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Chapter-54. Healer bazaar
[Xanthea]
Healer Bazaar: Where magic meets medicine
Catering needs of healers since the beginning of the time.
(In collaboration with Helxton and Wrengmore)
I read the words on the arched wooden hoarding.
Multi-storey buildings flanked the cobblestone pathway.
There was something about the vibe of this place that filled me with excitement and fear.
It looked shady and sophisticated at the same time, as though it was some high-end black market for millionaire mafia and drug dealers. The place was too much to take in at the first glance.
The market was brimming with public and all kinds of people, creatures and demons. And not just the land, but air too. The creatures who could fly did their shopping directly from the second floor and above.
The gray and dark ambience of the place was illuminated by the yellow and golden lightbulbs that looked out of place yet aesthetic. As we passed by, I caught sight of my reflection in the glass facade of a nearby shop.
Before coming here, Ezra took me to a private boutique where I changed my clothes.
I wore a light gray above knee dress with sparkles scattered across the net fabric. My hair was styled with a silky gray bow. I wore matching tie up heels and light makeup.
And Ezra put on an informal attire with a dark green hoodie, beige pants and a cap. He also hid his alpha presence. He probably wanted to hide his identity.
My heart leaped into my throat as I flinched away from the path of the spiders and scorpions that were about the size of a dog. A man in a hooded robe walked in between them, holding their leashes that were attached to spiders' pincers and scorpions' stingers.
I gaped at them until they went out of sight and disappeared into the crowd.
My eyes went to several students wearing scrubs and lab coats. They hoarded around a wooden stall under the tent that levitated above their heads.
SALE! SALE! Trending healer fashion at an affordable price!
I read a banner that floated like a snake above our heads.
"Watch out for raining snakes!"
"Yeah! Watch out for raining snakes! Hahaha!"
A group of winged children, their bat-like wings flapping violently, swooped overhead, knocking over a basket on the third floor of a building as they passed.
I gasped, freezing where I stood as I saw the snakes falling freely right towards me.
Turning on his heels, Ezra pulled me to his other side. With a deft motion of his hand, he grabbed a vintage umbrella that an old lady used as a walking stick and shielded me from the snakes.
The snakes hissed as they hit the ground, raising their heads. I walked closer to Ezra, clutching the front of his hoodie. He wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me off the ground, away from the snake's direct reach.
Ezra's one growl and all the snakes slithered away.
"Not my snakes again! You brat! Come back here! Devil's love!" The vendor cursed. He said love as though it was somehow analogous to fuck.
"No manners! These days! Kids out of the cage! Put them back in that damn dungeon! Smack the life out of them!" The old lady grumbled. She had flopped on the floor without her umbrella's support and from her temper, I could tell that she was in no mood to accept an apology.
Not that I expected Ezra to apologize.
But I didn't expect him to create another chaos to drown away this one either.
"Hellhounds on the loose! Hellhounds on the loose! Save your ass! Get away! Run!" He shouted.
The market broke into chaos. People began running abruptly, screaming.
"There are no hellhounds here! Who spread the rumor?" A fat man who looked like police ran through the crowd, trying to calm them down by shouting into his microphone.
"You! It's you brats!" He pointed his microphone towards Ezra and me.
I shook my head, standing absolutely clueless.
"Uh oh. Time to run!" Ezra mumbled.
He swiftly lifted the fallen lady to her feet and handed her the umbrella before he grabbed my hand and we broke into a run as the police chased after us.
We sprinted through the curving alleyways, bumped into people, knocked off the stuff from vendors to hinder the police's path and stopped only once we entered a narrow and dark alleyway. "Kiss me," Ezra said, breathing heavily.
"What?"
"Pretend. Fast!"
Standing on my tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned closer to his face.
Our chests heaved against one another, both of us feeling our heartbeats collide and merge.
"Where are those brats? I am putting them behind the bars today!" I heard the police say.
"They must have gone that way!"
The people following us passed by.
Once all of them were gone, I bit my lips, breaking into laughter.
Ezra's hands wrapped around my waist. He pulled me closer, his eyes lingering on my lips before they traveled back to my eyes.
But I couldn't stop laughing.
"What was that? And what are hellhounds and why is everyone scared of them?" I smiled, suppressing my laughter. Licking my lips, I continued. "And why did we run? You are the alp-"
Ezra pulled me into a kiss. He turned around, pinning me against the wall as he deepened the kiss. His lips were hungry against mine, wanting more, demanding more. I shut my eyes, my heart still pounding wildly in my chest. A moan escaped my lips when we parted.
I was more breathless than before.
"One question at a time, angel. Hellhounds are hell beasts that are wild and ferocious. Their fangs are unforgiving and can tear your soul like flesh and bones. If they attack an immortal, he spends a few extremely excruciating months in the hospital. Immortals can't die, but they can get hurt pretty badly. And to answer your second question, we ran because it was fun and it has been years since I had this kind of fun. As for being an Alpha. That's my rank, angel, not my identity. Right now, I am a husband who earns just enough to support his wife."
My eyes dropped to his lips.
"So, being my husband is your identity right now?"
"Brave of you to say that, but why not? You have some wife duties towards me as well. Remember?" Holding my gaze, he leaned in to kiss me again and I parted my lips when-
"Potions! From deadly poison cocktails to nectar of life. Love potions to have him under your control to strength potion to keep love alight all night. We have it all, we sell it all! You desire, we serve. Come get your potion today!" The melodic hum of gentle clinking of glass vials followed the voice.
"Right." He shut his eyes with a hard gulp. "Potions."
Holding back a smirk, Ezra tore himself from me, and we came out of the alley. He scrolled on his phone, reading the list Raven had texted him.
