Monsters & Magic

Cora stared up at the archway that was the entrance to the bustling market. Made of the same stone as the houses, it reached higher than any of the roofs and expanded into a slightly lower wall in both directions. Beneath the archway, shoppers passed in and out carrying baskets and bags.

She had seen crowds before, they were everywhere in the city. People there were always busy, hurrying through the streets to get to their destinations. They pushed and shoved without a second thought to spare for those around them.

As they neared the archway, Cora tensed, ready for unwanted contact. It would not catch her off guard like Seth had when they had arrived at the healer’s house that morning. She had nearly screamed when he had greeted her with a hug. He had let go when she returned it with a fist to the side.

Who greets people with hugs anyway? She thought to herself, grimacing at the memory of his expression.

When they crossed into the marketplace, she was distracted from her thoughts by an assault on her senses.

Voices filled the air beneath colorful tents and canopies as shoppers passed under them. They mingled with more smells than Cora could name, walking a fine line between exciting and nauseating.

The colors overhead filtered the sun’s light, making the market an odd sort of rainbow. The stands beneath them looked almost as colorful, boasting wares from clothes to food.

She slowed to watch as a group of three women wearing cloaks of pale green, their hoods down, stopped at a food stand. They chattered animatedly, the one in the middle using her hands for emphasis. To her surprise, the stand worker greeted them with a smile and seemed to be in no rush to get them out of the way.

The whole interaction felt odd to watch as the shoppers took their time picking out the things they wanted. Back in the city, the stand workers hurried shoppers along so that they could make the next sale. This group of women would have been considered a nuisance, almost as much as the rats that stole to live.

She would have used a group like that, following them in the shadows. While they distracted the shop workers and pulled attention toward them, she would be able to take what she needed without being noticed.

“Cora,” Idris called, pulling her attention from the woman at the stand.

She turned away from the stand with the chatty women to see him standing a short distance away. The crowd around him parted and she felt eyes on her as she closed the distance between them. “What?” she asked, coming to a stop in front of him.

“It would be too easy to get lost here,” he said. His eyes flicked toward the stand and back. “Are you hungry?”

She shook her head. “Just watching.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Idris said.

The eyes she felt watching from all sides made her tense and she fixed her face into a glare to look around as they started walking again. Being watched was never a good thing.

They moved further into the market, the crowd lessened, though she could still feel eyes on her.

“Here,” Idris said, stepping under a large sky blue tent, held up by pillars of stone and filled with clothing. Everything from cloaks to shoes filled the space, some with intricate designs and others simple and plain.

“I’ll be right there!” a voice called from behind a rack of shelves that stretched from floor to tent. Rustling noises grew into shuffling and then a woman emerged, taller than Cora with dangling earrings and black hair pulled back into a messy bun. A white cloak draped over her shoulders, embroidered in waves of blue.

When her eyes landed on Idris and Cora, her face lit up in a smile. “Idris!” She hurried over and wrapped him in a hug. Then she stepped back and looked him over, speaking with excitement. “It has been too long, little brother. How have you been?”

“Hello Isla,” he responded. “It’s good to see you too.”

Cora crossed her arms when the woman’s attention turned to her. “You are a Shield,” she said, her voice soft.

“Yes,” Idris replied. “Cora, this is my sister, Isla.”

“I always knew you would make an excellent shield,” the woman said, her smile unwavering. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Cora.”

For the second time that day, Cora was engulfed in a hug. This time she held still, unsure how to react. A punch to the ribs did not seem appropriate. She cleared her throat when the woman let go and responded with a quiet, “You too.”

“How long has it been?” she demanded, turning back to Idris.

“Only a day,” he answered.

She clapped her hands together. “Well, I am glad you came to see me. What can I get for you?” she asked Cora.

“Um…” Cora felt her face heating up. She had never imagined simply asking someone for what she wanted and expecting anything short of a swift kick back into the street.

“Clothes,” Idris answered when she did not. “She was staying with Mattias and has nothing.”

A moment of silence passed while Isla stared at her brother. Then she turned to Cora. “Come with me, and I’ll get you set up with everything you need.”

Cora scrunched her brow wondering what she meant by everything. Reluctantly, she followed the woman across the shop, feeling more overwhelmed as they went.

