Shifter Fae Romance: a Dragon Mate 03

~There is no sex in this chapter! Please start from chapter 1.~

Wednesday. Two days before the auction.

At midday the streets of Wren were packed with travelers. The city's main road was overcrowded with merchant's tents and livestock for sale. Emera elbowed her way through the sea of pedestrians, attempting to dodge carts and donkeys that trudged the opposite way up the crowded road.

The main road led from the southern entrance of the city all the way up to the northern most point, Wren Palace. The city was surrounded by a towering grey stone-and-wood wall. It was the capital of the kingdom, situated against the Grey Sleet Mountains and the Faewren Wood.

People had once travelled from far and wide to buy and trade in the largest sprawling market in the kingdom. For weapons, trinkets, magical seals or potions... There was no better place than the Wren. It felt like a strange dream, remembering how it used to be. On the surface things didn't look that different.

Flashing Nico's signature got Emera into any shop within the market she wanted. Her first stop was to find a dress for the auction. The walls of the dressmaker's shop were lined with reels of rich fabric. The floor was a glossy black-and-white tile. She weaved through the ball gowns and gilded robes towards the back of the shop. Each dress had to be worth at least a thousand gold.

The shop keeper greeted her warmly. Emera noticed the way her eyes roamed over her- taking in the patched dress and worn stockings. She hastily pulled out Nico's signature to hand to her. It was a piece of ivory embossed with a family crest, hung on leather string. Nico had several made, each with a different name and crest embossed on it. This one he had only trusted to Emera once. The woman's eyes rounded at the sight of it. Her dazzling smile widened.

"Lord Hale is one of our best clients. A dress for yourself? Of course. I know the perfect one..." She led her through the store at a jog.

Emera nearly knocked over one of the mannequins as they walked through a narrow hallway. The woman turned sharply to shoot her a glare, but then her look softened as if remembering herself.

"Careful," the woman said in a sickly-sweet voice.

Emera glared at the shopkeeper as she turned to lead them through a large set of double doors. Her eyes caught on a sparkling dress in the hallway. If a few pearls or precious stones went missing from the hem of a dress, would anyone really notice?

Through the of double doors was a back room of sorts with a large, domed ceiling. Oversized chandeliers lit the room warmly. This space was much different than the front of the store. The dresses here didn't have huge skirts or puffy sleeves. They were all tight lace and thin crinoline, with leather straps and cris-cross lacing.

Emera couldn't help but reach out and stroke the sleeve of the closest dress. Fine silk, cool to the touch. The tight bodice had cutouts in the sides and the back. There was lace sewn over top that was opaque enough to leave barely anything to the imagination.

If a beautiful dress was all it took to get into the Underground, then this would be her easiest job yet. No potions necessary. She would keep the stupid figurine safe until Nico sold it for an eye watering sum and then she would escape this city for good.

"See these supports here?" The woman ran her hand over the front of the dress, pointing out hidden boning. "Theres no corset, which allows the dress to have such a flattering figure." The woman ran her hand down the

flattering figure,

a deep cut down the front of the dress that ran almost to the waist.

High slits ran up both sides of the skirt. Most of her thighs would be exposed without some sort of stocking on underneath. Did they even sell stockings here? Emera wasn't so sure anymore.

"What gowns do you have at home?" The woman asked.

None,

she wanted to say, but that didn't seem like the answer the shop keeper was looking for. "Um, nothing quite like these."

"Hmm... With your complexion, maybe something darker..." The woman led her through another set of dresses.

Emera had never felt wistful eyeing dresses before. There was never time or money. Picturing herself wearing a ball gown now, all she could imagine was falling on her face in front of a crowd. But staring at these dresses sent a thrill down her spine. She'd never worn something so fine. They were beautiful and wicked.

It wasn't until Emera saw the red dress in the corner that she made up her mind. The seamstress took her measurements. Everything was put on a bill to worry about later. When the seamstress suggested a new lace cape and embellishments, Emera simply shrugged in agreement. She had stopped trying to calculate the price in her head somewhere around the three hundred gold mark. It was in Nico's name after all.

