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Stepping closer, I heard the music. It stayed low, like the background music of a videogame. It set the stage with thumping beats and twanging strings.
I cut a sidelong glance in Hilda’s direction. “Please tell me, are goblins like the rednecks of the fae?”
She cackled and grinned, which wasn’t a verbal answer, but it was all I needed to know thatyes, they were.
“Who gave them banjos?” I grumbled under my breath as I followed Hilda past the tapestry that should have, by mortal standards, led directly into concrete.
Instead, a world of dancing lights opened up. At first, I thought there were lanterns swaying in the air. It took me a moment to notice that they were not lanterns but instead giant fireflies. The bugs reminded me of glowing bumblebees, which settled my nervous fear of oversized bugs.
Voices filled the air and turned into a soft din that whispered around the market. Narrow passageways led through the stall-filled market. As I stepped, I noted the asphalt beneath my feet like the goblins had somehow stolen an entire parking lot and secreted it away into a pocket realm for their needs.
Scents of herbs and spices and roasting meats filled the air. We passed stalls with glazed meats hanging suspended over vendors’ heads. I paused, unable to place the shapes of what the creatures had once been. My mouth watered at the idea of the unique meat, but when I noticed a goblin holding out a sample for Addie to try, I yanked her hand back and shook my head.
“Don’t take anything offered here,” I warned.
Addie sighed defeatedly. She jammed her hands into her pockets and gazed longingly at the suspended meats. Perhaps bringing a non-fae friend hadn’t been the best idea after all. Fae food called to everyone, even demi-gods.
“A taste won’t hurt,” the little goblin crooned with a devious grin. The canine at the right corner of her mouth was chipped and crooked. “A pound of spit-roast beast in exchange for your dreams tonight.”
Behind the goblin were several glass balls filled with swirling smoke. Every so often, one would clear, and a vision would appear. Each and every one was a human dream. One person stood at the head of their classroom in nothing but their underwear. Another botched a work meeting without any preparation. A third globe held a romantic scene that made me want to go clean my eyes.
The goblin’s grin spread wider. She preyed on humans addicted to fae food, but I couldn’t fault her prices. She asked little for the food that would keep the addicted humans alive a little longer.
Hilda called back to us and asked us why we were loitering. I flipped my middle finger in Hilda’s direction, which made her cackle with delight. She held a skewer in one hand and a drink in another like this was the county fair. Somehow, she managed to find the joy in all things no matter the situation.
I had to be honest—I was deeply jealous. It’d been so long since I’d genuinely laughed. All I wanted was an afternoon with Rhoan. I wanted him to feed me snacks and tell me stories about the days long before the fall of the Seelie court.
Instead, I guided one of my closest friends through a fae black market that would probably get me in trouble later. I just had to keep my head down and make sure that Addie stayed away from fae food.
“How about a trade?” I said to my friend. “I won’t allow you to buy food, but you can look for trinkets if you want. Just don’t give the vendors anything too important.”
Addie nodded excitedly and ran off into the market. I watched her go and felt my stomach sink. It was hard to tell if I wanted to protect her or if I simply wanted to control her at this point. Addie was an adult and could take care of herself. If she ate something, I knew how to brew an antidote.
Maddox would never forgive me, though.
“Come on, lassie. I think I found your guy.” Hilda gestured over her shoulder for me to follow.
I sank into my oversized jacket and kept my head down behind her. Was there a stigma for visiting a Goblin Market? Would Tal look down on me for what I was doing tonight? I didn’t know about the first question, but I figured the answer to the second would be yes. Tal was just that kind of guy.
Being here felt very wrong. I saw the ways that people were being taken advantage of. While the one goblin woman offered cheap prices, she was still preying on people who needed help. Those humans would die of self-inflicted starvation if they ran out of fae food.
Were there other stalls here trying to take advantage of buyers?
Unfortunately, I was quickly met with an answer to that question.
A tall, lithe man with a hunched back stood turned away from me. He slowly craned his neck to glare at me over the rim of his half-glasses. A scowl twisted his lips. He had an impossibly long face with high, gaunt cheeks. Everything about him seemed damn near death, but his eyes still twinkled a bright green.
Taking a long slurp from her drink, Hilda slapped her hand down on the counter like a salesman slapping the roof of a car. “I got another one for you, Wilbur.”
Wilbur grimaced and wiped the counter that Hilda had just touched. I stifled my laugh. It wasn’t like a brownie would have sticky fingers. They were natural cleaners. He just didn’t like her presence.
I looked up to peer past him at the stacks of herbs. Bundles of plants both recognizable and foreign hung suspended from the stall ceiling like the meats from earlier. Behind Wilber were jars upon jars of neatly labeled powders and ointments. Lower, I noticed planters rife with life.
Without thinking, I reached out with my arcana and touched the live plants. Their auras exploded as I grazed up against them. I couldn’t help but gasp at the power packed into the small leaves.
Wilbur snapped his fingers in front of my face and jerked me back to the present. “No touching the merchandise.”
An apology almost reached my lips before I realized I hadn’t actually touched the plants. I was about to point that out when Wilbur leaned forward and planted one very pointed elbow on the counter like an old bartender in a western.
