Standing up, she pulled out a stack of money and put several bills on the table. I had no idea what anything cost here. Not only was I having to deal with all of this fairy magic stuff, but we were in a country where I didn’t understand anything. Even the breakfast had been strange.
As we walked, Astriel began to talk. “This area of London is known by the immortals as being a gathering place for those of the Fae. Many of the shops are owned by immortals, and they cater to the less human needs as well as the human side of things.
She pointed at a clothing boutique. In the corner of the door, a strange symbol had been drawn in black paint. “That means clothing with the added notice of dark,” she said. “The Court of Light lives during the day, and so they’ll only shop during daylight hours. This one caters to the Dark Court and will open at twilight and stay open all night long.” She opened the door, and we stepped into a room that looked like a costume shop.
A silver bell above the door rang signaling our entrance, and a middle-aged woman wearing a beautiful silver dress that brought to mind the image of a starlit sky stepped out of a backroom behind a curtain.
The shop was exactly what I’d thought a tailor’s shop would look like. Mannequins held men’s and women’s clothing in various styles that looked distinctly out of today’s social norms. Capes and cloaks hung from the walls. Dresses that looked like they would touch the ground. Tunics and trousers like something that Robin Hood would have worn.
The walls were plain and unadorned except by the clothing. There was no computer to keep track of sales. I didn’t even see a cash register. Just a counter with a notepad and pen.
“Astriel,” the woman said, seeming to flow across the floor, “here for another set of lingerie? I’ll have to order more spider silk if that’s the case.”
“Not tonight, Elora. My friend here is looking for a brand-new wardrobe.” Astriel pushed me forward a step, and Elora glided to me, her feet making no sounds on the wood floor.
“I’d say so if that’s what the rest of your clothes look like.” Her voice reminded me of a wind blowing through trees, and when I looked in her eyes, they were almost void of color. At the same time, they seemed to burn just like everyone else that had magic.
“What kind of clothes are you looking for, my dear?” she asked softly.
“She needs mostly traveling clothes, but throw in a dress or two as well.” Elora glanced at Astriel and then turned back to me.
It was hard to look her directly in the eye. That lack of color made me think that she was dead. “Is that what you’d like, child?”
I nodded. “Yes, please. Do you need to take my measurements?”
She shook her head, her head moving just a little slower than most people. “I’ve been doing this long enough that I can tell your measurements from looking at you.” She paused before saying, “Though that sack you’re wearing makes it slightly more difficult.”
She turned to Astriel and said, “Give me two hours. Her clothes will be ready by then.”
Astriel nodded and took my hand. A sense of dread had fallen over me the longer I’d been near Elora, and when we stepped out of the shop, I felt it fading. “What is she?” I whispered.
“She’s a Draugr. Extremely sad story, actually, but she’s made the best of things.” Astriel took my hand in hers as she began to lead me through the streets.
“She was a dark elf that was killed when she made her Mistress an unfashionable dress and embarrassed her to an extreme level. It wasn’t actually unfashionable, but her Mistress was an idiot who thought they were laughing at the dress when in actuality, they were laughing at the fact that her husband was sleeping with her sister.”
“Because she was unfairly killed for a crime she did not commit, she didn’t leave to go to the void. Instead, she stayed to feed on her Mistress, slowly making her weaker and weaker until she died. Afterward, she decided to stay a part of the world and to continue her trade.”
“Well, she kind of creeped me out,” I said softly, still shaking off the effects of being in the room with Elora.
“The Dark Court is filled with all sorts of magical beings. Most of them are the creatures that fill the nightmares of humans. We aren’t the good guys, but neither is the Court of Light. We just don’t try to hide who we are.”
I nodded. I thought that I could accept that. Maybe. There was nothing in the world that was black and white. No clear-cut good guys and bad guys. But was the Dark Court even remotely close to being “good”? I glanced at Astriel and knew that she had killed men while she fed. Just as Sebastian had killed women. Was that too far?
I needed time. Time to think. Time to try to wrap my head around the fact that nothing in my new world was as simple as my old world had been. Somehow, I doubted that I would get that time. Things were moving too quickly.
“Come on, little fairy. I think you could use a nice hot shower, and we’ve got two hours to kill.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
Chapter 15
Rose
I stepped out of the shower and felt like a brand-new woman. I dearly hoped that the Dark Court was up to human standards in terms of showers if I was going to end up spending any time there. I wasn’t sure there would ever be anything as refreshing as a good hot shower.
Astriel had laid out a set of clothes that she thought would fit me. They wouldn’t. At least not in the bust area since she must have
