Like the rain, sleep eluded Elandor.
She lay awake in the dark, listening to the sounds of the city. The noises of the docks drifted up through their hideout's cracked walls, waves lapping against the shore, the creak of ropes as ships tugged against their moorings. Outside, Tahok lay cloaked in fog. Inside the room, Lucy and William slept deeply. But Elandor couldn't sleep.
On the rickety table beside her, the pearls they'd stolen glimmered faintly. She could nearly feel its weight in her hand. Fifteen thousand gold, if she could just find the right buyer. She had the perfect person in mind, but now, lying here in the dark, she wondered if it was worth it.
Fragments of her past drifted up. She remembered little of her parents. She remembered a rough hand on her shoulder, the scent of salt, her mother's laugh blending with the cries of the gulls. But the faces were hazy, only flashes and shadows. It was the sea she remembered most, that wild, restless call that seemed embedded in her bones. She had tried to ignore it and when she couldn't, she tried to bury it under a life of hustle and sailing, but it never fully let her go.
Elandor stayed that way, tossing and turning until the first spear of light broke the sky.
"Wake up," she finally, nudging Lucy. "It's morning."
Lucy groaned, swatting at her. "What's the hurry?"
"We have to move, or someone else will find Milo first," Elandor said, her voice low and urgent.
William rolled over, blinking blearily. "All this for a string of rocks?"
"Not just any string of rocks," she shot back. "These rocks will get us out of this dump."
They quickly gathered their things and slipped out into the streets, weaving through the bustling crowds already filling the marketplace. The cobblestones were wet with morning dew. Merchants we're setting up their stalls, and children hurried to school. They moved fast, silent, towards Milo's caravan tucked between two sprawling tents at the market's heart.
Milo was a merchant with whom she had become familiar. Dark-skinned and long-haired, he was something of an oddity. She took to him easily. And he was always ready to make a bargain with her.
Milo spotted them from a small distance away and spread his arms wide, grinning as they approached. "Elandor! Bringing me gifts so early? Or just brightening my morning?"
Elandor rolled her eyes. "Figured you missed me, Milo." He ushered them into his tent, still smiling.
"Ah, my day always feels dim without you," he teased. His dark eyes gleamed with amusement. "Tell me, what treasure did the Great Redhead of Tahok bring me today?"
She pulled a velvet pouch from her belt and pulled it open just enough to give him a glimpse. The Mother of Pearls cast a ghostly light even in the dimness of the tent.
Milo's mouth fell open. "By the gods… You actually got it. And they said Lord Chase was practically sleeping with the thing!"
Lucy snickered. "Let's just say he's going to be sleeping a little less soundly."
Elandor grinned. "So, interested?"
"Very," Milo replied, reaching for it. But as he did, his gaze flicked to William, who was eyeing a glittering medallion on the table.
"Ah, ah, William," Milo said, waggling a finger. "Hands to yourself. This isn't a charity."
William's face flushed as he jerked his hand back, mumbling an apology. Lucy just smirked, patting his shoulder. "You lways want to touch the shiny things, don't you?"
Milo reached for the pearls again, a new greed shining in his eyes.
"Let's talk price," Elandor cut in, pulling them out of his reach. "We're talking fifteen thousand gold, and we both know it."
"Fifteen?" Milo scoffed. "Eleven. You know I have a business to run."
"Fifteen, or we take it somewhere else."
They went back and forth, words sharp and quick, until finally Milo sighed. "Thirteen thousand," he said, extending his hand. "And that's generous."
She gritted her teeth but took his hand, sealing the deal. "Fine. You have a bargain."
Milo smirked, bowing. "Wouldn't have it any other way. Give me a moment to get the gold. I don't like to keep it lying around here."
As he turned to leave, he cast William a warning look. "And you, if anything's missing, I'll know where to look."
Once he'd gone, Lucy broke into a grin. "Thirteen thousand! That's a hell of a haul. We could buy our way out of this city, get some land—hell, we could disappear if we wanted."
Elandor allowed herself to imagine it, just for a moment. A life where she didn't have to look over her shoulder, a life where she could buy a boat and sail wherever she wanted. "Maybe," she murmured. "It's enough to start fresh."
Her daydream shattered when Milo reappeared. A dozen guards filed into the tent, flanking him, their swords drawn.
"Milo," Elandor said, her voice like ice. "What's this?"
He spread his hands in mock apology, but his gaze was steely. "Lord Chase made an offer to all the Merchant's before dawn—thirty thousand for the thief who dared to sneak into his home and steal from him. He figured whoever stole them would be eager to sell them off before they are found in his possession. And he was right. Forgive me, love, but that amount of gold was more than I can refuse."
Elandor's blood turned to ice. "Thirty thousand golden coins? All that for a string of pearls?"
Milo shrugged, his expression pitying but unyielding. "Sometimes, even the miserly have things they treasure above others."
Lucy stepped forward, her face twisting with fury. "You snake."
"Take them," he said, almost bored as he gestured to the guards.
Elandor's muscles coiled, her hand reaching instinctively for her daggers. But before she could draw them, a blinding, searing pain shot through her arm. She gasped, clutching it, feeling something hot and raw, building inside her.
"Her eyes—look at her eyes!" one of the guards muttered, stepping back. Fear flickered across his face.
Elandor didn't hesitate. She pushed past the pain, barreling forward. She threw herself between two guards, diving out of the tent and into the chaotic market beyond. Around her, merchants and buyers shouted, oblivious to the danger as she slipped through the crowd.
Behind her, she heard the guards' heavy footsteps, but she didn't look back.
"Stop right there!" a voice called.
Elandor cut through the stalls, ducking past vendors and darting down a narrow alley where the noise of the market faded. Pressed against the cool stone, she gasped for breath, heart pounding.
She had left William and Lucy behind at the mercy of the guards. Her insides twisted at that betrayal. She did not know if it was worse than what Milo did to them. Elandor cursed her bad luck. Then cursed herself for taking up such a dangerous job.
The sharp pain burning down her arm did not go away. Quickly, Elandor ripped her sleeve to find the source. She froze, staring in shock. A swirling dragon, inked in glossy black, was tattooed onto her skin.