Aedan Calahan and the Silver Hand

Chapter 6

Aedan walked the streets and observed nothing that caught his eye until he stumbled across, after a while, a high, melodic chirping. It came from an ornately decorated shop with a sign saying The Paper Critter, a popular bookshop by the looks of it. The shop's branches were decorated with hanging bird houses, flower pots, metallic symbols he didn't recognize and pendulous red fruit. Everything was resplendent in color and, in a very unnatural way, blended well with the oak's dark wood.

The high, melodic chirping came from a bird of shadow. Its wings, with a wingspan easily the size of Aedan, were engulfed in shadowy flames and its head wore a crown of the same flame. Aedan heard more chirping above and was surprised to find plain nightingales perched on the tree.

The store was thrice the size of Clark's and hosted dozens more customers. Aedan had never been in a bookshop before, and he was surprised by his state of wonderment. How could so many books exist? Also, who lets a bird engulfed in flames inside a bookshop?

This might have been Aedan's first time in a bookshop, but he put two and two together relatively quickly: this was a bookshop for school. The sections were labeled by classes: History, Dendrology, Alchemy, Transmigration, music, just to name a few. There were many more and none seemed more popular than the other.

The outside may have been ornately and resplendently decorated, but the inside was plain, but was by no means bare. No section was more popular than the other, but a group of young boys were huddled around the Sacred section. Aedan heard "paladins" and "dragons," which sounded interesting, but he stayed clear all the same and explored the history section first, alongside a girl with her back turned, about his age. She was tall enough to examine the fifth shelf without a stool. He pretended to know what he was doing, which was rather easy because acting and thieving were sisters. He settled for a copy of The Milesian Invasion: A Brief Introduction and began picking through it.

He read the first page and was sucked in instantaneously. Apparently, Milesians were a people with no known origin that invaded Ireland and Scotland and managed to defeat, with the aid of superior weaponry and technology, a group called the Tuatha Dé Danann, who ruled the two countries at the time. They made peace and after a few more pages, Aedan learned a particularly interesting piece of information: the Tuatha Dé Danann were forced to vacate to "under the hills."

He was currently in a shop at Under Hill. Were these Tuatha Dé Danann Druids, then? He scanned the front and back cover for a price. The mononymous author's name was Cicero and the book was published by Under Hill Publishing. That was the only useful information he could find.

The girl beside him still had her back turned. He opened his mouth to ask her if she knew the price and then fear pushed the words down his throat. He suddenly remembered that he was wearing his only pair of clothes that hadn't been washed since summer began. His arms, hands, and face were dirty and sooty.

He shoved the book back where he found it and hurried out of the store, the shadow bird watching him curiously as he exited. What was he thinking? He was already forgetting his creed and the way of things. He did not talk to pretty girls; he did not read books; he did not partake. He was a thief and an orphan.

Then, as he stared at the far-distant sun beyond the twisting limbs and singing nightingales, he remembered what was dangling at his belt.

A fortune. And there just so happened to be a clothing store across the street.

Danu's Closet was more florid than anything had a right to be: every single tree limb had a decoration hanging from it or a shiny object wrapped around it. On either side of the wooden door were two statues, both of, presumably, Danu, a tall, imposing woman, each with an actual gold necklace snuggled tight around their necks.