The capital is not quite what I was expecting. It’s a mix of towering buildings, one-story homes, and several apartment-style buildings. The streets are paved, a dark gray. It costs to even get in, 100 bl each. There is no way Bazur would have made it into the capital to sell the goods. Not with how poor the vilgers are. Even Roharu was annoyed about forking over the 500 bl for us and Apollo to enter.

  What a freaking rip-off. It costs to get in here and then the vilge must pay these so-called taxes to the capital for protection, and yet when the vilge needed help, they got turned away. Doesn’t matter the world, magical or technological, people are corrupt.

  I turn my head to the right. Lots of humans around. They all huddle together. Some stare back at us in confusion, others in disgust, but mostly, they keep to themselves. A group of reptile-like creatures stroll past. They have the face of an alligator but the body of a human. I try not to stare at them, but their frilly dresses that go down to their ankles and their oversized hats with rows and rows of pink bows are a bit much. They flick their fans in unison and giggle as they walk by. Their tails, some blue and some green, flick behind them in unison with the fans.

  Compared to them, Chloe and I must look like chumps with our pin outfits. Fine by me. Those dresses have far too many yers and look heavy as heck.

  “Reminds me of a small city or a college town. Not like Chicago though,” Chloe says. “Oh! That looks like a bookstore.” She points to a three-story building. I wince at the mix of purple and green-colored bricks. The color scheme is interesting. There are two tables fnking the entrance with pile and pile of books and scrolls for sale. The foundation leading to the bookstore is yellow, but it looks freshly painted.

  I rub my eyes. So far, the capital screams trying too hard. Even the flowers pnted next to the light posts are over the top. But I can see why someone would live here. There are guards walking around, candidly interacting with the citizens, and the buildings are close together, so you wouldn’t have to walk far to get what you need.

  “Later,” Roharu cuts in. He squeezes my hand. “First, we sell these goods and then we can look around.”

  “Do you know where to go?” What we need is a map because this pce is huge. There are some signs, but they are road signs with the street names. What this pce needs are billboards pointing out which shops to go to or a central map like in the malls back at home. Man, I haven’t been to a mall in a long time.

  “I will know when we get there. The capital has changed since I was st here.” He looks back over his shoulder at Apollo, who is no longer in his kelpie form. Disguised as a human man with short brown hair and dark brown eyes, Apollo looks unassuming, and it keeps throwing me for a loop. I see how he could trick someone into befriending him if he’s able to shapeshift.

  “If you need a break, let us know and we will create a distraction for you,” Roharu continues.

  Apollo grunts, which I take as a yes. Even though he’s disguised as a human, he doesn’t seem capable of speech. At least not yet. I should look for a book on kelpies while we’re here. Apollo isn’t always forthcoming, and I haven’t decided if it is because he doesn’t know the answers to my questions or if he just chooses to ignore me.

  “How long has it been since you visited?”

  “Two or three centuries. The capital is noisy,” he says, with a curl of his lips. His ears alternate between lying ft on his head and swirling to the left.

  The noise doesn’t bother me, but my hearing isn’t nearly as sensitive as his. I gnce over my shoulder. Katsuro is having a hard time too. How does everyone else stand it then? On the right, next to a bakery, a group of people with beaks for mouths and blue feathers for hair, stand huddled in a circle drinking a beverage.

  I stop. That’s a coffee mug.

  “What is it?” Roharu squeezes my hand.

  “I think that pce has coffee.” I motion with my head instead of pointing. “They’re drinking something out of a coffee cup.”

  Roharu sighs. “That is a cup for movement, not necessarily for this coffee.” He makes a right and heads towards the shop. “We will see if they have this mystical drink of yours and then press on. I want to sell these items and then find an inn for the night. Best to not wait until nightfall lest the best rooms are taken.”

  “Are we still going to the bookstore?” Chloe asks.

  “After.”

  “We won’t forget. I want to check it out too. They might have a book on the vegetation around here.”

  Chloe smiles. “Ooh I didn’t of that. I was thinking maybe something on runes or spells.”

  “Wouldn’t weapons be more practical?” Katsuro asks.

  Roharu shakes his head and lets my hand go long enough to open the door. The bird people stop talking and stare at us. Is it that strange to see humans and demons together?

  No, that can’t be it. Behind the counter is a man with bck hair in some kind of swoop. Reminds me of a skating park. Next to him at the register is an elf? She has pink skin and long pointed ears that stick out. Her hair is golden and curls around her face, and her eyes are light blue.

  She doesn’t have pupils.

  I look away and focus on the menu up on the wall. The symbols jump out like a movie in 3D, except I’m not wearing any special gsses and it’s a little difficult to focus on the symbols and on the employees behind the counter. My head hurts a little from trying to make sense of what the words say.

  Roharu steps forward and rests an arm on the counter. “Give us a moment. We are still browsing,” he tells the employees. They shrug and go back to talk to one another. “Says here that they recommend the honey vengeance.” He points to it on the board. “Stronger brew with honey as the sweetener. Do you wish to try it?”

  It doesn’t sound like coffee and none of the machines here look like coffee or espresso machines.

  “I’ll take a small one.”

  Roharu gnces at Chloe and then waves the employees down. “Two small honey vengeances.”

