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We continued walking, and Namir’s hands slipped into the pockets of his pants as we went. We were quiet, mostly, and the forest was peaceful. The stars glittered above us, the crescent moon shining as it always did.
“How many coins do we have?” I asked him, as we approached the edge of the town.
“None. The people in my court won’t charge me; I fund their businesses with money from my family’s pockets if there are expenses they can’t cover and bills they can’t pay.”
The words surprised me.
I would definitely only choose one dress and undergarment, if they weren’t going to charge me. I only needed one; I could wash it at nights, and dry it while I slept, as I had in the inns on my way to Namir’s city.
“I can tell that they love you,” I remarked, as we stepped out of the trees and up to the edge of one of the city’s soft, dark, packed-dirt roads. “You’re a good king.”
“I try.” Namir shrugged. “Much of my time and energy goes toward trying to take my brother out.”
The words turned my stomach.
“You still want me to kill him, don’t you?”
He shook his head, flashing me a serious look. “I didn’t know what you’d been through, then, and was struck silly by the way you looked at me—and attacked me. I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret, and something tells me that you would regret killing one of my brothers.”
My stomach tensed.
He had no idea how accurate his assumption was, or how heavy the regret for ending the lives I’d already taken was. I’d killed those people in self-defense, but that didn’t mean I felt right about it.
So I nodded, and said nothing else.
Chapter10
The crowd grewlouder as we approached the market, and I heard people both whispering and calling out Namir’s name, along with the word, “Mate.”
I started to feel overwhelmed by the attention we received, and my monster threatened to force her way out, to consume me.
Namir seemed to realize I was struggling, because his hand slipped around mine. He held my palm to his, flashing me a small, supportive smile. He leaned in, murmuring, “My shadows can keep you calm.”
My stomach loosened a bit, and my shoulders relaxed as his magic swirled over my arm, dancing slowly and lightly up my skin. The contact made bumps break out over my arms, but it relaxed the monster within me too, so I held on to Namir like my life depended on it.
And though my life didn’t technically depend on it, those of the people in the market did.
They were careful not to jostle us as we walked, giving us space as we wandered. Namir seemed to know where he was going, but stopped a few times to taste foods people offered him. After he tasted a small bite of each of the foods, he handed the rest to me—ensuring me that they were safe, and sharing the food with a wink.
I found myself feeling just a bit happier every time he offered me his food, and the more we walked, I found myself having more fun as well.
People surprised me by offering silver jewelry and clothing items, but they stayed far enough away that Namir could respectfully turn them down, explaining, “Diora prefers gold.”
They were all surprised by that.
None of the wealthier merchants seemed to have anything in gold at all, which made things easier, because I didn’t want to take their items without coins to trade anyway.
Eventually, we made it toward the less-wealthy portion of the marketplace. The people there were even more generous, bringing so much food that Namir needed a bag to hold it all, and paper to wrap it in to preserve it a bit longer. He continued grinning at the fae, thanking them. Though his grin was genuine, it wasn’t the same grin he gave me—and I wondered why.
The people were more energetic in the poorer section (their black clothes and gold jewelry gave them away), and none of them wore anything with holes. None of them were scarred, or anywhere near as skinny as I was, either—I stood out in that way, I supposed.
Overall, the people seemed to be very well taken-care-of, and the way they loved Namir was clear. He was a good king, and a kind and generous one too.
If he hadn’t already had my trust, he certainly did after I saw the way his people looked up to him.
We stopped in front of the stall of a woman with dark skin who had two racks of black dresses behind her. She beamed at Namir, and took his hand between both of hers. There was no physical way to tell a fae’s age, since we were damn near immortal, so I had no way to know what her relationship was with Namir.
And the way she grabbed his hand did not sit well with me.