Isla moved along one rack and then to the next, pulling out clothes as she went and passing them to Cora until her arms were full. Then she led the way to a counter at the back. “Set it all down here and I’ll get a bag for you,” she said, tapping the counter with painted nails.

Cora dropped the clothes and aimed a scowl down at them. “I don’t need this…” she grumbled the thought under her breath.

The pile of clothes lay there in front of her, a sign of wealth she would never have.

“Nonsense,” Isla said, laying a bag on the counter and putting the clothes inside. “Everyone should have nice things to wear.”

Cora rolled her eyes to hide her surprise and slipped a hand out from inside her cloak to take the bag. Its weight felt uncomfortable when she slung it over her shoulder to rest against her back. “Thanks…” she mumbled.

“Thank you, Isla,” Idris said.

“Come back and see me again. Soon.” She gave Idris a meaningful look.

He smiled. “We will.” Then he put a hand on Cora’s free shoulder and she gladly walked with him out of the shop.

Back in the street, she took a deep breath. She hadn’t realized how out of breath she felt until she was no longer under the tent, surrounded by racks of clothes.

“Are you alright?” Idris asked.

“I’m fine,” she replied, adjusting the bag. “Where next?”

“Next, we will get you a bed and then we have to stop by Gabe and Marian’s place,” he explained while they walked.

She sighed, her mind going back to that morning.

They had arrived at the healer’s house first thing. Cora had passed on food in her eagerness to get there and see how the boy was doing. He and his sister were both doing much better. Cora had been unable to hide her surprise when she saw them, sitting at the table eating.

Someone bumped her, snapping Cora out of her thoughts and knocking her bag from her shoulder. She turned to look for the person who had bumped into her and found a woman with long dark curls and a painted face. Her cloak was deep blue and slung over one shoulder, revealing a white dress embroidered with gold stars.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

Cora ground her teeth and lifted the bag back over her shoulder. “Yeah right.”

She felt Idris’ hand return to her shoulder and then the woman shifted her gaze to Cora’s Shield.

“Idris! Have you finally agreed to become a Shield?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“Yes,” he responded.

“I thought you never would,” she said, reaching up to play with the end of her hair. “What made you change your mind?”

Cora was keenly aware of the movement of the people around them, slowing to watch the interaction. She bristled at the feeling of eyes on her.

“I have my reasons,” he said.

Cora glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She had not thought to ask why when he had offered to be her Shield.

The woman crossed her arms. “Well, you are one lucky girl,” she said, eyes scrutinizing Cora’s face. Something about her expression put Cora on edge.

“We have to keep moving,” Idris said.

“Oh of course. Have a nice day then. I’ll see you around.” The woman waved a hand and then turned, disappearing into the moving shoppers.

As they turned to continue on their path, Cora’s mind swam with questions. “Who was that?” she asked when they had put several stands between them and the woman.

“Her name is Brandy,” he answered. “She used to be friends with Isla.”

“Used to?” Cora asked.

“When we were kids,” he clarified. “They do not see eye to eye and had a falling out a long time ago.”

They came to a stop at a yellow tent situated near the wall of the market, and Idris steered them inside.

A man looked up from his seat near the entrance and immediately stood, setting down the cushion he was stitching with needle and thread. “Hello!” he greeted in an unnecessarily loud voice. “Idris, what brings you here today?” he asked. His eyes fell on Cora and his smile widened. “Who is this?”

“Hello, Dean. This is Cora,” Idris answered. “She needs a new bedroll.”

The man turned toward a stand near where he had been sitting. “You’ve come to the right place then.” The stand displayed colorful rolls of thick fabric. “These are some of my best. Take your pick.”

Cora stared at the display, reaching out to touch the nearest one. It looked far softer than the cot in the healer’s house, the seam embroidered in a pattern that looked like waves. “This one, I guess…” even her whisper sounded too loud in her ears.

“You’ve got it!” the man said

“I’ll carry it,” Idris said, stepping forward to pick it up from the stand. “They’re heavy.”

“Do you need anything else?” the man asked, looking Cora over.

She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and kept her voice hard and her answer short. “No.”

“Thank you,” Idris said with a nod.

“Of course. Anything for you, Idris.” The man walked with them toward the entrance to the tent and waved as they walked away.

Cora peered at Idris out of the corner of her eye.

The entrance to the market was only a few stands away and when they passed under the archway, she felt like she could breathe again.