Showing my ID and sliding my coins across the propped-up counter, I get my ticket to attend the Spring Animal Fair. Lahela has agreed to attend the Spring Animal Fair with me. Standing by the entrance, I keep an eye on the people coming in.
Minutes pass. I stare so hard trying to spot my friend that all the faces of unfamiliar people streaming into the fairgrounds blur together. Is she late? She’s often late. Sometimes I get to the apothecary for our shifts, and she isn’t there yet so I need to stall outside.
Though it’s too far from campus to hear the bells ringing, I feel like an hour has already passed! Perhaps Lahela came earlier and is already inside? Though walking around alone makes me antsy, I decide to go looking for her to not keep her waiting.
A large cage passes by, stopping the flow of traffic as people gawk. Inside is a griffin. I’ve only seen them high in the sky, which doesn’t do them justice. The light orange creature the size of a wolf rests with its four dark blue legs hugging a thick branch suspended from the roof, its claws glowing bright blue. Its twin tails the same color as its legs hang down, feathered ends swishing above the floor. Two limbs emerge from its back, ending in clawed wings that connect to the base of its tail. It snaps its cream-colored sharp beak at a girl who ventures too close, though she doesn’t retreat, looking like she wishes to stroke the glowing blue-tipped feathers growing out of its cheek. It twitches its long ears, cream swirled into the orange. Adolescent Nordanian Griffin, Caught in Erinire. On Sale for 8,000. Who can afford that? Regardless, a small crowd hangs around the cage.
Searching for Lahela, I wander farther in. The animals are primarily grouped by home region. In the northern region, a cluster of caged Guzhou animals await us: small, spotted cats sold as pets and vermin hunters. Pigs and water buffalo sold as haulers. A small pet fox with ears larger than its head when combined and an elegant tail. A mughae, a canine-like being with black hide, a whip-like tail, and poisonous blood that can be spit from its teeth like a snake, snarls at us and everyone else who passes in front of its cage.
Walking deeper into the fairground, I spot mundane animals too: bears, buffalo, moose, chamois, herons, falcons, and other birds. But the animals with the biggest price tags are the magical ones, many of them costing in the thousands. I stop to observe a small griffin called a Chanora griffin. White belly, orange back, and purple feathers on its wings and tail. It snacks on a bowl of berries. Full, it licks its fur with a long tongue. Even the Chanora griffin costs thousands to adopt, and it’s not big enough to ride. Still, it’s adorable.
Seeing a mass of people head to the back of the fairground, I get curious and join them. They lead me to the stages. I’m just in time for the corralling challenge. Thirty sheep nibble on the grass, their wool in different pastel colors. To win, you must get at least ten of them into your corral. The prize is a coupon. Perhaps I could buy an animal companion to help me escape the city! But when I look at the competition, my hope deflates. They’re all older girls, likely with previous experience. I’ve only just started taking classes.
But if I got the coupon, I could perhaps purchase a griffin to visit my sister… Hesitantly I stand up.
Fine, fine, I’ll do it. I raise my hand and begin walking to the stage.
But as I approach the contest grounds, someone sticks her leg out and trips me. Riyani towers over me. “You aren’t entering, are you? Edda is entering, and she’s not losing to the likes of you.”
I groan. “Ugh. I’m entering.” I step past her as the game master calls for the last volunteers. Then I feel a weight lifting off my head. My flower crown! Startled, I whirl around to see Riyani dashing past the stands. I pursue her behind a back alley, my lungs heaving from the sudden sprinting. “Give it back,” I say. “It’s important to me.”
I realize immediately it’s the wrong thing to say. “Oh, is it?” Riyani says. “Well, I think I’ll keep it for myself.” She places the flower crown on her head, mock posing for me.
I groan. “Fine, just give it back. I won’t enter in the contest.”
“Too late, I gave you the chance to be nice,” Riyani says. “What’s a village girl like you doing with something as pretty as this anyway? It doesn’t suit you at all.”
