Runaway with Faye

Chapter 6

The two left early the next morning, and walked along the outskirts of the city, Jyri leading Holger by the collar. As they walked past fruit stands, shiny apples caught Faye's eye, and she stopped. "Apples."

Jyri frowned at her over Holger. "What?"

"I want an apple."

Holger lunged towards the fruit, but Jyri yanked him back. "We don't have time."

"And all we have is bread." Faye picked up several, while Jyri stood several paces away, keeping a tight grip on Holger's collar. "Grab me some pears," he called to her.

Faye added a few pears to the pile, and brought them towards the woman running the stand. "4 litos," the shopkeeper said, glancing at Faye. Her eyes darted towards Jyri. "Where you headed?"

"Amolo." Faye fished through her pants pocket, and handed over money.

The shopkeeper thumbed through the bills, smiling. "A beautiful city. You'll have to go through Garka Forest."

"Yeah, we have a map."

Slipping the bills into the register, the shopkeeper lowered her voice. "Beware of the Rako."

"The Rako?"

"You don't know of him?" she asked. Faye shook her head. "The Rako is a sort of, goblin-like thing. He be a hideous, little man."

"What's bad about him?"

The shopkeeper leaned forward. "No woman can resist him."

Faye blinked. "What?"

"No woman can resist the Rako. He's ugly, but he be filled with dark magic that makes a girl want him. And he can get any girl."

Faye bursted out laughing.

"It's true."

A woman appeared next to Faye. "You're not talking about the Rako, are you?"

"We are," the shopkeeper said. "But this young lady doesn't believe me."

"She's telling the truth," the woman said. "My sister got lured in by him, and ended up pregnant. She said she became entranced by him, and-"

A streak of black flashed in Faye's peripheral vision, and she turned to see Holger leap onto the nearest fruit stand. The stand cracked under his weight, then collapsed, sending oranges tumbling onto the ground. The woman squeaked and ran away. Faye stepped back, as Jyri rushed forward.

"I am so sorry." Jyri reached for Holger's collar, yanking him away from the fruit. "He's still learning."

The shopkeeper folded her arms, and glared at Holger, who had an orange in his mouth, tail wagging. She looked up at Jyri. "You break it, you buy it."

"Understandable." Head bowed, Jyri pulled out his wallet. "How much?"

"100."

"Litos?" Jyri gaped at her. "I thought these were 2 a pound." He looked down at the mess, focusing for a moment before turning back to her. "Wouldn't 30-"

"I'll have to buy a new stand." The shopkeeper gestured towards the pile of wood that was once a stand. "Those aren't cheap. And, labor, for whoever cleans this up."

Holger fell into a coughing fit, then hacked up a chunk of orange at the shopkeeper's feet. Jyri avoided her hard gaze. "Fair enough."

Garka Forest proved to be no different than the other forests the two had traveled through. And Faye saw no signs of any life, much less a mythical goblin deviant.