"Ok, so I need to get you the standard healer's potion kit from Potion Nation," he mumbled before entering a luxury potion store.
I followed him with quick steps.
My gaze lingered on the sparkling glass vials adorned with large gems as their lids. The colorful potion that filtered light in such a way, it was impossible to not be captivated. The store was furnished like a branded jewelry store. "Helxton standard kit," Ezra told the lady behind the marble counter.
"Right away, sir," she said. A tray of clattering glass vials strolled itself towards her.
"Pack them up in those vials." Ezra pointed towards the vials that had caught my eyes earlier.
"Those are premium vials, sir. They will be more expensive than the potion itself-"
Ezra took out a black card from his wallet and slid it on the counter before the lady. Her eyes widened as she skimmed her eyes from the card to Ezra's face that was partially hidden behind the shadow of his cap.
"Right away, sir... Macy!" she yelled, looking towards the door that probably led to an inner chamber. "Prepare a premium Helxton kit!" Then she looked at Ezra.
Suddenly, her bored demeanor had turned fidgety. She looked more nervous than before.
"I'll request you to have a seat while we prepare your order, sir. Would you like to have something? Tea? Coffee? Wine?"
"No thanks. Pack an extra vial of strength potion for my wife to boost her stamina." Ezra looked at me. And it didn't even take me a second to realize what he was insinuating.
I awkwardly shifted my gaze away, pretending to be interested in the store's fine architecture.
"I can pack it, but these potions must be taken under a healer's supervision," the owner said. I could feel her eyes on me.
"Don't worry, my brother is a healer. And I can guarantee he, too, would love to increase our bride's stamina," Ezra said.
Choking on air, I broke into coughs.
Clearing my throat, I pointed at the vials with tapering pointed ends that looked like horns. The pink and blue light in them seemed to be alive and swirled around the circular ridges of the horns.
"A-aren't they beautiful?" I said to change the subject, and the owner chuckled.
"Your wife has an eye for the mystical. Those are vials made of horns of baby unicorns," she said with a proud smile. Baby unicorns? Real unicorns?
My heart twisted at the mere thought as the horror behind the production of those vials flashed before my eyes. They no longer looked beautiful to me.
"The abilities of the potion stored in them get enhanced considerably," the owner said. "But they are not for sale. They have been the pride of our store for generations. They are more like a family treasure. Our hunters hunted these unicorns in the Celestial realm, smuggled them here, and we created vials out of them. It is one of a kind in all three realms."
"A million," Ezra said, and the owner looked at him, agape. My head snapped towards him.
What did he say? A what?
"Oh, my dare devil. Sir-"
"Five millions," Ezra raised.
"Sir-"
"I don't care about the price or if it's for sale or not. If my wife wants it, she'll have it. My wife owns everything she lays her eyes on. Even if she glances at it, it's hers," Ezra said.
I blinked at him, flustered.
I knew he was just kidding, but the way he said those words made it sound like anything but a joke. He couldn't be serious, right?
My heart raced faster as I experienced a mix of several emotions merging into an uncomfortable knot in my chest.
"It's a limited time offer before I put a price-tag on your entire shop. Choice is yours, but in the end, the decision will be mine," Ezra said in a casual tone.
"J-j-just give me a minute, sir." The owner walked into the inner chamber.
"Alpha? You aren't serious, right? I mean, this is way too expensive. I don't need it. Even if I have it, I will never use those vials-"
"That's fine. Use it, throw it away. They are yours to do as you please. I don't understand this healer stuff, anyway."
The owner walked out of the inner chamber.
"We'll have it packed, dear sir. Thank you so much for shopping with us," she said excitedly.
"Smart decision," Ezra smiled at her.
"We will especially pack your stuff in our latest fit-it-all carryback for free. Thank you for the purchase. Please come again, dear lady," the owner bowed in front of me.This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.
I took the carry bag, which was the size of a small handbag.
"Its royal visage's latest fit-it-all made of the finest griffin leather. It has unlimited storage capacity, just like your card's spending limit, dear sir," the owner addressed Ezra. "It can store everything you put in it while keeping the weight to a constant of half a kilogram. Not to forget how classy and premium it looks when your wife holds it in her hand."
"That will actually come in handy today. We have a lot to buy. Thanks, so thoughtful of you," Ezra said, and we walked out of the store.
"Now we need to get you books and grimoires from Grimbooks," Ezra said, looking at his phone as he walked out of the store. "Raven says they have anatomical models and stuff as well."
"All of that will fit in this?" I asked, lifting the handbag in front of my face.
"Yup. That's why it's called fit-it-all. Come on," Ezra said.
I scurried after him when I heard a familiar voice.
"What is wrong with you, Karima!? How could you give invisibility potion to your patient instead of the strength potion?"
My head turned towards the voice.
"Shhh! Can't you keep it low, Zosha," the woman in the black robe hissed at the red cat in her arms. "I know, I messed up again. That is why we are here to get the nullifying potion." "And how are you going to find the patient? He's invisible," Zosha said, and Karima grabbed her head with a loud sob.
"Why didn't I think about it? I am so screwed! So fucking screwed!" Karima cried.
I looked at Zosha. I was elated to see that she was completely fine now, but then my heart sank as I recalled Raven's warning.
I peered at her as they entered Potion Nation.
Ezra's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Uh... I... nothing," I said.
He frowned, squinting at the store. "Did you find something else to your liking in the store?"
"No. No. I was just... thinking..."
"Thinking about?"
"About who my healing partner will be."
Ezra skimmed his eyes from me to Zosha, and then his gaze softened. The calm tone of his voice reminded me of Asher.
"Hmm. Is she the one? The cat you wanted as your healing partner?"