The sun had disappeared behind the tall city walls by the time Naiela and Triss made it to the market. The skies were still bright and blue, but the streets were full of dim shadows. Despite that, the market was still crowded with shoppers and travellers going in every direction. It was worse the closer they got to the merchant tables, with people crowding around to look or purchase. At one point a young man, maybe sixteen, bumped into her, nearly knocking her over. Instead of apologizing, the young man glared at her before stomping away through the crowd.

  “You bumped into me, asshole.” Triss muttered under her breath.

  Naiela snorted a laugh. “He’s not mad because he bumped you. He’s mad because he wanted to steal your coinpurse and couldn't find it.”

  Triss looked where the young man had gone, but he’d vanished into the crowd by this point. “You think he was a thief?”

  “Yep. Pickpocket. The way you’re gawking he probably thought you an easy mark.” She smirked.

  “Oh, shut up.” Triss said, glowering at the other wizard. “Come on, lets go see what these guys have for sale.”

  The first few tables they managed to reach weren’t very interesting, selling mostly food and ingredients. The fourth table they found was selling a wide variety of jewelry, with silver rings and thick chains set out on a dark velvet-like cloth. Two huge men stood at each side of the table, eyes constantly roaming over the crowds. Each wore a leather vest, their thick bare arms crossed across their chests. Black swirling tattoos covered their arms and necks, and each had a dull iron short sword hung at their hip. One of them looked Naiela and Triss up and down as they approached, then went back to scanning the crowds, obviously dismissing them as not being a threat. The owner of the shop smiled at them as they approached. He was a tall thin man with a thick moustache so large it could probably have been used to make a broom. Before he could speak Naiela glared at him, and his smile faltered slightly. He pressed on however, fixing his smile and greeting them. “Welcome, ladies! Tim has the greatest of jewelry for you! Is very pretty jewelry for very pretty women!” His accent was strange and thick, and Triss had a hard time understanding what he was saying.

  “Greatest?” Naiela scoffed. “I wouldn’t buy this for a dog.”

  The man held a hand to his chest, a expression of faux shock on his face. "My dearest mistress! You wound poor Tim!" He turned his attention to Triss. "My heart bleeds for you, if you must be dealing with such an insensitive woman every day."

  "She's not that bad." Triss said with a grimace. "She's quite nice actually."

  A predatory smile grew under the merchant's mustache. "You are too kind, I think. A wonderful friend, yes wonderful, you must be."

  "Oh, thanks?" Triss replied. She wasn't sure where the man was going with all this, but something about it made her nervous.

  "Such a wonderful friend. Would not let my excellent wares be insulted so. Come, come. Look for yourself. This necklace, so fine is it not? A wonderful piece for a wonderful friend. Come, come, try it on. I can show you, it shall be brilliant on you."

  "No. Come on, Triss." Naiela said, grabbing Triss's hand and pulling her away from the merchant. The merchant's expression darkened, and he started speaking loudly in a foreign language. She didn't know what the words meant, but it was apparent he was swearing at Naiela.

  "He was mad at you." Triss said as they blended back into the crowd.

  "He was trying to scam you." She replied. "That jewelry was all overpriced and poorly made. He was trying to make you uncomfortable so you'd buy something out of pity."

  "Really?" Triss's eyebrows rose. "Well, he would have been disappointed to find out I have no money."

  Naiela suddenly whirled around. "Quiet!" She hissed. "Don't say that out loud!" She glanced at the people around them, but they all seemed to be ignoring the two wizards.

  "What, that I have no-mpghhh!" Naiela slapped a hand over Triss's mouth before she could finish her sentence.

  "Yes. That. Trust me, if people knew that we'd probably get chased off by the table guards. If we were lucky, that's all they would do." She took her hand off Triss's mouth, but stood ready to put it back.

  "That seems extreme." Triss said.

  "That's just how things work around here. The merchants don't have time for gawkers. Just keep your mouth shut and let me do all the talking. Pretend you're deaf. That might help." She turned and began pushing through the crowd again.

  "This is ridiculous."

  "Stop talking."

  "I can't hear you. I'm deaf." Triss replied sarcastically.

  "Deaf people don't talk."

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "They do if they went deaf later in life." Triss shot back.

  "You've been deaf since you were born then."

  Triss muttered a few choice words under her breath as she followed Naiela through the crowd. Eventually Naiela stopped in front a table spread with a wide variety of knives, daggers and swords. She reached out and picked up a blade that was somewhere in between dagger and short sword, with a slightly curved blade that was sharpened on both sides. She ran a critical eye over the piece, then held it lightly in one hand, moving it back and forth slowly as she tested the balance. “Know how to use one, do you?” Triss asked.

  Naiela sighed. “Of course I do. I told you before what I was trained to do.”

  “Oh. Right. Sorry, I forgot.”

  “Yes, you seem to be quite forgetful. You can even forget a simple instruction given to you half a minute ago.”

  “It’s been a minute at least.” Triss replied with a smirk.

  Naiela snorted a laugh. “Fine. You can remember instructions for almost a minute. That puts you on par with a puppy at this point. How much?” She directed the last part to a young blonde woman sitting behind the table.

  “Twelve silvers, Mistress.” She replied in a quiet voice, bobbing her head slightly.