I scan our surroundings. No plants around. I carry seeds in my bag, but I’m sure Riyani’s reflexes are better than mine. If I go for it, she’ll grab her waterskin and cast a Nagire spell and drown my bag and all the notes in it. So, tossing my bag to the side just in case, I lunge for my flower crown. Bringing back her fist, Riyani punches me right in the face. I fly backward, landing on my back. I reach up to touch my cheek. Ouch! It hurts so much. The Belhaean girl steps to me and places her shoe on my stomach and laughs. “You’re just like a little child! I’m going, and this flower crown is going with me.”
“I don’t think so.” An obsidian blade cuts through the air and glides to find Koralyn’s throat. “Give it back to her.”
I look up to find Assistant Wu and her cat Yawen standing behind me. Her hands shaking, Riyani reaches for the flower crown and extends it toward me with both hands. The anyao vanishes the obsidian blades, then, just as it looks like she’ll hand it back, Riyani grasps the flowers tightly and rips the crown in half.”
“I don’t think so.” An obsidian blade cuts through the air and glides to find Riyani’s throat. “Give it back to her.”
I look up to find Assistant Wu and her cat Yawen standing behind me. Her hands shaking, Riyani reaches for the flower crown and extends it toward me with both hands. The anyao vanishes the obsidian blades, then, just as it looks like she’ll hand it back, Riyani grasps the flowers tightly and rips the crown in half.
I gasp. Riyani takes off in the opposite direction. Scooping the flower crown into my hands, I let out a helpless whimper. My gift from Shinji. How could she? She didn’t want to keep it, really. She has so many things already. She’s just mean. I begin tearing up, despite not wanting to appear fragile in public.
“It’s still alive,” Assistant Wu says. “You’re an Elda mage, right? Deposit some life from a tree into it.”
Holding the flower crown, I shuffle through the alleys until I find a tree. Pressing my palm against the bark, I transfer life from it into the flower crown, and its petals and stems revitalize before my eyes. I place the flower crown on my head with still trembling hands.
It starts to fall, and Assistant Wu adjusts it for me, careful to keep her sharp nails from raking my face. This close, I can see her eyes are a sparkling vivid purple, and somehow, I feel a bit flustered. “T-thank you, Assistant Wu.”
“You can call me Lisong. We’re not in class.”
Then her hand brushes against where Riyani punched me, and I flinch.
She withdraws her hands. “Sorry, I know you might fear anyao.”
“I-I’m not afraid of you,” I insist. Though I doubt she believes me because I’m shaking under her hard gaze. Something about her is intimidating. Even in class, she’s usually the one disciplining us while Professor Hyu is the kind and encouraging one, flipping their roles in contrast to most other teaching pairs.
I anxiously comb my tussled hair and pat the dirt off my sarong, realizing I must look quite shabby. I can’t help but ask, “W-why did you stand up for me? Most people here… most people think if a girl can’t stand up for herself and relies on other people, she’s just a burden.” I echo the approximate admonishment from Riyani.
“I think that’s wrong,” Lisong mutters. “People are stronger together, and this is especially true for mages. No mage can cast every spell. As for why I stood up for you… I guess I pitied you. I didn’t fit in as a kid either.”
“You didn’t?”
Lisong falls silent, gazing straight ahead. Then she says, “It’s good I found you. Lahela told me she meant to meet you, but something came up.”
“Oh… I figured…” I mumble.
“I’m going to watch the next contest. Come with me.”
“Really? Alright…”
Trailing behind Lisong, I swallow nervously. I haven’t hung out with an anyao before. Are they really as terrifying as everyone seems to think? But Lisong must be a good person. She saved me even though she didn’t have to. I glance at Daenu, wondering what he thinks about this development, but I can’t read his eyes.
