Torkel's Chosen
they’d entered. Torkel wished he didn’t have to leave
in the morning with Team Two and Team Three. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving
Faye so soon. Unfortunately, the covert mission couldn’t be delayed. They had
an escaped prisoner to put back behind bars and it was Torkel’s practice to
accompany his teams on any of the high-level code red ops when possible.
    Tonight he’d hold
Faye in his arms and put Axan out of his mind.

Chapter 11
    Faye leaned over
the stall and jumped when the swimming fish in the clear bowl waved his flipper
and splashed green water on her. The bald man behind the counter laughed.
    “They do that all
the time. Make great pets and are entertaining.”
    Faye shook her
head. The idea of a playful fish sounded fun but she had no intention of taking
home alien pets unless she fully understood what she was getting herself into.
The thing could grow to the size of a shark and eat her while she slept.
    Faye wished Torkel
was here to share in her discovery of his home planet but he’d been gone for
two weeks and based on their last communication he and his team were due back
tonight.
    “Is there anything
else you want to see?” Geile asked, gaze roaming over the crowded marketplace.
    She’d begged to
see something outside the walls of the building they resided in. It had been the
brooding Kyele’s idea to visit the market place. Once Jaron explained what it
was Faye had been excited to go.
    There was so much
to see. Stalls and stalls manned by merchants lined both sides of the busy city
street. Rich smells of foreign baked goods filled the air. Laughter spilled out
from colorful carts where children were entertained by a juggler. Faye would
never have guessed that the capitol city on Enotia had their own version of a
flea market.
    Already she’d
managed to purchase the equivalent of cookie dough which she planned to make
tonight, a few twisting strands in gold that made a necklace and a potted plant
with the cutest pink heart shaped petals.
    “I need a few
things to wear.” She waved at her denims and top. “I want to blend in more with
Enotians.”
    Jaron snorted.
“Not likely.” His head tipped to the side in the direction of the masses of
blond heads bent over merchandise.
    Gregir laughed. At
least Kyele had the grace to only crack a small smile.
    Faye elbowed Jaron
in the side. He constantly teased and flirted with her. The almost brother she
never wished for. “You know what I mean. You all don’t have jeans.”
    “More the pity,”
he murmured, eyeing the sway of her hips.
    Faye flushed and
sped up her steps in search of someone who offered clothing. She spotted what
she wanted four booths down. Clinging pants and tops she never would have
purchased at home caught her eye. Soon she was hip deep in fabric and dresses. The
shop mistress held up a scanner to Faye’s black watch and payment for
everything she’d picked out was deducted. A girl could get used to this.
    Faye gathered her
bags but Jaron took them from her. “Torkel told us to make sure we paid for
what you wanted from his accounts.”
    “No need.” Team
One stayed in contact with Torkel and the other teams which was how they’d
gotten approval to take Faye out. For some reason Torkel worried that another
attempt to snatch her would be made. The formal complaint from Axan had been
withdrawn so Faye wasn’t sure who else would want to bother her. She didn’t
know anyone else.
    “Where to next?”
Gregir asked.
    It hadn’t taken
long for Faye to notice he and Geile stopped at each stall that served food.
She wasn’t sure where the slim men put it but they had a large appetite.
    “I wanted to pick
up fruit and vegetables. Since Torkel said he’d be back tonight, I thought it
would be nice to surprise him.” If she figured out how to cook the strange
meals that she’d been served.
    “There’s a place
ahead for what you want.” Geile pointed out a purple covered tent with an open
front.
    Stacks of

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