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Rain fell like a curtain, obscuring everything in a gray mist, but within the fog, I discerned the sound of laughter, interspersed with snippets of conversation.
Sebastian tucked his wings behind his back as we walked under a roofed area with benches and cages of animals and snakes.
The music was faint at first, but as the flutist and violinist drew closer, the melody grew louder. Green light spilled through the aisles of the market, setting the mood for the performance. The small crowd of people shifted and swayed as the musicians sang, their voices reaching across the entire shadow market.
Darkness seemed to whisper secrets wherever we walked, offering glimpses into the evil underbelly of the shadow markets in an already depraved city.
Unlike the traders back in my home kingdom of Baldoria, these stall owners did not bellow prices to lure in buyers. Most stood stoic, an array of magical items stolen from sorcerers laid out on the tables. The bolts of lightning illuminated the market, briefly showing the sparkle of emeralds and sapphires on intricate gold chains.
As each flash of light faded, the jewels dimmed. Behind them, I spotted a delicate, silver tiara labeled as‘Salenia’s crown.’
I rolled my eyes.Seriously. Did they think anyone was going to believe that?
A shiver snaked down my back as Sebastian swept me to his other side. When I peered around him, I realized what he was attempting to conceal me from. Plain, ordinary looking chests sat on the table, three of them, leaking droplets from their openings. A tan covered the man behind the stall's face, his sun-bleached hair giving away his recent travels. He wasn’t from here, I decided, but I couldn’t detect mortal blood in my senses. I assumed he was one of the few vampires living outside of Sanmorte. I spotted the more modern medical equipment poking out from his bag, confirming my suspicion.
A whisper of their rushed conversation floated to us. “I told you, seven thousand for the kidney. You can’t go back on the price now.”
“It’s ten or we’re done. Prices go up.”
I ran cold, stumbling on my next step. Goosebumps spread over my arms as the disgusting reality hit me. They were selling harvested organs. I shouldn’t be surprised; it wasn’t the worst thing I’d seen.
“I’m not paying ten. I can buy a mortal for that.”
“This one’s healthy.”
The man at the stall wasn’t a seller. He was buying organs to sell to mortals in the other kingdoms. Their conversation bled into all the others as we walked away, and I looked back over my shoulder, catching a final glimpse of the pair arguing before Sebastian led us left, out from the under the roof to the mercy of the storm, and toward an old shop.
The bell tinkled over the door as he led me inside. I breathed in the musty smell, a mixture of old parchment and dust lingering in the air. Mounds of yellowed tomes spilled from withered bookcases, and in the center of the room stood a large mahogany desk with ornate carvings of gargoyles and intricate patterns on its edges. Though aged, its grandeur had been preserved.
I marveled at the abundance of books filling every wall of the small shop. An orange hue from a lamp on the wall flickered, illuminating the rows of spines with faded titles. “Are you sure they’ll have something here?”
He licked his lips, the line between his brow deepening as we scanned the piles. “I hope so.”
I pushed a gush of love through our soulmate bond, hoping to see a hint of the smirk I loved, but he remained as stoic as he had been since we found each other. I gingerly placed my hand on his shoulder, and I could feel the tension in his muscles, as if they had been wound up tightly. His face was stormy, with his eyes narrowed and jaw clenched. His anger was palpable, and I let my hand slip away.
When he wasn’t trying to get us out of this situation, he was sleeping—minimally. Since refusing to escape with him, he’d been hell bent on taking down Salenia without us having to go back to the castle. But the prophecy stated it was me who had to do it—bring death to all vampires. A misinterpretation that had almost cost me my life. Azia knew what it meant, and worse, Salenia was aware too.
I would bring the ability to die to vampires. If there was no underworld to trap their souls after death, they could ascend into the afterlife. The burden weighed heavily on my shoulders, sending a throbbing pain into my neck. If I succeeded, Sebastian, Erianna and Zach would be free. Sebastian could reunite with his family, and we’d be together in death. Plus, my mom and dad’s souls would be set free, too.
If I could only get Sebastian to agree to us going to the castle, we could fight her together.
“This one,” he said, pulling me from my thoughts as he slid a book from the shelf, wafting a spiral of dust into the path of the light. He held the book in his hands, his fingers tracing the spine as he opened it to the middle. His eyebrows furrowed as he sifted through the pages, taking care not to damage them.
Stepping away hesitantly, I scanned the others. I hadn’t been around many books since I was forced to leave my home. I missed going to my local bookshop, although this one was far different from the cozy couches and teas served inside the ones back in Baldoria. Still, I wanted to explore all of them, to touch their leather covers and explore the hidden secrets of this world that I had been kept from for most of my life. I slid my fingers across them, the ruggedness of their spines under my fingers as I examined the ancient titles.
Entranced, I continued, barely noticing Sebastian curse and slam a book onto the owner’s desk, who’d been mysteriously vacant during our visit. I stopped on one, noticing the combination of rough and smooth textures under my touch. I noticed the coloring was off as I pulled it out. I almost dropped it when the faded smell hit me. It wasn’t coloring, but pigmentation. “This one’s bound in human skin.”
His eyes connected with mine for a moment, a twinge of disgust moving in our bond. But he was gone again before I could extend our moment, lost to the shelves as he searched for some other solution to our problem, although I knew there was none.
The owner stepped out of the shadows; his pasty face as withered as the pages of the books he tended. His dark eyes slid from Sebastian to me, narrowing as he spotted the book still closed in my hands. I quickly placed it back on the shelf, wiping my palms against my shirt.
Seeing the flesh reminded me of the bodies I’d seen in the south. With those memories came the reminder of the boy I’d murdered. I closed my eyes, wishing never to look at my hands again. Whenever I did, I saw his heart, my fingers stained with his blood as I took his life from this world. Sometimes, in the dead of night, I wondered about his family, and if they were still looking for him.
The owner’s voice was higher than I expected, his willowy stride catching me off guard. “Can I help you?”
“Uh, maybe,” I answered, shaking my head to discard my dark thoughts. “We’re looking for information about Salenia. Any details into the origins of Vener as a vampire, too.”
He tilted his head, examining me. “That’s a curious subject to be interested in.”
