They passed a stall selling macabre novelty items, which made them both pause for a closer look. Taxidermy mice clothed in decorative costumes stood silently in neat little rows, as if ready to sweep each other off their feet at some grand ball. Asha giggled and bobbed a bow, mimicking a little piebald one in a tophat and coattails. 

Shilo watched as she bent low in a curtsy towards a silver mouse in a wine colored gown. He glanced at the price and pursed his lips. He was still mentally calculating expenses when his eyes caught sight of a fairy entombed in amber that was about the size of his fist. The fairy’s body curled inward with its hands tight to its chest and its dragonfly-like wings twisted out behind, forever trapped, screaming its last wail of despair. 

No matter how much wanted to examine it, he kept his hands to himself, well aware that anything broken would have to be paid for. There were too many officers of the Watch on patrol today for them to be able to make a run for it if something did accidentally happen, or was purposely broken or stolen. A glimpse of a navy and crimson uniform in the shadows of the crowd only emphasized that point.

The stall held many peculiar objects, even miniature replicas of dragon skulls, some of which were fashioned into morbid little planters with succulents or aloe plants protruding out over their curved horns. Dragons were elven shifters like unicorns, but far fewer in number. They rarely left the seclusion of their mountain homes, and as such, were shrouded in such mystery that many believed them to be now extinct. Shilo cocked his head, wondering if dragons in elf form still retained their horns and wings. He contemplated dragons a little more before gazing at the next oddity.

The clerk watched the kids silently, almost completely silhouetted by the glowing crystal orbs hanging in the stall. He was used to children gawking at his wares. However, gawking children usually came back begging with their parents in tow and money being passed. The clerk gave the girl a friendly smile, and tried to maintain that polite look as she grabbed the boy and dashed away.

Asha bought mint soap, it smelled pleasant and would hide the stretch of their bed of musty straw. She deposited it in the knapsack she now wore across her chest. After pilfering his third pouch, Shilo passed their pack off to her and told her to buy something before the Watch noticed them. She went over to a food cart and counted out the coins needed for two goat cheese and berry tarts to go with the meat filled steamed buns she just purchased. They looked delicious, and if he didn’t like it, then he shouldn’t have left her alone. 

Shilo passed by a small family with their purses within easy reach. However, he kept his hands to himself. Their clothes were tattered around the hemlines and stained in a few places. They didn’t smell of pricy perfume, nor did they look well-kept. He dropped a few coins next to the feet of the youngest child and quickly moved into the crowd as the child bent down to pick it up. 

He sighed, mentally chastising himself for the loss of coins. Though in truth, Asha would have appreciated this selfless action more than a stuffed rodent, but that wasn’t going to help him buy her a gift.

He glanced around, then stepped behind a couple with a toddler. Fear of the Orphan Wranglers kept him from being out in the open for too long. Blending in was the key. He puffed out his cheeks with a sigh; the kid in the man’s arms was now trying to talk to him, which could cause the parents to question things. He veered off and chose a group of young men to shadow.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t old enough yet to go unnoticed.

On the other hand, he was still young enough to be overlooked.

A colorful skirt layered in rich fabric caught his eye. The three belts she wore wrapped seductively around her shapely hips and chimed with every movement. But only two of those belts fascinated him; they flaunted wealth. One was a belt made of silver disks inlaid with turquoise, which jingled with every step. The other was braided leather and hung low from the weight of several pouches dangling from it. A muffled metallic clink greeted his ears whenever the pouches bumped against each other as they swayed with her hips. 

He licked his lips; she wouldn’t miss one pouch. 

He moved forward, weaving around a few people to get closer to that skirt. With a quick motion, he cut the lowest pouch on her hip free as he brushed past. The pouch dropped quietly into his hand without her noticing.

However, in his single mindedness he forgot to notice one or two very important details…

A hand grabbed him and jerked his arm back. Shilo stifled a cry. The hand around his boney wrist was gloved too. Interestingly, there was an ornate ring, a green tiger-eye gem set in gold, pulled over the ringfinger of his brown…

No, not a glove! 

