Page 26 of City of Snakes
I extended a hand to squeeze her shoulder and said, “Soon you can travel back there whenever you please. The wards are down, and an Egress will be built.”
Elsedora smirked. “Like the wards ever stopped me. There are some things that are nostalgic not because of the places themselves but because of the people that once filled them.”
From discussions with Asterie, I knew Elsedora’s parents had been killed during the Great Wars—that they’d harbored Source-wielders and had been punished for that crime.
She interrupted my thoughts by asking, “Ready to break some rules?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I had a feeling that Elsedora wouldn’t allow Darvanda’s skepticism to change any plans she’d made for her evening.
My hair was too slick and soft to tie back with the Luz-blue ribbon, so instead, I wrapped it around my wrist as a bracelet and followed her out of the bedchamber.
Chapter 10
Sybilla
The roads of Sahlmsara were enchanting by day, but they were downright mesmerizing at night. Golden lanterns hung in the air, held up by nothing but whatever charm allowed them to float and sway in the night wind. Rowboats lined the canals, charmed to carry passengers unmanned.
In the courtyard of Umber House, a quartet of brass instrumentalists played atop the low wall separating the space from the canals. People sat picnicking on woven blankets around the musicians, watching them play and throwing them coins. Elsedora went over to speak to a woman selling something on skewers and came back with one stick outstretched toward me.
“What do I do with that?”
She laughed before taking a bite of the meat off the stick.
Oh no—I couldn’t.
“C’mon. I know you’ve got to be hungry.”
I took the skewer stiffly and took a bite without letting anything drip onto the dress Elsedora had loaned me. It waschicken—in a savory, spiced marinade that hit my tongue with such a mouthwatering depth of flavor.
Some storefronts were closed for the night, but others had stayed open. The city bustled and came alive when the sun no longer accosted it. Elsedora grabbed my hand and pulled me along through the crowds. Despite my limbs feeling like stone and my longing for sleep, I couldn’t compel myself to take a break from exploring this wondrous city.
“Is it always this busy?”
“Most nights. In peak summer it’s quieter. The night heat is not as moderate then.”
We weaved through the market. Floating tealight candles lit the balconies above, revealing people sitting out and enjoying their wine and spirits. I would kill for a glass of wine.
“Do you have a favorite pub?” I asked, biting off more meat—from a stick!It was freeing to be so present with the people—to be on the ground with them, to experience the city as they did.
Elsedora looked downright devious. “Of course. Where did you think we were heading?” She released my hand once we’d made our way through the night market and the traffic was easier to navigate.
“Thank the Sources,” I breathed out. A drink would settle my nerves from having arrived in this strange, marvelous place.
She’d left me here.
Alone.
In a pub.
It had only taken Elsedora thirty minutes before getting distracted and chatting up a dark-haired man at the next table. She’d left on his arm, saying,“This won’t take long. Promise. Stay put—drink, relax.”
It shouldn’t bother me, but my shoulders tensed from unwanted gazes and my hands gripped my wineglass. The leather bench seat was slippery against the silk of my borrowed dress, and I felt far more exposed than I preferred even though the booth was in the corner.
The pub itself was a rather nice establishment for something named “The Royale Cock.”
I’d half expected Elsedora to take me somewhere with a rowdy crowd, sticky floors and ale-stenched air. Instead, colorful tapestries lined the walls—they illustrated some fairytales I recalled having heard as a girl, but all the characters looked red-eyed and drunk. The brown-speckled terrazzo tile floor was similar to Umber House.
The ceiling was tented with crimson curtains, and the flickering light of sconces dimly lit the space. Hanging in one corner, on a giant golden perch sat a taxidermy peacock.
