Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, and the only safe place she could see was a tiny knoll of grass a few paces back. Wiping her eyes, she ran for the grass, for the peace and quiet that she desperately needed in order to understand what’d just happened to her.
Wrapping her arms around the massive trunk of an oak tree, she inhaled deeply as the bark scratched into her cheek, not caring that it was scraping her open. Where was she?
The garden was less chaotic, but it was still full of people. Some lounged on grass, tilting their faces skyward toward the sun. Others were huddled in groups and playing instruments or singing loudly and off-key, but they didn’t seem to care how terrible they sounded.
Children ran around, some of them holding kites and flying them above a vast expanse of water that stretched out on the left side of the gardens. The sea of life was crushing and she hadn’t a clue why she was here or what she should do.
“Hey lady,” a small voice piped up, and at first she hadn’t expected that voice to be actually trying to talk to her, so she ignored it. Until it spoke again. “Hey!” This time a tug at the hem of her dress was accompanied by a little girl’s shrill voice.
Terrified of allowing anyone to touch her—her arms were decently covered but not her legs—she jumped back and grabbed hold of her chest, stuttering, “What?”
Heart racing, hands trembling, she stared at the little thing. She couldn’t be more than nine or ten, and her hair was long and dirty, obviously in need of a good washing. Her cheeks were smudged with dirt and her nails black. She wore a pink dress that was a size too big and had on flat shoes with holes at the toes.
She looked like a street urchin and Shayera’s heart instantly melted. “Girl, where is your mother?”
The child laughed. “Mom? Yeah, her. She’s got a needle shoved in her vein right now and is probably passed out on the floor somewheres.”
“What?” Shayera blinked at the blunt manner of the little one; she appeared to not be upset or even much disturbed by the fact that her mother could even now be dangerously ill. “Shouldn’t you—”
Sneering, she held up a small hand. “Save it. I don’t got time. When she wakes up she’ll expect me to have dinner ready. You got any cash on you?”
“What?” She frowned, patting her dress. She had no pockets and had no idea what this cash was. “I don’t under—”
“Bread. Money. Greenbacks. Cash.” She rubbed her fingers together, her bright green eyes glinting with steel and determination. “Look, Paco’s right over there,” she said and pointed at another equally pitiful-looking urchin, except this one was much older, late teens, and had a greedy, terrible look about him that Shayera instantly distrusted. “He says we should just beat ya for it, but I told him that you looked nice and maybe if we just asked you’d give it to me.”
Mouth dry, pulse still thundering in her eardrums, Shayera grimaced. “I’ve got nothing. I don’t even know where I am. I don’t… I’m sorry…” She shook her head, feeling more discombobulated than ever and strangely on the verge of tears. Leaving her parents and the only home she’d ever known hadn’t been as terrifying as suddenly finding herself dropped in a strange and foreign land full of people she didn’t know.
This had to be Earth. It had to be, which begged the question what had Rumpel done to her? Why had he sent her here? Was this part of the game?
The girl sighed. “You’re nuts, ain’t ya, lady? Escape from the loony bin or what?” Her hard eyes glared at Shayera.
“What? No,” she snapped. “Where am I?”
The girl’s eyes grew wide and then she planted her hands on her hips. “You running from somethin’? How could you not know where you’re at? Look around, isn’t it obvious?” A dirty finger pointed at a spot over Shayera’s shoulder.
Twisting, she followed the girl’s gesture and spotted a giant green figure—statue more likely—perched on a massive island in the middle of the murky, bluish-gray water. Racking her brain for the niggling worm of a memory, she knew she’d seen that statue somewhere before. In one of Mother’s picture books, but where? From what?
“New York, lady! Damn, you really is nuts. Look, sorry I ever bothered you.”
The girl turned to go and Shayera couldn’t just let her walk away, this was the first human contact she’d had that was somewhat helpful. “No, wait!” She held out a hand. “Please, I’ve got nowhere to go. I don’t know how to get back to where I’m from. I need…” Feeling a sense of disgust at her current predicament, she thinned her lips. Was she really going to beg a child for help? One who’d just admitted that her mother was off somewhere, doing Goddess knew what, and here she was begging for money so that she could feed them?
She couldn’t throw herself on the girl, but she did need help.
“Police!” She smiled, so thankful her mother had taken the time to teach her of this land’s strange customs. “Take me to the police and then I promise I will leave you alone.”