Not My Fairytale

Chapter 21

** I've been sick for a week so please forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes. I'll go back over it eventually**

A Question For A Clue

The sound of approaching footsteps was not a surprise.

I turned the page of the book I had been staring at, letting out a quiet sigh, feeling my body tense as if preparing for a fight.

My plan had been to ignore him as much as possible when he inevitably appeared, but in the moment, I found it impossible not to sneak a peek at him as he neared. The week that had passed since the last time I had allowed myself out of the castle had been kind to him. He had clearly been taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, if the golden glow to his skin or the subtle lightening of his hair were anything to go by. When he caught me looking, he shot me a cocky smirk, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening, princess?"

I raised an eyebrow, but before I could open my mouth to respond, he continued on, "Not that I'm complaining, of course, but I was just under the impression that I was being avoided."

I scoffed. "'Avoidance' implies that you're significant enough to warrant wasting conscious effort on evasion." I actually was avoiding him, but he didn't need to know that. Unfortunately, from the way his smirk grew, I knew he didn't buy it.

He chuckled, plopping himself down against his usual root, "My mistake."

I shook my head, returning to the spread of books I had arranged in a half-circle around where I sat with my back to the trunk. Frato, a relatively large human city only three hours to the north had been attacked by the Blood Fangs two days prior. The attack had resulted in the highest casualty count to date, but there was a silver lining: we were finally able to recover one of their weapons. It wasn't much, as far as clues go, but it was something.

For weeks, we had been hoping for just such a clue to turn up. While many of the Blood Fang victims sustained puncture wounds matching the jaw alignment of the average shifter wolf, many more were killed by simple human blades. If we could only figure out which weapons manufacturer they were supplied by, we might be able to trace the purchase back to someone important. Someone important other than Angelo, that is.

Someone I could actually tell the council about. I hope.

I should have known that it wouldn't be that easy, even with the weapon finally in our grasp. It didn't match the craftsmanship of any licensed blacksmith in the entire kingdom. We had painstakingly checked it's quality against each one individually, a complete waste of several days. Now, I wasn't entirely sure if I should be looking for a way they could have sneaked hundreds of weapons through the tightened security at our borders, if I should be reevaluating the canals and waterways that I had already spent days studying fruitlessly, or a third option that I hadn't quite thought of yet, but felt as though I were just on the brink of. So, I was attempting to do all of it at once, with books of all kinds spread open around me and a photocopy of an image of the knife folded in half beside my foot.

"Princess."

I tore my eyes from the map I was studying, "Yes?"

"That was the third time I tried to get your attention," he stated, bemused.

Oops. I shrugged my shoulders, "Then the ignoring must have been working."

He chuckled, rising only to take a few steps closer before settling himself back down beside me, "What is it that's put that frown on those pretty lips of yours, anyway?" He peered down at the mess of books around us, "More research, is it?"