Page 33 of The Iron Fae
“Fine. Fine. No one did anything to me. I did it to me. I went to pack my bag last night like you asked but the only real option was that large freakingpurse. Is it too much to ask for you Fae to own duffle bags?”
“What’s a duffle bag?” Rowan frowns.
“It’s like a peasant’s suitcase,” Kai whispers back, waving me on to continue.
“Anyway, I couldn’t reach the bag so I climbed the shoe rack.”
Rowan covers his mouth with his hand to hide a smile. “You climbed it?”
“Yeah, I climbed it. Then I promptly fell off of it and banged my head when I fell backwards onto my butt.” We’ll just purposefully leave out the part where I may have also sprained both my ankles.
The Princes look to one another and I prepare myself for some sort of lecture. When they turn back to face me, they fall against one another, bending to hold themselves at their knees as they sputter with laughter.
“Cupcake,” Kai holds the bridge of his nose. “You could have used a servant for help. Or asked me this morning.” He turns to his brother. “We may have more work cut out for us than anticipated on this trip.”
“Stop!” I step off the path around the brothers. “It was an accident. I’m not usually that clumsy.” Then, as if on cue—the entire punchline of the joke—my foot slips on the lip of the trail as I try to step back on it and my feet stumble over themselves.
Broad hands wrap around my shoulders, pulling me upright. Kai does nothing to hide his knowing smirk.
"Children learn to walk, only if they first learn how to fall."
His proverb is probably well meaning. Probably. But right now, it's annoying as fuck.
"I was going to catch myself." I push his hands off me.
"What? With your face?" Rowan snorts pushing past us both. "I'll lead."
With my face.Is it childish of me to mock him right now? Yes. Regrettably, and most stupidly, yes.
"Come now, my sweet." Kai guides me forward. "Off to find you some magic so you can walk like the rest of the grownups."
"Okay, now you're just making fun of me."
"Was I not making fun of you before?"
I trail an eye over the prince. "I'm not sure I'm enjoying this banter."
"Only because you're the brunt of the joke, human." Rowan calls over his shoulder as the shadow of the trees falls over him.
Dew still shines on the leaves. Vines weave up the old bark and onto the branches that hide us from the sky. Animals don't call like they do in the evening, most probably still hiding in their holes not ready to wake for the day. I don't blame them. If it wasn't for the excitement of something new, of an answer to the question I've been asking for some time now, I would still be hiding under the covers until one of the Ziko siblings rolled into my room and demanded something of me.
The stone of the trail is replaced with brush and broken twigs. I'm more careful of my steps now that there is so much more to trip on. If I embarrass myself in front of these men one more time then I'll just go ahead and dig myself a grave. No thank you.
"So how long is this trip?" I ask, trying to pass the time and fill the silence.
"As long as it takes a human to climb a mountain, if I'd have to guess." Kai squints trying to look through the branches. I follow his gaze, wondering what he could be looking for. My eyesight proves to be less helpful.
"Do you have any experience with rock climbing?" Rowan sends me a look over his shoulder. His braids make a gentle noise as they smack against his leather backpack.
"Rowan, I grew up in fucking New York City. Do you think I have rock climbing experience?"
"I'm not entirely sure what the city you grew up in has much to do with it. But judging by your lack of overall balance, I'd have to guess probably not."
"No, I don't." I admit. Also, I'm out of shape, I think but don't add. "There aren’t many places to go climb mountains in the city and even if there was I've never had that sort of money to just go out and do it on a whim."
"On a whim." Kai echoes. "I have lots of whims."
Oh, I bet you do.
