Page 48 of Their Fierce Little Monster

“Don’t you ever want to see the rest of the city?”

She shrugs, swinging the trolley up into another hallway. “I’ve seen it enough. Besides, I catch up with my family during festivals.” She pauses for a moment, her lips pinching as he stares over at me. “You know, there is one place I’d love to visit.”

“Where’s that?”

“Glimhall. It’s in the downtown quarter, and hmm… How to explain it.” She goes quiet for a moment as we move down a dim hallway with black feathers painted on the walls. “Well, it’s where everyone goes to meet others or take that special someone. There’s music, drinks, and toys to play with.”

I blink at her. “What kind of toys?”

“Oh, you know, where you get to try them out on your partner. I mean, you need to try someone out before you agree to date them to ensure you’re a perfect match for carnal pleasure, right?”

“Wait, is that a joke? You do that?”

“Well, I’ve never been there myself, but I have heard many incredible stories. And someday, I’ll work up the courage to take this boy I really like there with me. I mean, look at you with three warriors. And it sounds like you didn’t even have to attend Glimhall to find them. But I recommend it to get to know them better.”

A chuckle bursts past my lips. “They’re not mine in the slightest. I’m more like their captive.”

She shrugs and pushes her trolley forward again. “Some people consider that a marriage.”

I laugh louder because of the insanity of her suggestion.

Then we round the corner, and a strong smell of something roasting reaches me. Insy shoves the trolley through wide doors that push open. “These are the kitchens,” she announces over her shoulder toward me.

But as I follow her, I stop dead in my tracks because this resembles no kitchen I’ve ever seen. It’s more of a slaughterhouse. Knives hang from the walls, and a dim light swings overhead, throwing shadows over a stone floor that’s glistening with water and blood. Cages sit up against the walls with furry creatures inside that I’ve never seen before, feral beings that growl. In one corner, huge buckets hold things that thrash within them, while glass aquariums line the shelves with pale, eyeless fish gliding through the water.

The hairs on my nape rise as I glance around. A cleaver sits in a wooden block, and that’s when I notice the saws with long teeth. I’m going to be sick.

Insy’s already leaving the room, waving for me to follow, and I practically run after her. This room is cleaner and more like a kitchen, with counters and a cooktop, along with an aproned monster in a black hat. I stare a bit too long, trying to understand why he looks so pale, his skin almost blue. He’s busily chopping up a long tentacle with a cleaver, and I flinch each time he slams it down.

That’s when he glances up in our direction, and I rear backward because he may be young, but I swear he’s dead. With bloodshot eyes and dark veins over his skin, he resembles every inch of a corpse. Except, he’s moving around.

He grins at us.

“We need human food, boss,” Insy states.

“Told you she wouldn’t eat your noodles.” He gurgles the words, then swings down, and a piece of tentacle goes flying across the counter.

“Well, we had to try,” Insy states. “Think you can whip up some human food?”

He chuckles. “Leave it to me.”

“It’s all right,” I start. “I’m really not that hungry.”

“Hush,” Insy says, leaving her trolley aside, and grabs me by the elbow. “We will find something for you to eat. After all, the city feeds the Elite families, so their food is bountiful.”

“Take her to the terrace,” the chef commands.

We move across the room and through another door that brings us outside, where the sun shines and there are no dead body parts. I’ve never been more relieved in my life.

A wide garden spreads out before us, filled with plants and flowers of every color. Tables are scattered across the covered terrace, with golden cages hanging from the ceiling. Inside each sits a bird, chirping a song, and somehow all their tweets together blend into a beautiful song.

“Sit anywhere,” Insy instructs. “I’ll be back with your food soon.” And she’s off again, the clicking of her toenails on the floorboards fading once she heads indoors.

I choose a table in the sunlight and soak up the warmth. It reminds me of being back in the village, where I’d forage in the woods, and now I’m left wondering what my parents are doing. Are they still upset that I’ve been taken? It reminds me of Kazak too, and my chest aches to think he’s in some prison. How had things gotten so complicated?

For a long while, I enjoy the sun and try to pretend that I’m not in the city with three monsters.

Soon enough, Insy returns with a plate and sets it in front of me. It looks and smells incredible. A green salad with diced fruit, and a side of seasoned, charred strips of meat that resemble chicken wings.