A Game Of Changing Tides

Chapter Ten

1868,  Carstrid

Nikolai refused to leave Adelyn's side when she stepped off the dock, and it was something she was both grateful for and frustrated about all at the same time. He refused to stop talking, and it was too early in the morning for Adelyn to take so many of his jokes and so much of his mockery. He'd told her he wasn't about to let his Key walk around the city unguarded, and so he was going to be attached to her hip right up until her feet were firmly planted on the ship.

It'd been ten minutes since they'd left, and Adelyn was nearly at the point where she wanted to turn back and forget about buying her books. She hadn't had a moment of silence.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Adelyn finally said, giving him a pointed look.

Nik grinned, despite the annoyance in her tone. Adelyn wondered if annoying her had been his goal-- he certainly seemed like to type to pull childish thing such as that. He shrugged, "Now why would I do that, when there's so much to say?"

Adelyn bit her tongue, holding back a comment that she knew would only egg him on. They'd passed several shops already, but none of them looked like they'd sell books of any kind. Adelyn was beginning to wonder if this place had a bookshop at all, when finally she saw one up ahead. Relieved, she walked a little faster.

"The book store isn't going to close in the next two minutes, Adelyn." Nikolai said from behind her, "there's no need to jog."

"You could just leave me alone, and then you wouldn't have to try so hard to keep up." Adelyn muttered, turning back to him and holding back a smile, "I didn't realize you were so out of shape that a short run was too much for you to handle."

He frowned. It didn't suit him. "I assure you, it's not. Run all you want, you won't lose me in this city."

"You know every hiding spot, then?" Adelyn asked, holding the door to the shop open for him. He stepped through, waiting for her just inside. She had to shoulder past him to get in-- he'd stopped right in the doorway.

"Indeed," he said, winking. "Every single one."

"You've come to Carstrid a lot, then?" Adelyn said, grateful to be in a conversation rather than just listening to his mindless jabber. Her fingers brushed the bindings of the books on the shelves she passed. Several titles caught her eye, but none enough for her to take a second look.

Nikolai swallowed, "I grew up here."

Adelyn almost tripped, turning back to him with a curious look on her face. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised-- it's not as though they told each other everything. Still, Adelyn found herself taken aback by the revelation. Aside from the life of piracy he lived, not much about Nikolai seemed to resonate with what Adelyn had seen of Carstrid so far.

When they'd first stepped off of the dock, they'd been approached by several merchants with baskets of various things, begging for the two of them to buy whatever they sold. Nikolai had pulled her away from the crowd before she could even see what was in the baskets, but Adelyn hadn't stepped away without noticing how many of the people missed teeth, and even limbs. Adelyn's first thought had been disease, but the more they walked, the more time she'd had to think. She'd heard of the black market before, and the kind of things that were said to be sold there. She'd heard stories about the kinds of things some people did to those that crossed them-- the kind of prices they forced thieves to pay. Adelyn had once met a man whose hand had been cut off by someone who'd caught him stealing an apple when he was starving.

She'd worried that one day that would happen to her.

Adelyn pulled a book off of the shelf, flipping through the pages to get a better look at it. She'd only brought a fraction of the silver coins from the ship-- just enough to buy her a few books. She didn't feel safe walking through Carstrid with more than that.