It felt like her head might spin off her shoulders sometimes, trying to keep track of when Nico was feeling generous. He was the mastermind of the Underground, and she was his thief. Her heart leapt in her throat as she stroked the expensive lace collar of a dress hanging on the wall. It hung from silk strings. Part art piece part object for sale.

She'd been an angry teenager when Nico had found her. She had been living alone on the streets. Once he had seen how good of a pick pocket she was, Nico had accepted her under his wing. No matter how filthy or ugly she was. But he only offered her the world when there were strings attached. Strings that he could easily manipulate, strings that he could easily cut.

I'm just another tool to him,

she realized. What would she become, when he finally grew tired of stealing and lying for a living?

"Three days. Should be ready just in time for Friday."

Emera accepted the order form from the seamstress. She made her way out of the shop and back through the throngs of people. She didn't often visit the wealthier areas of the market. It was hard to keep from gawking at all the beauty.

Marble pillars and richly colourful tapestries still decorated many shops. Even if most of the lords had abandoned the city, new ones had replaced them, those who thought there might be a profit in the fear and uncertainty the fae invasion had brought.

She passed by trinket shops and

HUMAN ONLY

signs on doors. Fake warding spells hung from doorways. She had a good sense for real magic, and she had never felt a spark from anything in the market before.

If the fae had been involved in their world before the invasion, it had always been minimal. Most fae chose to live in their own realm beyond the mountains, but some did occupy the forests and rivers of the Faewren Valley.

She had grown up hearing stories of people stumbling across the fae. Accidentally finding a faerie circle in a field or daring to sit in the water where river nymphs were known to frequent. Their magic had always existed, ancient and otherworldly, a mystery to them. Much more powerful and deadly than human magic.

Now everyone claimed to be a witch. They sold "goblin trinkets" and "pixie spells" by the dozen. Emera had to contain a giggle watching an old man hobble down the street wearing three different iron necklaces. He was struggling to carry a bucket labelled

HOLY WATER.

As she made her way further from the centre of the city the beautiful buildings transformed. Instead of glass windows, stores had carved wooden shutters. Many of the buildings were painted in strange, unique colours. The ornate decorative plaques out front of stores had been torn down and refined into weapons or used to repair homes. Glass was hard to find now. So, the people of Faewren had painted over the missing pieces.

They had done everything they could to cover up signs of the war, to smooth over the broken parts and cracks and make everything peaceful again. Peace they had paid for with their blood.

When a particularly large cart barreled down the street Emera paused in the entry way of a general store. Her smile fell as she stared through the glass window of the shop. The shelves were mostly bare. She spotted a few bags of flour sitting near the counter. There was some meat too, but it was surrounded by flies. She wanted to feel angry, seeing the empty shelves.

There was a commotion further up the street. The sounds of clicking metal filled the air. The tops of the guard's flags were just visible through the crowds further up the street.

The guards are actually patrolling the streets now? Don't they have better things to do? Theres was enough panic and uncertainty to go around already.

A woman sitting on the ground near the shop got her attention, waving a bony hand in the air. Wordlessly she held out a carved wooden cup. Emera looked around carefully. The woman sat right against the corner of the shop, in plain sight of the main street.

Emera shook her head firmly at the woman. She glanced around and motioned for the woman to move into the alleyway beside the shop. She remained seated. Emera's eyes narrowed.

She took a step closer, "There are guards coming. You should move."

The woman simply shook her head, motioning to her ears. The blasted woman was deaf! Emera gestured with more vigour, using wide motions to try and mime

moving

. Eventually she seemed to understand and hobbled into the alleyway instead. The woman stared down at her empty cup.

Emera thought of the dragon shifters room of hundreds of glittering objects. She thought of the object strapped to her chest now, worth more than 500 gold.

It isn't fair.

She wanted to be angry, but all she felt was numb. She pulled out her coin purse. She had always been a good pick pocket, but she had to be careful now.

