Chapter

My senses were met with fresh salty sea air and soft chatter of those walking by. House, what I had been in was a large town house among many others in a rural area. Birds chirped above, soring overhead and landing on houses.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Welcome to Velaris, the city of starlight."

I felt no heat, nor cold. The leaves were changing, but it was only the first hint of fall. The people around were not as bundled up as I was, but I was not given any strange looks. The streets were clean and uniform. It was the prettiest place I had ever seen.

"This one." I whispered. This was thee pretty city.

"Hmm."

"Nothing."

She coached me along, and I followed next to her. "Come, I have taken the liberty in securing your account from Rhys and now we can go shopping." She looked so excited, like all I had done did not affect her.

"My account?"

"You might have thought you were getting nothing, but he put money in an account for you. All that information you spilled, he paid heavily for it. I'm a tad jealous."

The streets shifted from places of living to the shopping district. The streets filled with vendors, selling their wears, and trinkets. The lined streets moved into indoor shopping in a subtly richer part of town.

She was so lively as she moved around. "Where would you like to start, pick a place."

"I…" I grabbed my arm, so many people. While eyes were not on me, it felt like it. I heard whispers, nothing distinguishable, just low murmurs and gazed up to the mountain. Those legs, they could feel me this far away.

"How about clothes, that's what I like to look at and try on. Let's get something you like."

"What is provided is enough." I bit my lip.

"Cali." The whispers ceased.

"Clothes, right. Lead the way."

We were in and out of stores, it wasn't that I hated the clothes, they were nice. Some in a style I would wear, but nothing that covered all the gold filigree underneath. Mor pulled out another dress for her to try on before she held it up to me.

"I like this, but it would look better on you."

"It shows a lot of skin." It was far from the truth. The black fabric was enough to cover full front and almost graze the floor. A black shear train draped down the exposed back. The arms were form fitted and mesh, shimmering as if dipped in glitter. It was the glow I hated most. It made it obvious that these were not just any tattoos.

"You have worn something like this before. Go, try it on." She pushed the dress into my hands and pushed me to the back fitting room. "No winnowing out of this."

I sighed, put it on, buy one thing and maybe she will let it all go. I'll go back to reading and finding these things. I slipped the form fitting dress on, wishing the glow of the gem would go away under the fabric. That the gold lines would be covered enough in thicker fabric.

I peeked around the corner and her face lit up as she put the store catalog down. "Come out, let's see."

I bit my lip as I stepped into view. "I feel bare."

"But you look stunning. The black on gold suits you. Try this one." She held up a dark blue dress of similar fashion, but sleeveless with a deep v plunge.

"No."

"I understand it is an adjustment to how you look, but I assure you, I accept you either way. You could become corporeal; I would still like you."

My lips pressed as I took the dress from her hands. "For you, that's it."

I came back out, holding my arms.

"That's the one, that looks stunning." She raised an eyebrow.

"Mor, why are we doing this?"

"You're not a prisoner. You are bounced from one domain to the next. I scolded Rhys, told him you needed to get out of this court loop and do something for you. Tell me, have you gone anywhere? Done anything of your own will?"

"Well, it's a complicated situation. I kind of do, exploring the library, Going to Fuck faces court."

"But it doesn't have to be. You are free to be whoever and whatever you wish."

"I tried that twice, that's why we're here." I was taking the dress off as I walked back into the room. I shimmed out, dressed quickly and rejoined her dressed in the clothes that covered. "I'll take this one, only if I get to go back home." I held the black dress up.

"Wouldn't you like to see the music or art districts?" I shook my head. "Not even for a night under the stars." She chuckled.

My face heated. "Listen, I gave an ultimatum he would refuse."

"It's Cassian, all you did was intrigue him. Trust me, he's interested in you."

"That was not the goal." I folded my arms. "Music district."

"It is this way, don't forget to buy the dresses."

Dresses? I whispered. "Wait, can you do it."

