“I don’t know why she hates me so much,” Cora said, thinking of Delta as they walked the busy street, heading toward the market.

Idris shook his head. “She’s got a lot going on. I’m sure it’s not you.”

Cora huffed to herself but didn’t bother arguing. She had not meant for the thought to start a discussion.

Once again, they went almost into the market and turned down the street before the main entrance. She peered in as they passed, inhaling the rich scents that drifted out to meet those who entered.

At the end of the street, the large house looked different than it had the last time she had seen it. Cora stared, trying to figure out what had changed. It was the same sandy color as all the other buildings, all the things she remembered seeing last time were still there. Its roof reached the top of the market wall, and it was the only building she had seen so far with a second floor or windows anywhere but the ceiling.

Idris knocked and while they waited, a thought occurred to her. “Did you make these buildings? You know, with your magic…” The question sounded silly when spoken out loud, but she did not know how else to ask.

He shook his head. “Most were grown before I was born. I have repaired a few, and helped expand the market.”

“Grown?” she questioned. As far as she knew, buildings were built, not grown like plants.

“Yes. They were grown out of the sand and dirt beneath us, several generations ago, by the original gifted when sturdier shelters were needed to fend off Shadow-Walkers,” he explained.

“They weren’t always here?” she probed.

“No.” He paused, looking around. “Our ancestors were nomads, traveling up and down the coast of Phaedra. Their homes were tents that could be taken down and built with ease. When they first settled here, by the bay, there were no Shadow-Walkers that they knew of.”

“Oh…” Cora said slowly, trying to picture what a city of tents must have looked like.

The door opened suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts.

“Welcome back, Idris and Cora,” Gabe ushered them in with a wide smile.

“Thank you,” Idris replied. “We came to check on the children.”

Cora looked around, expecting to see them. The inside of the house had changed since the first time she had been there. The mess was less imposing, everything seemed lighter somehow. Thumping sounds came from overhead followed by feet running down the stairs.

“Here comes Marin now,” Gabe said with a chuckle, turning to greet the boy as he appeared at the bottom of the steps.

“Hello,” Marin said, stepping over to greet them with a grin on his face.

“Hello.” Cora couldn’t resist responding.

The man looked at her with surprise and turned back to Marin. “They came to see how you and Siena are doing.”

“Oh, we’re good!” he said in an excited rush. “I like it here. There’s plenty to do and I’m never alone.” The smile he wore lit up his face.

Gabe patted him on the back. “We are glad to have you.”

Idris nodded. “How’s your sister?”

The boy glanced back at the stairs, his smile fading. “She’s okay,” he answered slowly. “She doesn’t like not having magic.”

Another round of footsteps on the stairs signaled their arrival just before Marian emerged.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Behind her, Siena followed, her attention focused on the toddler she carried. She looked up and when she saw them her face turned bright red.

Marian whispered something to her and reached for the toddler. With a quick nod, Siena passed off the child and then turned and hurried into the other room, disappearing from sight.

“It’s nice to see you again, Cora.” Marian smiled warmly.

Cora nodded, feeling awkward. “Thanks,” she said, keeping her voice low.

Marian put her free arm around the boy and squeezed. “Thank you for bringing us these two. Marin is such a joy.” She smiled at the boy who smiled back. “Siena is taking longer to adjust, but I think she’ll come around,” the woman said more quietly. She glanced back at the room where she had sent the girl. “She’s a wonderful help.”

“I am sure that’s to be expected after losing her magic,” Idris commented. “I’m glad you had room for them.”

“Are you staying to eat?” Marin asked.

Idris shook his head. “Not today. Thank you for the invitation.”

“You’re always welcome here,” Marina smiled.

“Thank you,” Cora added as they headed back out the door.

“That was a short visit,” Cora noted, once on the street again.

“If we didn’t have other errands to run, we might have stayed,” Idris responded.

“Right.” They walked along the wall back toward the market entrance in silence.

The market seemed louder than normal as they made their way through the tents and stands. The air crackled with energy from the people all around them.

Cora walked close to Idris, avoiding the sea of people as they moved out of his way.

Dinging bells signaled the return of a boat from the islands, calling for help unloading.

“Idris!” someone called.

Cora looked around to find a man in a plain tunic standing in front of a navy blue tent. He waved them over, calling for Idris again.

When they made it to the tent, the smell of incense assaulted Cora’s nose, overtaking the other smells around them.

“Thank you for coming,” the man said, as if the meeting had been prearranged.

“What can I do for you?” Idris asked.

“I wanted to talk to you about Liam…” The man hesitated, looking around. “In private?” He cleared his voice and looked pointedly at Cora.

Idris shook his head. “No. I’m not leaving Cora behind.”

“That’s okay.” She surprised herself by speaking up, taking a half step back toward the moving crowd. “I’ll just go over there…” she said, looking around to find the nearest stand with food.

Idris hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” If the smell inside the tent was that strong outside, she did not want to experience it inside.

“Alright,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go far.” He followed the man back inside the tent and Cora turned toward the stand she had spotted. It reminded her of the one Seth had shown her, with sweets organized across its counter.

She dodged her way through the crowd, feeling a little out of place. The energy in the market was one of excitement and anticipation, though she could not tell what had caused it.

She stopped in front of the stand, giving the woman running it a small smile. Sweets were a luxury she had never quite acquired a taste for, but they were nice to look at and they gave her something to focus on while she waited. I wonder what he wants to talk to this guy about.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and Cora turned, surprised that Idris was back so quickly.

Instead, a woman with short cropped golden hair, a light green cape, and big blue eyes smiled at her.

“Are you Cora?” she asked.

“Yes…” Cora answered slowly, trying to remember whether she had seen the woman before. Her gut told her to be cautious despite the woman’s smile.

“Come with me,” the woman said, holding out a hand. “I want to show you something.”

“No.” She turned back to the stand, hoping the woman would get the message and leave her alone. Maybe I should have gone inside with Idris.

She was considering making a break for the tent where Idris had gone when the woman grabbed her arm. Her fingers locked around Cora’s wrist like a vice. “It’s not a question,” she said in a low, sickeningly sweet voice.

Cora’s heart began to pound as she tried to break out of the woman’s hold. “No,” she said, louder this time.

To her horror, a man and a woman emerged from the crowd, surrounding Cora. The man wore a hat that shaded the top half of his face from view. He moved quickly, grabbing both of her arms and holding them behind her back.

She sucked in a breath to scream, but a punch to the stomach knocked the air from her lungs, giving them time to cover her mouth in fabric. One of them threw the hood of her cloak over her head while someone else tied her wrists together with rough string, wrapping it around painfully tight.

“It’s this way,” the first woman answered.

Panic shook her muscles as they began to move her forward into the crowd. With no way to call for help and no use of her hands, she searched for anything she could use to defend herself or get away.

“You are nothing but a distraction and you have no place in this world,” the woman hissed in her ear, pushing her forward. “We are going to get rid of you for good so Idris can focus on his work.”

At her side, she heard the other woman greeting a passerby as if this was a normal occurrence.

Fear threatened to strangle her as she contemplated the meaning of the woman’s words. The sounds around them changed and she realized they had left the market. She tried to drag her feet and slow them down, but the man moved behind her and shoved with rough hands and she stumbled to avoid falling on her face.

“Where is the portal?” the second woman asked as they made their way down a quiet street.