Whatever I give her I can just steal back,

she told herself and pressed a silver into the woman's hand.

Two days ago, Emera would not have been able to afford to give away so much. The realization didn't make her feel any better.

Silence fell over the crowd as the guards drew closer. The crowds stalled and stopped, people pressing towards the buildings on either side of the road to give the guards room to pass. The crowds grew more panicked as the guards approached.

It was the first time in two years Emera had seen the fae armour. Their foot soldiers wore identical bronze coloured armour carved into vines and leaves. Leaves for the breastplates, supported by thick ropes of metallic vines. Their weapons were all long swords strapped across their backs. Once the soldiers had passed, the crowds seemed to exhale a breath, moving slowly back into the road to resume their pace.

Soldiers in the streets. Maybe there was more truth to the crow's rumours than she thought.

I'll have to investigate for myself,

she realized. Glowering, she stepped out from under the shade of the stores entrance and blended back into the crowd.

When she reached the food district of the market, she turned down an alleyway and stopped at a butcher's stall. She glanced over the meats and pointed out two fish heads she wanted for her cat Penny. She flashed Nico's signature, and the butcher took down the details to send Nico a bill.

"How is Lord Hale doing?" The butcher asked.

Emera shrugged, "Busy as always."

The butcher gave her a sly grin. "Here, this one is on me. Lord Hale donated to the witch doctor down the ways there," he pointed a fat finger down the street, as if she would know exactly who he was referring to, "and that doctor saved my baby's life."

He added a few more cuts of fish to the package and handed it to Emera. She thanked him and moved down the street further.

Donating to witch doctors... that is new.

Emera had been by Nico's side for over a decade now. He had started creating different identities for himself when they were young. She still had no idea how he managed to fool half the city. Some knew him as a rich lordling, or as a potion inventor or a barkeep. He had connections throughout Faewren. Legal

and

illegal, thanks to the Underground. Some of his persuasion skills had rubbed off on her, but not nearly enough to simply buy her way out of all her problems.

She made her way back home through the side streets of the city.

***

Thursday. The night before the auction.

The evening sky was streaked dark shades of pink and orange. Emera clutched onto her hood tightly as she dodged dark puddles in the street.

Just a quick stop, then I'll go to work,

she told herself. She zig-zagged through side streets. The tavern she worked at,

The Dancers of the King,

was positioned in the northeast of the city near the walls of the Wren Palace. This stop was nowhere near her work though. She would have to be quick.

The streets were empty by dusk. Emera looked around carefully before crossing the dark alleyway. She listened for any unusual noises. She swallowed thickly. Deep down she knew the tricks she had been taught to reveal the fae's magic, to stay safe at night, were useless.

That night she had first attempted to steal the figurine the shifter had crossed the room without making a noise. Paralyzing her with his magic was easy. She was just as exposed now. They could be following her, and she would be none the wiser.

A mouse ran across the alleyway, and she flinched. Without the adrenaline rush she was on edge. She held her breath, peaking out of the alleyway and further down the street. The center of the city was bisected by a large river. Between houses she could just make out a portion of one of the bridges that connected the two halves of the riverside. There were two figures crossing the bridge.

Reehim

, the Fae soldiers

.

Ever since the High Fae King stole the palace, they've been out more often

, she thought. Nico had been right: If the fae were really planning on taking over the rest of the kingdom this would only be the start. If the city's guard were dead, then there would be no one else left to enforce the new treaties besides the fae. No one left to try and keep them in check.

Not that it would make much of a difference in the end. The fae had proven once already that if they decided to lay siege, no number of human soldiers could stop them.

Her feet moved silently over the cobblestones as she made her way towards the perimeter of the city. During the war, most of the houses closest to the city walls had been abandoned. Some had been reoccupied. Mercenary groups or gangs often hid within the buildings. Some of the windows were boarded up and had symbols painted over them now.

She noticed two people standing in the shadows of a doorway. She changed directions, moving down another alleyway instead.

