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“Like that?”

Emelle pointed at the next aisle over, where several soft, cushioned massage chairs were lined up within a tent, students settling into them. An Element Wielding vendor stood over their shoulders, rattling the patch of ground directly beneath the chairs until they swayed and vibrated.

The students in the chairs closed their eyes with a sigh.

“Oooh! I want to try!” Felicity cried. “My back’s been killing me lately.”

I had to agree. All those training sessions with Jagaros had left my muscles stiff and sore, all the way from my shoulders to my calves. But I eyed all the other monkeys chittering with laughs, leaping forward to nick gemstone crafts and decorations from other booths. The vendors always seemed to swat them away, so I wasn’t exactly sure this one would allow a monkey to get a massage. Something that would definitely hurt Felicity’s feelings.

“Let’s check out that booth first,” I said, nodding at a rack of hats and bows through the crowd. Felicity’s face brightened.

“Yes, please!”

We wandered over, past carts of sandals and boots and peddlers that shouted out at us, trying to get us to stop for a sample of a brand-new body oil that smelled heavenly—like a mix of bamboo and orchids. I almost caved, but I only had a few more coins from the pile I’d brought from Alderwick a couple years ago.

No, if I could defeat ancient faerie warriors in the training ring every weekend, I could resist stopping to smell all the bottles of body oil.

I surged forward, jostling shoulders with passersby in the cramped space. As soon as we got to the rack of hats, Felicity leaped forward to try one on.

“How do I look?”

“Like a monkey in a fedora,” Willa said dryly from my shoulder.

“Be nice,” I hissed.

“You look great,” Willa amended, but Felicity shook her head.

“No, you’re right, it’s not my style. How about this one?” She plucked a sunflower hat that flopped all the way over her face, sinking to her shoulders, and lifted it to peak shyly under the rim. “Not my size.”

While the hat vendor was busy trying to sell some bonnets to a group of first-year girls, Felicity tried on style after style, her grin growing with each one. Willa and I made various comments, approving or disapproving, until she found a small, bell-shaped one tied tight with a bright pink ribbon.

“What do you think?”

“That’s the one,” I said, and to my surprise, Willa agreed.

“Definitely the least horrible. It suits you.”

“Hey! Get out of here!”

The vendor had spotted Felicity and made to swipe the hat off her head. I rushed forward with my hands rummaging in my pockets.

“No, she’s not stealing it! Here.” I handed over two copper coins. The vendor smacked her lips with a shake of her head but accepted them.

“Wild Whisperers,” she muttered.

“Are the best humans in the world!” Felicity called after her, but the woman had already turned to heckle a passing trio of Shape Shifters who’d lengthened their torsos to see over the crowd. Felicity hugged her new hat to her chest. “Thank you, Raynie. I love it!”

“Of course. It was made for you.” I glanced back to find Willa sniffling at the air, her little nose pointed toward a cart filled with various kinds of candy. “Should we go over there now?” I asked innocently.

And grinned when the mouse squeaked with joy.

We’d lost the others, but after I’d bought Willa some banana chips, we found Emelle and Lander over at a jewelry cart. Apparently, Lander had noticed Melle do a double take and was now paying for a pair of hummingbird-shaped earrings.

“Wren and Gil went to go look at some dreamcatchers,” Emelle told me, her cheeks flushed with warmth that lit up her whole face. “Love the hat, Felicity!”

I smiled. It was so nice to witness such carefree happiness all around me. Even with a heavy shroud of clouds smothering most of the sunlight overhead, all the laughter and chatter and that ever-growing swell of “Did you hear? Did you hear?” almost felt as if the island could heal. Could be this way forever.

At that moment, a dark, fathomless presence seemed to graze past my mind. I spun around, expecting to see Coen standing in the middle of the crowd.