Page 5 of Prince of Ruin

They can’t stand up to their full height in this small room, so they decide to sit down in the woodenrocking chair in the corner, gathering their violet robes around them as they sit.

“You couldn’t find better accommodations than this?” They ask in a glum tone, their silver eyes meeting mine. Their bone-white hair falls down their shoulders in straight, silky plates, half of it braided and pulled back to a ponytail. The kohl lining their eyes and the smoky eyeshadow painting their lids makes them appear both intimidating and utterly captivating. Wicked and inviting.

Days. It’s been days since I saw them. Nearly a week, which might not seem like much to most, but Tarsus and I are connected by a bond that’s only grown stronger over the past five years that we’ve been together. I stand and cross the room to meet them, my heart nearly beating out of my ribcage at the sight of them. My chest feels like there’s a cavity that only Tarsus can fill.

“I thought you wanted no part of this,” I say, taking both their hands in mine.

They stare at me for a beat, their expression guarded, then tug me onto their lap. Combing their long fingers into my shaggy hair, they tug me close and press their face into my throat. Relief washes over me as I wrap my arms around their neck. Last time I saw Tarsus, they’d stormed off because they disagreed with my plan to bring the evil fae king-turned-human, Clavicle, home.

“What made you change your mind?” I ask when I pull away.

A knot bobs in their throat. The tears gathering in their eyes makes the silver of their irises brighten like steel as it captures the sun. “I’m still not on board,” they say, their low voice husky, “But I love you too much to let you do this alone.” They squeeze my hands, and now it’s my turn to choke up with tears.

“You were always such a hopeless romantic,” I say with a chuckle.

Tarsus lifts my hand to their mouth, pressing a kiss into my palm, and my heart fills to the brim with love for them.

“Not to cut into this adorable moment between you,” Ash says, still sitting on the bed while flipping through a magazine she no-doubt found on the nightstand. “But have you figured out where the evil king lives yet? Or where he works so you could casually confront him?”

I chew my lower lip. Here goes nothing. “So…we kind of bumped into each other at the library this morning.”

“What?” Tarsus’ smooth voice is laced with fear as their fingers dig protectively into my hips. “Did he hurt you?”

“He was actually…super sweet.” I shrug, my cheeks heating at the memory of those warm gray eyes, that pink hair. “I don’t think he has any idea why I’m here.”

“Clearly,” Tarsus’ silver eyes have turned to ice now, their jaw clenching and unclenching. “If he knew who you were, that you were associated with me in any way, you’d already be dead.”

I know it’s taking everything in Tarsus not to throw me over their shoulder and force me to go back to the faerie realms with them. But that’s what I love about Tarsus. They let me make my own decisions. Something my own human family never let me do—especially when it came to transitioning.

While I decided not to get gender reconstruction surgery below the belt, I have gone through top surgery. That was enough to make my parents decide I was dead to them. Because apparently, to them, it’s better to have a dead daughter than a transgender bisexual son. I can’t imagine their reaction if they saw me now, my muscles toned and my voice deepened from the testosterone injections I’ve been getting for six months now.

“I’m guessing there’s no convincing you to return with us?” Tarsus asks with a resigned sigh.

I look between them and Ash. “I’m meeting with Clavicle tonight at the Ren Faire. Let me get to know him, get a good read on him.” I shrug. “Maybe he’s…changed his stance on humans after living with them for twenty-three years. Maybe he’ll want to save his empire from the volcano.”

Tarsus dips their chin and stares at the floor, their long index finger drawing lazy circles on my knee. “Fine. But we’re coming back tonight to get a report.” They shift their gaze to mine. “And to make sure he doesn’t slaughter you the first chance he gets.”

I expected no less. “How’s everything at home?”

“I mean, the same as when you left,” Ash says as she tosses the magazine aside and flops onto her back, staring at the ceiling. “Smoke from the volcano continues to cloud the skies. Ash has blanketed the Terra and Spine empires and is slowly expanding across the rest of the continent. Everything is…slowly dying. There’s no fresh produce, and several wild animals have already died from the lack of vegetation.” She folds her hands over her firm stomach. “We could really use Clavicle’s help. Like, soon.”

The urgency of our situation makes my chest ache. How can I get a good read on Clavicle without straight up coming out with my reasons for being here? To him, I’m just a nerdy human who traveled all this way for a Ren Faire. To him, this is nothing more than hanging out for the afternoon.

But the fact that he’s willing to spend time with a human speaks volumes of his character. Either he’s lonely as fuck and would date just about anyone at thispoint. Or he truly has changed and doesn’t see humans as the scum of the earth, good for little more than being used for breeding more slaves, manual labor, and sacrificing to his goddess, Mother Terra.

“I need to find a costume,” I mutter, looking between Ash and Tarsus. “Or, I don’t know. Some every-day clothes from your realm.”

Ash sits up and arches a brow. “You’re callingourclothescostumes?”

Tarsus’ lips quirk and they jerk their chin. “Come on then. I’ll help you find something that will leave my step-brotherdroolingforyou, human or not.”

Clav

It’s nearly noon when I pull into our gravel driveway, my stomach growling at me for skipping breakfast. Honestly, I was hoping to grab something at the diner during break before I found out I was getting fired. Fuck that shit. I don’t want to eat their rat-infested, weeks-old, freezer-burnt pancakes anyway.

The leaves on the trees have already turned, painting our rural neighborhood in shades of burnt orange and liquid gold in the October sun. Cool air envelops me in an embrace as I step out of the car, the heady scent of rot and decay saturated in morning dew hitting my senses.

I love fall.

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