For a city determined to pretend everything was normal, she was sort of surprised no one had tried to clean up the damage here. A ragged black line of destruction still scarred the city walls from the fae's magical attacks.

This is a stupid risk to take,

Emera thought. Following the line of destruction would lead her to the city gates. It was easy to ignore the rational part of her brain. Nico placed too much trust in the crow's rumours. She hated having to rely on his criminal connections, especially when the Underground was involved.

He never told her what was happening until it was already done. Plans were made and halfway executed before she learned of them. He had always claimed it was one of their

rules

, meant to protect her. And when the crows had been tricked, and convinced Nico to do something that would almost get them all killed? She was the one always forced to try and pick up the pieces. Emera didn't trust any of them, but Nico tended to act on their advice. Relying on rumours would only get them killed.

She continued to creep down the side streets, making her way closer and closer to the dark outer stone wall of the city. She caught glimpses of the wall between alleys and buildings. She never stared for very long.

Her heavy black cloak ghosted against the muddy road. Her boots sometimes sucked loudly into the thick earth, and she had to freeze, heart hammering in her chest as she waited to hear other footsteps. And then she'd continue faster. Her cloak was enchanted so that she would meld into the shadows. It was the only safe way to travel alone at night.

Emera took a deep breath. She paused at the edge of one building, her hands sliding against the rough brick wall. She pressed her whole body against it, trying to keep in the dark as much as possible. The cold air bit into her skin, goose bumps rising across her flesh. She grimaced at the feeling.

The sun was fully set now. The darkness had once felt reassuring, but now it felt like there might be a hundred eyes on her at any time. She had never considered the fact fae might be able to see in the dark. But she had seen the dragon shifters eyes up close. Reflective, like the alley cats she had grown up around.

Being a thief meant having to constantly reconsider the person she was up against. Knowing her enemy meant surviving. And her enemy... They were faster, yes. Stronger, yes.

And they could see in the fucking dark!

If the fae caught her this time, and they discovered the stolen figurine there would be no escape. She had no idea if they would bother bringing her before the council for breaking the treaty. They would likely just kill her. She pushed the thought out of her mind. She needed to see the truth for herself

. Reconsider her enemy.

Emera's eyes were wide as she surveyed the houses around her. It had been two years since the invasion, and over a year since she'd been this close to the city gates. Unlike in the city centre, there was no one left living here to paint over the damage left by the war. No one to sweep up the broken glass and cover up the destruction.

She glanced up at the building she hid against. Abandoned, the windows boarded up. Most people living this close to the edge of the city had been smart enough to leave early on. She could only see the charred remains of the house across the street.

As she passed by another building, she noticed a large gouge in the front door. There was more unnatural damage. Spots where the bricks had been sliced clean through by fae blades. Or where fae claws had torn and scarred the wood.

Emera took a deep shuddering breath. Slowly she stuck her head out from behind the building. Her eyes widened at the sight. There only stood one house between her and the East Gate of the city. The twenty-foot-tall wrought iron-and-wood gates were pulled closed for the night. Two massive torches lit either side of the gate. They burned a dark purplish red. They bathed the gate in a strange flickering light.

She had almost forgot how imposing the gates were. Glowing in the magical light they looked almost enchanted. Four sentries stood guard, two on the ground and two patrolling from the gate towers above. The breath stilled in her lungs as she took them in.

None of the guards were human. Emera instantly recognised their armour. It was different than the guards who patrolled within the city- perhaps the fae here were higher ranking, or more powerful.

Their armour was made of glass that glittered in the moonlight. Forged in swirling, nature-like patterns. Warped black branches that seemed to rustle in the breeze as the soldiers moved. Swirling red waves that made their movements seem even more fluid. Or dark green leaves that blended into the trees they walked under.

And their blades

. Wide, flat jagged blades.

The fae moved with a poisonous, silent grace. They would camouflage easily into the forests beyond the city. Fear clenched in her stomach. Unlike the rest of the city, she had not tried to paint over her memories of the invasion.