With Riv and Isla determined to see this through, I felt better than I had in days. I had allies I could count on, so even if Dair wasn’t being as honest as I hoped, I knew I wasn't alone. People were in my corner, and I had a purpose. A smile spread across my face that felt like armor.
"Well then," I said, putting my hair behind my ears. "Let's go get ready."
Riv followed me out of the room. "This is just the beginning."
I glanced back at her and Isla. "Yeah. It's the beginning of the end."
Chapter nineteen
Ituckedmyshirtinto my pants as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My light hair was parted to the side and was a bit shorter now, sitting right at my shoulders. It had been in need of a trim, and I wasn't surprised when Father sent in a group of barbers to get everyone cleaned up. I smiled as I recalled the expression on their faces when they saw the wild heads of hair the Faolan clan sported. They’d had their work cut out for them.
The earlier discussion with my father about breaking the curse weighed heavily on my mind. After the discussion in the study, it seemed we were all of one mind. None of us wanted this to happen again, and the only way we could ensure that was to break the curse. Dair had seemed off when he left the room, though. In all the years I'd known him, I'd never seen him appear anything aside from steady. I remembered a particular time when we were children, and even then, he was never anything other than calm and collected.
"Come on, Dair!" I shouted from the towering tree.
My friend looked up and frowned. "How did you get up there so fast?"
I laughed and pulled myself up higher. "I'm just faster than you are."
"Give me a boost, Dair," Alden said. The little pest had followed us when we ran from the castle after the servants threatened us with baths. Evander hadn’t been fast enough, and they’d marched him off to be tortured at the hands of Hildegard. Wily old woman was obsessed with cleanliness and, as our family’s head maid, she didn’t tolerate filthy pre-teen boys running amuck in her spotless castle.
I looked down and watched as Dair locked his hands together and offered them to Alden. His brother whooped loudly and put his foot into Dair's hands, and a second later, he was propelled up high enough to reach the lowest branch.
"Just be careful," Dair warned as he backed up and ran at the tree. He was the tallest of us all, so it wasn't a great feat to latch onto a branch and hoist himself up.
"I'd prefer just to stay out here forever," I announced, leaning back against the trunk.
Alden laughed. "Right. The Crown Prince of The Volos Kingdom vanished into the woods and set up his own kingdom."
I rolled my eyes. "A man can dream."
"You're fourteen, Tor," Dair said like I'd somehow not known my own age.
I plucked an acorn from a branch and chucked it at my best friend. "Your point?"
The acorn nailed him in the forehead, and he glared at me. "Just that fourteen is hardly a man."
"Well, I'm twelve, and I already have pubric hair," Alden announced, puffing out his chest.
"I'm sorry, you have what?" Dair asked, glancing up at me and trying to hide his smile.
Alden's jaw dropped. "You don't know what pubric hair is? I guess I'm more of a man than either of you!"
I couldn't contain the laughter which set off Dair.
"WHAT?" Alden demanded, getting annoyed.
I wiped my eyes, which were now wet. "We know what pu-bic hair is, you idiot."
His brows pinched together, exactly like his older brother did when he was puzzled. "Is that something different than pubric?"
I howled and held my stomach. "Can't… breathe."
"Alden. It's not pubric. It's pubic. You're saying it wrong," Dair explained.
"I hate you both! I'm going home!" Alden began his descent from the tree and didn't stop despite us asking him to stay.
"We're sorry, brother! I've just never heard it pronounced like that before!" Dair shouted as he began climbing down after him.
