Page 64 of Vicious Princess
“Wait,what?” I eye the group of fae children sharing a huge bowl of fresh berries on the side of the street. Fae children are so cute with their big round, colorful eyes and pointy ears, they almost make me want children of my own. “So, every district belongs to different a fae clan? What are those clans, and how are they different?”
“Not anymore. We don’t have clans. Now we have noble families, Ezkai families, and the rest of the fae. Before fae society divided into what it is today, though, we had mountain, forest, seaside, sky, and earth clans.”
I wave a hand around us. “Which clan built this district?”
“Bussek was built by a sky fae clan. They were the creatives, artists, and entertainers. Nomads of sort, too, never staying in one place for long. One moment they’d be here, and the other moment, vanished like morning mist,” Daegel says. “Even to this day, the fae descended from sky clans tend to be more creative than others.”
“What happened that forced the clans to disappear?”
Daegel shrugs. “Once Jaakii was built and thriving, Ezkai General Maria Genova wanted change. A way to separate the city fae from the rest. She restructured society and modernizeddifferent districts, too. But to this day, the essence of the past lingers in the streets of Jaakii. Ekiosh fae love to honor and remember their ancient ways and traditions.”
I can tell we’re not in Bussek anymore from the change in the crowd. Fewer cheery faces greet us and less laughter echoes around us. Here the streets are emptier. The people we pass look less than friendly.
The fae look dangerous, actually.
I brush a finger over my blades strapped to my waist to soothe my nerves.Where the fuck is Daegel taking me?
I steal a glance at him. He doesn’t look even one ounce worried about the change in our surroundings. Clearly, he’s familiar with the local customs.
“Do you know what fae clan you descended from?”
A corner of his mouth quirks. “All fae do. We take great pride in our lineage.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“My family descends from the mountain clan. As all fae Decarios.”
I don’t get to ask any more questions, because suddenly Daegel turns into a narrow dark alley and drags me after him. My heart thrashes against my ribs.
At the end of the alley, there’s a red door. When we approach, Daegel knocks in an odd pattern. A moment later, it opens. A tall and wide fae appears. One of his pointy ears is missing the very tip as if someone took a slice out of it. A long scar stretches across his face diagonally.
Wordlessly, the bouncer eyes me over Daegel’s shoulder. He says nothing, just moves from the doorway.
Daegel gestures for me to go inside first. As I pass him, he whispers, “Stay with me at all times. This is not a friendly place for local fae, not to mention foreigners like yourself.”
“How on earth is this part of the training if this place is dangerous even toyou?” I whisper-yell at him.
Once the bouncer closes the door behind us, we’re plunged into darkness. Panic’s cold fingers crawl over me, gripping my chest. When Daegel’s hand finds mine, it eases.
His lips brush my earlobe as he whispers, “I never said this place is dangerous to me.”
Gently, he tugs on my hand. I don’t have any other choice but to follow him deeper into the darkness. It’s not long before a door in front of us opens, and my ears are assaulted by loud cheers and screams.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
At first, I’m not certain what am I seeing. We’re inside some sort of hidden warehouse. All the windows are barred with heavy reclaimed wood planks so no strange eyes can witness what’s inside.
At the back of the space, there’s a large iron fence dividing the area into two. At the fence, a huge crowd gathers. On the right side of it stands a large platform hovering just above everyone’s heads. There, three makeshift iron thrones stand, with shadowed figures occupying them.
The crowd is lost in the frenzy, watching whatever is happening on the other side of the fence. At the front, there are round tables crowded with men playing cards, dice, and other table games. Not just playing—gambling.
I tug on Daegel’s hand to make him stop walking. “Is this a gambling parlor?”
Daegel turns to me. “That’s one way to call it.”
I yank my hand away, fuming. But Daegel doesn’t let go, only tightens his grip. The hair at the back of my neck rises. Something feels…off.
“Why the fuck would you bring me to a gambling parlor? And for the love of the gods, let go of my hand!”
