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In his own way, Cole was giving me space, but in the brief months of training, he’d become a fixture in my life.
I read the note in more detail, committing the words to memory.
Hello love,
Time to pay up on that little favor you owe me. As agreed, I won’t require you to hurt yourself or anyone else. All I ask is for a little bit of gardening. You must first make a purchase on my behalf. Go to the stall marked by midnight blue fabric and tell the female named Hia you’ve come to pick something up for me. You will, of course, need to provide payment. This is between you and Hia, but you’ll find her fair enough to deal with. Once you have the package, plant it in the ground a half mile past the gates.
You have until midnight.
The note was unsigned, but the sender was obvious.
Phaidros.
I frowned at the note. What purpose could this little bit of gardening do? There was obviously more to it, but I had to honor my word. And hope Phaidros was telling the truth.
I debated asking Hecate about the note during training, but I worried she’d rat me out to Cole, who would freak at the thought of me leaving the capital, even for a little bit.
Instead, I sought Daphne the moment our training ended. She was spending time in court and had taken up a habit of flirting with whoever she came across in the hallways. For me, it had the added benefit of adding a layer to my education of court politics as Daphne relayed bits of information they shared with her. People were more open with her than me, with my red hair serving as a scarlet letter. For Daphne, the bit of flirting sometimes turned into entertaining ways to spend her nights.
I grabbed her away from her latest conquest and practically shoved the note in front of her.
I didn’t have to say anything. One shared glance with Daphne and we were on our way out of the palace.
Navigating the city was easier each time we did it. I loved the bustle of the city, though I could have easily lived without the stares we continued to receive. The bazaar was all the way across from the palace, by the gates, so it took easily half an hour to get there. And that was only the beginning of the trip.
I’d been back to the marketplace a few times, but it was no easier to navigate this time compared to the first. The tents seemed to shift with every visit. Phaidros hadn’t exactly tripped over himself to provide concrete directions, but that was fine. It gave Daphne and me time to wander around. I had until midnight to meet his deadline, but I wanted to tackle it as soon as possible. The sooner I could wipe the slate clean between us, the better.
Being in debt to a demon just didn’t seem smart. A necessary evil, perhaps, but not smart.
“Stop! Thief!” someone called.
Daphne and I spun in unison at the shouting.
“Thief!” A larger figure ran after the supposed thief. “Someone stop him!”
A short figure barreled forward, weaving around a crowd of indifferent onlookers.
The figure was getting closer and closer. At the last minute, I moved, sticking my foot out to trip the would-be thief and catching him by a skinny arm.
I blinked.
“It’s a kid,” Daphne said, echoing my thoughts.
Children weren’t a common sight in Hell. I spent the half-second before the shopkeeper caught up pondering exactly how this child had wound up as a thief in the underworld.
“Thanks”—pant—“for”—pant— “catching him.” The words stumbled from the merchant as he reached us. A baker, by the look of his flour-stained apron. He was a portly figure with a big beer gut and short stature that made him look rather round, in sharp contrast to the kid whose arm I gripped that was barely skin and bones.
Said kid was currently trying, and failing, to yank himself out of my grip.
I knew the moment the merchant recognized me. His gaze flicked to my hair and then back to me.
I recognized it now after talking to Phaidros. The looks were uncertain and uncomfortable. Once, in their minds, I had been their queen. Now, I was an unknown. “Um, sorry to trouble you. I’ll take the delinquent off your hands.”
He made a move to grab the child, who flinched. On instinct, I pushed myself between the baker and the child.
“Just a minute. Do you mind telling me what happened?”
I looked to the boy for an answer, but he kept silent, biting his lip. He couldn’t have been more than ten.
