Free The Last of the Firedrakes by Farah Oomerbhoy Page B

money.
    The tent was not what I expected at all. The inside was bewitched to look like a large greenhouse; like the forest, it was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside. The moonlight shone through the glass ceiling, and rows of plants and flowers lined the sides of the tent. We decided to explore.
    I walked through the rows of plants, looking at the labels that were written next to them. There were strawberry plants in a small tray, growing wonderful, juicy strawberries, each one of which had a dollop of cream on the top. The sign near it said: “Grow your own strawberries and cream.”
    “Try one,” said Kalen. “No one is watching.”
    I couldn’t resist; I loved strawberries and cream. I popped the whole strawberry into my mouth. It was delicious and the cream was thick, fresh, and sweet. It was wonderful.
    “Lovely, yes?” said Kalen.
    I nodded, since my mouth was full.
    “Ms. Herbchild is wonderful at growing things. These strawberry plants with cream are one of her new inventions, but you can only grow them on trays inside the house, or the gnomes lick off all the cream.”
    I made a face at the thought of eating a strawberry that had been licked by a gnome.
    A small lady with mousy brown hair and fae ears came over. “I see you like my new plants,” she said, giving Kalen a pat on his back. “Kalen, it’s marvelous to see you again.”
    Kalen grinned at the fae lady. “Good to see you too, Ms. Herbchild.”
    I was impressed; he seemed to know everybody here in the market.
    “Feel free to sample some of the new fruits,” Ms. Herbchild said, as she walked off to attend to another customer.
    We thanked Ms. Herbchild, since she didn’t take any money from us, and walked out of the tent and over to another stall. It was all so exciting. I hoped we would have enough time to see everything before we had to go back.
    A small, colorful stall, draped in light green and yellow muslin, was selling charm bracelets. I went over to have a better look. The lady selling the bracelets was thin and tall, with olive skin and glossy black hair. She wore a plain white cotton dress and had covered her shoulders with a brown shawl. Her skin was heavily tattooed with strange symbols that ran down her arm and the side of her neck. I wondered what they were as I inspected all the things she was selling.
    “Would you like a charm, my little one?” said the lady, after I had a chance to look around.
    I shook my head. I knew I had no money, but still I was very intrigued. They sounded quite fascinating.
    “Come, come, my dear, you will never find something like this in this part of Avalonia. I can give you a wonderful five-charm bracelet for only one gold damarin and two silver trilts,” said the lady, picking it up and showing me the bracelet more closely.
    It was an intricate piece of work. The bracelet was finely crafted, and the tiny charms that hung from it were made in different colors and shaped in curious-looking designs.
    I was fascinated; maybe Kalen could lend me the money to buy it and explain how to use it. I looked around for him and waved him over. When he saw me he came over quickly and pulled me away from the stall.
    “Stay away from her,” he said seriously.
    The lady made a face as she turned to her next customer, her multiple bracelets jingling as she moved.
    “You never know what these witches put in those charm bracelets. Many things can go wrong. They are not really safe,” said Kalen quietly to me.
    “She was a witch?” I asked, looking back at her.
    Kalen nodded, pulling me towards another red-and-white tent. “Come in here, I want to show you something.”
    Outside the tent was a sign: “Magical Creatures, Familiars, and Companions.” I wondered what he wanted me to see. I couldn’t handle a pet right now; I was having a hard enough time looking after myself as it was.
    The inside of the tent was built like a stable, and, like the plant tent, it was larger inside than it looked