ASTRID
I’m blindfolded once more, the servant leading me by a series of light touches. The whole walk is eerily quiet, and even through the covering over my eyes, I can tell we’re walking through near-total darkness.
When the man removes my blindfold, we’re well past the palace wall, on the way to the slums. He hefts a coin pouch into my hands, turns without a word, and melts into the night, leaving me alone once more.
My feet move on instinct, carrying me down the familiar road while my brain still tries to puzzle out what on Phaegia just happened.
Peeking into the coin pouch, I can immediately tell I’m holding more money than I’ve ever seen at one time. And that’s not even counting the bracelet!
But I don’t allow myself the giddy acknowledgement that this all might actually be real
