beneath her coat, however, is anything but innocent.
“If you need me,” she says with a grin so wicked I second-guess that pardon I gave her, “I’ll be at the tables, bleeding everyone dry.”
“You mean their pockets,” Ferrick says, a deep crease forming between his brows. “Right? You’ll be bleeding their pockets dry?”
Shanty only smiles. “I suppose that’ll depend on how the night goes.” With the tiniest wave, she disappears into the crowd, reminding me once more how dangerous a crew I’ve assembled. Shanty could have a knife to my throat in a single second, and I’d never see her coming.
Though I knew Visidia would change following Father’s death, I expected for it to come slowly, for the islands to need more support. Shanty’s right, though—what the Kers have done for their home is both necessary and ingenious. But it’s also a reminder of how quickly Visidia’s changing, and how little control I have at steering it.
Now that they’re getting training to protect themselves from the worst of the storms—now that they’re safe—all they had left to deal with was figuring out a way to drive more revenue.
And they have.
The sun falls behind the stone buildings, beginning a quick descent into dusk. Dazzling lights spark to life, bathing the night in flashing neons that are impossible to turn away from. They’re not meant to be a beautiful arrangement of colors like the ones in Ikae, but so flashy and over the top that they’re almost gaudy. And yet there’s something magnetic about them. Something exciting.
This is exactly what Kerost needs. This is their lure, their draw for tourists to visit and spend their money. They took what Blarthe gave them and made it their own, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt prouder of my people.
Like Shanty, I want to take off down the brightly lit streets and explore all this city has to offer. I want to find Ornell. But with the crew shadowing me, doing so freely is impossible.
I need a way to search without the others getting too suspicious. Right now, Ferrick is the only one who can know what my true goal is.
“You love it.” Bastian’s voice draws my attention, quiet and wistful.
“It’s incredible.” I don’t deny it; the evidence is written all over my face. This is the part of traveling I love more than anything—not only seeing my kingdom and its people, but learning how each island operates. Seeing their customs and getting to know them firsthand. I could read about the fashions of Ikae or the monstrous mountains of Valuka a thousand times, but nothing beats experiencing it.
“Look how far they’ve come in just two seasons.”
A smile curls on Bastian’s lips, though it falters when he catches sight of something on the street corner. He tips his chin to the left, and I discreetly turn to eye a merchant who’s set up at the edge of a thin alleyway. Three metal mugs sit before him, and he shifts them around on the table he sits cross-legged behind. A crowd forms around him as he lifts one of the mugs to reveal a miniature conch shell.
“Keep your eye on the prize,” the merchant tells a girl who sits opposite him. She narrows her eyes with intent focus as he covers the shell with the mug and begins to move the cups. His movements are slow at first, easy to follow. But eventually his time magic sets in, and the mugs spin so fast they blur.
Even as the merchant settles and the mugs still, the girl doesn’t look put off. She points to the middle cup, boasting confidence. But a frown finds the merchant’s face, and when he lifts the mug, nothing sits beneath it.
“You were so close,” says the merchant, feigning sympathy. “Care to try again?”
She does.
“There’s no way anyone could win that,” Ferrick huffs under his breath as we step forward to get a better view. “You can’t see anything!”
“Even if you could, you’d still never win.” Bastian’s got his arms folded across his chest, squinting at the merchant like he’s a puzzle that’s just been solved. “Once the mugs stop and she’s about to guess, watch his hands.”
The girl points to the mug on the far right, and sure enough, in a flash of movement so quick I nearly miss it, the merchant uses Valukan magic to alter the air so that the seashell slips from beneath the middle mug and into the sleeve of his coat. When he unveils the empty mug,