The sun was setting by the time we made our way out of Swiftband, following the rest of the townsfolk towards the western river branch. One by one, torches were lit and hoisted up, turning the procession into a train of glittering lights.

  Alys and I were lagging behind the crowd, so we had all the time in the world to appreciate the sight and enjoy the moment.

  Her tail had found its way to my waist once more, but my dragoness was also walking closer to me than usual. Our shoulders kept bumping together, making our hands brush occasionally. I soon realized this wasn’t happening by chance at all. She was reaching for my hand, then pulling away as soon as our fingers touched.

  I understood her hesitation. Sharing a passionate moment in the privacy of her home was one thing. Showing affection in public, before townsfolk and visitors alike, was another story altogether.

  I let this go on for a bit as we both wrestled with our anxiety. But eventually, when our fingers brushed yet again, I snatched her hand in mine. She let out an adorable rumble of surprise. Then she tightened her grip, staring pointedly forward.

  I was tempted to start teasing her. But then the bridge, and the caravan set up beyond it, finally came into view.

  The sight was deeply intriguing.

  The entire area was lit up as bright as day. Shining orbs of pale blue flame hung in the air above the caravan like miniature suns, making shadows dance wildly everywhere their brightness failed to reach. People milled about the massive coaches and wagons. Some were performing last-minute adjustments to their fold-out stalls, while others were busily arranging their various goods.

  To the right of the caravan chaos, a crowd of animals grazed, strolled, or simply languished. They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes: everything from a humble horse, to a kelpie (which made me jump briefly as I resisted the urge to put it down, caused by recent events), to an actual drake.

  My eyes widened at that. True, it was one of the lesser drake species. It didn’t even have wings. Even so, the fact that someone had a drake doing their bidding revealed the presence of either a powerful druid or an even more powerful ranger lurking amongst the caravan folk.

  I suppose this shouldn’t have been too shocking. The caravan was a crown-sponsored affair, after all. I simply hadn’t expected someone to show up with an actual draconic descendant under their sway.

  “Have you spotted…?” The grimace of distaste on Alys’ face answered my question, and I nodded. “Ah. You have.”

  “Don’t worry. This won’t be a… problem,” she fumed, sparks escaping her nostrils. “I don’t like it, but I’m not going to make a fuss. Let’s just keep that whole mess out of sight.”

  I wasn’t going to deny her request. Draconic creatures were known to be prideful. Seasons, the fury with which Alys had torn into that eel abomination told me she wasn’t immune to this trait. Seeing even the least of her kind so obviously beholden to the will of another would be highly objectionable. If she was willing to ignore things and be content, I was more than willing to follow her lead.

  Besides, I found the caravan itself much more fascinating than their ‘menagerie.’

  The crowd ahead of us had reached the stalls. All the merchants who’d joined up with the caravan were eagerly calling people over to view their wares. Most of the townsfolk headed straight there, carrying the goods they’d gathered or produced locally and intended to trade.

  Pelts were the most common item. I didn’t know too much about the value of such goods in trade, but their quality was superb to my untrained eyes. The merchants seemed to agree, judging by their wide smiles.

  Meanwhile, a small group of burly, physically intimidating townsfolk followed the elders to a collection of wagons that stood off to the side. None of the stalls had been set up there.

  Looking in that direction, I saw two men. One was clearly an elf, while the other appeared to be a common fae. Both were dressed richly in dark blue robes with copious amounts of gold trim. As if that weren’t enough to confirm their important position as royal surveyors, the crest of the Snowdrop kingdom emblazoned over their chests removed all doubt.

  The elf was tapping his foot impatiently and all but snarled at the elders as they approached. I narrowed my eyes. I already disliked the surveyors on sheer principle, due to how much pressure their existence put on Alys. That, combined with the elf’s rudeness and my sudden worry over the presence of another fae, confirmed my resolution to avoid them at all costs.

  Before I looked away, however, I saw the wagons getting uncovered after a wave of the fae’s hand. The townsfolk who had followed the elders immediately started unloading crates and bags, presumably so they could carry our new supplies back to town.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  I would need to take a peek later at what ‘essentials’ the royal surveyors had brought us. The explanations I had received from everyone on the topic were rather vague.

  Apparently, the inventory was never quite the same. Certain staples like flour, salt, and a few spices were always present. The rest of our supplies, however, depended on both our last evaluation and current availability.

  Not a perfect system, though I supposed any help was better than none.

  But once they learned about the healing potions… I couldn’t wait to see what we would get next time.

  “You invited me, and now you’re not even paying attention to me,” Alys scoffed. My eyes snapped back over to her. Thankfully, I saw her lips curved in a teasing smile. “I’m almost insulted.”