At the next contest, Lisong helps me onto a tall crate so I can see above people’s heads as a beast master in hardened leather armor brings two leashed mughae into a huge ring with a mountain of rocks fetched up from beneath the ground by a Tumi mage. Hanging above the peak is a weighted backpack, the target of the contestants.
“Any mage quick enough to evade these beasts and fetch me that backpack will win a ten percent discount coupon usable on any animal in my guild’s store. You have a high possibility of being injured in this contest, so do not sign up carelessly.”
“Even with ten percent off, how can anyone afford some of the animals being sold here?” I whisper to Lisong.
“Some people save up and don’t buy an animal companion until they’re well into their adulthood, or they loan money from their guild or city to afford their companions. And actually, not all beast masters buy their own companions. When you earn a beast mastery license, if you’re the star student of the class, the city will sponsor an appropriate companion for you.
“There are many more magical beasts here than can realistically be bought in one day, but their purpose is also to entice people into the fairgrounds itself. The guild that owns this fair, Wondrous Hearts, actually earns the most money off of regular people. You’d be surprised by how many souvenirs some of them buy on top of the admission fee.”
Only minutes later, nine people sign up to participate in the contest. They sign waiver forms and walk through a gate into the enclosure, spreading themselves out along the fence. Some unsheathe their swords, waving them at the crowd as the mughae position themselves on the human-made rock mountain.
As the game master begins counting down, the crowd cheers, some shouting encouragement to specific contestants. I clutch my crate. The game master wouldn’t actually let the contestants hurt her own animals, right? Or at least there must be a healer standing by.
At “Begin!” the contestants charge forward and leap onto the rocks. The commentary begins with the game master asking the crowd which girl they think will win. One of the mughae lands right in front of a woman who yells in surprise and swings her sword. The mughae dodges the blade and tackles her.
She lands on the ground, scrambling up as the mughae shifts its attention to another contestant, dislodging another two mages climbing up as the game master calls the crowd’s attention to her animals’ prowess.
Near the peak, the other mughae huffs at the two quickest contestants. I notice their matching shirts. They’re guildmates, competing together for a coupon to share. One girl distracts the animal with a fireball while the other lunges for the backpack.
But the first mughae surges through the air, catching the girl in her claws, the two forms tumbling down the rocks. The mughae delivers a bite to the girl’s arm, causing her to let out a painful shriek. She tenses up then collapses on the ground.
That girl no longer a threat, the mughae returns to the peak. As the other guild member and the second mughae duel, another contestant snatches the backpack, gliding above the incoming mughae’s snout.
With her Vayu magic, she skims down the rocks. But a Tumi mage hurls a glob of dirt, hitting her in her chest and knocking her out of the air, the backpack tumbling out of her grasp. The Tumi mage picks it up and tosses it to another girl as the mughae catches up to her.
The girl bounds through the gate as the crowd roars in applause. I gasp in relief.
As the crowd begins to disperse, chatting about the game’s highlights and commenting on the animals’ or the mages’ moves, the rocks are returned to the ground by a Tumi mage and the ring fills with a pond for an upcoming contest.
Lisong helps me off the crate. “Wasn’t that riveting?”
“I guess. I’m glad the animals weren’t hurt.”
“They’re only games, after all. There are implicit rules stating contestants should only use enough force to defeat their opponents and claim victory. Contestants can be fined—or arrested if it’s intentional—for killing an animal, and no one wants to purchase a mughae at full price.” Lisong gives me a small frown. “We can skip the arenas if you want, though I was rather looking forward to watching as many contests as possible.”
I shake my head. “I’m tagging along with you, not the other way around. We should go to as many contests as you want.”
“You’ll have to get accustomed to seeing blood if you want to become a healer though.”
“That’s true,” I mumble. “But it’s different when I can do something to help.”
The upcoming contest is an obstacle course, which, while still thrilling, is less terrifying. Then it’s lunch break. People sprint to the food stands placed around the stages, eager to buy and consume their meals. Lisong brings me to a noodle stand. We sit in the shade, Yawen spreading out at our feet and Daenu browsing on a nearby tree. Lisong lets her hood slip to reveal her iridescent purple hair. As I eat my noodles slowly, slurping up the savory broth, I can’t help but stare a little. It shines like opal.
