Total pages in book: 194
Estimated words: 187021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 187021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
“Where are we going now?” Graves asked.
Kierse waited until a troll and shifter, her skin rippling threateningly, had passed them before pulling out the piece of paper.
Vriosa
1901 Main Street
Dublin Nying Market
Rizz’s Oddities
3-1 Xinjiang Rd
Shanghai Nying Market
“I’m guessing that’s Rio’s old address. And now we head to Shanghai?” Kierse said.
Graves plucked the paper out of her hand and scanned it. “I’m familiar with the area. We have to go up one more floor to get to Shanghai,” Graves said. “There’s a way nearby.”
A group of stooped goblins carrying automatic weapons veered around them. A pair of wraiths were crossing the street ahead of them. This area hadn’t been that busy when Vale had dropped them off, and with their luck, it wasn’t a good sign. Time to leave.
“Get us there quickly,” Niamh said.
“Unfortunately, there’s only one reliable way up,” Graves said.
They rounded the corner into a busy intersection, full of glaring billboards and rushing crowds. Graves pointed around the commotion to a line leading to a massive glass elevator.
“We just…ride it up?” she asked uncertainly.
“That’s the idea,” Niamh said.
Nothing at the market had been this easy. From a distance she could see that the line was half full of humans gorging themselves on more goblin fruit as they waited for their turn. But there were just as many monsters of all varieties, halfheartedly grousing about the wait.
“Should we make a plan? Scope it out?”
“We just ride it up,” Graves said. “I’ve never had trouble with it.”
“You were the one to convince me that the market is out to get me. And I’ve learned my lesson,” she said as they headed toward the line. “A chase, getting stabbed, the negotiations…I got the message.”
Their group got behind a mer, who was talking animatedly to a wraith in swift Mandarin. The line moved at a glacial pace. The elevator was large and jammed full every time, and still somehow it took forever for them to reach the front.
“Fruit?” a goblin asked once they were next in line.
Kierse held up her coin and held her breath. The goblin scoffed and moved on to the group of humans behind them. Kierse released a harsh breath, taking pains to ignore the pornographic sounds of the humans enjoying the fruit at her back.
Finally, the elevator came back to their floor and opened for them, and they followed the mer inside. Kierse ended up against the far wall with Graves and Niamh at her sides as, just like before, more and more people were shoved into the cramped space. Until humans were digging elbows into her stomach, stomping on her feet, and she could smell the fruit’s tangy sweetness mingled with body odor. A man in front of her looked half ready to pass out as the heat rose precipitously, but still the juice splashed down his white tank top, all over his hands and mouth, as if he physically couldn’t stop himself from devouring the stuff.
When she thought it couldn’t get any fuller, the goblins pushed a few more into the knot of bodies, shoving them with all their might and constricting the last vestiges of air out of the place as the doors were closing. A man screamed as the door smashed on his shoulder. The scent of blood filled the already disgusting elevator as the guy was given one more shove and the doors finally snapped shut.
“The fruit,” a girl said to Kierse’s side. Her teeth were tinged purple and juice dribbled down her chin. “Heaven sent.”
“Heaven,” Kierse said disbelievingly. “Not what I’d go with.”
“Don’t engage,” Graves told her. He was looking at the ceiling and seemed to be holding his breath.
Niamh looked jovially around as if she might start leading everyone in a rousing chorus of show tunes. Nothing seemed to keep down her good humor.
But the girl was still looking at Kierse, and now her glazed eyes looked mad. “Heaven sent!” she snarled and then shoved the piece of fruit at Kierse’s face.
Kierse clamped her mouth shut on a scream as she batted the girl’s hand away, but the girl was all bones, and something snapped in her wrist when Kierse hit her. The girl wailed as the fruit went flying into the mass of bodies and several hands grasped for it eagerly.
A smear of it ran down the side of Kierse’s face, from temple to jaw.
“Get it off. Get it off!” Kierse cried. Her breaths were coming out fast and quick, and with how little oxygen there was in the elevator, she thought she might hyperventilate.
Graves produced a handkerchief from his pocket. His gloved hand held her jaw and turned her face toward him. “Eyes on me.”
She looked deep into those storm eyes. Calm settled around her as he gently wiped away all traces of the juice.
“You’re okay,” he said. “You didn’t get any in your mouth or eyes.”