The Lost Fae (The Twisted Crown #3) - A.K. Koonce Page 0,58
pink shirt still on Lincoln's chest. He sighs. When I look back down his ejaculate marred pants have been replaced by dry black bottoms. I'd even changed his pink shirt, replacing it with a loose maroon top with the sleeves cuffed.
"You're getting better." He picks my hands off his chest and holds them in the warmth of his grip. One thumb strokes up and down my hand. "Now we just need to figure out where exactly we’ve ended up."
We look around trying to find anything of familiarity. A forest rises up around us, we lay in the only small clearing around. The green growth doesn't appear to be disturbed by any weathered trails, it clings to the trunks of trees with coiling vines bearing leaves as large as my face. There is a call of animals as they cry out in their foreign tongues. This forest is alive, astir with life in every corner.
"Any clue?" I ask, hopefully.
"Not one." Lincoln stands, brushing the dirt off his backside and offers me a hand. Happily, I take it.
When he turns his back, I follow without a word. Neither of us know where we should head, but we both know we can't just sit here and expect to be found. I'm not sure that would be a good thing in a time like this.
I find comfort in the crunch of dry brush underfoot, glad to not be sinking to the bottom of the ocean. A light, humid heat keeps the air damp. It's far better than the frigid winter that we'd just left. I'm not sure I ever want to go somewhere that cold ever again. I'll stick with vacations in places where I'm not totally numb from the brittle air.
We walk, what I would guess is a mile, before we both freeze as we hear the familiar sound of stone on stone. A crunch and groan that I quickly recognize.
"Trolls." Lincoln turns to me.
What if we'd just gone to some other location in The Lost Court? What if we aren't at home at all?
When we look through the trees, we can see where the forest comes to an abrupt end. On silent feet we stalk closer, hiding behind the trunks of trees at every chance. Lincoln's stare darts between the opening and my position not far behind him. Voices chatter not far ahead of us while we cling to the vine covered trees a few yards away, listening.
Stay here. I'm going to get closer and see if I can figure out where we are.
He doesn't wait for me to give him a curt nod before he darts forward in a flash of movement. He shifts until he's as close as he dares, leaning around to catch the slightest glimpse of the world we've landed in. I rest my forehead against the tree, sending up a silent prayer to whoever may be listening, Fae God or otherwise.
A sudden pressure on my shoulder makes me gasp as a hand grips me. I spin around and Lincoln gives me a wicked grin. He presses a quick kiss to my cheek. My hand flutters to my chest.
"You startled me."
"Come on, I know exactly where we are."
His words relieve some of the tightness in my thrashing heart. There is no way he could be this cheerful if we were still in The Lost Court.
"Where are we?" I try to keep my voice soft, careful not to draw any attention to us.
"We're in the Troll Realm. There’s a portal to get back home only a few more miles in that direction." Lincoln points through the trees as if that's plenty of guidance for me. As long as he leads, there won't be any issues.
We dart between trees, staying on the rim of the forest as Lincoln occasionally looks out to make sure we are staying on course. The farther we travel, the quieter the voices grow. When we've traveled over a mile and I'm certain we're alone, I finally speak.
"You know Kai said that the Trolls make the best food. Is that true?" As if on cue, my stomach grumbles audibly.
Ziko gives me a pitiful glance. "Do you really think we have time for that right now?"
"I'm just asking..."
"I'd love to take you out for a lovely troll dinner, but I think that will have to wait. We're close now, I think. And," he adds, "we can't just jump out and ask for a meal. The general populous doesn't know about the different realms or the various creatures