Wheeling past our table is a cart with cages holding Chanora griffins. I imagine holding one of them in my arms, petting its fluffy stomach and brushing its feathery wings.
“You’re thinking of adopting one someday, aren’t you?” Lisong asks, grinning at me. “The wild ones act as scouts for larger species, quick and nimble, escaping easily from almost any situation that might harm a griffin. They’re quite trainable since, in a way, they were already domesticated by their fellow griffins that used them as scouts to search for abundant hunting grounds. Ones bred in Samathali can fetch items and deliver packages, remind you of things, and keep tabs on people. They supposedly make good companions; docile enough to sit on your lap as you study or curl up beside you as you fall asleep. A Chanora griffin is a perfect pet.”
“You sound like you want a griffin for yourself,” I say teasingly.
Yawen’s ears perks up, and the beast grumbles. I guess somebody’s jealous.
Finishing our food, we stand up and take a stroll. Filling the gaps between the stages are game stands. A group of girls use Vayu magic to maneuver a leather ball through hoops, tunnels, and obstacles into a cup to win a stuffed bear. On the other side of the path, an Nagire mage stares at a ceramic tub, pulling up orbs of water and hoping one will have a fish in it. All the other girls have come in pairs or with their friends. I ask Lisong, “Why are you here alone?”
She looks taken aback, and I immediately realize perhaps it’s a rude question, like I’m accusing her of being friendless. “I’m-I’m sorry…” I mumble.
Seeming to ignore me, Lisong guides me to a cluster of stands selling merchandise: pendants of sharp teeth, bone bracelets, clothing made from the wool, fur, or leather of a magical creature. “That wool’s from an uncommon breed of sheep originally from eastern Erinire,” Lisong says. “Those teeth are from mughae. They shed teeth and regrow them, so they can be harvested without harming them. Those “dragon scales” are counterfeit.”
She begins describing real dragon scales and how to distinguish them from the fakes. “As for why dragons had to evolve such unique scales…” she goes on. I’ve heard of dragons since coming here, gigantic scaly beings with wings that fly around the volcanoes of northern Erinire…
“I’m sorry, am I boring you?” Lisong asks. “People tell me I talk too much about animals.”
“No,” I say quickly. “Sometimes I’m just reminded how big the world outside the little village I grew up in is. It’s scary to think I’m just a single person among all these beings…”
Lisong smiles. “I think it’s pretty wonderful what a vibrant planet we live in, and you aren’t alone. You can explore Alta with your friends.”
I hug my arms across myself. “I wish I had friends,” I mutter, then I realize perhaps I shouldn’t say something so shameful to someone I just met. What’s wrong with me? Most times I can’t speak. Other times I just spout dumb things. This is why my sister did the talking. I turn from Lisong so she doesn’t see my face flushing. “B-but I don’t mind you talking about animals,” I say, wishing she’d continue and ignore me, although it is true.
When Lisong is silent for a second, I look up to see if she’s busy holding back laughter or something, but her face is gentle. “What’s your favorite animal?” she asks.
“Hmm. I’ve never been asked that. Perhaps the yefu?” I say. “It’s the only animal I’ve talked to as a soul mage.” I could say kilin, but with Daenu walking with us it’d be awkward. Plus, I kind of want to discover more about kilin from him.
Ambling through the various stands, Lisong tells me all she can about yefu, everything from their temperament and their diet to their gestation cycles and domestication history. I thought she’d just tell me what colors they come in but no such luck. In any case, I soak up all the knowledge so as not to be ungrateful.
Once my brain is bursting, Lisong suddenly asks, “I’m planning to do a race tonight. Will you watch me?”
“Of course!”
