“Come on, stop lollygagging! We want to get there before all the other shoppers do,” Torrell hissed as she grabbed Jahrra’s arm and yanked her bedazzled friend away.
“Did you see the cape bird?” she whispered, pointing back over her shoulder.
Torrell rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, those are more common than dogs in Lidien now. Someone managed to catch a few and thought it would be a great idea to start marketing quills made from their feathers.”
Jahrra blinked. “You make that sound like a bad thing.”
Torrell glanced back as they moved farther away from the bird that had flown to the ground, pecking for crumbs, its feathers now the hue and pattern of the cobblestones.
She took a breath and said dryly, “It is a bad thing. People could never find their pens.”
Jahrra raised her eyebrows in understanding. She imagined it would be fun to watch her quill take on the color of whatever it touched, but having to search for it every time she needed it would be counter-productive.
A flash of light and a puff of yellow smoke burst from a door on the left but the girls were able to sidestep the customers who fled from the building, coughing and gagging.
“That can’t be good for business,” Torrell muttered as she waved the acrid smoke away.
Jahrra blinked the sting from her eyes and they moved on.
A few more shops, these ones selling books and charms, greeted them on their way but finally Torrell stopped and sighed, “Here we are!”
Jahrra looked up at the sign hanging above the large door: Tynne Alley Jewelers – Creators of the Highest Quality Spirit Stones in Lidien.
The store was much bigger than the others they had passed and all manner of gems and stones glinted from the shelves just inside the window. Jahrra peered farther down the alley and noticed that this store stood on the corner of the building. The street just beyond was much narrower than the main road they left several shops back and boasted a small park across the way.
“This is it,” Torrell said as she reached for the handle of the rather round door. “It isn’t as big as the jeweler’s shop near the center of town but I think this shop produces better stones. And they won’t charge you an arm and a leg either.”
She grimaced at the unintended pun and motioned Jahrra to step forward into the cheery room in front of her.
The interior of the small corner store was larger than she expected and brighter as well, with stone floors and counters. A bell jangled as they crossed the threshold and a strange mewling sound drew Jahrra’s attention to the far corner of the room. A mynex lay curled up on a mat, its long, thick-furred tail wrapped around its cream-colored body. A pair of deep green eyes stared back at them from its squat, cat-like face.
Jahrra admired the creature as Torrell commented, “Acts as a guard dog, in case the owner is away from the front desk.”
Jahrra nodded her understanding just as a curtain placed in the back of the room parted and someone stepped forward. The young woman, young elf, approached them gracefully with an abstemious look on her face. Her hair was nearly the color of corn silk and she wore well-tailored robes that were clearly meant only to be worn at the work place. As she drew nearer, her serious look softened as she scrutinized Jahrra and Torrell with pale grey eyes.
“May I help you ladies?”
Her voice was kind and Jahrra felt herself relax a bit. She tilted her head ever so slightly and a scarred patch of skin at the base of her neck became exposed.
“I-I wanted,” Jahrra began, trying not to be distracted by the scar. It looked like it had been caused by fire.
Torrell took over, using her no-nonsense tone of voice. “My friend here would like to purchase a spirit stone.”
“Ahhh,” the elvin woman said, smiling a little. “We are best known for our spirit stones. If you would follow me?”
The elf gestured as she moved through another curtain. Jahrra nodded, letting out a held breath as she and Torrell left the airiness of the shop’s main room. A strange smell and a darker atmosphere met them on the other side of the curtain and Jahrra nearly panicked, but Torrell was a solid, un-worried source of support behind her. Jahrra bit her lip, wondering how her friend never seemed to get shaken by anything, save for Jaax. In the center of the room there sat a large cauldron, the small fire below it nothing compared to the green glow leaking from its contents.
“I shall fetch mother and father, they are the experts. Please, don’t touch anything until I return.”
The elvin girl gave a short bow and left the way she came.
“Kind of spooky, isn’t it?” Torrell teased as she crossed her arms.
Jahrra nodded, but she wasn’t sure if Torrell noticed in the dark.
“So, how exactly is this done again?” Jahrra asked to pass the time.
Torrell heaved a sigh and answered, “They take whatever it is you give them that you want turned into the stone, then they say a few enspelled words, add a few ingredients for binding then wait about an hour. After that, they set the stone in whatever material you want. It usually doesn’t take that long because they use magic.”
Jahrra nodded again, her eyes fixated on the swirling green liquid in the cauldron. A minute later, the curtain parted and the girl was back bringing who Jahrra could only assume were her parents.
“We hear you would like to commission a spirit stone. Would you like to hear about your options and settle on a comfortable price before we begin?”
Jahrra felt her shoulders sag in relief. Perhaps they had a special deal on spirit stones at the moment; she had a feeling that whatever she wished to create for Jaax would be expensive. The cost of a gold chain for a pendant that would be large enough to fit a dragon was painful even to think about.
“Well,” Jahrra began, “the stone will be for a dragon. I’m not sure if that makes a difference.”
The elvin woman in the darker robes smiled. “As long as you aren’t looking for something exceedingly large, then it shouldn’t. We’ve had several customers commission spirit stones for their dragon friends, and the most common form of jewelry they chose were rings.”
Jahrra’s eyebrows shot up. A ring wouldn’t be too bad. It would probably take the least amount of silver or gold to create and it wouldn’t be as cumbersome as a chain around the neck, or as ostentatious. She recalled Jaax’s attitude towards the chain and blood rose pendant he had to wear for Coalition meetings. But a ring, and perhaps one not overly ornate; that she could picture him wearing. She had seen rings on other dragons, anything from elaborately carved gold to simple circles encrusted with tiny stones. That particular piece of jewelry looked good on the reptilian creatures. Jahrra just hoped Jaax would like the ring she picked out. She swallowed hard, feeling suddenly nervous.
She shook her head and tried to dislodge the uneasy feeling. “I think a ring is exactly what I’m looking for.”
The woman smiled. “An excellent choice. I will go fetch some samples for you to look at while my husband here explains pricing and such.”
The woman left, taking her daughter with her. Jahrra and Torrell were left with the elvin man.
“Now, do you know about the process of creating a spirit stone?” he asked, his voice kind and patient.
Jahrra nodded. “I know a little of it, my friend told me.”
She gestured towards Torrell and the girl smiled, pulling out her own spirit stone. “My sister and mother visited a year ago and had this made for me.”