Page 59 of Down from the Tower

I grunt, sinking against him. He coaxes my legs up and then around his waist, and I’m too tired to be embarrassed.

His fingers press into my hair, and he tugs and pulls for several moments. “That’s the best I can manage. We’ll get you a proper haircut when we reach the tavern.”

My fingers brush against the handle of his scythe at his back, and it’s then that I realize he’s not holding the blade. A few fast tugs later I feel a great loss of weight, and something cool presses to the side of my thigh.

Looking down, it’s the smaller blade Zarev carries. I don’t have to look behind me to know what he cut off.

“Hold tight. I’ll get us out of here.”

I don’t say anything, my eyes closing against him. If I could just sleep for a moment…

“Well, you’ve made a mess of things I see.”

I’m too tired to worry about who that voice belongs to. It can’t be as dangerous as these plant people, not when I’m wrapped in Zarev’s arms. Satisfied that death is no longer around the corner, I let myself succumb to sleep.

16 Rapunzel

When I wake again, it's not in any place I've been before. There's no ringing in my head when I blink my eyes open, and after several seconds I reach up tentatively to touch my face.

My fingers are a little red and puffy, like they were too close to the heat. But a relieved sigh escapes me when I touch my features and it doesn't hurt. The skin isn't cut away and bleeding like I thought I remembered from the last time I was awake.

I need a mirror to see the proof for myself. When I felt the blades and the pain I really thought I was going to die before Zarev found me.

Sitting up, a wave of nausea rocks through me for a moment. I take the time to stare down at my hands, both familiar and strange to me.

That flower thing in the gingerbread house… I snapped its neck. Or I snapped something. I heard the noise, felt the tension release as I fought it, and there was blood painting my golden hair.

Licking my dry lips, I close my eyes. They were going to eat me, so their death should be justifiable.

But I used my hair again as a weapon. First the magic bled from me to make Modred’s body melt and now I've snapped a neck.

I'm not sure who I am anymore. Killer is never a word I wanted to use to describe myself.

Standing slowly, I peer around the room. I got used to finding Zarev in the shadows of my bedroom at home, but nothing shifts to indicate that he's here. Disappointment echoes in my head, and it feels out of place after everything. I should feel relieved to be alive, grateful that I have magic hair that can save my life, but instead I'm having a rather mundane moment where I miss a boy.

A man. A dead one.

But I've felt Zarev's heart – it beats beneath his toned chest. Dead men don't have a beating heart.

Glancing around the room again, I take in the two small tables and the small vanity to one side. There’s a basin to wash up, and a wardrobe that appears to be empty. Two chairs sit near a small table, and when I eye the bed I’m sleeping in, I acknowledge that it’s wide enough for two.

“Look who's up and jonesing to go.”

I jump, spinning around. There's an older woman standing in the doorway of the room, and I cannot remember if it was open before or not. She's got red-brown hair that's streaked with silver, and a comfortable looking dress that's got hints of deep emerald among the browns and grays of her clothes. It matches the color of her eyes.

There's several earrings up one ear, which is a surprise. Few people wear jewelry like that in Tressa.

“Dont worry love, I'm just here to check in on ya. Raymundo's got Zarev working his arse off after disappearing for a month. We've needed a wolf for the hunt.”

I blink at her, because that jumble of words made no sense. She reminds me of Zarev with her cryptic way of speaking. “Who?”

“Oh, that boy didn't tell you anything did he?” She clicks, those bright green eyes peering at me. I'm short, but she's probably an inch or two shorter than I am. “I'm Dahlia, owner of The Missing Shoe. My son, Raymundo, needs Zarev's help to deal with some wayward critters that are coming too close to the tavern. Zarev owes Ray after reaping all ‘em souls for him.”

“Oh,” I reply, because it's still confusing. “It's um, nice to meet you, Dahlia.”

“Pleasure is all mine, dearie. Not often we get a royal princess here at the tavern, much less one that hides behind the Golden Wall.”

All at once, my guard is up. “You know I'm from Tressa?”

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