Page 17 of The Cursed Kingdom

I should’ve brought my phone.

I didn’t even think about bringing electronics, and I’d bet my left kidney I wouldn’t get any reception here, but at least I could keep myself occupied with the music and games downloaded on it. I’ve got three portable chargers I could’ve shoved into the nooks of my bag, too.

It’s too late to do anything about that now, though.

My palms sweat, and I wipe them on my leggings before taking off.

It takes only three hours for my legs to grow sore. Walking through the tall grass is more of a workout than I’m used to, but I force myself to continue at a strong pace. The land grows wilder for a while, and large trees appear and blot out the warming sun. They never get so dense that I feel unsafe or like I’m in a forested area, and after about forty minutes, the trees thin back out.

The grass grows slightly tamer, too. It’s still wild, but it’s not quite as long. I’m choosing to take that as a good sign.

After another thirty minutes of walking, I spot what looks like a path up ahead. I’m too far away to get a proper look, and there’s a decent chance I’m just imagining it, but I rush forward, anyway.

It quickly becomes apparent that it’s an actual path, the grass trampled and flattened from regular use. I scan the area for any signs of life, but I find nothing, and when I finally reach the path, I don’t hesitate to step onto it.

I pause shortly thereafter, though, and chew at my bottom lip as I glance left to right. Which way should I go? Neither direction looks better, and I teeter back and forth before shrugging and taking off to the left.

I’m really hoping Lill wasn’t lying when she said faeries like humans. It’s been a good twenty years since she was last here, and a lot can change in that time, but hopefully not too much.

I’d hate to be murdered and turned into a stew for some freakishly attractive, violet-eyed family.

My pace quickens now that I’m not stomping through thick grass, which is great timing, considering the sun’s reaching the highest point in the sky. The trees large enough to offer shade are far and few between, and they’re just far enough away from the path that it isn’t worth the extra steps to go to them.

I don’t spot any faeries, either, but I’m undecided if I’m pleased with that.

When the sun has just crested over the highest point in the sky, I decide I can no longer ignore the rumbling in my stomach. I take a short break to eat, pulling a handful of nuts and dried jerky out of my backpack.

I munch as I walk, eating just enough to settle the empty ache.

The path gradually grows more pronounced, and I can barely believe my luck when it suddenly turns toward a proper gravel road. It’s wide, and the gravel is crushed into small pieces and flattened into the ground.

It looks like vehicles drive down it.Do they have vehicles here?Carriages and horses, maybe. I have no idea. Either way, this is precisely what I was hoping for. The gravel crunches under my sneakers, the sound a welcome distraction from my thoughts.

I work on my background story while I walk, perfecting my lies and excuses in case anybody asks. I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to myself, and I come up with acceptably vague answers for every possible question I think I’d be asked.

Where am I from?I’m from the human realm, but I came here when I was younger and grew up in a small town down south. If they pry into the location, I’ll joke that they’ve probably never heard of it. If they ask what brought me here, I’ll say my dad came here for work.What does my dad do for work?That’s a question I’d like an answer to, too.

I’m hoping elusive and quietly brooding fathers are a thing here as well as on Earth.

My feet ache, and I tilt my face toward the sun with a quiet sigh. This isn’t nearly as fun as I thought it would be. While I assumed this would be an arduous journey, I hoped it would be exciting.

I don’t feel particularly excitedoradventurous right now.

I’m hungry and thirsty, and my feet hurt. Plus, my back is still angry with me for last night’s less-than-comfortable wooden planks.

Lill has no idea what I’m going through right now, but she better feel fucking honored. I’ll be sure to tell her all about this when I return with delysum, and I expect her to graciously drop to her knees and kiss my knuckles. I deserve nothing less.

The terrain on either side of the road gradually shifts from prairie to wooded. The large trees I’ve been occasionally crossing grow closer together, continuing until there’s more of them than open land. It makes it hard to see where, exactly, I’m headed, and I feel slightly uneasy, but I continue forward.

I have no other options.

It must be a good hour of walking before I come across the hill of death. It’s a steep, painfully intimidating hill the road I’m traveling on leads up and over, and I glare at it from the moment I spot it until I’m at its broad base. My poor hips.

I groan.This is bullshit.

I tighten the straps on my backpack and get to climbing. The backs of my legs scream, and I comfort myself with the knowledge that this will at least tone up my thighs. This is the faerie version of a StairMaster, and I’m going to return to the human realm with a tight, pert ass.

It’s the longest fifteen minutes of my life, but it pays off when I reach the top and see what looks like a city in the distance. I’m staring directly into the sun, which is less than ideal, but I’m pretty sure I’m looking at the outline of buildings. Tons of them, too. It’s hard to tell how large they are, but they look at least a few stories high.

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