“Goddess, Halek!” I jumped and glared at the Fatechaser, who had appeared behind me, a bright, mischievous grin on his face. “Have you been taking lessons from the kahjai? Don’t creep up on me like that.”
He raised a knowing eyebrow. “The sneak thief accusingmeof creeping up on her? I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I wasn’t sneaking.” I frowned at him. “I was just going into the city.”
“Alone.” The brow arched higher. “And obviously trying not to be seen. I think that’s the very definition of sneaking.”
I sighed. “Fine. Yes, I’m going to poke around the city a bit. I’m not trying to find anything specific—I just want to explore Irrikah without any guides or guards lurking over my shoulder.”
“Sounds suspicious,” Halek said, and grinned. “Count me in. And no,” he added, “you can’t sneak off without me. I’ve been wanting to see Irrikah for a long time now. I tried to getKysa to come with me, but she is rather determined not to have fun here. So you get the privilege of my illustrious company instead.”
I rolled my eyes. As if I could get rid of the Fatechaser. Once Halek decided something, it was impossible to change his mind. “Let me guess,” I said. “This is Fate at work, right? We’re fated to explore the city together, because you ran into me tonight?”
“Honestly? With you, I have no idea anymore.” Halek shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m here, and this sounds like fun.” He held out an arm, that bright smile lighting up his face. “So shall we go see if we can’t defy Fate tonight?”
No one stopped us as we left the palace. No guards barred our way, no chancellors appeared, insisting that we have a guide to lead us through Irrikah. The sentries at the palace gates did eye us with suspicion, but we slipped past them without incident and walked down the curling, winding steps into the city.
As before, I was struck by how beautiful Irrikah was. Flowering tree branches overhung the terraced pathways, swaying gently in the breeze. Creeping vines curled up walls and dangled from rooftops, creating curtains of greenery. Everywhere I looked, color intermingled with the stone walls and structures that made up Irrikah. Even the waterfalls and small streams flowing down the mountain were perfectly placed. The entire city was like one enormous piece of art, created just for the iylvahn.
“This place is so beautiful,” Halek sighed as we entered an open square. A fountain dominated the center, with a pair of iylvahn perched on the lip, trailing their fingers in the water. The Fatechaser gazed around the square and sighed again, thenturned to me. “So, what do you think the iylvahn do for fun around here?”
I shrugged. All the buildings looked the same: sculpted and elegant, but strange enough that I couldn’t tell what was a home and what was a shop. If the iylvahn even had shops. “Maybe we should ask someone.”
“Good idea,” Halek said, and walked up to the iylvahn sitting at the fountain. “Hey, there,” he greeted them cheerfully. “We’re new to Irrikah—your city is absolutely stunning, by the way—and we’re looking for places to go. Do you have any suggestions?”
The two iylvahn stared at him, their expressions politely blank. One of them smiled, but it was a stiff, forced smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “If you are looking for entertainment, you can try thesylgellia,” she said, nodding to a large two-story building at the edge of the square.
Halek blinked. “Sorry, what?”
“Oh, my apologies.” The iylvahn woman didn’t sound at all apologetic, merely smug. “What is the word in your outsider tongue... oh, yes.Tavern.If you’re looking for a tavern, that is the place to go.”
“Thanks,” Halek said, still smiling easily. “We appreciate it.”
The iylvahn didn’t answer. Both turned away and began conversing with each other in their own language, though the sidelong glances at me and Halek made it very clear who they were talking about.
“Well.” Halek grinned as we turned toward the tavern. The sylgellia,according to the iylvahn. “That was interesting. Do you get the feeling we’re not exactly wanted here?”
“I did get that feeling, yes,” I muttered.
“Ah, well.” He shrugged again. “Like I’ve said before, if I let being unwanted stop me, I wouldn’t get to go anywhere. Shall we?”
We entered the sylgellia, which was unlike any tavern I had seen before. The space was wide open and airy, with vines and branches curling through the roof and growing up the walls. Tables and benches surrounded a sweeping divan in the center of the room, where a beautiful iylvahn woman played a haunting melody on a harp. The few iylvahn in the tavern sipped wine from crystal-clear glasses, looking regal and almost bored.
As we stepped further inside, Halek nudged me and nodded to a table in the corner, where a trio of iylvahn sat playing a game that involved both cards and dice. “Thank the goddess,” he whispered. “They do have games here, after all. Though whatever they’re playing looks much more complicated than Triple Fang.” He watched the players a little longer before shaking his head. “I’ve never seen a game that uses both dice and cards,” he murmured. “I wonder how hard it is to learn?”
“If anyone could, it would be you,” I muttered back. He beamed.
We approached the bar, and the willowy bartender looked down his perfectly straight nose at us. “Outsiders,” he said in an overly polite voice. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, what’s good here?” Halek asked, completely unruffled, while I was feeling more and more like creeping into the nearest clump of shadows and disappearing. “What do you recommend on the menu?”
“Menu?” The iylvahn’s brow furrowed. “We don’t haveamenuhere,” he said, making the word sound ugly. “What is available today is what we have.”
“Oh. Well, even better. I don’t have to make a choice.” Halek smiled at the iylvahn, who seemed unimpressed. “We’ll take two of your finest. Whatever it is.”
No choice, I thought, as the iylvahn nodded and reached under the bar. Was that because they had limited resources, or was it just how iylvahn society worked? The bartender placed two glasses in front of us, then filled each one with a dark-red liquid. A heady, fruity scent filled the air, so strong I got a little lightheaded.
“Oh, yes, this is going to knock me on my face, I can already tell.” Halek rubbed his hands together and looked at the bartender. “What do we owe you?”
