The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden

Author:Sarah M. Eden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Published: 2021-06-08T16:31:08+00:00

by Mr. King

Installment IV

in which the Threat to the village reveals itself in Terrifying ways!

Tallulah watched for the squire as the days passed. She hadn’t the least doubt he would return, and she needed to decide how she meant to respond. Knowing he was, by all estimations, at least eighty years old despite appearing to be only half that, she knew there was something otherworldly about him. That explained the putrid air that hung about him, and the unnerving noises that seemed to follow him about.

Her gran had told her stories of the Fae, of monsters and fairies and mysterious beings. If the squire belonged to that world, then he was dangerous in a way no one comprehended. And yet, refusing to stand up to him simply allowed him to hurt the village all the more. He would continue his reign of terror if he was left unchecked.

“You must know what it is you’re facing,” Gran had said. “To unknowingly cross paths with the Fae is a danger greater than any human can imagine.”

But what was he? She wasn’t at all certain, and saints knew she needed to be.

Belinda and Marty stepped inside, their eyes immediately on the colorful displays of candies.

She adored the children of Chippingwich. “What’s it to be today, loves?”

“We want to try anise candies,” Belinda announced. “Georgie likes them.”

“He does, indeed.” She set a ha’penny’s worth of anise candies on a slip of paper and folded it up, trading the sweets for their coin.

“Do you have any new candies, Miss Tallulah?” Marty seldom spoke, and when he did so, he was very quiet.

Tallulah kept her own voice gentle and calm when answering. “I have chocolate-covered almonds. They come very dear, though, so we’ll have to save those for a very special treat.”

Marty nodded, eagerly eyeing the folded paper in his friend’s hand. The two little ones would most likely have the anise candy eaten long before reaching either of their homes.

A flurry of red announced the squire’s arrival. He slid into the shop with all the arrogance of someone who knows he will not be challenged or denied what he wishes for. Tallulah didn’t know what he had come to demand this time, but it was clear he believed he had won already.

The children inched quickly away from the counter, watching the squire’s approach with a deep-seated wariness. They were, no doubt, all too familiar with the sort of person he was. Tallulah kept her posture straight and her demeanor sure.

The squire likely did not know she had pieced together that he belonged to the world of the Fae. She hid her discomfort with his smell; she ignored the distant laughter.

“What can I do for you, sir?” she asked in a tone that was as neutral as she could make it.

“I have decided to give you the opportunity to redeem yourself,” he said.

He meant to humble and humiliate her before making his demands, did he? Well, she didn’t mean to allow him.

“Whatever do you mean by that?” she asked.

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