Land of Smoke and Ashes

Snake oil Salesman

They made their way downstairs, Natalie trailing after Sam, with Gwen and Jewels following behind her. As they passed the bar at the bottom the smell of alcohol was still strong, but it was near silent. Nothing like the raucous noise that had drifted out the door as they'd passed the night before.

"Everyone sleeping it off this morning." Sam's voice was full of disapproval, and Jewels snorted.

"You can't resist making some remark every time we come down here, can you?"

"She encourages this type of behavior," he said shortly. "Those that drink themselves silly every night and sleep all day don't resist when her soldiers and mercenaries take over the towns."

The other two were silent for a moment, as they trooped out the entrance, which Natalie took to mean he had made a good point. The daylight was a stark contrast to the dim interior of the bar, and all of them paused at the entrance for a few seconds, eyes adjusting.

It appeared that most of the town was already awake at this hour. Natalie watched as a chestnut colored horse pulled a cart full of hay past, passing through the crowded traffic of the street, as people wove in and out, carrying baskets of fruit and washing.

"How many towns like this are left?" She looked at Sam's broad back, at the daggers' leather- wrapped handles.

"Not many," Sam said.

"Five major towns," Gwendolin said.

"And a few outlying villages that she doesn't think are worth bothering with," Jewels added. "They're holding out. We're holding out."

Natalie looked back on time to see Gwen and Jewels exchange a look. More secrets.

She wasn't stupid thought, it didn't take a lot of careful thought to guess that these people were involved in some kind of revolution or rebellion. They were hiding out at least, that was clear. Sam had said the place above the bar was just temporary. But that begged the question, why did they already have the room? There was obviously something going on they didn't want to talk about.

Outside the air was crisp and cool, and smelled faintly of lavender, and Natalie breathed deeply. They were plunged almost immediately into the chaos of the marketplace, which had seemed to spill out of the square and into the side streets here and there. They walked past stalls of food, and Natalie found herself looking more carefully this time. Many of the things she'd mistaken for "normal" were not. There were fruit stands she'd glimpsed last night, thinking they were full of apples. Now they turned out to be stacks of some kind of other fruit. Round and red like an apple, but with jewel bright skins, full of small, green seeds that spilled out when the woman at the stand cut one open.

They passed a cart of pastries that were covered in what looked like multicolored sugar that glittered under the sun, and Natalie's mouth watered as they walked through a cloud of pie scent.

Jewels must have noticed the look on her face, because she laughed. "We'll get one on the way back. Trust me, you've never tasted anything like it."

Just from the scent Natalie believed her. She couldn't help remembering fairy tales though, stories about forbidden food, of being stuck forever in fairyland if you ate anything. She hesitated. "Are they safe for me? I mean, I won't turn into a pumpkin or anything?"

There was snort from in front of her, and she turned, surprised to see Sam's shoulders shaking with laughter. She felt herself smile, and wished she could see his face. It was the first time he'd laughed since she'd met him, and she thought she'd like to see him actually smile. Not the thin, grim smile he seemed to wear so often, but a real one.