Page 105 of A Fae in Finance
“Hello, Doctor Kitten,” Nele said, ignoring us both. She walked past me and hopped onto the bed next to her sister.
As Lene had months before, Nele started yowling at Doctor Kitten. My shoulders sagged as he yowled back. Even if I did find a way back to the mortal plane, Doctor Kitten would miss Lene—and now Nele—terribly.
I hadn’t expected to coparent my cat with a faerie, but sometimes life surprises us.
“Thank you for staying with him,” I said.
Nele ignored me.
“As soon as Jeff agrees to your request, we will leave,” Sahir said.
I grabbed the computer off the bed, Nele and Doctor Kitten still yowling in a miserable duet, and opened it. “Does the Princeling know?” I asked, typing in my password.
“I have told him that we will go into the woods, for your health,” Sahir said. “He does not know much about mortals, but he knows you have been unwell.”
Feeling an insane mixture of anxiety and disinterest, I drafted an email to Jeff. The faeries settled in around me: Sahir on the other side of the bed, and Gaheris on the floor by Lene’s and Nele’s feet.
For a moment, I considered not sending the email.The bargain—My job—
But Roman was the Princeling’s only bargaining chip. And unless Roman had a way to set me free, I would be trapped forever, whether or not I took two days of vacation right now.
Hi Jeff,
I was wondering if I could take a few days off to recharge. I have been feeling under the weather. I was thinking today and tomorrow might be good since the workload is lighter. I know this is short notice so let me know if this does not work. The Princeling knows I want to take off and has agreed to it. I will of course be available for calls and as issues arise. Please let me know if this works.
Miri
His response was immediate.Yes.
Wordlessly, I showed the exchange to Sahir. He grunted. Gaheris and Lene stood up.
“Should I take my phone?” I asked.
“The Court is the only area with cell service,” Sahir said. “But do as you will.”
I’d just lied to Jeff, then. I wouldnotbe available.
I sent a text to my mom.Busy few days—won’t be able to call.Then I texted Thea and said,Insane work assignment, don’t expect replies for a bit, texted JordanI’m going on the quest, and locked my phone.
I kissed Doctor Kitten on the top of the head, and Nele stretched out on the bed next to him. With one backward glance to see the two of them already snuggled up like absolute traitors, I followed Sahir, Gaheris, and Lene out of the room.
I shouldn’t have been surprised to find four packs leaning against the wall in the hallway, but I was briefly horrified by the way they lay out in the open as streams of faeries passed us in both directions. Everybody would see that we were leaving. Any spies on the inside could inform various bands of kidnapping soldiers that the human was about to embark on some kind of quest. Did Sahir have no sense of self-preservation?
Sahir gestured toward a pack, so I shouldered it, since there was nothing else to do at this point. Gaheris and Lene took up the other two, and together we left the mountain.
We walked for most of the morning.
I hadn’t been exercising much.
At all. I hadn’t been exercising at all. My calves burned before we’d even reached the forest at the far end of the clearing. By the time we hit the shadows of the first trees, I had an ache in my left buttock and a stitch in my side. The day was cold, but I sweated through my shirt beneath the pack. My fingertips turned blue, and I wished I had gloves.
There were constant trills of bird call, so frequent I found it jarring at first. Over time, the noise faded into a background melody entwined with the rustling of tree branches and crunch of leaves underfoot.
No one spoke. I thought about all the times I’d wished I could go on a quest, like my favorite characters. I thought about how fervently my favorite authors had derided questing, and how I’d always thought they were being buzzkills.
They were not being buzzkills. Walking all day in a state of anticipation rapidly becomes boring.
Sahir seemed uninclined to talk. Behind me, Gaheris and Lene walked side by side, their low voices blending into the sounds of the nature around us.
