Sticks and Stones (Dragon Thief Book 1) by Mac Flynn

Author:Mac Flynn [Flynn, Mac]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mac Flynn

CHAPTER TWENTY

We meandered our way through the maze-like metropolis where the mismatched houses gave me something new to look at around every corner. The scenery slowly changed as the wood-and-stone edifices gave way to marble fronts. Some of the buildings even features a portico around their exterior, and others were placed on concrete piers above their neighbors. The occupancy changed, too, as personal touches gave way to stale commercial fronts. Signs popped up here and there on the front of the buildings advertising their business.

I read a few of the signs aloud. “‘Sellers In Fine Silks.’ ‘Trade In Frog Commodities.’ ‘Pixie Union.’” I jerked to a stop and stared at the last sign. The posting belonged to a building with a unique design in that it had two doors. One normal one and a smaller one set in the wall some two feet off the ground. A tiny porch stuck out from the wall beneath the unusual entrance. I looked at my companion who had a bemused smile on his face. “Why would pixies need a union?”

“The ‘union’ is the local office where they can record their agreements with mortals,” he explained as the tiny door opened. One of the small fae folk, complete with transparent wings and a short, elegant dress, strode out. The ‘woman’ took a look at us, blew Castle a kiss, and flew off out of sight.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Agreements with mortals?”

He nodded. “Their magic is called fae dust, and while the strength of their spells isn’t as great as some illustrious humans, they have plenty to share, so they make deals with mortals in exchange for goods or services. A notary is always present to provide the parties with official documents, and their records go back centuries, sometimes as far back as the founding of the city.”

I snorted. “Fae for hire. Now I’ve seen everything.”

He grinned. “I hope not. You have hardly seen a one hundredth of what the city has to offer.”

“I hope it offers some more comfortable street cobblestones,” I mused as I flexed my feet in my shoes. Though our surroundings were majestic, the road had its plight. Bits of loose cobblestone littered the street here and there. “These ones are killing me.”

Castle nodded at the road ahead of us. “We’re almost to Gaspar where we’re sure to find some of the most comfortable chairs awaiting anyone, provided they have the money.”

“Do you fit under that category?” I wondered.

His eyes twinkled as he stared ahead. “We won’t be offered the royal chair, but we won’t have any problem being admitted.”

Some fifty yards later we rounded a curved corner of the street and found ourselves in a small circular forum. The road ended at this little cul-de-sac, and impressive Roman-style administrative buildings occupied all the plots. They were hewn of marble, many with porticos which wrapped completely around their imposing exterior, and towered some two hundred feet over us. Some of the buildings had little pathways on either side of them that led to side entrances, but others shared walls.

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