We walk out of the fairground with Yawen and see the long racecourse that circles the surrounding land. Lining up to register, Lisong spins a small black knife she conjured in her hand. “Maybe this was a mistake. I won’t win. Look who I’m up against.” She points to an elk and an Elnordian moose with thick indigo fur, darker on its back and lighter on its belly, its fluffy tail almost swatting a girl in her face. It shakes its enormous antlers and paws at the ground. Its master sighs and offers it an apple to curb its appetite, whispering, “You’ll eat dinner after you win the race.”
“Yawen can’t be slower than that huge animal,” I insist. “It’s like a boulder with fur!”
“Being fast isn’t enough,” Lisong mumbles. “Riders aren’t supposed to hurt animals, but they can trip them to knock you off your mount. That’s what happened to me last year. People ride with their allies all the time. Only together might we stand a chance.”
“Professor Hyu hasn’t taught us how to ride yet. It’s supposed to be a part of our curriculum later this spring!” I point out. “Besides, I didn’t bring a mount.”
“We’ll both ride Yawen,” Lisong says. “The registration is per mount, not per person. Look, three people are riding that one.” She points to the moose. “Honestly, riding is easy, especially with an intelligent mount like my longbao. Come on, I’m counting on you.”
Hearing that, I hesitantly agree against all reason. I don’t want to disappoint her.
We both register. As the beginning of the race nears, an assistant shows each team the map. We’ll be circling a wooden tower put up for fairgoers to watch the race from. A rope fence has been put up, and any mount that falls out of bounds even accidentally will be disqualified. Birds belonging to one of the game masters will report any rule breaking.
Lisong helps me onto Yawen behind her, and we ride to the starting line with the nineteen other contestants as people fill the wooden tower. I can hardly sit still. What if I fall off? Though I don’t hear the words with my human ears, Lisong tells me she can hear some of the other girls whispering about her.
“Hold on tight,” Lisong says.
I try to grip the saddle, but there isn’t a good place to hold.
An Ulnor mage casts a firecracker that sends sparks above us, and we take off. the wind whips my face and tangles my hair. I cling to Lisong with my life. As Yawen lurch through the forest, I shift my body to dodge branches and I wish I hadn’t agreed to this after all.
A wall of fire bursts to life before us, but Yawen fearlessly leaps high and clears the flames while I shriek and press myself against Lisong’s back. A bird lands, using Vayu magic to snuff it. Noticing the caster, Lisong uses Noctis magic to conjure a thin inky sword and flings it at the girl. It buries into a tree inches in front of her and the girl twists and falls off her mount to avoid cutting her face open on it. Lisong pulls the sword on a current of Noctis magic. It soars through the air and straight back into Lisong’s hand.
Reaching the stream, Yawen hops over the flat stones purposefully set in the water. Leaping onto the shore, the ground in front of Yawen suddenly rises. The cat twists, avoiding stumbling, but Lisong and I slip off, and we both slam into the ground.
Lisong shoots to her feet and conjures a long black blade. The Tumi mage who struck Yawen dismounts from her riding elk. Like they’ve been summoned, two more girls arrive on her either side and dismount from their crystal wolves, large coal-colored wolves with blue gem-like shards armoring their bodies. They all glower at Lisong. The Tumi mage yells, “An anyao like you shouldn’t win. What are you even doing in our city?”
Lisong snorts. “I’ll win because I’m stronger than you.” Conjuring a second blade Lisong throws both at the two girls on the side. One swipes at a girl’s arm while the other lances its target’s leg with speed more than any human could muster. I back up, the sight of blood making me feel dizzy.
Striding to flank the group, Yawen snaps at her elk, sending it running through the third stretch of the race. The owner balks but hurriedly returns her attention to Lisong. With a wave of her hand, the blades come alive in the air and is thrust at the girls, but the Tumi mage flicks her hand and a chuck of stone launches itself from the ground and shatters her blade.
