Page 61 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

The buildings are even more magnificent up close. They’re more than made with precious metals and gems. It’s as if those things sprang up from the ground and simplyformedinto buildings. My breath catches every time I turn around, and that’s only for the structures. The fae are beyond my wildest imaginings.

They wander around wearing big, bright clothes like I’ve never seen. They look so elegant and expensive. One shirt here is easily worth more than the entire farm back home. A lady with a kitten face rushes by, talking quickly to a man with fur like a bear, has a shirt that looks like it was made with hummingbirdwings. Another man floats by, and I think he actuallyhashummingbird wings.

Harek nudges me. “I’m as amazed as you, but we really need to find a place to stay.”

I stare at a skyscraper across the golden street that appears to be one solid piece of aquamarine. “Maybe one of these buildings is a hotel. Could you imagine what it would be like inside? We’d sleep like royalty.”

“There’s no way we could afford anything like that.”

I don’t take my gaze from the blueish green building. “How would we affordanything?”

“If we can find an inn, we could work for our stay.”

All the wonder deflates from my insides, and I turn to him. “But we’re on a mission. I need to find out who my father is.”

“Maybe he’ll let us stay with him.”

My stomach sinks at the thought, which does nothing to calm the angry magic inside me. “The man abandoned my mother and me. I only want to find out what kind of a fae he is then move on with my life.”

Harek lifts a brow. “Really? You aren’t curious about him and your family at all?”

My best friend knows me too well, but I’m not about to let on he’s right. I’d jump at the chance to know my father if he had any interest in me, but I don’t see that happening. The fae has never shown even an inkling in the twenty-three years of my life.

I decide to change the subject. “Have you noticed how warm it is here? We don’t even need an inn. I could fall asleep on the ground and have the greatest night’s sleep of my life.” A sweet buzzing taste tickles my tongue, not that I understand how buzzing can have a taste. Nothing makes sense in this city. “What’s that?”

Harek glances around. “What?”

“Thetaste.”

“You mean the magic?”

I move my tongue around. “That’s magic? It has a taste?”

“When there’s this much in a single place.” He pulls me along. “We need to get ourselves to another district. This one isn’t for us.”

“I could spend a week here and never get bored.”

A pink-and-green caterpillar half my size skitters past as if to prove my point. If I’d known I had fae blood running through my veins, I’d have come here long ago to escape Gunnar and his mistreatment. I wish I could bring my sisters here—they’d never believe it. But being human, they’d never get past the gates.

“Eira…” Harek says my name with twice as many syllables. “We can come back here later if you want.”

“Oh, I definitely want.”

“But we can’t sleep here. Whether we find an inn or a cave, it won’t be here.”

I hate to leave, but I relent and we hurry past more buildings—ones made of ruby, gold, and even diamonds. The sweet taste of magic grows stronger with every step we take.

Before long, the buildings become smaller and foliage appears. Though the plant life is nothing like what I’ve seen outside the walls. Not that I should be surprised. The colors are more vast than a rainbow on a sunny morning. Everything from tiny plants to towering trees shine like prisms, casting brightly colored shadows in angles I wouldn’t have thought possible just an hour earlier.

Birds flit, darting here and there, moving so fast I almost can’t see their wings. Brightly colored predators pad around, not caring about any of the creatures that could be their food—including us. A winged, sparkly, sea foam green saber toothed moose snorts as he glances our way while eating a feathered flower.

I glance at Harek, who is finally as mesmerized as I am. He threads his fingers between mine and squeezes as a crimson lion turns our way. Upon closer inspection, the beast is actually a swarm of butterflies. When I cough, they part and fly in separate directions with a massive flutter.

As we walk farther, branches overhead move in impossible directions, twirling around each other, forming pathways for animals and fae alike to walk on. Music and delicious smells come from up ahead. My stomach growls despite the sourness from the foreign magic inside me.

We round a corner and come to a marketplace of sorts, although it isn’t like any I’ve ever encountered before. Stalls not only stand on the ground but also float in the air. Winged patrons fly from one to another in the same way those using legs walk from one to the next.

My stomach growls again, and I turn to Harek. “What do you think it would take for us to get some food?”

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