Fairy Thief (37 page)

“
Another realm. It’s the Earthrealm.” She picked her bottom teeth with the nail of her pinky.

“
Oooohhhh! That
does
explain a lot.” He grasped her gently by the elbow and led her to the exit of the shop. Once they were back on the dusty street, he sucked at his teeth and explained, “Only, don’t say that too loudly,” He greeted a richly-dressed man in passing. When the man was out of earshot, he said, “It is illegal you know, to hop between realms, and as open as we are here…” he shrugged and raised his eyebrows, “…it’s not exactly acceptable.” He ran a hand up and down her arm. “So that explains this.” He squeezed gently, as if he were testing produce at the market. “And this.” He smoothed her cheeks with his fingertips. “Your flesh isn’t…warm. And the texture is odd…like soft marble…if that makes sense”

Saffron had often wondered what she felt like to others. She thought she felt like plastic, like camera film. No one else made the comparison Prince John had made — not even Orji. She assumed none of the other realms
had
plastic or celluloid, and didn’t know what it was. She also figured that was probably a
good
thing — seeing as how plastic wasn’t biodegradable and all.

Still, perplexed as the prince was, he enjoyed himself immensely as he tested her flex — and pliability.

Saffron relaxed visibly, happy to have the strain of the secret of her origins finally out in the open. She liked her new friend, and laughed as he bent her hand back and forth. She was never good at colossal lies. She grinned sheepishly, “I won’t tell if you won’t tell!”

A slow, bone-melting smile crossed the prince’s lips. His face was close to hers. “Agreed,” he whispered. Then the amorous haze cleared from his eyes, and his smile disappeared.
And how, exactly, oh, Great Prince, are you going to bed your new enchantress?
Perplexing indeed. He cleared the thoughts from his mind, as glasses from a table, and troubled himself no more with such gibberish. Things always had a way of working themselves out. “Now, ahhh…” he put some space between them, “…
do
you need a dress, Lady, Saffron?”

“
I actually have a gown back at camp that will do just fine.” She giggled.
Airhead!

They rode horses back to camp. They galloped through fields — the horses kicked up the fluffy snow — then slowed their animals to a trot to pick their way through the woods. When they arrived, Tai, Wo and Orji all stood at the same time. There was such an amusing collection of looks on their faces that Saffron couldn’t help but laugh. Wo looked anxious, Tai had an air of disdainful indifference, and Orji leveled her with a sour frown. She dismounted her white mare and made introductions.

Tai and Wo received the prince with the reverence that people placed upon royalty — they quite enjoyed the “Royalty” game that humans played.

Orji greeted the prince with more than a hint of smugness, and with laid-on sweetness he said, “How wonderful to meet you, young prince.”

Saffron frowned. ‘Young Prince?’ Why, Orji was,
maybe,
five years older than the prince. Five at the very most. Orji was
so
condescending, he probably didn’t have any friends at all back at his old realm, Saffron assumed incorrectly. “Prince John has invited me to attend his royal ball this evening...” She paused for dramatic effect, but hurried on when she saw Orji stiffen and open his mouth — ready to admonish, no doubt. “…and I’ve told him I would love to attend….”

“
Saffron,” Orji growled.

“…
.and that my
escort,
Orji, would be attending also.” She folded her hands across her slim midriff and smiled prettily at Orji.

A cocky grin cracked his hardened features. “So, I’ll be your date.” It was a statement, an Orji statement, full of bravado and finality.

“
Ahhhh….” Saffron felt the upper hand sliding away.

Prince John frowned. This
… He
…was Saffron’s escort
?
Prince John didn’t like this one bit. This strange man before him, Saffron’s
friend,
was a great bull of a man with chiseled features and brooding, possessive eyes. Nay, Saffron’s
friend
was no longer welcome to escort her to the ball. But what could he do? He didn’t want to risk Saffron’s refusal to go to the ball herself…. His heart sank.

After several minutes of forced conversation, the prince felt he had spent enough time with Saffron’s friends and bid quick adieus. He gave his stallion a click of the tongue to signal him on and took the reins of Saffron’s horse. His emotions cartwheeled between excitement at his growing feelings for young Saffron and dismay at Orji’s mere existence. There was something not right about that man, Orji. He kicked the stallion’s flanks and drove the beasts harder. What bothered him, really, was the fire in Orji’s eyes when Prince John emerged from the woods with Saffron. What also bothered him was the way the very air seemed to be sucked from the universe when Orji stood by Saffron’s side. Prince John was a perceptive man; he knew what he had witnessed. It came crashing down on his head now. What bothered Prince John was that, most certainly, Orji was in love with Saffron.

But did she love him?

The horses were foaming at their bits. He kicked his steed again and raced home as if demons from hell were well on his trail.

Chapter 20

S
affron sighed deeply, flipped her long scarf back with flair, and flounced down on a large mushroom. She beamed at Tai and Wo (who returned unsteady smiles), then finally rested her eyes on Orji. There was no emotion on his face. She kept smiling at him anyway.

Orji felt his temper rise. What was she playing at? He was so enraged right now, he could feel himself placing his hand around her long neck and giving her a good throttle. But, suddenly the rage diffused, and in his mind his hands lingered on her neck, his fingers felt her soft, pliable skin. He rubbed his fists in his eyes. “What?” he barked out.

“
Isn’t it cool?” Saffron’s question was breathless.

“
What?”
Orji grated.

