The Blood Ruby (The Arcane Artifacts #2)

Chapter 32 - The Night Market

As we walked, I stared in obvious disbelief at what could only be accomplished through magic. The night market. Since discovering the existence of supernatural creatures, I'd faced vampires, witches, a few demons, and a goblin bounty hunter. None of that prepared me for this. The market was like the submerged portion of an iceberg. Before tonight, I'd only witnessed what could be seen above. This was the supernatural world's underbelly.

Brightly colored tents and stalls spanned as far as I could see. Farther than the limits of any cathedral interior. Colorful flags and fabric awnings zig-zagged over a maze of walkways, tethered to poles and tent tops. Lamps and lanterns cast light in dizzying patterns over everything.

Some tents were open, showing off wares. Others were mysteriously closed, hiding their secrets. Smaller booths were mixed throughout. There were also carts selling refreshments; all sorts of mouthwatering scents seeped into the air. The cart on my left had a dark spiced drink and colorful pops the size of candied apples, but definitely weren't.

It looked more like a circus than a market. Especially given the clientele. Crammed into the walkways were an eclectic assortment of people. Some looked more human than others. I gasped as one such individual passed right by us. "Is that a..."

"Leopard shifter," Laurent answered for me, taking in my amazement. The leopard was far from the only oddity. Animals of every size and type meandered through the crowd. No one paid them a second glance. I spotted a black bear, walking on all fours beside a human looking female, whose fingers were tangled in his fur.

I looked more closely at those resembling humans. The vampires were easy to spot. There were far more of them than anything else. I'd grown accustomed to their otherworldly beauty and graceful movements.

"Is that...a fairy?" I breathed, unable to look elsewhere as the pointy-eared female strode past us. Her eyes lingered on me. Her orange hair was pulled back, with a dainty tiara atop her head. Her gauzy dress seemed to float around her legs.

"Vittorio and I will circle back later," Marco said, eager to break away from us.

"Sure," Laurent murmured, then added, "That's a fae. Fairies have wings. See? There's one over there."

"Oh!" I sucked in a breath. The pixy looking male he'd directed my attention towards stood a few inches shorter than me. He had stunning gossamer wings that flexed as he talked animatedly with a booth owner. His white hair was short but messy. The air around him seemed to glow.

"How does this place even exist?!" I blinked. To think, Laurent had intended to keep me home tonight! The thought of missing this was unthinkable.

"Magic, darling," Zola said, pressing herself against my side as we walked. She linked her arm through mine. "Lots of magic. Wait until you enter the booths."

"Yes, let's!" I clapped my hands together, excitement growing.

"We're not here to dally," Laurent said, his words clipped. I finally spared him a glance, only to find his eyes in constant motion, his jaw tense. He gripped my free hand tighter than necessary.

"Oh, come now, Laurent. The girl is mesmerized. Let her enjoy this while we are here." Laurent grumbled something unintelligible as I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. "Vittorio and Marco will will sniff out our quarry. Until then, we can enjoy ourselves. Yes?" This last part Zola said to me, smiling. I nodded eagerly.

"Very well."

I squealed, caring little for my overabundance of excitement. With Marco and Vittorio gone, my vampire guard consisted of Hassan taking the lead, with Laurent and Zola at my side. They kept close. I spared a moment to look up at the ceiling and grinned. The night sky was plastered above me, small clouds drifting by. "Are we still inside?"