It took him a few seconds to find the right words and tone of voice, but he finally managed to say, “I hope you can help me. I got trampled by the crowd at the parade today, and then some men robbed me at knifepoint and took all my money except these few coins. I need a place to stay for the night and to get cleaned up.”
The man nodded. “I’m sorry to hear about your troubles, young man, but I will need payment in advance, and then I’d be happy to help you out,” he said, his face softening.
Colin sighed with relief, then turned away from the man and pulled out a coin. “Will this be enough?” he asked, realizing that he had no idea how much a room should cost.
The man’s eyes got big when he saw the coin, and for a second, Colin thought he was going to grab it out of his hand, but then he said, “That’s a royal coin. I can’t take that.”
“What do you mean you can’t take it?” Colin asked, his voice rising with panic. “It’s good money, probably more than enough to pay for one of your rooms.”
The man stared at Colin for a long time, then sighed, “I don’t know where you got that, but around here, we’re not allowed to take royal coins or spend them. That’s worthless to me unless I sell it on the black market.”
Colin knew what the man was thinking. “I didn’t steal these; they’re mine,” he said, forgetting what he looked like right then.
The man looked him up and down again. “Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you,” he said, shaking his head. “But if you’re serious about spending them, there’s a place a few blocks down where you might find someone willing to take a chance on you.”
Ten minutes later, he was standing in front of a dilapidated hotel, the sign in front so old, the writing had worn off. He considered walking away, but it was late, he was exhausted, and his arm was throbbing, so he pushed the door open and walked in. It was almost as dark inside as it had been outside, but he was greeted by a large man who looked a lot like the man from the parade.
“Help you, stranger?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Colin hesitated, then said, “I have some coins to sell, and someone told me this might be the place to do it.”
“What kind of coins?” the man asked.
“The kind that can’t normally be used around here,” Colin answered, proud of himself for his quick wit.
“Let me see one,” the man ordered.
Colin pulled a single coin out of his pocket and showed it to the man, whose eyes got big. “Did you steal that?”
“No, it’s mine,” he said, looking the man right in the eyes. “I didn’t steal it.”
The man nodded, knowing that Fae couldn’t tell an outright lie. “Follow me.”
Colin followed the man down a dark hallway, into the bar, and across the room to a table where a very ugly man sat watching everything going on around him. He stood nervously waiting while the big man whispered in the other man’s ear, wondering if he could really be a faerie, who were rarely ugly. In the end, he decided that it didn’t matter; he needed what the man had to offer.
When the man nodded at Colin and gestured for him to sit down across from him, he carefully sat down. “I hear you have some coins you’d like to part with,” the man said when he was settled.
He nodded and set the coin on the table between them. “I have more where this came from,” he said, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest, trying to play it cool, even though his heart was pounding in his chest.
The man picked up the coin and looked at it, turned it over several times, then put it in his mouth and bit down on it. Colin wanted to laugh at the sight, but kept still, knowing that he couldn’t afford to offend the man who looked like he could snap him in half. Finally, the man set the coin back down on the table and looked over at Colin.
“If the rest of what you have are anything like this one, I do believe we might be able to come to an agreement,” the man said. “But I’ll have to see the rest before we make a deal.”
Colin reluctantly got the pouch out of his pocket and dumped the remaining coins into his palm, then slid them onto the table. “I expect a good return on these,” he said.
“I’ll give you fifty gold pieces for them,” the man said, sitting back in his chair.
Colin could only stare at him. “What? That’s not nearly enough; they’re worth four times that much,” he barked.
“That’s my offer; take it or leave it,” the man said. “And if I were you, I’d take it.”
He didn’t like the look on the man’s face or the tone of his voice and got to his feet. “I think I’ll leave it,” he said, reaching down to sweep the coins up.
“I wouldn’t do that,” a voice behind him said. “Just take the boss’ money and be on your way.”
“I will not be cheated,” he said, quickly gathered the coins, and started for the door.
But he only got a few steps before a hand with a grip like a steel vice clamped down on his arm and he was swung around. A fist connected with his face; at the same time, he felt the coins being stripped from his hand, and then there was nothing.
***Darby***
Still thinking about her father and that first night with the Moon Flowers, Darby made her way back to the farmhouse. The moon had risen hours ago, and she knew that she needed to get some sleep, but her memories wouldn’t be quieted that night, and soon she was thinking about her grandmother and how much she’d loved the farm. Her favorite place to spend the day had been the drying house, which always smelled like a fresh summer day, and she’d spent her last day there sitting in her rocking chair soaking up the sun.
As she passed the drying house, she looked over at it, almost expecting her grandmother to be sitting there waving at her like she used to do. But of course, she wasn’t there, but she did notice that the door was open just a little, as if someone had snuck in and forgotten to shut it. Suddenly wary, she grabbed a stick lying on the ground under a tree and changed direction.
It wouldn’t be the first time she’d caught someone in the drying shed on the night of the summer ball, but it hadn’t happened for a few years. The first time had been more embarrassing for her than the Fae she’d stumbled upon; she’d been so shocked, she’d screamed and run away, but she wasn’t thirteen anymore.
The stick gripped tightly in her hand, she approached the door expecting to hear the sounds of lovemaking, but there was only silence. She paused and listened, thinking that she’d been wrong, but then she heard a faint rustling followed by groaning. More than a little annoyed that her home had been invaded by errant party-goers, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“I know you’re in here, and you’d better get out now,” she yelled, throwing on the lights.
Silence greeted her again, and she wondered if she’d been imagining things, but just as she reached for the lights to turn them off, she heard another groan. This time, it was clearer than before and sounded more like someone in pain than in the throes of pleasure. Gripping the stick a little more tightly, she began to weave her way around the tables, ducking to avoid the bundles of drying flowers and herbs hanging from the ceiling.