“That’s Mona. She’s Demothi’s daughter,” Sandy whispered in Aspen’s ear.
“I like this.” Ginny held up a short beige skirt and paired it with chocolate leggings. She chose a wispy white top and handed the outfit to Aspen.
“These boots are cool too.” Ginny picked up a leather ankle boot lined with fur. She dropped a brown leather jacket on top of the clothes piled on Aspen’s arm, and pushed her gently toward the dressing room.
Aspen did like the jacket, but she’d never thought to pair all the different textures together. Lanta was not like Earth, where cheap clothing was available in every fabric, color, and style. The garments here were made from natural fibers like wool, silk, and leather, and she wondered if Mona had made all of the clothing herself.
After she’d changed, she admired herself in an oval floor-length mirror. The clothes fit beautifully, and she pulled the dressing room curtain aside.
“What do you think?”
The girls grinned at her and nodded. “You look amazing.”
“I’ve got your size now,” Sandy called out. “Stay there while I get some more.”
Forty minutes later, Aspen tossed her old clothing on the chair and walked out of the dressing room in her first new outfit, along with several more draped over her arm.
“This was such fun. Oh, I forgot.” She covered her mouth with her free hand.
Sandy glanced over as she thumbed through a rack of clothes. “What?”
“How am I going to pay for this?” Aspen’s cheeks burned, and she shifted the clothing in her arms.
“Don’t worry, it goes on the Power clan’s account, and it gets settled by the elders later.”
“How can they do that?”
“We have to be clothed in order to fight the Chancellors,” Ginny explained, “and we don’t get paid to fight them. The elders help the shopkeepers in other ways. We don’t exactly need money here, you know.” She chuckled.
Aspen frowned. “But I’ve been here in jeans before. How did that happen?”
“We don’t know. Sometimes we appear in our earthly clothing, but most of the time we end up in clothing from Lanta. That’s why it’s best to get outfits that you’re comfortable wearing. If you can get something fashionable, then more power to you.” Ginny’s eyes changed to silver as she smiled.
Feeling better, Aspen walked up to the counter. Outside, the sky had darkened. Mona moved to the front door and closed it just as the air began to cool. She turned a key in the lock and made sure the door was sealed tightly.
Sandy walked up to the large shop windows and gazed outside. “Hmm, we’d better stay in the store. It’s Lavendula and the Chancellors will be roaming about outside. I don’t think you want to mess up your new clothes before you’ve had a chance to show them off.”
Joining her, Aspen looked out into the street. Chancellors oozed out like sticky black tar from crevices between buildings. She shivered involuntarily as their numbers grew.
“These don’t create the nightmares,” Ginny said in a low voice, gripping the hanger in her hands tightly as she spoke.
“Really, why not?”
“They’re here to make sure that we don’t attack the ones who do make them. The actual nightmare creators are outside the village. They can cast a nightmare from the hills or the trees, and even the rivers. These here will do anything to stop us from attacking their casters.”
Sandy peeled a poster away from the window so they could see the Chancellors better. They had pale skin and their eyes were completely black. They wore their familiar black T-shirts with cargo pants, and heavy boots on their feet.
Suddenly one of the Chancellors spied them through the window and walked toward the shop. The girls held their spot behind the window, but shrank back slightly from the creature as he approached them. He was tall with dark hair cut close to his skull. A sickly sweet odor permeated through the front door as he approached them.
Aspen held her breath as he faced them directly, and started when she realized that the thin sheet of glass was the only thing separating them. She trembled and glanced at the stern features of her friends. Ginny stuck her chin out and smiled menacingly.
The Chancellor curled his lips upward in a grim parody of a smile, but his mouth had no teeth. A large Adam’s apple bobbed up and down his long throat. He raised a bony finger and slowly dragged it in a circle on the glass.
Aspen watched his movements as he traced the symbol on the smooth surface. After he’d completed the circle, his eyes widened and he mouthed the word, “Boo.” She jumped as he tapped the window.
Sandy and Ginny didn’t stir, so she squared her shoulders and glared at him. He laughed silently but kept his gaze on her. Even though she was a quivering mass of nerves, she didn’t look away. She stared back and refused to show fear.