“What?”
“That’s a nice, non-permanent way to say goodbye.”
“Oh, Ta-ta then.”
Fia smiled and bounded off down the dock, leaving Thessa and Sarren to find their own way to the city.
Thessa entered Emlestra proper just after sundown with Sarren chasing after. The river flowed noisily to the east of the gates. The coin Sarren had left was in a tin box near a tree just slightly out of the way of the main road. It took only a few minutes to dig it up.
When inside the gates, the city patrons had taken to the streets in celebration and could be heard even over the roaring rapids of the river. Thessa couldn’t help but smile at the goings on. There were people obviously taken with drink, and others enjoying the dances of the city folk spurred on by the lively music being played by a merry throng of minstrels. There were young girls holding sticks with ribbons tied to them, which flowing behind them, as they ran together crisscross in the streets. Boys chased after them as if they were going to snatch the ribbons away from them. The older boys and girls joined in the dances. The elders sat along the street’s edges in foldable wooden chairs stretched with canvas. Thessa had seen such chairs in her youth at the beaches. She looked at the shops to see if she could find the numismatist’s place of business. She saw the sign of the coin collector not far down the street behind a crowd of seated elder folk. One of them was bound to be the numismatist. She hoped she could tear him or her away from the festivities long enough to look at her coin. She needed the money to secure lodging.
She stopped along the way to peer at herself in a shop window. She had to make sure the beauty spell was holding, even though she knew it was. For some reason, she didn’t trust the magic. Her brown eyes stared back at her in the dimming light of the setting sun, her features were captivating from her dimples to her beautiful pale complexion. She was stunning to behold, even to herself. She raised her chin and wandered over to the older crowd.
“Hello, I don’t mean to bother you all, but I wonder if you know the person who owns the coin shop?”
An older man with a short white beard and deep laugh lines around his eyes smiled at her, “That would be me, but I have closed the shop for the festival, I’m afraid. You will have to come back tomorrow.” He put the stem of his pipe in his mouth and took a long puff.
“I would, but you see, I’m new here and I need to sell this coin, or I will be sleeping in the alley tonight.”
The coin shop owner glanced at one of his friends, “It’s always a dire story.”
“Excuse me?” Thessa asked, slightly offended.
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you show me this coin of yours and I will see if it’s worth anything to me.”
Thessa could tell he was hoping it was junk so he could just turn her away and be done with it. She took out the ancient coin and held it up for him.
“Well, you are going to have to bring it closer. My old eyes can’t see that far away in the dimming light.” He said.
Thessa held it closer and the old man held out his hand. Thessa hesitated, not wanting to just hand it over to a stranger. He stared at her, his eyes widening in an expression of impatience.
“Well?” He said.
Thessa handed him the coin. After he examined it a moment, he got excited and sat up. He looked at Thessa and then immediately calmed down and resumed his relaxed posture.
“It’s rare alright, but not worth much. We can go to my shop and I will give you something for it.”
“Excuse me, sir, but you looked pretty excited when you first saw it. Are you sure you want to shortchange me?” Thessa could feel the man’s heart race when he first laid eyes on the coin and it had not subsided despite his now calm demeanor.
“I am not sure I understand your tone, young lady.” He said.
“It’s easy if you try. I want the full worth of the coin, sir.” She said. “Nothing less.”
“Of course, I will give you it’s full worth, such that it is, when we get to my shop.”
“Thessa could tell he was still planning on giving her far less than the coin was worth, but she nodded anyway so she could get him into the shop and away from the prying eyes of the man’s friends.
“Ah, here we are.” The man said as he produced a key to the front door of the shop signed Coin Exchange. Smoke from his pipe lifted above his head in a white-grey cloud. The solid wooden door creaked slightly as the man pushed it open. A bell rang out when the door bumped into it. Thessa entered behind the owner and he pushed the door to, locking it again. Thessa gave him a worried gaze. He must have sensed her concern.
“Oh, I am closed, and I don’t want anyone wandering in. You are quite safe with me.”
Thessa nodded. Inwardly, she knew she was far safer with him than he was with her.
He rounded a glass and wood countertop and proceeded to light one of the lanterns nearby with a long-stemmed piece of straw he lit by placing the end in his pipe and inhaling to excite the burn of his tobacco. He turned back to Thessa and placed his pipe on the counter in a small, worn wooden holder. Wisps of smoke snaked up from its bowl. He took out an eyepiece and examined the coin, then he took down the lantern and looked even closer in the light.
“It’s rare. I will give you two gold magi for
