“I don’t think I thought through this plan.”

  I sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed with my hands outstretched in front of me and cupped together. My silver threads intertwined to create one bar of chocolate after another. I deposited the treats in a small cooking pot at my side.

  Arian leaned over the pot and inspected the multitude of chocolate bars. “But you have done a fantastic amount in such a short time. It has hardly been two hours, and the pot is already half filled.”

  I finished another bar and laid it on the pile. The muscles in my arms twitched when I raised them again. “Yeah, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.” I focused my thoughts on my palms, and my magic unwillingly drew forth. “I’ve never done more than a dozen or so at one time.”

  “And you have done four times that much,” she confirmed as she leaned away. She cupped her chin in one hand and furrowed her brow. “And the pot cannot fit as many as I had hoped. I will have to find a larger pot or perhaps a small cauldron.”

  My eyes shot open, and my magic threads scampered about like playing children. I whipped my head up to my friend. “What was that?”

  She blinked at me. “I merely mentioned the pot was far too small.”

  “No, the part after that.”

  “I said I thought perhaps we might need a larger pot or perhaps a cauldron.”

  My overexcited threads had quickly crafted another chocolate which I grasped in my hands. I stared at the sweet as my scattered thoughts formed a single idea. “A cauldron. That just might work.”

  Arian cocked her head to one side and blinked at me. “What might work?”

  I jumped to my feet. “I need a small cauldron for tomorrow and it’s going to have to be over a hot fire.”

  Her eyes widened. “A fire? Why ever would you want that? Do you plan to make brownies?”

  A sly smile slipped onto my lips. “Nope. Something a little more exciting and doesn’t need quite as many chocolates. Do you think we can get a fire going in that town square?”

  She furrowed her brow. “I do not see why not. There are many cooking pots there for the merchants to sell their foods. However, we would have to speak to the officer in charge of the square to request a spot. He will not refuse us seeing as my father agreed to the your suggestion but he will not be pleased if we forced a paying merchant from their place.”

  I glanced out the open window. Darkness had taken complete hold of the valley. “Can we talk to this guy early tomorrow?”

  “Oh, of course. He is always at the market before everyone else and many people arrive before dawn.”

  I winced at the mentioned hour and plopped back down onto the bed. “Then we’d better get some sleep. That means I can also give my arms a break.”

  Arian bowed her head to me. “I wish you all the rest in the realms tonight.”

  I waved off her formality. “You don’t have to bow to me. I’m just a friend visiting your home.”

  My friend sheepishly smiled at me. “My apologies. I am finding it difficult to break all my old habits.”

  A thought struck me that made me purse my lips. I jerked my head toward the door. “Speaking of formal, is your dad always like that? I mean, have I made him mad about something or is it just me?”

  Arian tilted her head to one side and bit her lower lip. “My father can be very strict but I did see something in his eyes that told me he was somewhat, well, unkind toward you.”

  I wrinkled my nose as my imagination conjured up images of anything beyond unkind. “He must be a scary guy when he’s angry.”

  Arian set a hand on my shoulder. “Very but we are not gaining any sleep from this talk.”

  I didn’t have a chance to object because she pushed me down on the bed. “Hey!” I shouted as I shot up onto my arms.

  Arian hurried to the door and opened it. She paused with one foot in the hall and wickedly smiled back at me. “Goodnight and pleasant dreams! I will wake you early tomorrow!”

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  I took that last announcement as a threat and shook my fist at her. “Villain! I’ll get my revenge!”

  My friend laughed and shut the door, leaving me with a raised hand and the echo of my hollow words. I dropped my hand back to the covers and felled the rest of me onto the sheets. A heavy sigh escaped me as I stared up at the ceiling.

  “How do you get yourself into these messes?”

  A soft breeze through the window was my only reply. That answer, however, brought with it a familiar haunting sound. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I recognized the same mournful cry I’d heard on the cliff top.

  I rose from the bed and walked over to the window where I set my hands on the lower sill. The sound grew louder and more tempting. I leaned a little toward the outside and let the siren wind blow over me.

  I grabbed the edge of the window frame and slammed it shut. The noise immediately ceased. I nodded and turned back to my room. Time for a nice rest.