She turned to the counter. "She'll take those two, put it on the house of wind's tab."

I tapped her arm. "Mor."

"Shh, this will barely put a dint in the money. You said Music district, an opera perhaps?"

"Sounds nice, but I'd just like to look around."

"In that case, I knew the perfect place." She hooked my arm, taking me out f the store.

As we moved from one district to the next, the colors and styles of the buildings changed. The buildings' themes, there were live performances. I watched them, but not in passing. I would wait until they finished their piece.

They played all sorts of handheld instruments from woodwinds to stringed instruments. I felt that tug at the edge of my mind, wishing to be them. I knew so much on the piano, all comprised of the lives I had lived. Not to mention the other instruments I saw from time to time.

"He's here every day."

"He has passion, I can feel it." I turned, a shop catching my eye. "Mor."

"Yes, Cali." She looked to see what I had gazed upon. "Looking for a piano of your own?"

"Sorta, just a window shop, okay?"

As we walked, she spoke. "There are plenty of places for rent around this square. That is if you wish to live here." First Tamlin, now her. I wouldn't want to be around me either.

"I'll find a place. I know being around can get tiresome."

"That's not what I meant; I like having you around. It's just that we all have own places when we wish not to be bothered by others."

I shrugged it off, stepping into the store. I knew there would be no point in looking, when I finished this task, I would leave this land. I had a place, not on this plane. A place where I would live under the roof of yet another.

Lines and rows of instruments from fiddles and violins to woodwinds and pianos.

"Hello miss, how might I help you?" A Butterfly winged man clasped his hands as he looked to me with deep black eyes. He looked just like him, his wings like the ones on the wall. It had to be a coincidence, there could be no relation. He was here, and that fairy was under the ground.

I couldn't look at him, reminded of the time I could not help. "I'm just looking."

"Well, what are you looking to see?"

"I had a dream, one with this in it." I hovered over a violin. "May I?"

"We don't usually let customers play the merchandise, but if you would like to see how it fits, we have a small studio upstairs."

I looked to Mor like asking a parent for permission. "Go for it, you are free to do as you wish."

"I would like to see this studio." I followed the man up the wooded steps in the back. His footsteps were light, the only indication of him moving was the soft creak of the old wood. Mor right behind me.

"Take your time, Cali."

She had taken a seat along the wooden wall, no doubt for proud parents watching their children. Violins were propped up next to chairs, a piano to the side. Small cases on shelves to what I assumed would be woodwind instruments.

The store keep pick up one from the stand, plucked the strings and tuned it for me. "Go ahead and give it a go." He handed it to me, and I brought it up to my chin and rested it on my shoulder. "Your form is good."

"Shh." I closed my eyes, moving that little piece forward.

I saw her, standing there next to me, nodding. I slid the bow down the stings, that little piece of music I heard, filling my mind with a song. My fingers moved, holding strings, making that note change. Lifetimes of practice coming back to me in trickles.

My shadows whispered to me, coating the piano. The keys played as I played a few songs that moved about in my mind. When the flow ended, I frowned. Mor clapped as she stood. I put the thing down back on its stand.

"That was beautiful, when did you learn that?"

"I have lived a long time." The store keep had left, but when, I had no idea.

"You should get one of your own, you have talent."

"I only wished to see if what I saw was my memory or some false thought." I hooked her arm, winnowing back to the town house. "My battery is on E."

"What?"

"I feel drained." I mumbled as I rounded the corner of the stairs into the hallway.

I flopped on my bed face down, I could still smell the scent of Azriel. Crisp clean musk, making me wish I could have that night back, if only just once more. I rolled over in the sheets, taking them with me to the desk. If I was going to tell them history, then I wanted my thoughts clear, and in order.

They needed to know, not just the history, but what could happen and the quest I had been given. As I complied my thoughts, I did not short slang it, did not mix the words. Had to make this smooth, polish this until it was like a published novel.