His eyes went wide. Shilo jerked his head up to stare, not at the grey of a hybryd, but at the umber brown face of a dark-skinned human man. 

Shilo whipped his eyes to the woman. He let out his breath, at least she was hybryd.

The human grumbled something through clenched teeth. Shilo didn’t comprehend his words, but got the meaning well enough. Especially when the guy’s hand slid higher, rolling the bones of Shilo’s hand in a painful grip.

“He said drop it,” the woman said with a tilt of her head, her sapphire eyes cold. She held an attractive face of medium grey framed by waves of loose black curls. But the hand resting comfortably on the pommel of the sword strapped at her hip told him she was way more dangerous than just a pretty face. 

Of course, her sword belt would be the plain leather one, Shilo huffed to himself.

“Yeaaahh, I kinda figured that,” Shilo mouthed off as he dropped the pouch onto her outstretched hand. 

But the human didn’t release his hold.

Shilo glared up at him, and the human smiled back mockingly. The man was decent looking—for a non-grey, blunt-eared, tailless human. He wore a plum-colored headband to pull his dreads away from his face, and at the center of it was an embroidered dagger piercing a red rose. The design must be of some significance because the guy also wore it on a necklace embossed in silver. Hell, he even had a more realistic image of it tattooed on his right shoulder that his shirtless vest proudly displayed.

Even the woman bore the same silver emblem around her neck, nestled above the ample cleavage of her low cut blouse.

Pirates? Crap! Did I just pickpocket pirates?! Shilo felt his heart race faster as his mind conjured up various degrees of punishment, ranging from swabbing the deck to being fed to sharks.

At that moment, a dark grey hybryd came over, complaining in the same weird language the human used. To which, the human responded by jerking Shilo’s hand up and forcing him to wave.

Yippee, pirates, Shilo thought, souring his face. Gotta be pirates or some sort of gang. This guy’s wearing the same stupid necklace. Lucky me…

“Kid,” the hybryd man growled. “Learn to notice things before your dumbass tries to pickpocket. Lucky for you, you didn’t draw too much attention.” 

He sniffed and tilted his head. “And why the hell do you smell like old bacon?”

“The Watch seems to have noticed,” the woman purred with a smile. “Should I draw them over? Or…?”

All three adults grinned down at him now. Shilo let out a groan.

“No, I’ll be good,” Shilo sighed. “What do you want me to do in exchange for your silence?”

“So, you’re not a complete dumbass.” The guy curled his lips up in a mocking grin and leaned in close. “Are you, bacon boy?” 

The sun must be playing tricks with him. The guy’s eyes looked a little off, mismatched shades of blue. Suddenly, the man’s expression changed, he arched a brow and yanked the hood off Shilo’s head. Shilo stilled, hoping against hope that his disguise was convincing enough to fool his fellow hybryd. 

Sucking on the inside of his cheek in puzzlement, the man put a finger to Shilo’s forehead. Only to jerk the now greasy finger back with a startled yelp. Shilo yelped as well when a sharp zap, stronger than static electricity, shot through them from that brief skin-to-skin contact.

The man’s odd eyes widened. His expression contorted between shock and curiosity as he stared down at the boy. His lips moved, yet no sound escaped to give voice to the two words he spoke. 

But even if he actually said something, Shilo wouldn't have heard him, he was too busy listening to the racing of his heart. This guy was a mage, and he needed to get out of here—now! 

“E-Easy,” the man said. “I-I just want to—”

Shilo shoved the human and tried twisting his hand free. His bare skin touched the man’s hand through his fingerless glove. Another zap, another mage. The human released him as if he were diseased and held his own hand in shock. 

Free of the human’s hold, Shilo fell to the ground and scrambled to his feet. He sped through the crowd, ignoring the hybryd man's shouts to come back. There was no way he was believing they meant him no harm and just wanted to talk, not with their weird expressions and those shocking jolts. 

Tainted freak, that’s what those expressions meant.