Empire of Shadows

19.

Jameson was not a fan of the cold. This wasn't even the same kind of cold as Rajsend. This cold was dry and weighed in his lungs. It was a terrible and awful thing, but what could he do about it? He was essentially here for the ride.

Anubis had stopped at a vender to trade out their kips to dats—a copper colored coin with the head of a young woman stamped on one side and a raven on the back. Ketil called it a Kvättorp or something, but Jameson didn't particularly care. Money was money and even as Anubis collected the money and began talking to a woman with maps, Jameson was relieved to have a few dats in his own pockets.

Now as they meandered around the crowds which kept their distance from each other, Dante led him by the hand to stare at curios and oddities, gasping at whatever caught her fancy.

They were treated normally here, it was odd to him, but what did he know about other cultures? The only culture he'd thrived in was prison culture.

The crowds were friendly too, they held strangers at a distance—Jameson guessed it was because riesun were venerated and respected. If someone like Anubis passed through their ranks, they wouldn't injure anyone or themselves accidentally. The riesun looked relieved to actually breathe in peace.

Dante grabbed his arm suddenly, "look at this!"

He bent down at a stall where she pointed to a charm necklace. It was dainty and held two charms, one a seashell and the other a small rose carved out of wood.

Jameson looked to the seller who was desperately attempting to get Ketil to buy something that looked like golden honey. Jameson pressed his finger against the charm, dragging it to the edge of the table before letting it drop to the ground.

He slowly picked it up, shoving it into the top of his boot.

"You can't do that," Dante said, crossing her arms.

"You forget I killed two men. A little thieving from a rich merchant will not hurt my soul."

"I don't think that's how morality works." She still looked at him with big eyes. She was one of the only darker skinned people in the market. People still looked at her with a bit of confusion—or maybe it was awe. Vasco, Raziel, and Dante had suddenly become very popular.

A Polarian woman grabbed Dante by the arm now, her gloves white against Dante's skin. "Very pretty," she said, an accent pulling at her words. "A flower for the pretty girl, yes?"

She took the blossom from her hair and stuck it behind Dante's ear. "Very nice, yes?"

Ketil turned around, his hand reaching for the knife in his belt, but stopped when he saw the woman. His lips curled into a smile and a slight blush covered the woman's cheeks. "A beautiful flower from a beautiful woman. A very beautiful flower."

She smiled at him, taking his hand with a small bow before turning back into the crowd. Her white hair trailed to her waist in braids full of the flowers, she plucked one from her braid, offering it to another young girl before the crowd swallowed her.

Dante took the flower away, looking into the red swirls of color against the stark white petals. "It's beautiful, isn't it Ketil?"

Ketil took it, tucking it into her braid. "It's a winter blossom. They are in bloom this time of year and I know back at my home, they—" he sighed deeply. "They fall from the trees like snow. The smell good, yeah?"

Dante smiled, "I can't believe you live here. It's a fairy tale."

"You should see the place I live," he looked away, drawing his gloved hands through his hair. "It's a beautiful place."