Chapter 16
Curses
About an hour later, Deidre and a smooth-legged and pedicured me were lying on the moss next to each other.
The whole beauty treatment hurt a little, but it was worth it. Not just because I looked better now, but also because I felt better. That breath of normality–for the first time since the zombie apocalypse–had been badly needed. And my bite wound and ankle hurt far less.
“Hey, this braid is really cool,” Deidre noted, examining my creation.
I’d wanted to do something for her, but Dutch-braiding her hair had proven pleasant for me, too, since it reminded me of the various hairstyles I used to do for myself. It had also proven informative, because Deidre had been quite talkative during the process.
For creatures so disgusted by body hair, elves were surprisingly fanatic about the hair on their heads.
It wasn’t only used in braid linkage ceremonies: it was an important part of Elvish culture, I’d learned from Deidre.
I found that fascinating, because hair played a significant role in my everyday life, too.
Elves didn’t cut their hair until they turned sixteen, which was when you came of age in their society.
Even after, only minimal cutting was done, since elf hair grew much more slowly than a human’s, and an adult with hair shorter than shoulder-length was considered a disgrace.
Given that long hair tended to get in the way, elves usually braided theirs when out and about; mostly aristocrats wore it loose in the streets.
One braid down your back meant you were single; one braid over your left shoulder signified you had a moss partner; and a single braid over your right shoulder was for braid-linked individuals.
When at home, it was time to let those tresses loose. How you handled your long hair and your partner’s on the moss was an indication of your sexual prowess. Because imagine getting tangled in your 3.2-foot-long hair during sexy time? Pfff. What an amateur.
Oh, and letting a non-relative touch your hair was the ultimate sign of trust. Or showed you were romantically interested in them. For the latter reason, caressing a non-relative’s hair in public was the local equivalent of lewd conduct.
“Ah, I can’t wait.”
“For what?”
Deidre pushed up into a sitting position, grinning mischievously. “To see Karim’s face when he notices your changed looks.”
“Well…” My stomach twisted with nerves. It was one thing to be making naughty plans with Deidre and an entirely different thing to put them in motion.
Flirting and being daring with a guy had never been my thing.
Perhaps I should simply enjoy seeing Karim again and abandon all dangerous ideas from the last hour.
“I also can’t wait for when he realizes I’ve eaten his apples.” She joined me in a fit of giggles. “Three apples gone–he’s going to flip! I can almost imagine his wide-eyed look when he sees–”
A delicate gasp echoed in the room.
Our laughter died out when we saw where the unexpected sound had come from.
Standing at the entrance, face frozen in shock and eyes as big as dinnerplate dahlias, was Katsia.
“Holy Gods of the Underground! What are you doing here?”
That snapped the she-elf out of her stupor. Her black eyes narrowed on us, and her lips pulled back in disgust.
It was then that I realized how Deidre and I must look to her: a human and an elf sharing a moss. The Prince’s moss.
Katsia spat out several words in Elvish, the melodic language sounding like a snarl when coming out of her red-painted lips.
What was she saying? Should I speak or do something, instead of lying motionless on the moss? Which, under Katsia’s deadly glare, felt more and more like a sacrificial altar… I looked at Deidre for guidance.
She was giving Katsia an equally murderous glare.
When my friend spoke, however, her voice was the vision of calmness.
“Like I’d believe that. The Queen would never send you to pass a message to the Prince, least of all in the middle of the day.
There is no excuse for your second violation of his privacy. ”
Katsia’s lips thinned and her fingers, ending in extra-pointed nails, flexed as though ready to tear into us like claws. “Queen hears this.”
“Better work some more on your English,” Deidre said nonchalantly. “Not that it would help you impress Karim. Report us to the Queen, and see if he’ll so much as spare a glance your way.” Deidre topped that off with a shooing motion with her hand.
Katsia tilted her chin up as high as if she’d smelled rotting vegetation. “You be sorry, filth.”
“Right back at you, tramp.”
“Kapso inem,” Katsia hissed before she whirled around in her long red dress to make a dramatic exit.
I let out the breath I’d been holding. That had been one tense conversation that could have escalated into a physical altercation. It was a relief that everything had ended somewhat well–
“Curses!” Deidre was off the bed in a flash, startling me. She began pacing with her hands in her hair, her calm demeanor replaced by panic.
I sat up on the edge of the bed. “What happens now? Do you think she’ll report–”
“She wasn’t supposed to be here! How come the guards let her walk right in?” My friend kept pacing, chewing on her bottom lip. “Double curses!”
“Won’t she keep quiet for Karim’s sake?”
Deidre groaned in frustration, making a mess of her braid.
At least she stopped pacing and looked at me.
“No way will she let this slide, Jasmine. The Prince and a she-elf both cavorting with a human? That will sound like an epidemic! The honorable reason behind Karim’s proposal to allow humans in the Kingdom will immediately be seen in a different light by the Queen.
All he has worked for will be smeared. The two of us will get executed to serve as an example–Holy Gods, Katsia’s probably requesting an audience with the Queen as we speak. ” And the pacing was on again.
“Deidre, there has to be something we can do.” I refused to give in to panic just yet. “Can’t we warn Karim? Maybe he can get to Katsia before she spills the beans and convince her to keep her mouth shut? Or he could speak to his half-sister before Katsia does?”
Deidre shook her head furiously. “I have no idea where he is. He shouldn’t be away from home at this crazy hour!”
“Are there many places he could be in the middle of the day?” There I was, the voice of reason. Who would believe it: me keeping it cool when the experienced warrior in the room was already losing it.
She stopped in her tracks. “The library!” Hope flashed in her eyes, only to be immediately replaced by fear.
“Jasmine, what will I tell him?! That I screwed all of us over? After everything I was ready to do yesterday to prevent this very scenario?” If her face could become paler, I was sure it would at that moment.
“His moss! I was on it without his permission! And the apples–”
“Deidre, I’m sure he’ll understand. It was but an innocent game of ours, and–”
“He’s going to flip. Not in a cute way.”
“We can’t just sit here and do nothing while that viper is spreading nasty rumors about us. We must warn Karim.”
“Warn me of what?”
Deidre and I turned at the same time to the door, where the Prince stood in his long ivory dress, a questioning look on his face.
I was suddenly tongue-tied. Thankfully, Deidre burst into action, heading straight for him.
Wait, why did she walk past him?
“Jasmine will explain my screw-up,” she said in a rush over her shoulder. And just like that, Deidre was gone, leaving me speechless–and facing a frowning Karim.