  Tomorrow arrived whether I wanted it to or not, and Arian and I stepped out of the large lodge to find the day slightly chilled. I adjusted a fur shawl closer about my shoulders while also balancing a basket of goodies, the top layer fresh from my magic. I didn’t want to admit to my friend but those last dozen had almost killed me. It was taking all my will-power not to shake a little under the exhaustion.

  A fire burned in the ring of rocks and Dian stood silent and sullen near the flames. I glanced at Arian who had nothing but worry for her younger sibling. She strode down the steps and I followed, and we soon joined the young man at the fire. Gone was his eagerness from yesterday. There was only a dark cloud over his formerly cheery face.

  Arian set a hand on his shoulder. “Has father refused your request?”

  He continued to stare into the flames as he shook his head. “Worse. He has not given me an answer at all.”

  “Perhaps he is looking into how many messengers will be needed?” she suggested.

  A bitter scoff escaped him. “You and I both know he will keep me as far from battle as he can. He doesn’t trust me.”

  Arian squeezed his shoulder and shook her head. “That is not true! Father merely wishes to keep you safe!”

  Dian shrugged off her hand and whipped his face away from us. “Then I’ll be seen as a coward by our people. He’ll make a fool of me.” He turned and marched off through the gates.

  Arian bit her lip as she forlornly watched her brother stomp out of sight. I draped an arm over her shoulders and drew her into a hug. “He’ll be okay. I’m sure your dad will let him do something useful.”

  She hung her head and sighed. “I fear Dian is right and whatever task our father assigns him will not bring honor to our family.” She cast a side-glance at me and a faint hint of mischief slipped into her eyes. “And I believe he wishes to be most brave in front of someone he cares about.”

  Oh boy. I cleared my throat. “Yes, well, we’ll let your dad decide that. I’m sure he knows more about this stuff than any of us.” I held up the pot and nodded at the gate. “In the meantime, how about we get some cooking started?”

  We strolled out through the entrance to the kingly compound and down the street into the depths of the city. Arian and I had traveled this road on our way into the city but we soon turned off onto a side street that led in the direction of the caves.

  “Why isn’t the market on the main street?” I asked my friend.

  “The location was a compromise decided long ago,” Arian explained as she nodded at the high cliffs ahead of us. “Many of the citizens remained in the caves for several hundred years after the founding of the lodges and they did not wish for the market to be located very far from their homes, so the area was built close to the cliffs and not in the center of the valley.”

  We wound our way through the maze of homes until the way opened up. The clearing for the circular market was some fifty yards in diameter and was lined with dozens of shops big and small. They had large windows that offered up their wares of fur coats, fur hats, fur pants, and a few with some delicacies like honey candies and honey teas.

  The market itself had a unique feature. Rather than dirt like the streets, the area had been covered in smooth cobblestones no doubt mined from the riverbed. The stones had been arranged by color, or as close as they could manage, with each ring being a different hue and growing increasingly smaller the closer they came to the center. The perfect symmetry was broken by pale white stones that crossed the rings and were arranged in straight lines. Those lines created boxes set next to one another in long rows with wide gaps between them.

  Those vendors without storefronts had set up their stalls and tents on top of those white stones. My eyes widened as I understood their significance.

  “Did somebody plan out these white rocks for the stalls?” I inquired as she led me toward the vendors.

  She beamed with pride and gave a decisive nod. “Very much so. My great-grandfather had the marketplace designed to suit the needs of all the sellers and be large enough to host the Fur Festival.”

  “How old is that festival?”

  “I believe I once overheard Prince Yushir mention it was a million years old.”

  I skidded to a stop and my jaw dropped open. “That old?”

  She laughed and tugged on my sleeve. “Should it not be when we live so long?”

  I snorted. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that until I’m that old myself.” A cool wind wafted us over and my ears tingled at a familiar sound. I froze and whipped my head to our left. A road wound its way out of the marketplace and into the homes. “Where does that go?”

  Arian followed where I looked and furrowed her brow. “That leads to the main road. Why do you ask?”

  I shrugged. “No reason.”

  I wish I had felt the same but something urged me to go down that road. Down and through the lodges to that barren feld.