Page 72 of Dancing for the Minotaur

Then he simply handed the bat vendor payment for several unopened fargas pods and placed them carefully into the living basket, which grew to accommodate them.

Terra’s heart did a strange little skip. Should she correct the vendor’s misunderstanding? But Taurex hadn’t. Instead, he had said he was fortunate to be with her.

Terra took another bite of bread and pretended not to notice as they nodded at the vendor and moved on.

The deeper they went into the Market, the more magical it became. There were stalls where enormous flowers dispensed drinks directly from their centers, each bloom producing a different flavor.

Taurex bought Terra a cup of pale pink nectar from a flower with blue petals, and she discovered that it tasted like strawberry lemonade with a faint hint of mint. There were other stalls selling fruits that floated several inches above the counter and had to be caught with small nets before they could be eaten, mushrooms that changed color depending on what seasoning they were cooked with and tiny nut-like seeds that cracked themselves open when they heard someone whistle.

Terra wanted to taste everything and to her delight, Taurex indulged her shamelessly.

At one stall she tried a translucent purple fruit filled with sparkling juice that made her tongue tingle pleasantly for several minutes. At another, she sampled a green candy-like seed that tasted exactly like chocolate despite looking nothing like it.

“How does it taste like chocolate?” she demanded, sucking on the smooth, tasty seed.

Taurex shook his head.

“I do not know what chocolate tastes like.”

Terra stopped walking and looked at him in surprise.

“What? How can you not know what chocolate tastes like?”

He shrugged.

“I have never eaten it.”

“But…you live on Earth,” Terra pointed out.

“Yes.” He nodded.

“For three years.”

“Yes.” He nodded again.

“And you’ve never had chocolate? Not even once?”

He shook his head.

“No.”

Terra put a hand on her hip.

“That is completely unacceptable.”

Taurex’s ears twitched.

“Why?”

“Because chocolate is one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments.”

He raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth twitching.

“Greater than spaceflight?”

“Absolutely,” Terra said.

He rumbled laughter.