Dark Heart of Magic (Black Blade #2)(5)
Devon waited until Felix had handed over my black leather belt and I’d buckled my sword around my waist again before jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
“Come on,” Devon said. “Let’s go home and get cleaned up.”
He and Felix turned and headed out of the square, but something made me stop and look back over my shoulder. Thanks to my sight, I easily spotted the troll staring at me through the leafy branches, his green eyes brighter and more wary than ever before, as if he knew about some lurking danger that I didn’t. Our eyes locked, and once again, the creature’s worry, fear, and dread made my heart sink, my stomach churn, and a chill slither down my spine.
I shivered, dropped my gaze from the monster, and hurried after my friends.
CHAPTER TWO
Devon, Felix, and I left the square, strode down a walkway, and stepped out into the Midway, the commercial heart of Cloudburst Falls.
The square and its shops had been busy enough, but the Midway was jam-packed, as throngs of tourists moved from one side of the enormous circular area to the other, flowing into the shops and restaurants, and back out again. Every single business tied in to the town’s overall fairy-tale theme, from the smallest Olde Tyme Fudge Shacke to Camelot Court, one of the largest hotels. Oh, there were plenty of real magical attractions, like the zoos where you could pet rockmunks and other small monsters. But really, the Midway was nothing more than the world’s largest—and cheesiest—renaissance faire.
Adding to the atmosphere were men and women wearing knee-high black boots and black pants, along with poofy silk shirts, colorful cloaks, and cavalier hats topped with feathers. Gold, silver, and bronze cuffs stamped with various crests glimmered on their wrists, while swords were belted to their waists. The guards moved from one food cart and clothing shop to the next, like sharks circling around and around, making sure that everything was running smoothly. They were constantly on the lookout for everything from obnoxious tourists who’d had a few too many drinks to employees taking more out of the till than they put in.
The tourists thought that the dressed-up guards were just part of the fun, and several folks stopped to snap photos of them. What the rubes didn’t realize was that the color of their cloaks and the symbols stamped into their cuffs designated which Family the guards belonged to—and that they all took their jobs very, very seriously.
Each Family owned a different piece of the Midway, and we were in the Sinclair section, which consisted of banks, several petting zoos, and a museum displaying artifacts made of the bloodiron that had been mined out of Cloudburst Mountain.
The guards here all wore black cloaks and silver cuffs stamped with the Sinclair crest—a hand holding a sword. Devon stopped and spoke to one of the guards, telling her that the tree troll had been dealt with, while Felix waved and called out to the folks he knew, which was practically everyone. Felix had never met a stranger.
The guards all nodded at me, their gazes lingering on the hand-and-sword cuff that adorned my right wrist. I shifted on my feet, my fingers tracing over the small, star-shaped sapphire embedded in the silver cuff. It matched the sapphire ring on my finger. I forced myself to nod back to the guards, wishing all the while that I could melt into the crowd and disappear. As far as I was concerned, the fewer people who knew me the better, even if I was an official member of the Sinclair Family now.
Devon finished with the guard, then cut through the park in the center of the Midway, choosing a cobblestone path that curved past several bubbling fountains. He turned his face toward the cool, refreshing mist, letting it soak into his black T-shirt. The water made the cotton cling to his broad shoulders in all the right places, not to mention his muscled chest. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, and I didn’t really want to.
Felix jabbed his elbow into my side, breaking the spell. “Looks like I’m not the only one with romantic problems, eh, Juliet?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Devon and I are just friends.”
“Right,” Felix drawled. “Because the two of you haven’t spent the last few weeks making googly eyes at each other when you think the other person isn’t looking. I might be a flirt, but at least I’m honest about it. You two just need to make out already and be done with it.”
Luckily, the steady rush-rush-rush of the fountains and the chatter of the crowd drowned out his words so that Devon didn’t hear them. I glared at Felix, but he smirked and elbowed me in the side again.
Devon faced us, using the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe off his face and revealing his stomach muscles. Yeah, I totally stared at him again.
Devon dropped his shirt and looked at me. “Something wrong?”
I shook my head hard enough to make my ponytail flap against my shoulders. “Nope. Nothing’s wrong. Nothing at all. Not one little thing.”
“Okay,” he said, although I could tell he didn’t really believe me.
I moved past Devon, heading deeper into the park. Carts lined the winding path, with vendors selling everything from frozen lemonade and caramel popcorn to sunglasses and T-shirts. The scents of bacon-wrapped hot dogs and fried funnel cakes topped with snowy mounds of powdered sugar filled the air, making me sigh with longing.
Felix eyed me. “Don’t tell me you’re hungry again already—especially after all those BL Ts you inhaled for lunch.”
“Climbing trees and bargaining with monsters is hard work.” My stomach rumbled in time to my words. “I need to keep my strength up.”