Chương 16: Episode Two Hundred and Sixty: Shells?

The magic funneled into the shop making everything shine just a little bit brighter, including the petrified wood on my bracelet. Indigo giggled and twisted in the air, before heading back to the kitchen. The gushing sound of running water floated out from the hallway. I double checked the charm on my bracelet, and Betty's energy levels were fantastic. All we needed to do was find one more customer, and then make Indigo's day by visiting the Clan Lands.

"Betty, let's complete one more customer today," I said with a smile, as I wandered back behind the counter. Seeing Cerulean had left me in a great mood, even though I wasn't sure when I'd get to see him again. A whisper in the back of my mind reminded me that I needed to call Onyx, and just chat with him. Hopefully I could get him out of whatever funk he was in. That could wait, though. Right now, we needed to handle another customer. The scenery outside the windows shifted again, and stopped.

This time, it wasn't a street view. Tall trees and dark green foliage greeted me. Inside the shop, a case appeared on the right side of the room. It was filled with some of the magical goods that we had, including the three we just got, plus the ivory comb. The floor changed from wood to slate, and the amount of bookshelves reduced to only one row lining the back wall. The counter rippled near me, and Lorestone rose from the wood, with his wings wrapped tightly around him.

Indigo flew in from the hallway glaring at Lorestone, though she was quickly distracted by the changes in the room.

"You have wings!" she said, with a confused tone. She landed and poked his side.

"Use them. Soon!"

"Lorestone will figure it out," I said to her, as her tone crept up.

"It's important that you use them soon after getting them," she said, glancing back and forth between us.

"Important!" I pressed my lips together, since I wasn't the flying expert, and didn't say anything. When we went to the Clan Lands, maybe Lady Twilight could help. The large center table vanished during Indigo's discussion about Lorestone's wings. A cool push of air rose from the countertop, making all of us pause.

"Yes, we're ready, Betty." I glanced at the two of them, and Indigo sheepishly glanced away.

"Sorry, Lorestone," she whispered.

"I will figure it out," he added, before looking at me.

"Let's learn something." Indigo's eyes brightened at that, as she leaped up into the air and flew toward her hideyhole. Instead of going inside, she landed on the top of the bookshelf and sat. The door unlocked. Nothing happened for a few moments, and I turned to the espresso machine. Caffeine solved most problems, and I started working on something iced. A basic iced latte with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla would do nicely.

By the time I filled a tall glass with ice and sweetened milk, things in the shop felt normal again. I topped it with some espresso, and a straw. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Lorestone watched with interest.

"What is that?"

"An iced latte." I gave it a stir, and knew without a doubt that he would love a taste. I grabbed a spoon and held it over to him.

"Warning, it has milk in it, which is dairy. I don't know if dairy is something you can have." Lorestone leaned closer, and sniffed it.

"Smells good." I shrugged. The spoon vanished into his mouth before my familiar pulled back.

"That's tasty. Sweet, though."

"You must be sensitive to sweets," I replied.

"I keep my drinks on the less sweet side, usually." He nodded, staring at the cup, before twisting to look out the window. The door opened and the bells rang, filling the shop with sweet music. More than the bells usually provided. That's when I realized it came from them. Two tall, humanoid beings with long white hair and horns jutting out from their foreheads had entered the shop. Fur covered them up to their necks, where it ended almost like a necklace.

Hooves carried them into the shop, and my mind shouted about unicorns.

"Welcome to the shop! Let me know if I can help you find anything," I said with a smile. Both glanced up and me, then froze.

"Don't smile," whispered Lorestone.

"No teeth." I quickly closed my lips, and smiled without showing them. The one in front nodded.

"We are looking…"

"Browsing," said the one behind.

"Browsing," the first restated, before turning to the bookshelves. The one in the back, with a hint of blue to her horn, headed to the window, where various plants and books were stacked up. The chair that the Cat loved sat there as well, and I was glad Betty had kept it. I sipped on my drink and didn't watch the customers. Instead, I sat and turned to my notebook, going down the list of items we needed but didn't yet have. Were magical flea markets a thing? If so, how did one find them?

I tapped my pen against the paper, wishing I could have picked Cerulean's brain for a bit before he'd had to go. But I wasn't the only one with an important task in front of me, and I had to respect that.

"Lorestone, are there magical flea markets?" I asked quietly, hoping to not disturb the two customers. The light chiming sound that rose from them didn't pause as they wandered the shop. The one near the bookshelves already carried a thick book in her arms.

"There is a famous one, run by a merchant clan," Lorestone replied.

"But I don't know much about it, besides it exists. Clan Chromoflame would sell their artistic goods there on occasion." I tapped my pen again.

"That's a place to start…" I said, as an idea began to form.

"We could set up a booth at the market, and send out a list to all the saved addresses from the messages of what we were looking for."

"Easier than trying to track them all down," said Lorestone, with a grin. A gasp paused our conversation, as the unicorn being stood in front of the case of magical items. She pointed inside, as she turned to look at me. The other hurried over.

"Can we see comb?" I nodded, and hurried around the counter. The lighter one jerked back as I approached, while the one with blue didn't seem to care. Her eyes remained on the comb. I slid behind the glass case and pulled it out, before walking back to the wooden counter. Both followed me. Carefully, I set it down. The one with a blue tint picked it up carefully. Light pulsed from her horn, and she smiled.

"How much?" The register already had an amount listed by the time I looked over.

"Seven shells…" I said, my voice trailing off almost with a question. Shells weren't the strangest currency I'd seen, but they weren't the most obvious, either. She nodded and placed her hand on the counter. Light glowed for a moment before she pulled away, leaving seven pure white, round shells. The other set the book she was carrying down and pointed to it.

"One shell," I said, trying not to smile. Again, she put her hand down, and one of the shells appeared. Both fled toward the door, which opened for them. As they passed by the windows outside, their forms shifted. Four legs and equestrian bodies appeared, with pure white horns jutting out from their heads.

"Unicorns," I whispered, but then glanced down at the shells.

"What are these?"