  “How about I start making up for it, then? I can smell something delicious that way.” I pointed deeper into the labyrinth of stalls. “Also, how are they here already? I thought we’d have to wait for an hour at least.”

  My question was overheard by a male wolfkin overseeing a stall near us. Laughing loudly, he replied, “Ah, had some forewarning we were coming, then? Aye, your information was good. We just decided to speed up when we realized we were close. Everyone was eager to get down to business, and then to rest.”

  I thanked the man and glanced through his wares to see if I could show my appreciation more tangibly, but nothing appealed to me. He was selling various pieces of colorful jewelry. Even Alys seemed entirely indifferent, despite the well-known love of draconic creatures for such sparkling items.

  I got my answer as to why when we were a bit further away.

  “Colorful fakes,” she told me, leaning over to whisper in my ear. “All of it. He’s selling glass, though someone has gone to a lot of trouble to disguise it as jewels.”

  Tricks like that would probably fool humans and most beastfolk. Dragons, however, had an innate sense for treasure. And fae were much more attuned to nature and its many resources than any other race, with the possible exception of dryads. I would have known those weren’t actual jewels the second I touched one of them.

  I snorted, resisting the impulse to go back and look through his stock personally. Despite his initial helpfulness, I was tempted to toy with the man for employing such a ruse.

  The encounter did start me thinking about other possible purchases, though. Jewels were precious in every culture, not only because of their beauty, but because of their usefulness. There were few items that could hold mana better. Some even possessed interesting esoteric effects.

  Or so I had heard. Ironically, I didn’t know much about the properties of jewels when they were in one piece. When they were crushed, however, their dust had many varied uses in alchemy. I would gladly pick some up, if they weren’t always so expensive…

  I dismissed the notion with a slight shake of my head as we pressed on through the labyrinth, following the delicious aroma. There were surely other, better uses for my coin amongst these stalls. In my situation, it was also not wise to focus on such rare and valuable reagents. I would be much better off continuing to learn what local ingredients could do, and expanding my use of them.

  “Aha, here we are!” I crowed happily, finally coming upon the source of the smell.

  We had arrived at a large stall with a variety of ingredients on display. I noted eggs, vegetables, some cheeses, and far more types of meat than I could name, all laid out in large glass containers. Even from a distance, I could feel the magic fueling these receptacles. I easily recognized the preservation enchantments keeping the ingredients as fresh as they could be. My most valuable ingredient containers used many of those same enchantments.

  The food looked as appealing as it smelled. What truly caught my attention, however, was the cook.

  They were relatively short. The beauty of their perfectly androgynous face was only enhanced by their wide and happy smile. Most striking of all were the nine golden, fluffy tails swaying behind them, along with a pair of fox ears perched on top of their head. These ears twitched constantly, no doubt listening in on every conversation in the vicinity.

  A kitsune.

  This was a true rarity. The majority of their race belonged to a kingdom far to the south, near the Spring Court. They were not often seen anywhere else.

  “Customers! Good. I didn’t scare you away, then?” they chortled, waving us closer.

  “Hrm. Why would you scare us off?” Alys asked absently, her gaze fixed on the various kinds of meat.

  “Oh, I’m not a common sight around here. Then there are the stories people tell about my kin! Delightful stories, mind, but they make everyone almost as wary to approach me as they are with fae. Though you clearly don’t have any issues with those, either.”

  Their smile widened as their gaze bounced between us, lingering on Alys’ tail around my waist. The draconian flushed and glowered at the kitsune, but her tail only tightened around me in response.

  I spoke quickly to head off the rising tension. “What do you have on offer? We’d love to try some of your food.”

  “Well, I would sure hope so! Come on, choose whatever ingredients you want me to use, and I’ll whip up something for you. If you don’t like it, I promise you don’t even have to pay!”

  Alys was certainly eager to take them up on this offer. She quickly pointed out several different kinds of meat she wanted, along with one of the cheeses. She started to point at the eggs, too, but the kitsune waved her off.

  “Those are always included. What about you, fae boyo?”

  “I’d like… whatever that meat is, and the same cheese as my companion. Maybe some of those mushrooms, too.”

  “Good choice, boyo!” They peered at me, snickering playfully. “Goodness, you are young. Do you have any clue how rare it is, to see a young fae out and about? I swear, your kind usually don’t let you out of those Courts until you’re old and wily!”

  Fighting the urge to stiffen, I kept my voice casual. “Ah, well, I suppose that’s true for full-blooded fae. Common fae are much more… well, ‘commonly’ seen outside the Courts.”

  “I guess that’s true. But what’s that got to do with anything, hmmm?”

  The kitsune smirked as their eyes briefly flared gold. I swallowed a wave of rising panic.

  I did not like the knowing look in those eyes.