The Valley of Lies (Lightkeepers #1)

Chapter FORTY-THREE: Liss

Two robed elves holding staves guarded the gate into Blackwater proper. According to Zan, the elves had once been Darkbane but were now owned by the witches, and they'd lost their luniya to the humans' corrupt magic. So it was especially convenient that Zan was a changeling and Liss knew her way around a glamor spell. Otherwise, Zan's horns and Liss' ears would have stuck out like-well, horns and pointy ears.

To the unsuspecting eye, she and Zan both appeared human. Zan looked relatively the same, minus all the fun bits, while Liss' glamor gave her rounded ears and blond hair. It also fixed the stains and rips in her cloak. She would have preferred wearing the Fexes' enchanted cloak into Nightfair, but she and Zan both agreed the risk of losing it before the Revelry was too high, so she'd settled for the one she'd worn out of the valley.

When it was their turn to announce their business in the bustling human town, she let Zan take the lead. He guided her forward on the dirt and cobblestone road, his hand on her arm below their hooked elbows. The sun dipped toward the horizon, drenching everything in gold. The reflections on the shops ahead were glaring, and it was hard to get a look at the world they intended to infiltrate.

Liss was glad Zan's attention was on the guards, so he didn't notice her panicked, shallow breathing. If he sensed her fear, he might suggest they rethink going to the Revelry again, and that was an argument she didn't want to repeat.

"Explain your business entering Nightfair." The voice sounded close, but neither of the guards moved.

Zan patted her arm. "Evening, gentleman. The fiance and I are in town for tomorrow's Revelry and fancy ourselves a look around the most famous neighborhood on the continent. We've heard the food is delicious. Might I trouble you for a recommendation?"

"Names?" One of the guards stepped forward, drawing lines in the dirt.

A rune?

"Sam Blackclaw and Alice Greenlight, from Squallside in the south. A small town, but maybe you've heard of it?"

The guard made a noise that might have been confirmation or a dismissal, drew more lines in the dirt, and stepped back without sparing them a glance. "Make sure you return through this gate when you leave."

Zan dipped his chin and pulled Liss through the blinding sunset onto a street that was more stone than dirt. Multi-level brick buildings lined both sides of the street, with more windows than Liss had ever seen. Some were simply designed, but others were colorful and ornate. Eerie stone figures perched on the peaked and slanted roofs, their chiseled, crystalline eyes following her every step. Liss figured it was an optical illusion, and the figures were just statues, but it was unsettling. The extravagance of Nightfair was impressive and ominous, nothing like Squallside's weathered coziness.

She stepped closer to Zan, averting her gaze to the shopfronts. If she didn't find something else to occupy her attention soon, she might lose control of her magic again. And that would not be good.

"What's a fiance?"

Zan stopped short at the question, tripping over the cobblestones. His hand slid down to hold hers. "I guess your necklace really works." Had he spoken another language with the guards-? She thought she would have noticed. "Humans marry instead of hand-fasting. A fiance is when... when the man asks the woman to marry him. If she says yes, they become engaged. Then she's his fiance."

"I thought only elves had Engagements."

"You have engagements?"

Liss frowned. "I wonder how different a fiance is from a Bearer."