Fairy Tale: Winter's Bite

Chapter 21: Dangerous Territory

Nohea Marketplace wasn't what Chris had imagined.

When he, Cassie, and Joe arrived, there were crowds of fairies bustling through the canopy-covered booths and open-faced island huts. But that wasn't what concerned him. He had gotten used to the idea that he wasn't human and seeing fairies with wings no longer fazed him.

But, in Nohea, bizarre was apparently the norm. The colors and patterns were bright and wild. Though many of the fairies resembled tiny Polynesian humans, Chris was dwelling on the faces that didn't even resemble faces. Some were tattooed and pierced with sharp objects in a way that looked painful and grotesque. One fairy-male passed by whose face was half covered in what looked like dragon scales.

Chris stared until another strange sight acquired his attention: two comparatively tall, wide creatures with large hairy ears and noses, and disproportionally short arms and legs. They were waddling along while enjoying a long skewer of meat and vegetables from a nearby food stall.

He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword just in case.

After the ugly creatures stomped past, Cassie squeezed his arm and stood on her toes to say, "Gnomes, and plump enough to be harmless. You only need to be wary of the thin ones."

On her other side, Joe took a step ahead and turned to see them both. "Chris, at this point, how can anything surprise you?"

Joe and Cassie were both smiling at him. He forced a tentative grin back, but it was a hollow gesture. The marketplace was busy enough to lose each other if they were careless. And there could be enemies nearby, some of whom might be looking for them.

After wandering around for a while with no destination in mind, Cassie tugged them both aside. She led them to a spot between a spice tent and a bakery booth.

"Chris, is everything all right? You look unwell," she warbled kindly as if he were on his deathbed.

"She's right, Chris. You look like crap," Joe added with much less sympathy.

"I'm fine," Chris claimed, and it was close to true. He was in a secluded place, and the smell of fresh bread was overpowering the exotic spices, so he was almost back to his normal self—cautious and watchful with a good dose of paranoia. Nothing he couldn't handle. So, he ignored their scrutiny and took a gulp from his canteen. Then he pulled out their shopping list and the wad of orange-edged bills from his pocket. "Where should we go first?"

He handed a third of the "manako notes" to Joe.

Joe glanced at the list and flicked the paper where it said flour and yeast. Then he flipped through the Kāne money. And just as he had earlier that morning, he chuckled at the sketch of General Kimo Jokura in the center of the fairy currency. The picture looked just like him; the eyes even had the right combination of ferocity and impatience.

Chris handed the rest of the bills to Cassie. He had seen enough of his former father-in-law lately and didn't need to carry the heavy essence in his pocket. The day at the market and his portion of the spending money were meant to be for her anyway.

Cassie was reluctant to take it, but Chris insisted, so she shrugged and placed it in the plaited bag at her hip, one she must have made herself from grass and natural materials. It was too elaborate to have been made by anyone else.

While Joe took a place in line at the bakery counter, Cassie led Chris across the way. He pointed in the direction they were headed when he caught Joe's eye. At Joe's nod, they entered a fairy boutique.

Inside, the colorful clothing displays were like a work of art. While Cassie gravitated toward the fem-fairy side, Chris remained by a table of simple, solid-colored shirts, the only ones they appeared to carry. He was keeping an eye on her while passively checking out a black tunic, similar in style to the off-white one he was already wearing, borrowed from his father. Before long, Cassie had sidled up beside him. "You should choose forest green."