“I’m just not sure I should be going.”

  The doubt-filled words came from me. My usually optimistic demeanor had been replaced by a mush of reluctance and worry. It was only my third day in the land of the bears and I was already getting cold feet about attending their most famous festival.

  Arian sat on the foot of my bed as I paced the floor in front of her. “I very much doubt anyone will take notice of you,” my friend assured me.

  I jerked to a stop and my face drooped. Some of my silver hair swayed forward before resting on my chest. “Really?”

  Arian sheepishly smiled. “Well, they may notice you, but you do not know any of them.”

  I furrowed my brow as I thought back to the last fair I’d attended. “What about that one guy we met at the fair in the heaven realm? The one selling the beans? He might be there. Or what if someone from the heaven realm visits?”

  My friend frowned and tapped her chin. “You do have a point there. There have been some rare occasions where a goddess descended to purchase a fur coat.”

  My face fell and my shoulders drooped. “Then I command you to go to the fair without me.”

  Arian straightened and knitted her eyebrows together. “I will do no such thing! I wish for you to enjoy what my homeland has to offer and I shall do just that.”

  I turned to her and gestured down at myself. “Well, we could hide me under a bunch of fur coats. That would work so long as people didn’t buy all of them off me.”

  “Hiding. . .” Arian murmured as she tapped her chin. “We might speak to Grandmother about some concealing magic.”

  I cocked my head to one side and lifted an eyebrow. “Your grandmother knows magic?”

  She dropped her hand into her lap and laughed. “Oh no! She is not my grandmother but everyone in Banhar calls her that.”

  “So some bear shifters know magic?” I mused as I plopped myself down on the bed beside her.

  “Grandmother Froumai is not a bear shifter. She was born elsewhere and moved here a very long time ago,” Arian informed me as he furrowed her brow in remembrance. “She is very secretive about her past but I believe she came from a clan of water gods, though which one I could not tell you.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Well, she is very fond of swimming in the river, even when the spring thaws make the waters impossible to fetch a bucket from its ravaging depths.”

  I folded my arms over my chest and cocked my head to one side. “Wow. She must be pretty strong to do that.”

  “Strong and wise in some magics,” Arian told me as she tapped her chin. “I recall her changing a cheating merchant into a frog once. He has swindled one of the families out of some money. She refused to change him back until he coughed up the coins. Literally, in his case, as he had swallowed the coins before being confronted by her.”

  I winced. “I don’t think that guy thought through his plan. Anyway, why do you think she can help me?”

  “If she is able to change a man into a frog perhaps she might change your appearance,” she suggested.

  “Change my appearance. . .” I murmured as I looked down at myself. “I guess that would work, but I don’t know about being a frog. I might get stepped on during the fair.”

  Arian laughed and grabbed my hand. “I will ensure you are safe on my shoulder but I am sure she will have some spell which will hide your appearance. Follow me.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  My friend pulled me to my feet and led me outside. A warm sunny day presented itself to us and the bustle of the city was music to my ears as we strolled down the gentle slope of the hill.

  Dian stood beside the great stone cooking pit with a group of friends but his head perked up when he noticed us. “Where are you going?”

  “For a walk,” Arian answered as she tightened her hand on mine. “And we do not need an escort.”

  His face drooped and his friends laughed. “Then what about a companion?”

  Arian quickened her steps and I found myself almost dragged along. “Nor that. And do not follow us!”

  He flashed us a wily grin. “Whatever makes you think I would do that?”

  Arian’s hushed voice floated over to me. “Hurry, Anna, or he is sure to follow.”

  We broke into a run and raced out of the open gates. “Hey!” Dian shouted as he tried to rush after us. His friends, seeing a good jest, tackled him. The last I saw of our would-be tracker, he was trapped under a pile of laughing men with his arms and legs flailing out of either end of the hill.

  We laughed and hurried into the maze of lodges that stretched from one cliff side of the valley to the other. The kingly lodge was soon lost to view and we stopped to catch our breath. I leaned against one of the posts that kept a house well off the ground. The forest of poles allowed anyone to see for long stretches through the city. Fences, outbuildings, and the occasional corral with farm animals interrupted the view.

  I turned to my companion and leaned my back against the post. “Your brother sure does like to play the guide.”

  She shook her head. “He has not desired to escort me around town since he was a little boy, and I have never known him to be this persistent about the affair.” Her eyes twinkled as she studied me. “I believe it is all because of you that he desires to follow us.”

  I blushed a little and waved off her assumption. “He’s just being nice. Anyway, where’s Grandmother’s house? Do we have to go through some woods or just some wood-carved lodges?”

  “She lives in one of the caves,” Arian revealed as she nodded at the high walls of the leftward mountain which was pocked with holes.

  I perked up and lifted an eyebrow. “I thought nobody lived in those anymore.”

  “She is the last and I think she resides there because there is a pool of water close at hand,” Arian commented.

  “I guess I haven’t seen them yet,” I mused as I examined the dark dens. A shudder ran through me and I wrapped my arms around myself. “Are they safe?”

  She puffed out her chest a little and smiled. “Of course. My ancestors built them to last the lifetime of an immortal. They will be here long after the houses have been replaced hundreds of times over.”

  I snorted as I followed her down the sidestreet. “Sounds economical.”

  She turned her head to show off her dancing eyes. “Very. Many people have wondered if we should not take up our old homes.”

  “And what’s the consensus on that?” I wondered.

  My local guide laughed. “That they are too damp and drafty, and no amount of insulation will make them otherwise. Naturally, the council of our elders has decided against the move.”

  The corners of my lips twitched upward. “Naturally.”

  We wandered our way through the maze of streets. The bear clan had forgotten to consult a city planner before laying out the locations of their homes. There weren’t any true ‘streets’ but more like snake-like paths that wound their way through the different properties. Gardens, lawns, chicken coops, and the like dotted the land around the homes, and a few of the larger establishments even had small barns.

  “So do you guys make most of your money off the fur trade?” I wondered as we passed a spacious lodge with a full barn attached to one wall of the home.

  “We also fish the mountain lakes behind my father’s home,” Arian told me as she nodded up at the high cliffs. “The fish there are especially large and delicious, and when they are soaked in our special brine and dried they become most nutritious and flavorful.”

  I wagged my eyebrows at her. “You wouldn’t happen to want to tell me the secret recipe for this brine, would you?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “I am afraid not. You are a dear friend but only the head of each household knows the secret recipe. My father will one day pass that on to Dian and me, but that time has not yet come.”

  A sweet scent floated past us, and I lifted my nose and inhaled. “Is that some of the brining I smell?”

  Her eyes twinkled as she looked at a corner ahead of us. “No, but would you like to try some of the food?”

  My ears perked up and I looped my arm around one of hers. “Just show me the way!”