Magdala glared at the afternoon son, wishing that she had the confidence to wear the light tunics the Vanurians wore. She also envied their dusky skin; the day she showed that much skin was the day she found out how pretty she looked in red hair and skin.
When she caught Taylor gawking at a particularly comely resident, Magdala raised an eyebrow. “Enjoying yourself?”
The corporal flushed. “Just… making sure they don’t have any weapons, milady.”
“Right.”
Mei pointed to a flower stall, her eyes sparkling. “Let’s go there!”
Taylor shook her head. “Another one?”
Already, the hunter had dragged Taylor and Magdala into three shops in the Jungle. Even now Magdala was enjoying Mei’s latest find, a curved fruit covered in chocolati sauce, which was an evil brew that Magdala couldn’t get enough of. Taylor carried the other results of Mei’s curiosity, a woven hand basket with a dozen brightly patterned scarves stuffed into it. Still, seeing Mei’s unrestrained smile made Magdala smile too. She’d seemed down back in the town square.
Magdala and Taylor followed Mei to the flower stall, which was full of strange and wonderful blossoms of every shade and shape. Magdala guessed that they were probably from the other side of the Southern LIne.
Ignoring the bemused shopkeeper, Mei knelt to shove her face into a breathtaking bouquet of sunset orange and twilight blue flowers.
Magdala grabbed Mei’s arm. “What are you doing?”
Mei came up for air, her nose covered in pollen. “Smelling the flowers.”
Taylor cocked an eyebrow. “You sure you don’t want to eat them instead?”
“They smell too good to eat.” Mei dove back in.
Was Mei falling in love with Vanuria? Magdala patted her friend’s back and turned to the shopkeeper. “Do you know this scent?” She pulled the vial out of her cloak and opened it, and the sweet smell overpowered the dozens of blossoms around them.
The shopkeeper jerked back. “That’s not possible.”
Magdala and Taylor looked at each other. That was the strongest reaction so far. The other shopkeepers had just shaken their heads and politely asked them to take their crazy Tuquese friend and leave.
Magdala leaned in. “What is it?”
The shopkeeper covered their mouth with their hand. “It’s… I won’t say. Go now. Leave.”
“Is it a flower?” Mei stood up and wiped pollen from her nose. “You know what it is. The others didn’t.”
Realization shook Magdala. The other shopkeepers had been a fruit seller (where they’d gotten the tasty sauce-covered fruit), a weaver (where the scarves had come from), and a basket maker. Magdala had assumed that Mei had been shopping for souvenirs, but she’d been actually searching for the scent. Magdala’s lips pursed. Sure, the fruit and basket sellers were obvious as their wares were particularly fragrant, but what about the weaver? Scarves weren’t particularly fragrant, but… one had to dye them, dyes were frequently made from plants and animals, and there had been pots of the stuff lying in the back of that shop.
Turning to the flowers, Magdala recalled which elements comprised the red ichor. Yes, there was iron, but also the common elements of life, carbon, water, etc. She had guessed it was some sort of animal oil based on its usage, but with that scent, a flower made much more sense. Kneeling, she joined Mei in inspecting the plants, placing her hand on each blossum and muttering Nqeoum under her breath.
“Wh-what are you doing?” asked the shopkeeper.
Taylor stepped forward, her voice sharp. “She’s under orders from Colonel Harvey of the Southern Line Garrison.”
The shopkeeper quailed. “I haven’t done anything. I just sell flowers. Good flowers.”
Magdala peered at a crimson flower that formed the centerpiece of a fetching bouquet. Taking a flaky petal between her fingers, she whispered “Nqeoum” then sifted through the formula. She smiled. “This is the closest.” She pulled the flower out of its bouquet and showed it to the shopkeeper.
On seeing it, blood rushed out of the shopkeeper’s sun touched face. “No, no. Just please go. I won’t say anything.”
Taylor pulled out the bouquet that Mei had practically dived into. “I’d like to buy this for my mother with a little card to show how much I love her. What would be a good message to write on the card?”
The shopkeeper blinked. “I don’t understand.”
Taylor leaned in. “This is a beautiful bouquet.” Her words tickled the shopkeeper’s ear. “We’re here to protect beauty like this.”
The shopkeeper nodded. “Yes, yes, I understand.”
Magdala straightened up, suddenly realizing she’d been leaning in to hear what Taylor was saying.
The corporal smiled and stepped back. “Good, I’ll recommend this place to my regiment. Soldiers get all soft when it comes to their mothers. So, what’s a good message to mine?”
The shopkeeper pulled pencil and paper out of her pocket and started to write. “My mother always wants to hear that her son is well. I assume yours is no different?”
Magdala frowned. “What’s happ-“
Mei’s elbow cut her off.
Taylor chuckled. “If she ever heard I’d gotten hurt, she’d fight old Gallus himself to take me home.”
“Then she is a good mother.” The shopkeeper held out the piece of paper to Taylor.
The corporal took the paper and the shopkeeper’s hand, enveloping both with her own rough scarred hands. “Thank you.”
Blushing, the shopkeeper pulled free and waved them away.
When Taylor picked up the bouquet and walked away, Magdala dropped a count on the stall and chased after her with Mei in tow.
“What just happened?” she asked Taylor.
Taylor waved the piece of paper the shopkeeper had given her and smiled.
Mei nodded. “She used words with two meanings.”
Magdala raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Taylor grinned. “I did. You learn stuff like this when you’re trying to sneak stuff by the quartermaster, milady.”
“Oh, really?”
Taylor handed over the piece of paper. “You’ll see. Read it.”
Magdala looked at it and her mouth fell open. It wasn’t a message to Taylor’s mother. It was a map. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We literally walked into that place when we arrived.”
Taylor glanced at the piece of paper. “Are you sure? It’s not the best map.”
Mei took a look. “There’s only one Vanurian shop there. The rest are houses.”
Magdala looked at the map again and made a decision. “Let’s call it a day.” She stowed the map in her cloak.
Taylor tilted her head. “What about the deadline, milady? We-“
“We have two more days.” Magdala led the group back towards Walcrest. “That’s plenty of time.”
Mei gave her a look.
“What?” Magdala asked.
“Even the strongest star wolf travels in a pack,” said Mei.
Magdala’s chest tightened, but she ignored it. “Okay… We’ll follow up on this tomorrow.”
Taylor bowed. “As you say, milady. I’ll escort you back to Walcrest.”
Magdala let out a quiet breath and focused on what she was going to do next. After dinner, she’d sneak out and catch her lord uncle’s assailant in the act. That way neither Mei nor Taylor would get hurt.
Admaeus Speaks 
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