Chapter Twenty-Five Selena
Too much time had passed since we’d left Odelm and Xylo to barter with the strange old shopkeeper. I kept stealing glances over my shoulder at my bond threads as distance kept growing between us. Haggling over two goods shouldn’t take that long.
Stars, I didn’t know.
I was glad to have Odelm on this adventure. Being raised with two merchant fathers gave him the skills to pick out quality over the mundane and work to receive a fair price.
The princes knew I was aimlessly traveling along with the market as we made our way to the entertainment establishments. They kept their distance, always on guard as they trailed behind me, making comments about certain things that caught my eye, offering to buy whatever I stopped to pick up and examine.
I was more interested in what kind of places there would be. Would there be multiple bars? Performances? Had anyone of my clan been to such places? I wondered what was holding up my nestmates.
No matter how hard I tried to think about something else, the last words the shopkeeper had said to me kept repeating in my mind.
“If it were me, I would never take it off.”
What did she mean about the necklace bringing its wearer great fortune?
It was just a necklace—a trinket Zirene gave me to try to buy my affections, especially now knowing he knew what I had been about to walk into. Was it a way to get in my good graces before sending me off to the slaughter?
I reached beneath my hooded cloak into my bodysuit and grabbed the necklace, bringing it to my face.
How was this special? It was just a neat stone that reacted with something in the air to make the colors and speckles change constantly. There was no other explanation, other than it was an expensive, newly discovered jewel that had neat effects which appealed to people.
The great fortune must be the number of credits it was worth.
If I continued to walk around with the necklace in full view, others would either treat me like I was something I was not or try to steal it to pawn.
Zirene didn’t mention what it was and played it off like it was something completely normal to give someone—not that anyone would pawn their life’s fortune for one.
Something didn’t add up.
“About time they showed up,” Z’fir murmured, bringing me to the present.
I looked up from the display full of new gadgets and turned toward Z’fir. Following his gaze, I searched the crowd, noticing it was the same direction as my bond threads.
Two familiar forms dodged and weaved through the passersby taking their time on their stroll. Odelm’s tentacles were wrapped around his sling, holding its bloated form close to his chest. Xylo carried four sticks full of a variety of meat in his hands as each of his vines carried three small, colorful spheres, each dangling on a string.
I covered my mouth and giggled at the view. Xylo looked ridiculous, dodging the others as his collection of colored spheres bobbed along above even the tallest heads.
They both halted in front of us, breathing deeply.
“I wondered if both of you caused problems and had the enforcers called. I hoped I didn’t have to pay fines to bail you out of prison for teaming up against an old woman, no matter how rude she was,” I said jokingly.
Odelm’s colors slightly shifted to a nervous yellow and worried orange as he glanced at Xylo.
Xylo lowered his vines and handed one of the strings full of spheres to each one of us. I gently pulled it and watched his vine unwrap itself, freeing its hold.
“What is it?” I asked as I raised the spheres in front of my face and peered through them. They were translucent and lacked anything floating inside.
“Here,” Xylo offered a stick of meat with another vine, and I grabbed it, waiting for his explanation as he passed the others theirs. “We walked past a phnrawes stall on the way over here and figured you should try some.” He passed his meat stick to a vine and pulled a green sphere from its string. “These are phnrawes, Selena. Each color is a different flavor, but they are all drunk the same way.” He popped the green phnrawe in his mouth and closed his eyes with a large moan.
Following his lead, I grabbed the pink phnrawes from my string and did the same. The phnrawes exploded as soon as it touched my tongue, disintegrating in a burst of sweetness.
Rapidly, I popped the other two into my mouth and had the same result. They each had a different fruity flavor, ranging from tart to sweet.
I watched the others enjoying their phnrawes, finishing off their string. Without waiting for him to explain what the meat on the stick was, I bit the top piece and yanked.
The heat and spiciness assaulted my taste buds, making me cough as I gasped for air, my eyes watering from the heat. It was the spiciest thing I’d ever had.
“Selena?” V’dim asked, concerned.
I leaned over, placing my hands on my knees and breathed deeply, failing to find relief.
My vision blurred from the tears exploding from my eyes, my curtain of hair blocked all around me, as someone grabbed my meat stick from my hand. A set of hands grabbed my hair and held it out of my face as a tentacle offered a phnrawes, pressing it against my lips. I welcomed it, allowing the phnrawes to explode inside my mouth, dowsing the fire to nothing.
I sobbed in relief, taking in long breaths as I collected myself.
“Whatever that is… I don’t want it,” I breathed, slowly standing up. “Keep it away from me.”
Xylo looked at Odelm and shook his head in disappointment. “I told you so.”
I turned around to face Odelm as he released his grip on my hair.
“Selena, I am sorry,” he pleaded. “I thought you would enjoy trying a Trr-kiki delicacy. It wasn’t my