  “Hmm. Maybe. What grade is the steel?”

  “I’m sorry, Mistress, but I don’t know. My husband Clive makes these, and normally he’d be here to answer questions. He’s a bit under the weather today. If you’d like I can have this set aside for you. Clive will be here tomorrow to answer questions, I’m sure.”

  Naiela shook her head. “I may return, or I may be busy. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on a sale if I didn’t return. Keep it with the rest, and if I have time I may return.” She replaced the dagger-sword-thing and headed back into the crowd.

  “That was thoughtful.” Triss said as they once again blended into the crowd.

  “What was?”

  “Not having her hold the sword thingy in case someone else wanted it.”

  “I know you have a low opinion of the council, but we aren’t evil as you seem to think.”

  Triss shrugged. “You? I don’t think you’re evil. We’ll have to agree to disagree on the council.”

  They visited three more tables in quick succession. Two more selling blades, and one selling potions. Naiela picked up a glass bottle containing a red liquid and examined it, swirling the contents around. The liquid was thick, like maple syrup, and Triss thought it looked like blood. Naiela pulled the cork out of the bottle and sniffed the liquid. The shopkeeper started to protest, but a quick glare from Naiela silenced him. He sat back on his stool and glared back, arms crossed and a foul look on his face. “Golweed.” She said as she put the cork back in. The shopkeeper’s face went suddenly pale.

  “I…Mistress.” He sputtered. “I…I would never!”

  Naiela arched a brow, regarding the man with a cool expression. “You are fortunate, sir, that I have higher priorities today. Clear out your table, and don’t let me find you here again.” She pulled on a gold chain around her neck, and quickly produced a small, intricate pendant from inside her shirt. She made sure the shopkeeper saw it before stuffing it back.

  “Uh, yes, yes Mistress Wizard. Right away, won’t be back.” He grabbed a large chest from beneath the table began hurriedly throwing potion bottles and bundles of herbs inside. Triss could see that the inside was full of divided compartments, obviously designed to protect the potion bottles in transit. The man didn’t bother with the compartments, and more than one bottle broke open, filling the inside of the box with a rainbow of runny and sticky liquids. Naiela stood watching the entire time, not taking her eyes off the shopkeeper until he snapped the case shut and hurried away, a trail of brown goop dripping into the dust of the road.

  “What was that all about?” Triss asked once they started walking again.

  “That potion contained Golweed. It’s a highly addictive painkiller, heavily regulated. He wasn’t licensed to sell it.” She replied. “And it certainly shouldn’t be in a potion labeled as a men’s…restorative.”

  “Restorative?”

  “Figure it out on your own. I’m not having that talk with you.”

  The business with the potion seller had not gone unnoticed, Triss realized. They now walked in a people-free bubble nearly ten feet across. It was if the crowds just naturally split around them, everyone careful to keep their distance. Few even glanced their direction, though one stooped old man with a cane watched them intently as they passed. “How come they’re all staying away now?” Triss asked after a few minutes. “I mean, I know why they did at first, but with these crowds we should be far away from anyone who actually saw what happened.”

  “They’re just used to it. Dangerous people, wizards, royalty. If they come through, the crowds give them space. The people see everyone else staying away and know to do the same.” She sighed. “Personally, I hate it. I don’t like sticking out like this. I think I’m done shopping now. Let’s head back to the inn.”

  Triss nodded. “I definitely agree. Which way?”

  “Just follow me.” Naiela started kept walking the same direction, then began to veer to the left. At first Triss couldn’t understand where she was going, but then she realized there was a space between two buildings where another road ran. They crowds parted as they reached the road, and Triss could see that the road they were going to was nearly deserted. Only a handful of people travelled up and down the street. She saw one man with a long, thin torch lighting tall iron lamps that ran up and down the street. A funny feeling came over Triss, and she glanced back over her shoulder at the market they’d just left.

  Standing at the edge of the crowd, a curious expression on his face, was the old man with the cane. He suddenly smirked at Triss, and then began walking after them, surprisingly spry for someone so old. Triss turned back forward and whispered to Naiela. “Someone is following us. An old man with a cane.”

  Naiela glanced back, then shrugged. “Probably some old pervert wanting to know if we would ’keep an old man warm on a cold night’ or something like that. Ignore him. He’s not fast enough to catch us.”

  Triss tried to do as Naiela said, but that strange feeling wouldn’t go away. She glanced back again. The old man was actually catching up to them! She smirked at her again as he hurried after them, his cane tapping lightly on the hard packed dirt of the road.

  “He’s catching up.” Triss whispered.

  Naiela rolled her eyes, then stopped walking. Triss took another step before stumbling to a stop and turning. The old man stopped in front of them. “Can I help you?” Naiela asked.

  The old man looked her up and down with a lecherous smile on his face. “I’m sure you could, apprentice. But I’m here for her.” He pointed his cane at Triss.

  “Me? What do you want with me?” Triss demanded.

  “Not me. Him.” He gestured again with his cane at a point behind Triss. Before she could turn around a heavy hand landed on her shoulder.

  “What in the twelve hells are you doing here!” A man shouted behind her.

  Triss took a deep breath before turning to look into Percival’s furious face.