Page 8 of Vicious Princess
The three fae exchange a few words I can’t catch. Slowly, they rise to their feet from an old, clearly discarded couch leaning against the tarnished earthen building.
“You don’t look like you belong here, girl,” the fae says in Ekiosh, taking a few steps towards me.
I pretend I don’t understand Ekiosh, staring at him silently. Maybe it’s a mistake, but I don’t want to reveal all my cards immediately.
The fae wears blue linen pants with holes in them. His lips are chapped, and they curl into a wicked smile as his eyes scan me from head to toe.
He’s evaluating the enemy. Clearly he’s not very good at it, because he takes another step closer to me despite the knives strapped to my waist.
Or maybe he thinks he can take me because he’s twice as big as I am, as a mere human. The thought that I might be a Decarios doesn’t even cross his narrow mind.
You’re about to make a big mistake, Blue Pants.
The other two fae circle me, as if they’re wild predators and I’m their prey. People pass us, not even throwing a glance towards me or the three fae ready to harass me.
It’s clear that it’s not an unusual occurrence in this part of the city, even in the middle of the day.
The tallest of the three, a fae with odd ears—not as pointy as the others’—with black hair falling over his forehead and rings gleaming on each finger, steps forwards. He says something to me in a language I don’t understand.
My heart races at the way his eyes glimmer, dark as the deepest hour of the night. One of his eyebrows rises in question, a corner of his mouth curling up.
His gaze makes my insides turn.
The next words he speaks, I do understand.
“Wetra, then?” Sparkle Boy inquires, waving a hand in an elegant gesture, the stones of his rings glittering with each movement.
I’ve never seen a thug so fancy—will he invite me to an afternoon tea party or rob me?
I blink, not bothering to answer his question. But, somehow, he knows his guess is correct because his smirk deepens, and to his friends, he says in Ekiosh, “We have a lovely human lady all the way from the land of barbarians on our hands, boys.”
The other two snicker, rubbing their hands together. Anger bubbles hot and thick in my chest.
“Wetra isnota barbarian land,” I snap at them in Ekiosh. The two thugs are surprised to hear me speak their tongue fluently. Sparkle Boy only looks amused. “Now, why don’t you back off and let me mind my own business. This way nobody has to get hurt.”
I’m not surprised when they all holler with laughter. Like a pack of wolves. Blue Pants and the third thug bump into each other, brushing away the tears from their eyes.
We’ll see whether they laugh this hard once I stab them with one of my knives.
Sparkle Boy isn’t laughing, though. He narrows his eyes at me and tilts his head to the side as if I’m a curious specimen.
Heat rises to my neck and my cheeks. Instinctively, I slip one hand around my favorite knife with a black onyx handle.
“Why don’t you empty your pockets for us, beauty,” Blue Pants says to me and jerks his chin. “And then you can go mind your own business.”
The only reason I don’t stab him immediately is because I don’t know Ekios laws that well. If I stab someone in the street before they attack me, does it still count as self-defense?
I should have asked Vasquez about that, gods damn it.
One thing I know for certain is that Ekios is not tolerant to the likes of me—humans—nor is it kind to dwarfs. Fae are welcoming only to their own kind. I don’t want to risk my plans by being thrown into jail on my first day. Not after all the trouble I went through to get here.
I look around, trying to find a friendly face. Someone who might be willing to step in and diffuse the situation before I have to draw the knife or use my power.
But nobody pays attention. I’m on my own.
A blade glitters in Blue Pants’s hand, which draws my awareness back to my opponents. He sneers, lifting the blade and pointing it towards me.
I barely hold off a scoff. He doesn’t have a good grip on the handle, clearly lacking training. One gentle bump and he’d be disarmed.
