“He lives in the Brine,” I said, stepping in. “It’s a part of the Sanctum, where the gods live, which is broken into different kingdoms. Pontus gets the Brine, Vaipany the Corona, Arina the Ardor…. Didn’t your parents teach you this?”
They shook their heads.
“Ooh, look!” Verity cried, pointing behind us and ending the conversation.
Swaths of blue linen hung from a semicircle of trees. In the middle of the grove, an old woman had a series of curious metal boxes. Pinprick holes were hammered into their sides, and as she inserted lanterns into the boxes, dazzling images were projected onto the cloth strips. With a touch of her finger, the boxes spun. Dolphins leapt in and out of waves, seagulls soared by with wings flapping, and great puffs of air plumed from breaching whales.
A crowd gathered around her, applauding, as she created her illusions. Farther down the street, on the veranda of another tavern, a group of fishermen burst into a lusty sea chantey.
“I love Churning,” Rosalie whispered, her shoulder bumping into mine as we shared this special moment.
Her eyes caught sight of something in the mob of people. I followed her gaze. Not something. Someone. Ethan waved at her from the corner, and I saw Jules and Captain Morganstin among the crowd. They must have come to see what the commotion was all about.
“I think I’m just going to…” She trailed off, unable to come up with a plausible excuse to leave.
“Yes…I think you’d better just,” I teased her, pushing her away with a knowing smile.
She slipped through the throng and was across the street before I could blink.
There was a titter of giggles to my left, and I turned to see Camille throwing her head back in laughter at something Fisher said. He must have come over from the pub as well.
Just beyond them, a man stood, his slim form cast in dark silhouette against the colorful lights. Though I couldn’t be entirely certain, I felt his eyes fall on me, his gaze a tangible pressure. As I stared, a memory clinked loose in the back of my mind.
“I know him,” I whispered.
“Hmm?” Ligeia asked, drawing her attention from the light box show.
“That man over there. I recognize him, but I’m not sure from where.”
As if he sensed I was talking about him, he raised his chin, beckoning me over.
“What man? There’re men everywhere,” Ligeia said, sweeping her eyes over the crowd. “Oh, look at the waves!” she exclaimed, turning back to the performance.
“It’s gotten too crowded for me,” I said, pressing one of the coins into her hand. “Can you watch the girls? I need to get some fresh air.”
She nodded, and I weaved my way through the crowds, fighting through even more onlookers as they joined the show. When I reached the spot in the park where the dark figure had stood, he was gone.
I turned in a circle, trying to spot anyone with his unusually tall carriage. A shadow moved against the trees at the edge of the park, the figure’s silver hair catching in the moonlight. He looked back once as if to make certain I was following him.
As he turned, the gas lamps briefly illuminated his jacket, reflecting the golden threads embroidered across the right shoulder.
A three-headed dragon.
It was the man from the first ball, in Pelage.
What was he doing in Astrea?
Curious, I ducked down a narrow alley, and then another, unsure of where I was headed. Every time I thought I was catching up, I caught a glimpse of the dragon man’s coat disappearing down another street. In the dark, with the decorations for Churning, I soon became completely turned around. I pushed through the long strands of sea glass beads and ropes of fake pearls that formed a curtain across the alley’s exit.
The street I emerged onto looked different from the harbor or the town square.
Darker, dirtier.
Danker too.
The first storefront I saw was bathed in a pink glow, and my stomach turned as I guessed at what merchandise was sold behind such lurid trappings. Several other pink houses lined the street. Some had girls in the windows, waving and posing. Others were awash with tinsel and gaudy paste jewels.
The dragon man was gone, vanished into thin air, and as I glanced about, trying to get my bearings, I wondered why I’d ever followed him in the first place.
