Chapter 281: Of Markets, Shadows, and the Demon Who Moved the World Without Trying
Chapter 281: Of Markets, Shadows, and the Demon Who Moved the World Without Trying
Elyn’s POV
I opened my mouth to speak — to tell Zorathys that if he too was not on his best behavior, I was going to send him back to the palace one way or another — but before I could get a single word out, he turned to me.
His ruby gaze locked onto mine.
"Shall we get the tour started?" he asked.
I didn’t even have time to answer.
His shadows moved.
They rose from the ground around us — not slowly this time, but fast, a sudden surge of darkness that swallowed the palace entrance, the sky, the children beside me, everything. There was no warning, no dramatic pause, no chance to brace myself.
Just darkness.
And then light.
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
And when my eyes focused again, we were no longer in the palace.
The air was different here, warmer, busier, filled with sounds I hadn’t heard in well... I don’t know how long. Voices calling out, demons laughing, the clink of coins changing hands, the sizzle of something cooking on an open flame.
I turned slowly, taking it all in.
We were in what I could only describe as a market. Stalls lined both sides of a wide cobblestone path, their canopies a riot of colors — deep purples, vibrant oranges, rich crimsons, every shade imaginable. The structures themselves were mismatched in the most charming way, some made of dark wood carved with intricate patterns, others constructed from what looked like polished bone or smooth river stones stacked in impossible balance.
Demons of every kind moved between the stalls.
A group of goblins hurried past, their green skin gleaming under the sunlight, each one carrying what looked like dozens of shimmering crystals in their arms. A stone demon, broad and gray, stood behind a stall piled high with what appeared to be glowing mushrooms. Water demons drifted through the crowd, their forms shifting like liquid, their light blue hair trailing behind them like ribbons caught in a current.
Beast demons of every variety wandered past. A demon with the body of a tall, elegant woman and the head of a snow-white fox stopped to examine a stall selling jewelry. Another with the lower body of a massive serpent and the torso of a man was arguing with a stall owner about prices.
Succubi moved through the crowd too, their wings folded neatly behind them, their presence drawing glances from nearly every direction.
It was overwhelming.
It was beautiful.
And I realized my mouth was hanging open.
"Close your mouth, Firefly," Zorathys said beside me, his voice carrying that lazy amusement I had grown accustomed to.
I turned to glare at him.
"I wasn’t expecting this," I admitted.
"What were you expecting?" he asked.
"I don’t know. Something less... alive?" I gestured vaguely at everything around us. "This is a lot."
Zorathys’s lips curved slightly.
"This is the market district," he said. "The capital’s main trading hub. Stalls like these have been here for centuries. Some even longer." He paused, his gaze sweeping across the crowd with something that looked almost like fondness. "Everything you see here is made or grown or harvested by demons."
I looked at him.
He was already looking at me.
And for a moment, just a moment, there was something soft in his expression. Something that made my chest feel strange.
I smiled.
"This is amazing," I said quietly.
His eyes brightened.
I turned back to the market, already planning which stall to visit first, when something stopped me.
The children.
I had almost forgotten about them in all the chaos of the shadows and the sudden change of scenery.
I turned to look at them and realized they were all frozen — well except Azerion, who had a pout on his face.
The others stared at Zorathys with wide eyes and open mouths.
They were in awe, but unlike me, it was not directed at the market but at the annoying demon next to me.
Aziren’s flames were dancing so wildly I was surprised they hadn’t set something on fire. Velira’s wings had flared open behind her. Even Brixton, who was usually so composed, looked like he had just witnessed something impossible.
Zorathys raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?" he asked.
"You moved us... all at once," Retheris breathed out, eyes still wide.
"So?" Zorathys asked him.
"That’s..." Thalira’s voice came out strangled. "That’s a lot of power."
"Yes," Zorathys said again, his tone unchanged. "It is."
The children continued staring.
Zorathys did not acknowledge them further.
He simply turned his gaze back to me — as if moving seven children across an unknown distance in the blink of an eye was nothing worth discussing — and said, "You were about to explore."
I shook my head, still half in disbelief at everything that had just happened.
"Right," I said. "Yes. Exploring."
I took a step toward the nearest stall — a colorful display of fruits I didn’t recognize, each one glowing faintly from within — when I stopped.
Something occurred to me and I turned back to Zorathys.
"Is there a way you can link everyone to me?" I asked him.
He frowned. "What?"
"Link everyone to me, Zorathys, including yourself, just in case one of you gets lost."
Zorathys’s frown deepened.
"I am not going to get lost," he said.
I gave him a look. A long, pointed, very specific look.
"Do you remember," I said slowly, "the last time we went to the beast demon territory?"
Zorathys went very still.
His shadows stopped moving.
"Do you remember how you wandered off to look for a place to sleep, and not just you but Azerion too?" I continued.
He said nothing and just sighed. Then he reached out and took my wrist.
He turned my hand over gently, and then something cool settled against my skin.
I looked down and noticed I had a bracelet on.
It was thin and elegant, made of what looked like dark silver, with tiny gems embedded along its length that caught the light and scattered it in soft, shifting colors.
"What is this?" I asked.
"A tether," he said, releasing my wrist. "As long as you wear that, you will know where everyone is. If anyone goes missing —" he paused, his gaze flicking to me, "—and I am not saying we will — you will be able to find them."
I studied the bracelet.
Then I smiled.
"Thank you," I said.