“Yes, well, just let it keep you up at night then.” I roll my eyes, huffing. “Where are we going? Is there another way to get there?”
“Is this about your fear of heights? I won’t drop you.”
“Just answer the question, Abaddon.”
“A more isolated location to train,” he grumbles, pushing the door open with a magic wind.
It reveals a path, the cobblestone less worn from use than the main ones we travel, cutting between the cavern walls and some thorny brambles. Because of its sloping incline, I can see it leads up towards the castle, into a thick grove of Abyss-fruit trees.
At least there are no steps for me to fall on.
As we walk in mutual silence, I can’t stop pondering the topic of transportation. Everything here is built for flight and cart-hauling. I am a fish trying to climb a tree.
“You could just get me a horse,” I blurt out.
“We’ve never kept a pet in the Abyss.” The king looks at me, genuinely confused, as we reach the castle. Besides the shady grove hiding it, the side door is nearly identical to the one I’m used to.
“It’d be for riding, not to pet.” How many times today is he going to make me want to roll my eyes? Either my patience is shot from all my injuries, or he’s being especially obtuse. “You know, since you’re so concerned about my efficiency in traveling?”
“What of the camels? Are they not satisfactory?”
“I don’t know if you noticed, Your Highness, but they were rentals. They’re not here anymore.” I pause, letting him open the side door of the castle for me—becausenowhe wants to be a gentleman, apparently. “Besides, camels are Dusk’s thing, not mine. I prefer horseback riding… Or dirt bikes, but that’d probably disrupt the peace too much here.”
We walk a few paces before he opens the next door he comes across,motioning me inside, where a spiraling stone staircase awaits us. It looks identical to the one in his bedroom, and I can only assume it leads up another turret.
“A horse would not be very beneficial in reaching areas like this,” he remarks, beginning to take up the steps.
However, I only stare at it, unmoving. “Or we could just find other places to train that are more accessible. Maybe starting, uh… now?”
“Not today?—”
“Ireallydon’t want to go up those.”
Abaddon finally stops moving, looking over his shoulder at me. “Would you like me to carry you?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then how do you plan to get up the stairs?” His eyebrows furrow. “Do you think they’re unsafe?”
“No, it’s not the stairs. It’s me. My… injuries.” Or, more accurately, my current proneness to further injuries. I’ve had enough embarrassment for today. I’d like to not make a fool of myself again.
“Ah, that’s right.” He nods, seeming to put two-and-two together. “Your ‘fight with the stairs’.”
As he comes back down to me, I take a breath of relief, thinking we’ll be going somewhere at ground level.
“Well, it was more the punching bag that got me good—Abaddon!”My hand is suddenly in his, and he’s pulling me towards the stairs. “I said I don’t want to be carried!”
I dig my heels in, stopping us just as we reach the bottom step, and his eyes flash in annoyance. “I am not carryingyou. I’m merely helping keep you steady so you do not fall again. Injuries are counterproductive to your training.”
Well, I can’t argue with his logic. Caveman as it may be.
“Fine,” I grumble, reluctantly letting him guide me up the stairs. The feeling of skin against mine, however, is far too distracting. My heart pounds as my eyes stay glued between us—a foolish mistake—and I slip on the edge of a step.
Abaddon yanks me up by the arm right before myhead hits the stone.
“I told you,” he huffs, looking down at me in irritation. “You should have let me carry you. You do not know what’s best for you.”
“Oh, spare me the lecture,” I snap. “If you hadn’t let your angel friends give me experimental procedures, this wouldn’t even be a problem.”
