Page 13 of A Trial of the Heart

“There’s a reason why shifters don’t wear jewelry or keep such fine clothing in our wardrobes. It’s why we mark our mate’s flesh instead of wearing wedding bands on our fingers, necklaces, or earrings.” I looked over thesparkling displays, entranced by the beautiful works of art crafted into various trinkets.

“Care to enlighten us?” Idris asked as she moved beside me.

“This is disappointing to hear, actually,” Zola mumbled.

“When we shift, our bodies alter completely, the structure of our skeleton, our skin… everything changes. Most of us shred through clothing when we take our larger animal forms, so imagine what a ring or a bracelet would do if my hand suddenly transformed into a paw or disappeared entirely.”

“Well, that’s dull—” Zola huffed, and Idris elbowed her in the arm.

“It’s… It’s practical,” Idris said. “It’s also refreshing to hear.” Idris gasped as she looked at the glaring expression on Zola’s face. “My comment was not intended for you, Z. Calm down.”

Zola crossed her arms with a tight scowl.

“Miss Treasure Trove over here has one of the grandest collections in all the Inner Kingdom. And she never likes to share.”

Zola laughed, shaking her head as she flung her arm around her friend’s shoulder. “I only acquire the best and brightest gems, and you are most definitely one of my most treasured.”

“Good grief,” Idris bellowed. “You are too much, Z.”

I browsed the moon and star hairpins, but none of them stood out to me. I meandered to the selection dedicated to a variety of different plants and animals. I saw various elegant birds, which made me think of Gilen, so naturally, I passed over them as quickly as I could. The wolf reminded me of Rhea, but then I thought about how cliché it would be to choose ananimal. Sighing to myself, I continued on to the flowers. My eyes scanned over the glimmering diamonds, emeralds, and rubies that represented a delicate rose, and I was about to pick it up until the sight of another stole my breath away.

The room seemed to disappear as my eyes scanned over the long ebony stem of shiny obsidian rock, leading to black oval leaf that framed brilliant silver and orange petals inside. This was the flower from my dreams, and it was somehowreal?

“Do you like it?” the merchant from behind the counter kindly asked.

For a moment, I had forgotten how to speak. I smiled and nodded to the kind shop owner, who reached into the glass display case to hold it out for me to examine. I held it in my hands, gently stroking the colored petals that I believed to be a figment of my dreams.

“What is this flower called?” I asked, gaining Zola and Idris’s attention.

“It’s a rare beauty,” the merchant said, looking at me with kindness in his weathered eyes. “It is known as the moondance flower. And it only blooms—”

“In the moonlight,” I said.

“How did you know that?” Idris asked. “I didn’t think you had these flowers in Solace or the mainland.”

“We don’t,” I said, never taking my eyes off the divine trinket. “I’ve seen… No, I’ve dreamt about this flower ever since I can remember. It always makes me feel safe, like nothing in this world can hurt me.”

I was lost in the beauty of what I was holding in my hands. I couldn’t believe that this flower was real, and I wished more than anything to be able to, someday, truly witness it bloom.

Zola and Idris glanced at each other with questioning looks over my shoulder, but I paid them no attention. I was lost to the beauty of this jeweled hairpin, which embodied the very real flower of my dreams.

“How much?” Zola asked.

The merchant’s eyes dropped to my left forearm, where my champion’s mark of three black outlines of eight-pointed stars was branded into my skin. “For our champion, it’s a gift.”

“We have the coin,” Zola protested.

The merchant held up his hand. “Please, it’s a gift.”

I cradled the hairpin in my palms before clutching it tightly against my chest. I carefully slid it into a secret pocket tucked away at my thigh along the slit of my skirt.

“Thank you.” I truly was grateful for not only his kindness but for Idris and Zola’s as well. This day had turned out to be a perfect distraction for what was to come.

“It will look beautiful on you, Skylar!” Idris beamed as we exited the merchant’s jewelry shop. Zola had her small trinket box tucked under her arm with a satisfied look plastered across her expression.

The sun was beginning to set, and we knew it was almost time to venture back to Adohan and Idris’s home. However, there was one final stop Idris wanted to make before we returned, and of course, Zola and I allowed her to drag us along. As the city darkened, new lights began to illuminate the different streets, posts, and homes as we passed by. They were mesmerizingly bright and beautiful with no sign of fire illuminating them inside.

“What? How do these work?” I asked.

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