The Ivory Rite

Chapter 5

We finally reach the Mart by midafternoon, the busiest part of the day. The Elite often sleep in, not making it out to do their errands until around this time. I suspect most of the sellers from Hearth were awake before the sun.

The Mart is located in the southern outskirts of Glace, close to the Border. This is by design, allowing the Elite access while making it unnecessary for the Ceannte to enter the heart of the wealthy city. Anyone who tries to do so without proper work authorization is stopped by the White Watch and sent back to their rightful place in the mud.

We've approached from the west where the castle sits, providing access while maintaining a comfortable distance. I walk Ki by the reigns and he snorts, nudging my shoulder with his nose. I stroke his white face, looking around for a place to buy him a treat.

"So, what exactly are we here for?" Adair asks. He already appears to be bored.

"I'm not sure yet." 

He looks at me, disbelieving, and mumbles something disparaging about women. 

"What was that?" I ask him, a warning in my tone.

"Nothing." He smiles without a trace of sincerity.

"Here," I say, handing him Ki's reigns. "Make yourself useful and go tie up the horses." I expect an argument, but he obliges without protest. Recognizing an opportunity, I throw up my hood and duck into an alley of booths as soon as he turns his back. I move as fast as I can without attracting attention, which is challenging. The Elite never move quickly, behaving as though the world waits for them. 

I suppose it does.

My heart pounds in my ears. For a few minutes I'm afraid to look behind me, but the slip turns out to be much easier than I anticipated. The thick crowd makes losing Adair almost effortless. I slow down after covering a good distance, taking in my surroundings.

The Mart has the quality of another world. It's loud and rambunctious, full of sights and sounds I'll never see in the cold, abandoned castle. The fact that I'm unaccompanied fills me with an energy I can barely describe. The air seems more fresh, the light brighter. I take down my hood, smiling as the sun hits my face.

I feel alive.

Breathing in the smell of fire and roasting meat, I sidestep some shouting children as they run by, deciding to stop at one of my favorite fabric booths. I run my fingers over some colorful ribbons and smile down at a brown-haired little girl who holds fistfuls of the silky strips out to her mother. As the woman hangs and organizes by length and color her daughter looks up at me, suspicion etched onto her miniature face. 

She's probably not used to blonde ladies smiling at her, I realize, my friendly expression melting like a frost over the Border.

Moving on, I wander for a little while, stopping to buy a snack for Ki. I'm leaning down to sort through some vegetables when a hand closes hard around my left shoulder, nearly startling me out of my skin.

Adair.

My heart pounds up and into my throat. I turn around, preparing myself for how furious he must be, only to find that the fingers digging into my collarbone don't belong to anyone I recognize. Surprise elevates my expression as I come face to face with eyes of the lightest, brightest blue.

At first glance the man looks ancient, but as I take in the planes of his heart-shaped face I realize he can't be more than forty. Lines are etched deep in his rough skin like it's been exposed to the elements, but the shade is so pale it looks as though the sun has never touched him. His hair is almost fair enough to be considered blonde but streaked with gray, giving it the grainy look of the rough sandy beaches at the bottom of the castle cliffs. Despite his lighter coloring, he's wearing tattered rags for clothes. Everything about him appears to be a contradiction.