‘Best food in town,’ he said, cutting the engine and coming around to open my door.
The bell chimed as we stepped inside, and a red-haired man immediately appeared, clasping River’s hand and bumping their shoulders. The casual familiarity caught me off guard; the king didn’t strike me as the type for easy greetings.
‘Long time no see, mate. Where’ve you been?’ the stranger asked with a grin.
‘Busy,’ River replied, not so subtly glancing at me, as if to say I was the reason.
‘Oh, I’m such a caveman, sorry. I’m Rob. You must be his new tutor?’
‘Yeah. I’m Ava.’ I shook his hand, watching the two of them closely. ‘Are you friends?’
‘Hell yeah, we are,’ Rob said, bumping River’s shoulder again. ‘We played fireball together in school. You ever played?’
Riverlooked smug as his friend mimed throwing an invisible ball. ‘That would require a semblance of physical coordination,’ he said.
‘I fly. I’m very well coordinated, you absolute drama queen,’ I shot back before I could stop myself. The confidence in my voice surprised even me.
Rob laughed so hard his shoulders shook. ‘Oh, I love that nickname for you. It’s going to stick. Ava, knock our drama queen down a peg before his regal feathers puff up so big we all suffocate.’
River smoothed his jacket, replying with faux dignity, ‘Should I start calling you by yours, Pissfingers?’
Rob flipped him off, still laughing as he headed back behind the bar. ‘So long, Ava, sweetheart. You’d better invest in patience with this specimen as your trainee. He’s special.’
And I could swear he muttered “special needs” under his breath as he went away.
‘Pissfingers?’ I asked, raising a brow.
The king cringed, a spark of mischief lighting his eyes. ‘Trust me,’ he said. ‘You really don’t want to know.’
Chapter Fourteen
Avari
Following the king to what he announced as his usual seating spot, I trailed behind until we reached a little nook separated from the rest by thick foliage hanging from the ceiling. It was private and snug, just the way I liked it. The air smelled fresh and earthy, carrying the faint sweetness of dew-kissed leaves after rain.
‘I never expected Fogoya to be this verdant,’ I admitted as my fingers brushed the rose-coloured beads of a trailing vine. Its lush strands hung low enough to tickle my nose, almost making me sneeze.
Taking the chair opposite me, the king let me have the booth since I was already running my hands through the plants and blocking the entrance.
Tone laced with mockery, he ridiculed, ‘Yeah, my people got sick of the eternal fire pit last week and begged us to change it up.’
‘Very funny.’ Clearing my throat and feeling perplexed by how little I actually understood about my new home,I turned my attention to the menu. The options seemed endless, though most included some form of meat, which worried me. ‘Would now be a good time to mention I’m a vegetarian?’
Clutching a hand to his mouth, he whispered, ‘You don’t say! And here I thought you were just picky.’
The fact that he'd realised I had dietary requirements shocked me. Hadn't he said his spies couldn't uncover anything about me? I watched him, studying him anew, hoping to find traces of... I didn't even know what. Perhaps I just wanted to understand him.
He met my wary gaze with one of quiet composure before quipping, ‘You haven't touched any meat since you moved here, so it was a safe bet.’
“Moved here.” What an interesting choice of words for the circumstances surrounding my arrival in Fogoya.
‘You’ve been watching what I eat,’ I accused, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused. Being attentive was one thing, but this bordered on obsession.
Seeing nothing wrong with his behaviour, the king stopped analysing the menu and reflected, ‘I like to see my investments reap profit.’
Interesting. ‘And what exactly does that mean?’
‘It means,’ he snapped the catalogue shut and leaned closer, eyes glinting deviously, ‘eat, so you can heal and keep training me. Can’t have my investment wasting away, now can we?’
