Rose pulled gently at his sleeve, her eyes shining with renewed enthusiasm, already thinking ahead. "Co on! I saw a bridge! Let's go explore what's on the next island!"
They wandered on, following a loop eventually back toward the center of Whiskeytown. The peaceful, old magic of the Drear's Plateau was replaced by the colorful, raucous energy of the Grand Bazaar, the aerial market district. Here, ways expanded into crowded avenues, lined with stalls crafted of glowing glass and polished wood. The atmosphere humd with the buzz of a thousand conversations, the aroma of foreign spices blending with sugary pastries, and the gentle tinkle of innurable enchanted trinkets. Any number of people, clad in everything from dignified mage robes to bright rchant silks, hurried by.
Rose's eyes sparkled, moving from one fantastical spectacle to the next. Her hold on Auren's arm grew stronger, and she faced him, her lower lip pouting ever so slightly, her eyes wide and irresistibly adorable. "Auren. I want ice cream."
He laughed, the insistence so characteristically Rose. "Okay, okay. Let's get so."
They wove through the happy crowd, making their way toward a glinting stall that was crowned by a twirling cone of frozen light. As they approached, a streak of color flashed out of a side alley, and a boy, moving with desperate urgency, bumped squarely into Auren's shoulder.
The boy stepped back, almost falling, his eyes wide and filled with an almost frightened panic. "Oh! Oh my—! I am so, so sorry! Please, I'm sorry!" He stuttered, his voice high-pitched and shaking.
Auren regained his balance, taken aback by the boy's overreaction. "It's all right, don't panic," he attempted to soothe him. He paused a mont to look at the boy: inhumanly yellow-colored hair that defied gravity, wide black eyes frantically moving about, and a plain white jacket that hung large on his thin physique. His face was a picture of tangible fear.
Without hesitation, the boy turned and ran, vanishing into the maze of stalls as suddenly as he'd arrived.
Rose followed him, her forehead creased. "He looked upset."
Auren nodded slowly, the previous exuberance partially dampened by the encounter. "I think so too. As though he was in flight from sothing."
Shaking off the brief unfamiliarity, they purchased their ice creams—Rose selecting a bright, whirling Rainbow Swirl, and Auren selecting a rich, cold Glacier Blue. They consud them slowly, relishing the sweet cold, drifting through the market, basking in the colorful exhibits.
"Oh! Auren, look!" Rose burst out abruptly, pulling at his arm once more, her gaze on a store with a grand, glittering exterior. "Those clothes! They're so pretty! I want to go there!"
Auren looked at the beautiful silks and shining trinkets on display inside. "Okay, let's go."
They entered, air at once cooler and filled with the costliest odors. Music whispered from discreet speakers as they shopped on the ground floor. "Second floor!" Rose announced, already climbing halfway up a glorious, curling staircase.
"Okay," Auren consented, following her. He liked the subtle thrum of the Aetherium Gardens better than this boisterous, gaudy market, but Rose's enthusiasm was catching.
Above, the style was even more over-the-top. Rose had headed straight for a showcase of glitzy footwear, oohing and aahing. Auren trailed behind her, eyeing the crowded floor. His gaze snapped to a figure on the floor he recognized by a checkout counter: Sia, Ryuki City's Elite Mage. She was deep in what seed to be a heated bargaining session.
"I'm an Elite Mage of Ryuki City!" Sia's voice was not a shout but one that had the clear weight of soone accustod to being listened to. "You can't even offer an honest discount for that? It's insulting!"
Auren's shoulders bristled. He spun around, attempting to beco small, not wanting her to see him. He had no interest whatsoever in socializing, not now, not when he was having such a wonderful day with Rose.
"Rose, let's go! Quick!" He urged, pushing her gently away from the shoe stand. For more chapters visit novᴇlfire
Rose stared up at him, confused. "Why? But I like these shoes—"
"We'll do it later," Auren demanded, his voice more assertive than she was used to as he attempted to usher her out the door. I dislike mixing with other people. Not today.
But too late. A puff of iridescent purple gas appeared right before them, curling into Sia's elegant, familiar shape. Her keen eyes, which were normally guarded, eased a fraction when she regarded Auren.
"Well, well, well," Sia breathed, a small smile playing about her lips, and little cat bubu on her shoulder grinning. "If it isn't Auren. How are you?"
Auren smiled a polite but stiff smile. "Umm. Nothing. Just Browse." He then waved vaguely in the direction of the counter Sia had just left. "Were you. Having trouble finding sothing?"
Sia's face had beco mischievous once more, a grin forming on her lips. "Trouble is my middle na when storekeepers can't acknowledge quality." Her eyes then shifted to Rose, opening in slight surprise, a playful glint moving into them. "Oh, my! You have a girlfriend, Auren?
Rose's complexion had turned beet red, and she quickly raised her hands in a warding gesture, shaking her head hard. "What?! No, no, no! Nothing like that!"
Auren, his cheeks flushing in solidarity, swiftly interrupted. "Yeah, she's my friend, Sia. Just a friend." He steered the topic elsewhere, attempting to deflect her piercing stare. "But. If you're not here for shopping, then what's an Elite Mage doing in the Grand Bazaar?"
Sia's face assud a more serious tone, and the flirtatious taunting was lost. Her eyes beca distant, sweeping over the other shoppers. "I am looking for so individuals. Three."
Auren's heart thudded once. "What sort of people?"
Sia's eyes clipped, a glint of steel creeping into them. "We think they're from Yuzen City. And they're under so sort of substance."
As soon as she spoke, a sharp, ear-piercing SCREAM cut through the cacophony of the Grand Bazaar, followed by a fiery SHATTER of light-crystal and the noxious reek of smoldering ozone. From an alleyway nearby, a shock of distorted energy radiated outward, causing shoppers to run wildly and shriek in fear. The earth itself seed to shudder, and a small, high-pitched whine echoed up from farther within the market. Sia's eyes flew open wide, her hand automatically flying to her side, where a slight magical aura started to churn.
Auren experienced a shiver of realization. That dark energy, that disquieting thrum. It was exactly like the sensation he had fleetingly felt around the "strange trio" in the Aetherium Gardens. He automatically wrapped his arms around Rose, his latent power stirring restlessly inside him, as the Grand Bazaar descended into pandemonium.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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