Page 19 of A City of Emeralds and Envy
It fits, all of it.
I think I’ve been wanting to go home my whole life. And now that I’m here in Faerie, unfamiliar as it is, I never want to leave. There’s no place like it.
8
Against all odds, I slept. A solid, dreamless sleep. I was exhausted—but maybe it also had something to do with the fact that my heart knew Riordan was near, and that Caer is closer than he has been for months.
I don’t let myself define how I feel for the two Fae males—why the urge to be near them,with themis even stronger than my love for the family I left behind. I’m worried for my siblings, of course—but they are ultimately my parents’ responsibility, not mine or Dorothy’s. My parents chose to have all those babies. It’s about time they actually cared for the children themselves. And if they don’t—if they refuse—the older two should be able to help out. David turned ten while I was gone, and Bertha will be ten soon, as well. It’s too young, of course—but I was even younger when Mam started handing me the babies to feed, change, and swaddle.
Much as I love my siblings, they aren’t mine to raise. Staying would have locked me into a wretched future, including a marriage to a man I loathe. Chained to the tavern and its keeper, I likely wouldn’t have seen much of my family anyway.
All that is behind me now. I must focus on myself, and on the people who need metoday.
In our tiny cottage, Dorothy and I wash up quickly using the supplies in the basket under the washstand. Not all Fae are skilled with cleansing magic, so there are scented soaps, as well as herbal paste for cleaning teeth, for which I’m grateful.
As we prepare to leave the cottage, Dorothy tips her head to one side. “He left for a while, but he’s back now.”
“You can sense him that clearly?” Despite the fact that they’re related, not fated, I’m still a little jealous of their connection.
Dorothy nods. “It’s a bit annoying, actually. Like not being able to take off these shoes. I had to wear them all night.”
“We need to find out more about those shoes. Unfortunately the one who would know the most about them is that green witch.”
“Wonderful. Can’t wait to talk to him again,” she says dryly.
“I don’t know.” I study her face. “You two seemed to have something. An attraction.”
She stares. “Alice, he’sgreen.”
“So? Riordan has the ears of a rabbit, and Caer has cat ears and a tail.”
“Yes, but—green.”
Chuckling, I push open the cottage door.
Fiero runs out immediately. Cool morning air flows over my bare arms, and I shiver. Beyond the blue foliage overhead, pink tinges the sky.
A few paces from the door, the suit of armor stands rigid while Fiero snuffles around his silver boots. He isn’t wearing the blue cloak today.
My stomach flips at the sight of him. How awful it must be for Riordan, existing inside that cursed shell! And it happened because he went to find Caer, like I asked him to.
I wasn’t sympathetic enough last night. I still think he was stupid to make a wish to the Wizard, but as he pointed out, I plan to make one as well. Except mine will be airtight, worded so carefully the Green Wizard can’t possibly twist its meaning.
When the armor doesn’t move, the eagerness in my heart melts into worry. What if Riordan is somehow gone? What if I imagined him, or what if—
“Dawn is nearly here. We must go.” It’s his voice, the same voice that once spoke to me so calmly of my own future dissection—the one that murmured encouragement as I climaxed for him, so many times—
Damn it, I’m getting wet again.
“Why is it important to leave now?” I ask.
“The crows sleep for a few hours between midnight and dawn. When they first wake, they’re a little sluggish, and they will head for the easy prey—the scarecrow—while we make for the forest.”
“Why not travel while they’re sleeping?”
“Because if they are startled awake in the night, they are twice as vicious. Not to mention the other things that roam this Isle in the dark.”
Dorothy picks up Fiero. “He needs something to eat. I gave him water this morning, but he didn’t touch a bit of food last night.”