A rider zooms past, uncaring about the fight as she shoots for victory. This isn’t right. Lisong could win if it weren’t for those people. It hits me the extent that people want Lisong to fail just because she’s an anyao, even tossing their own chances of victory. How hateful can they be?
Something seems to possess me, because I shout to Lisong, “Get back on your mount. I’ll hold them off.”
Lisong glances at me, then, without another moment of hesitation, jumps on Yawen and they run. Then I realize, What the heck did I just say?
The crystal wolf riders begin to mount up too, and I step back fearfully. I reach my magic into the ground, finding it fertile and filled with plantlings, as if purposefully ripe for spells. I summon thick vines that shoot up from the ground and hook the girls’ ankles, dragging them through the dirt.
While I’m distracted, one of the girls launches a fireball at me. I duck just in time and put up my arm to shield my face. The fire singes the edge of my sleeves. I feel the heat flaring against my skin. She teases, “You really think you can beat us, little mouse?”
Reaching into my bag I grab a seed of a plant known to have sticky roots, deposit some mana to grow it and toss it at the girl’s face. To my absolute shock, it actually lands, the roots splattering onto her face like a spider web. Clawing at her face, the girl blindly smacks right into a low-hanging branch and falls. Her crystal wolf comes to lick her face.
I turn and run. If I remember the map correctly, if I head west I’ll soon be out of the race track, then they’ll have to stop following me. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like they’re pursuing.
Minutes after I wander the forest, a bird appears overheard, and assuming it’s to lead me back to the startling line, I follow it. Thankfully I’m correct. I join the spectators. Soon, the first riders pass the finish line.
My eyes skim the crowd for Lisong. There! “Lisong!” I yell, dismounting and running to her.
Though panting, Lisong greets me with a broad smile, shoving a ribbon in my face. “I won third!” she squeals. “Can you believe it? They gave me a coupon for a half years’ worth of longbao food, and I’ll get my name in a magazine!” She pats me on the head. I cringe a little. In the villages it’s rude to pat someone on the head, but I let it slide when she says, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“That was so brave of you.” I look up to see a Guzhou woman running up to Lisong. “You showed those humans you won’t be defeated. Come to my tent. I’ll give all three of you some food.”
Lisong explains that this woman is Xue Zhilan, the longbao merchant who sold her Yawen. We follow the seller back into her tent, showing our ID again at the entrance, and sit on wooden stools as Xue Zhilan hands us bowls of rice with duck meat for Lisong and tofu for me. Then she dumps an armful of meat onto a wooden platform for Yawen.”
After dinner, Lisong and I view the rest of the contests, including a contest where herbivores must forage for hidden trinkets that the winner can take home, and an obstacle course for small animals to navigate through without any input from their masters—only two animals finish.
Though the market is open until midnight, Lisong and I decide to return home after the contests end, riding our mounts meanderingly through Old Town. “Winning against those girls felt great. Thank you. Really. Fighting against them must’ve been scary.”
I chuckle nervously, not wanting to admit how terrified I was. “It was worth it. I’m glad you won third.”
“Perhaps next year we’ll win first.”
Is she implying we’ll attend together again? I blush. “Yes, I think so!”
Lisong drops me off in front of Charsa Hall. Thanking her for riding me home, I watch Lisong leave, realizing I’m looking forward to seeing her on Mariday at school already. I’ve never met someone so kind, someone who paid so much attention to me.
As for Lahela, she’s very cultured, and me, well… I really like spending time with her, but long talks unless we’re also busy with chores at the store can become awkward as it feels like we don’t share many interests. It gets worse if her friends are there too. I tried eating with them at lunch, hoping the more casual setting would entice them to talk about more common topics, but they only talk about poetry and fine art. Although they didn’t say anything to my face like Riyani often does, I could feel them judging me for being uneducated.
Lisong is different. She doesn’t mind that I don’t know as many things as she does, or that I’m not very strong. The way she protected me from Riyani in fact reminds me a little of how my sister used to do so in the village.