Free The Spirit Eater by Rachel Aaron

home, Derrik,” Eli said and grinned back. He turned and grabbed Nico, pulling her forward. “You all met my swordsman on my last visit.
    Now I’ve added another hand to the game. This is Nico. Make her feel welcome.”
    Another round of applause went up. Nico tried to pull back, away from the attention, but Eli’s hand on her shoulder held her firm, and she could only look down at her feet as the people began to chatter.
    With a final squeeze, Eli left her to mingle with the crowd, all of whom seemed to be falling over themselves to shake his hand. Josef stepped up to take Eli’s place beside her, and they watched in silent fascination.
    “What is this place?” Nico whispered as the people began to fawn over Eli. “They’re as bad as spirits around him.”
    “Of course,” Josef replied quietly, shifting the enormous sword on his back. “Eli owns this town.”
    Nico frowned. “Owns it? Even the people?”
    “Especially the people,” Josef said, stepping away from the cart as a horde of people swarmed over it, opening bags and sorting through the various priceless treasures inside.
    Nico didn’t follow him. She stood where she was, watching with a mixture of horror and amazement as the townsfolk ravaged the cart. They opened bags and spilled the treasures out onto the grass, sorting the coins, gems, rings, bracelets, crowns, and so forth into piles. Each villager gathered up a collection, and then went to the man with the red beard who made a note in his ledger of what each person had taken. Once it had been accounted for, the people carried their armfuls of treasure, Eli’s treasure, things Nico had helped him steal, into their houses, and all with Eli not five feet away, still chatting and shaking hands while Josef stood solemnly beside him, neither of them doing anything about it.
    All across town, doors were being thrown open so the people could move the goods into their houses, and what Nico saw inside made her eyes go wide. Every house in the square was absolutely full of treasure. There were tables set with golden plates and gem-encrusted cutlery, ready for dinner. Famous paintings that belonged in king’s halls hung over stone fireplaces, protected from the soot by makeshift wooden mantels. She saw young children sitting on silk carpets playing with rubies the size of their fists. One house even had a lamp inlaid with gold coins instead of mirrored reflectors nailed to its front entry, the round coins turning the light butter yellow. Everywhere she looked, the wealth of nations had been reduced to simple home furnishings, and Nico, who didn’t say much under the best of circumstances, was at a complete loss for words.
    “Amazing, isn’t it?” said a soft female voice beside her. Nico whirled around to find a woman not much taller than herself standing beside her. She was very pretty, in a demure sort of way, with dark blond hair and delicate features. She smiled at Nico and gestured toward the cart, which was almost empty.
    “I had the same reaction you did when I first saw it,” she said. “But that’s how the mayor likes it, and so that’s what we do.” She turned and held out her hand. “I’m Angeline. I run the school here. Derrik is my husband.” She nodded at the man with the red beard who was still taking inventory from a line of people with armfuls of treasure. “He’s the deputy here. He keeps Home running when the mayor is out.”
    “The mayor?” Nico said, taking her offered hand shyly. She wasn’t offered handshakes much. “You mean Eli?”
    Angeline put a slender finger to her lips. “Don’t use that name here. It’s bad luck. Even in the middle of the plains surrounded by friends, we don’t want to take any chances.”
    “I don’t understand,” Nico said, lowering her voice. “What is this place?”
    “It’s Home,” Angeline said simply. When it was obvious this explanation didn’t make things any clearer for Nico, Angeline took a breath and tried again.