. I thought the word, having heard Kiyan say it.
She was a bog hag.
“They are for love,” said the khapisi, her voice raspy.
“How much do they cost?” I didn’t need a spell for love, but any ancient fae magical object sparked my interest.
“How much do you want to bargain, sweets? I can take your last breath, or your first one if you wish. Or I would be happy to part with one for the first memory of your mother, you don’t need to remember such a thing, do you?” She grinned at me, her mouth rows of sharp, jagged black teeth.
“She’s not bargaining with a khapisi, and you know better than to deal with humans, hag.”
The bog hag hissed at the man behind me, whose voice rumbled like the low roar of a river.
I turned and saw Kiyan, a mulish expression on his face, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Trying to escape?”
“How could I when you’re hunting me?” I returned, sweetly.
He leaned close to me, the smell of rain and pine and new spring taking over.
“If you wanted to see the night bazaar, you should have asked.”
“You seemed determined to lock me up.”
He reared back, a thick groove appearing in his brow. “It isn’t safe in Tashuna, not for anyone traveling with the Viceroy.”
“And not for you?”
“Especially not for me. This isn’t friendly territory for the Court of Salt. I want us to get in and out without causing any trouble. If it were up to me, we would have ridden through this place and stayed in the forest.”
“Well we’re here now, and I want to see the bazaar.”
He glared at me. “We should go back.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I could make you.”
“What are you going to do, wrap me in vines and throw me over your shoulder?” I arched a brow.
His tongue ran along his teeth. “That sounds like a great idea actually.”
“Who needs a peri ring for romance when I’ve got you.” I skipped past him, brushing by his hand when he tried to stop me. “At least let me look at the bazaar.”
“This isn’t the time to go shopping,” he growled.
“I’m just going to have a quick peek. I promise I’ll be back in my prison cell in an hour.”
