“Like a ball?” Charming wonders.
“Not everything is about balls and feet,” I remind him.
“Feet?” Mr. Yak asks.
Nash slaps Charming’s back. “This guy searches for his one true love by accosting the feet of maidens throughout the land until the mysterious magical slipper he carries around with him fits the foot. Then he marries her.”
“You’re oversimplifying it,” Charming says.
“Don’t forget the part where the birds peck out the eyes of the chosen maiden’s sisters,” I grumble.
“And you mock my naked genitalia?” Mr. Yak grumbles.
“It was a shock. I apologize. If you want to let the meat swing free and proud, don’t let me stop you,” I say.
“I still don’t trust him,” Charming mutters.
Gwyneth links his arm. “Let’s gather our cloaks. It’s time to face the next part of our adventure.”
Hart stands and backs Mr. Yak into the wall, and the foxes stare at them in shock. “If you are lying to us or leading us into danger, I won’t hesitate to slice your weird shaped dick off.”
His dick is weird shaped? Why didn’t I notice that before? I tilt my head, trying to take another look now that he’s dropped the towel. Hart shifts, shielding him. No fair.
“I hate to break it to you, but you are in a realm under the Snow Queen’s rule. The very nature of this land is danger. I don’t need to lead you to it—it will find you.”
As if on cue, a loud drum beat thunders through the cottage. The windows rattle and Gwyneth and Charming rush back into the room, their arms full of fur cloaks.
“What is that?” Gwyneth whispers.
The pair of foxes stare at each other for a beat. “You need to leave now,” Mr. Fox declares. “If you stay here, she will find you.”
“This is why men should rule. Queens inspire terror,” Charming says.
We shrug on the cloaks before rushing through the thick falling snow into the forest and away from the ominous hoofbeats.
A feeling of doom washes over me. A wisp of a nightmare. A caress of fate. I clench my jaw and move faster. No. Destiny will not dictate my future.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
It’s abnormal to be perfectly happy with your sausage hanging out in the biting cold. I know I wouldn’t enjoy my nipples being frozen. I’m definitely more of a heat licking across my skin type of maiden.
“How far?” Nash demands of Mr. Yak.
The strange man peers over his shoulder at us. “We have an hour to trek, perhaps two. It depends on where the portal settles.”
“Another moving doorway?” Malachi grumbles. “Anyone would think these brothers don’t want to be found.”
“Then you would be exactly right,” Mr. Yak informs us. “It’s been a while since we saw them in these parts. They prefer to remain away from the action, but with how things have been shifting and narratives going awry, it’s about time they paid attention to us once more.”
“Awry how?” Theo asks.
“We have been waiting for the prophecy to begin for years here in Frostmere. Living under the Snow Queen’s rule wasn’t supposed to span this length of time. It’s not right. The magic is being forced. The sacrifice must be made, or we will lose this realm to the queen forever.”
“Don’t you get a do over?” Charming asks. “Where we are from, there are multiple people vying for those top spots to fulfil the narrative, and it repeats with each generation.”
Mr. Yak snorts. “You get the chance to perfect your lives? How fortunate. No, here it’s do or die.”