  I move away from the counter and look around the shop. On the left, next to the medium-sized window, is a table for two. There’s some pnt, an orange one, growing along the wall, mingling with the light above. On the walls are pictures of what I assume to be ingredients. There’s a picture of a blue and green insect with eight wings and legs that resembles that of a centipede. It rests on a green leaf, sipping from the bud of the flower.

  “Here, it’s not poisoned.” Roharu holds out the drink. Behind him, the employees grunt and make noises of displeasure.

  “You just wanted to try it,” I say before taking a tentative sip. There’s nothing remarkable about it. The honey is strong. Sweet. But there isn’t much to this—Oh! I hold the drink out in front of me and then lift it to my lips for another taste. The vengeance is the punch of fvor that hits you when you aren’t expecting it.

  “Is this the coffee you wished for?” Roharu holds open the door and waits for everyone to file out.

  “No, this isn’t coffee, but it isn’t bad. Tastes like tea? But I like it.” The warmth seeps down into my bones. Maybe there is some kind of recipe book too, so I can try to replicate this.

  “Bleh, that’s too sweet,” Katsuro compins.

  “More for me then,” Chloe says. “Thanks for getting me one.”

  Roharu yawns and then motions for us to follow. We walk another block and down a narrow street filled with more homes than shops. At the end of the block is a one-story shop. I squint, trying to make out what the symbols say. It’s still a little difficult for me to read the symbols here with as much ease as I do back in my world.

  Dragon’s bite.

  “This is the shop you want to sell to?” I finish the rest of my drink and then look around for a trash can. No luck. We passed plenty of shops, but Roharu ignored them.

  “It should be run by Zika.”

  “Zika?” Katsuro intones. “A friend of yours?”

  Roharu chuckles. “He’s known as the bringer of death. That dragon has no friends, but he gives the most honest price.”

  Bringer of death? I clutch the empty cup tighter as I step over the threshold to the shop. A wave of unease washes over me as the feeling of being nauseous builds. It could be nothing or I’m just overreacting because of the reputation of this dragon, but I swear the temperature inside this shop is five times hotter than it is outside.

  Apollo huffs.

  “You can wait outside if it is too much. This will not take long.” Roharu walks over to the counter, past the rows of... skulls. Yep, those are skulls nestled between items for sale. Wisely, I keep my hands to myself. Last thing I need is to accidentally set something off and then the whole pce blows up.

  The door swings open, bringing in a gush of cool air before smming shut. I bite my tongue. It was just Apollo heading out for cooler air. Chloe moves closer to Katsuro, who looks far too happy to be in here. Must be the cat in him that loves the heat. Or skulls do it for him.

  Roharu taps the bell on the counter and leans against it. Long lines are etched into the wood. No, cw marks. I waiver between wanting to stand back and seeking Roharu for comfort. I should have asked for a rger drink. The serenity I experienced on the way here is long gone and the mounting fear of this Zika is growing by the second. Roharu turns his head and then tugs me forward, pulling on the sleeve of my dress.

  “Rex.”

  Easy for him to say. He’s always calm. I nod and try to focus on the items behind the counter. Books, some of them, float above the shelves. Bottles full of some kind of liquid. There are no words but some kind of picture. I’m not sure what it means, but none of them have a skull with crosses, so maybe they are some healing ointments?

  I tense. Footsteps. Heavy footsteps. The door off to the left opens and a man—male, with short bck hair and two horns that curve upward emerges. He blows out a breath. Fire illuminates the room before dissipating.

  Lovely. He’s really a dragon. A fire breathing one. Of course, he breathes fire. That’s what dragons do, I berate myself.

  Wait. Is he wearing clothes? I peek at Roharu, but he’s nonplussed by the ck of attire. Okay, maybe this is normal for dragons. The shop is unbearably hot.

  “Roharu,” Zika greets. His eyes are yellow, no, they are more golden. His skin is tanned. He leans forward, propping one arm on the counter, and smiles. But it’s tight, as though his face isn’t used to such an action. “You’ve brought it?”

  Brought what?

  Roharu shrugs off the bag and pces it on the counter. “I have it, but first these are goods I am selling for a... friend,” he says the st part slowly.

  “A friend?” Zika reaches for the bag and pulls out the hides and weapons Bazur didn’t want from the goblin vilge. “Normally I would tell ya to fuck off, but since it is you...” He sorts the goods out in a row and then crosses his arms. “The bcksmith two blocks on Rue Lin could fetch you better prices for these.” He reaches back into the bag and pulls out a gem. It’s as bck as the dagger hilts. The gem crackles like that of a burning log. “30,000 thi.”

  “Done.”

  Zika pulls out a bag from his pocket and then grabs a tray from behind the counter. “And my other item?” He counts out the coin.

  Roharu pulls out a skull from a gray bag. “You are welcome to inspect it.” He closes his hand around the bag and when he opens his palm, it is gone.

  “Uhh...” Chloe starts, but she must think better of it because she says nothing else.

  I lift the cup to my lips and groan. Right, it’s empty. My eyes drift back to the skull on the counter, how a locket of brown hair sticks out of the eye socket. The dark mage.

  So that’s why Roharu was at the Forest of the Undead. He was hunting.

  AutumnBanks

  Sorry for the te update. Hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reading.