I gesture at her bandage while keeping one eye on the minotaur. “What happened?”
“I’m fine. It’s just a blister from trying to keep up with Renen.”
“You should tell him you hate climbing.”
“I can’t. He would be so sad. I’m okay. Don’t worry, Tully.”
Over here at Kaya’s stall, I can spy on the minotaur’s goods. He is messing with what appears to be two small, black stones.
What are those?
I continue chatting Kaya up so I can spy more.
“Youarea toughie,” I say. “You’d never know it to look at you.” Kaya had the appearance of a porcelain doll. “What’s your next big adventure?”
“I signed a contract with Cyrus to provide fresh baguettes each day.”
The dragon shifter runs The Gold Coin, one of two pubs in Leafshire Cove.
Kaya continues. “So I’ll probably be stuck in my kitchen for the rest of my existence. But if I manage to get enough money to hire someone, Renen wants to hike the old volcano. To check out the hot spot on the western edge of the caldera. But supposedly, it gets a little too dicey for hiking far before you can reach the spot.”
I give Kaya a deadpan look. “Gee, you think a volcano might be risky? What a shock.”
She snickers. “Shut up, Tully. Now, why are we glaring at this handsome minotaur?”
Laini approaches with Spark, her dragonfox, curled around her shoulders like a shawl. The creature has fox fur ears, dragon horns, green wings, and the snout of a fire-breather.
“I want to know what’s going on,” Laini says.
“That newcomer is taking people’s money and claiming he has potions like mine.”
Kaya gasps. “Minotaurs don’t have magic.”
“Exactly,” I say. “He’s a fraud.”
“I heard you two had it out yesterday,” Laini says.
Spark huffs a spark in the minotaur’s general direction. I pet his tucked, green wing.
The minotaur looks up from his multi-colored vials, linen packets, and folded squares of parchment. The stones are gone. Maybe he put them in his pockets?
“Good morning,” he calls out, looking at Kaya. “My name is Argos. I hope you don’t mind me setting up here.” He dips his chin at Kaya’s stall. “I do have permission from Lord Mayor Rustion.”
His line is the size mine usually is. Two of his illusions—a bear cub and a mountain lion—leap in a circle near his customers, or should I say, victims? More and more townsfolk gather at his cart instead of mine. I’m shaking I’m so mad.
Kaya and Laini look to me, and I glare at Argos. The gals join me in glaring. I like these women. They might be mere humans, but they’re not bad. Not bad at all.
“Keep your good mornings to yourself, Argos,” I say drawing out his name dramatically. “We don’t associate with criminals.”
His admittedly handsome lips tilt up on one side and he looks down, slipping his hand in his pocket. “I’m not a criminal.”
When he looks up, his gaze locks onto mine. My heart jumps like I’m ready for a fight.
“Then what do you call your business?” I demand. “Because minotaurs can’t do magic. Are you letting all these fine folk know that you’re only selling some sort of trick?”
“Do you call this a trick?”
He pops his palms together and silver sparkles erupt into the air. The growing crowd stops to watch as the sparkles become a dreamlike waterfall. The water plumes into a river beside a white-stone manor house with black banners that snap in the illusion’s wind.
