Page 131 of A Fae in Finance
“An excellent cat indeed,” my dad said, and drove us into the city.
Chapter 21
In Which We Renovate My Room Again
My dad dropped us off in the Upper West Side at the 97th Street park entrance at Sahir’s request. He got out of the car and gave me a big hug. “We’ll see you soon,” he promised. I stood and watched him drive away, merging wildly in front of a yellow taxi like he’d been born into New York traffic.
“Come, Miri,” Sahir said, putting a gentle hand on my arm. “We will speak with the Princeling, and then you can come to the office with me tomorrow.”
I glanced in the direction of my apartment, frowning. The fizzy feeling in my veins had gotten stronger all day. I understood what Roman meant about Faerie calling to me.
I’d need to break my lease, which I’d held on to both out of sheer denial and because my landlord was probably on the run from the law, in another country, and thus ignoring all of my texts, calls, and emails.
We trekked across the park, Lene cowering behind Sahir and Gaheris. The park was freezing and almost empty. I kept my hands clamped firmly over my ears for warmth.
“You look a bit mad,” Lene said when she noticed. The observation seemed to make her feel better, so I let her have it.
The sky was overcast, loweringly gray. I looked up, wishing ineffectually that the sun would peek out so my friends could see what their Princeling was fighting for.
As we approached the entrance to the Princeling’s Court, I felt the tug in my veins get stronger. My strides quickened, but so did the others’.
“You feel it,” Sahir said, looking back at me. Some emotion sparked in his eyes when I nodded. He reached for my face—brushed a rough thumb across my cheekbone—turned away.
We crested a hill and I saw it below us—the glimmering veil, as transparent as a rising puff of steam on a winter day.
Lene charged for it and leapt through, Gaheris on her heels shouting her name.
Sahir and I followed more slowly. We stopped in front of the portal. He held his arm out for me and I took it.
Together, we strode back into Faerie.
On the Faerie side of the Princeling’s portal, we stepped out into a circle of toadstools, not visible from a distance. Sahir helped me over the mushrooms so that I didn’t crush any caps or dislodge the mycelia.
“Where did they go?” I asked, looking across the lawn. There were figures scattered in pairs and trios and large wild circles, strolling or laughing or dancing.
Having seen the Queen’s Court, I decided that perhaps if I had to be kidnapped by someone, the Princeling was the better option.
“I assume to your room,” Sahir said. “Lene will want to see her sister.”
“I want to see Doctor Kitten anyway,” I said. We walked together up the path to the Court. We passed faeries and vampires still sprawled in the grass outside, lying on patchwork blankets or jackets and staring up at the clouds. The wide dirt entrance to the Court felt friendly, familiar.
We approached my room and found the door open. I had a moment of pure terror and sprinted forward to find Lene on the bed, sobbing into a disgruntled Nele’s lap, while an even more disgruntled Doctor Kitten looked on.
“Hello,” I said. Nele looked up.
I waited for her to speak.
She didn’t.
I looked around for Gaheris and found him elbow-deep in one of the portals he’d left in the baseboards on my wall. I looked away hastily, utilizing my favorite policy, which is that if you aren’t looking, nothing bad can happen.
“Thank you for watching him,” I said to Nele. I went over to the bed, my hand out toward Doctor Kitten. He stood up and nuzzled my fingertips with his face.
“Hello, my little potato,” I said. “I missed you.”
He licked my pointer finger.
Unable to resist any longer, I scooped him up and kissed his face. He bore it without complaint. Also without delight, but you win some, you lose some.
