Page 123 of Vicious Princess
Roman doesn’t get to finish the sentence because the moment we set foot into the main area, a fist flies at his jaw. With a curse, Roman stumbles sideways.
I brace for a fight, but when I turn to Roman’s attacker, all I find are two fae brawling with each other.
“Give me my money back!” one shouts.
“Fuck you! It’s my money now! I won it from you,” the other growls, right before a punch lands in his stomach.
I turn to Roman. “Are you okay?”
Roman checks his jaw. “Yeah, all good.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to stop the smile from spreading, but I can’t help it. I burst into laughter.
“We’re highly trained soldiers,” I say mockingly, imitating Roman’s voice.
“Fuck you.”
I pat his shoulder. “Make sure you look where you go,buddy. Before someone else runs you over by accident.”
Roman scoffs, and we make our way forwards.
Everything looks exactly the same as it did when I last visited here with Daegel. The gambling tables scattered around the place are packed. The lodge above has shadowed figures seated, watching over their domain like they rule the place.
Maybe they do.
Farther in the crowd, a familiar face flashes in my periphery.
Ezkai Xander sits at one of the gambling tables, together with Fern. They play a game of dice, fully blending into the crowd. Even Fern—along with her Ezkai leathers, she has lost all the nobility about her as she frantically gestures and shouts at the man across from her at the table, the one who just won the round.
She’ll make a great spy.
As we make our way between tightly packed gambling tables, my eyes scan the surroundings. Ahead of us, there’s a makeshift bar. Tall shelves made from metal scrap line the whole wall of the warehouse, full of bottled alcohol. One of the bartenders is perched high on a slim, long ladder, reaching for a dark blue bottle, while the other is leaning against the bar, flirting with Catalina.
Julian and Bloom are right next to her, downing shots with two fae. The strangers’ arms and necks bear no marks of Caligos.
“Everyone seems to be fitting in well,” I murmur to Roman and jerk my chin at the bar.
Roman’s gaze follows mine, and when he notices our crew, he smirks. “We do know how to party in Ekios, wouldn’t you say?”
He looks eager to join them. But before he can, I place my hand on his forearm and dig my fingers hard enough to draw his attention back to me.
“We’re supposed to split up for a reason,” I say in a low voice. “If we gather in groups that are too big, we’ll draw attention. Thewrongkind of attention.”
“Right, right,” Roman says.
I jerk my chin at the tall iron fence that cuts the warehouse in half. “That’s where the competitions are being held. Let’s find out which one of us will have to go in.”
As we make our way towards the fence, a group gathered around one of the tables springs to their feet with a roar.
One of the fae with a grey beard swings a punch at the fae next to him, and blood sprays everywhere. The pair gets into a brawl, turning the gambling table upside down. The dice and gold coins scatter all over the dirty floor.
Without pausing, I step over the mess and continue forwards. Roman looks at them with wide eyes full of awe.
He doesn’t have to say it. I can tell he’s fascinated with this place.
I don’t blame him. The energy here is wild. No laws exist. Money and violence are the only rulers.
There’s a certain freedom in that.
