The Dragon’s Appraiser: Part Two Read Online Free PDF Page B

when the Allonans had declared war on them, they had held a similar festival. Her father had told her that when he was a boy, it had been called The Firelight Festival and the islanders had held it every year to honor their god.
    “Well this is no place for nice girls such as yourselves,” Madja told them. “How about I take you back to your father?”
    She hadn’t planned on going back into town, but she wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing that the girls were running around such a seedy area unattended.
    As it turned out, the girls had also recognized Madja from earlier. As they made their way back to the marketplace, they plied her with questions about where she was from and why she was visiting Bern. The younger one, Ana, had been enchanted by Madja’s silk robes and had thought she was a princess. Her sister Cella had been more interested in Sevrrn, whom she shyly admitted was handsome.
    Although most of the shops had closed, the marketplace was more crowded than ever. Fortunetellers with crystal balls offered prophecies next to apathetic youths that manned ring-toss games. Mobile food carts crowded the walkways selling steamed noodles, roasted meats, and sugared confections. The sounds of drums and crashing cymbals could be heard from a distant street.
    Madja didn’t mind the chaos and even took the girls for a walk up and down a couple of the streets. Because she had thought to bring a few coins, she was able to buy a hairpiece for Cella and shaved ice for all three of them.
    Their father looked to be closing up shop when they finally arrived. The street that housed his stall was much quieter than the others, with only a handful of people who all seemed to be passing through.
    When he saw his daughters, the man was visibly relieved.
    “There you are!” he exclaimed, his voice and odd mix of enthusiasm and sternness.
    They both ran to their father. “Madja bought us dessert!”
    Their father looked up, seeming to notice Madja for the first time. Even in the dim light, Madja could see a flush creep across his cheeks.
    “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, removing his hat and giving a polite bow. “I hope they didn’t cause you any trouble.”
    Although Madja had grown up in an upper-class family, she had rarely dressed the part of an heiress and wasn’t used to people treating her as such. To show that his deference was misplaced, she returned his bow.
    “The pleasure was all mine. Your girls are wonderful.”
    She couldn’t have been more sincere. Although her time with the children had been brief, they had done wonders for her mood. She felt more invigorated than when she had woken up the morning prior.
    The man smiled, transforming his plain face into something endearing. It had been a long time since anyone had regarded her with such genuine warmth and she found herself smiling back at him.
    “I hope they didn’t keep you from your husband.” While he spoke, he tried to busy himself with cleaning the table of his stall, but Madja noticed he was only pushing the rag in small circles.
    “Oh, I’m not married,” she told him.
    “The man you were with today?”
    “He’s my brother,” she said, completely forgetting their cover story.
    Scratching his temple, he said, “I can’t say that I see the resemblance.”
    “He was my late husband’s brother,” she said, trying to salvage the lie. It was a realistic answer. Widows were not bound by the same social conventions as maidens, and therefore it was not unheard of for them to travel without a chaperone.
    “My condolences,” he said, tilting his chin down. “I lost my wife two years ago.”
    Madja’s face burned with shame. While she had endured the loss of both her parents, it felt wrong to accept his empathy for something so intimate.
    “Well, I suppose I should be going,” she told him. “I wouldn’t want to take any more of your time.”
    Ana looked up at her through big, round eyes. “Don’t you want to see the fireworks with