Page 38 of Crown of Slumber

To my surprise, he chuckled. “I find your sour attitude quite endearing, little firebird.”

I rolled my eyes, choosing to ignore him as I made my way down the trail, keeping close to the river so its sounds would drown us out.

When the roar of the waterfall behind us had almost fadedcompletely, I raised a hand to stop Fenn, my nostrils flaring as a familiar foul stench filled my nose.

“They’re close,” I whispered.

“How do you know?”

“I told you I can smell them.”

Fenn inhaled deeply. “I don’t smell anything.”

“Well, I can.”

“I’m not sure I believe you.”

I suppressed a groan and shot him a glare. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“No. I’m simply questioning whether it’s the goblins you’re smelling or… something else.”

“What else could I be smelling?”

He shrugged. “Maybe you soiled yourself.”

I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples to ward off the headache of enduring this prince’s insufferable presence. “I loathe you more intensely than a thousand burning suns.”

“So what you’re saying is… you have strong feelings for me?” He cocked his head and offered me a roguish grin, his hair flopping on his face so it covered one eye.

I made a retching sound and let my hands fall against my thighs. “Fine. I warned you. If you get eaten by bloodthirsty goblins, it’s your own damn fault.” Muttering a string of swear words under my breath, I unsheathed the dagger at my thigh.

Fenn chuckled softly. “So grouchy.” But he followed suit, drawing his own blade, which was a short sword.

“You have to strike them at the throat or the heart,” I told him. “Any other wound will not stop them.”

“I’m aware. Like I said, I’ve fought goblins before.”

“Well, you’ve proven to be rather unintelligent so far, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d forgotten.”

He grinned at me. “I love it when you flirt with me, little firebird.”

Burning suns, this prince would get us killed. I resisted the urge to run him through and crept along the riverbank, my heart drumming an erratic rhythm in my chest.

I’d only fought goblins once before, and I’d had Mal to protectme. Right now, I could only rely on this moronic prince. I didn’t even know how many goblins waited for us.

To my left, a twig snapped, and I whipped my head in that direction, my skin tingling. But nothing was there.

Leaves rustled. With a jolt, I glanced upward and found several shaking tree branches. Another twig snapped from behind me.

My blood ran cold.Oh, shit.

“Fenn—”

Three sharp twangs rang out.

“Down!” Fenn shouted as he crashed into me, tackling me to the ground. My shoulder and hip screamed in pain as they caught the brunt of my fall. With athunk,an arrow embedded itself into the earth mere inches from my face.

An almighty roar erupted, and more than a dozen goblins poured from the trees and descended on us.

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