“
Oh, my God! A prince! A
prince
wants me at his ball! He
likes me!
Couldn’t you tell?” she chirped.

Orji’s brought his hand up to rub his mouth. What kind of response, exactly, was she hoping for by telling him this? “Are you insane?” Or thick, he thought, or psychotic.

“
What?” But, she wasn’t looking at him. She was watching the trees and the tiny fairies that flew through the limbs. They were decorating for the full moon festival that was to be celebrated, come evening.

Orji stomped off.

“
Hey,” Saffron yelled, “will you take me tonight?”

He yelled over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t
dream
of letting you attend that ball alone.”

“
Oh, okay….” She fiddled with her scarf tassels.

Orji was halfway to the bathing falls when he stopped. He charged back to the camp.

Saffron was standing where he left her, still a little space-shot.

“
Saffron.”

She stared at him blankly.

“
What are you doing?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I mean, aren’t we searching for Markis — the great love of your life? So what is it? You get a little bored on your mission, and that makes it okay for you to get funky with the area prince?” His voice had gone low and dangerous.

Saffron winced, then her eyes popped with rage. “Since when do you stick up for Markis? All you usually ever do is put him down! And, you don’t even know him! How the hell is he serving your purpose now — you hypocrite!” She was shrieking.

Tai, Wo, and the gnomes they were telling dirty jokes to covered their ears.

“
You didn’t answer my question! What do you think you’re doing?”

“
I...
am attending a
Royal Ball…
with a
friend
!”

Wo shook his head.

Tai shrieked with laughter and punched Wo in the side. “Saffron, that is soooo weak!” He snorted. “He’s just a friend,” he sang out in a girly voice.

“
Oh, man, Saffron….do you know how tired that is? How old that is? How much of a bunch of
crap
that is?” Orji’s eyebrows knit together tightly and one corner of his mouth pulled up. “You might be only twelveteen and all, but the lines you’re just starting to use are as old as the hills. You sound ridiculous!” He mumbled as he walked away.

Saffron stamped her foot. “I am not a teenager!” Saffron turned to Tai and Wo to protest, but they raised their hands in unison, as if to stop her.

“
I’m 28!” Saffron spat over her shoulder at Orji’s retreating back.

He didn’t turn around. He swatted his hand at her words as if they were flies around his ears.

Saffron turned back to the twins and opened her mouth to speak.

“
No, Saffron! We don’t want to hear it.” Tai crossed his eyes at her.

Wo smiled at Saffron. “But, do you know what we
are
into — what’s in our very blood?”

Saffron pouted, “What?”

Wo flung his arms out. “Dressing things beautifully!” He clapped his hands together and pointed to the fairies in the trees. “Our distant cousins up there are getting ready for the Full Moon Festival but we get to do you up for
A Royal Ball!
It doesn’t get better than that. We’re going to get you first prize!”

Saffron giggled. Wo’s exuberance was infectious. “What? What can you do that will get me first prize?”

Wo waved her over. “Anything — beauty is the fairies’ domain!” He elbowed Tai until his twin broke down and laughed.

“
Well, I’ll tell you,” Saffron skipped over to them and whispered conspiratorially, “he wanted to
buy
me a dress….but…I knew — it would never compare to what
you
two could create!”

Tai patted her head. “Ah, Saffron, flattery will get you everywhere!”

Wo and Tai patted each other on the back. Should they use silver? Should they use gold, emerald, ruby, sapphire, or amethyst? Copper or Titanium? Should the magic be on the dress or in the air around her? Should they alter her features? No? Not even the tiniest bit? What to do with that hair? And those feet – a size smaller there might enhance the overall appearance. Should they plump up her skeletal hips? My goodness, they hadn’t even gotten into town in this realm yet! Was anorexic or pudgy the style? Or was it something in between? They’d have to check on that — body types were always all the rage, and you had to know which one was in style at any given moment, as the ideal was always changing. Maybe the women were all pumped up around here? Who was to say? They asked Saffron, and she confirmed big muscles weren’t the current style here. How about hairlines — were the woman ripping at the hair at the crown of their heads to make their hairlines appear higher? Were the woman sporting eyebrows or tugging them off? Were the women stretching their earlobes, their necks, or fingers to enhance their beauty? Were noses, ears, or anywhere else pierced? What was happening with hair color around here? Was bathing in style or maybe just a little perfume over some pungent B.O.?

Saffron tried to answer the questions as quickly as they were thrown out to her. It was hard, though — she tried her best to remember everything she saw on her walk through town. Shortly, she became annoyed; she couldn’t keep up.

“
WAIT! STOP! Some of these questions are
ridiculous!”

Tai and Wo ceased their chatter all at once. “Excuse us,” Wo tried as politely as possible, “but we are not from this realm, Saffron, and we don’t know the styles here. Were we preparing you for a Royal Ball in the Earthrealm, we wouldn’t need to be asking most of these questions – we’d know from experience. As it is, we are not from this realm, and must rely on all that you have taken note of today. Our questions are far from ridiculous, far from ridiculous — beauty, in any realm, land, or universe is not the same. Beauty is not universal.”

Saffron stood very still. “Hey, you can’t seriously tell me B.O. might be in style!”

Wo snapped his fingers a couple of times to get her to focus on him. “Of course, we can. If this realm has decided, for whatever reason, that raunchy is the rage, well, then, you going to that ball clean-smelling is going to turn up a lot of noses….”