Keys and Curses (Shadow Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

heads.
    Strike Pin raised a hand and waved at the leader of the next team waiting for a wagon to fill. “Nickel Barrel! This here’s Nikifor, he’s to work with you for a while.” He moved away, dropped his voice and gave rapid-fire directions Nikifor couldn’t hear.
    When they’d finished Nickel Barrel looked Nikifor up and down and jerked his head at the wagon traces, where eight fairies were lined up, waiting. “Fall in,” he said. “Give me any trouble and I’ll dip you in silver and use you for a statue.”
    The fairies snickered.
    Nikifor, wondering what kind of trouble they thought he’d give, took his place on the traces. Strike Pin hurried away.
    Silver gushed from the pipes and into the wagon. The acrid stench of it almost knocked him flat, but the fairies didn’t appear to notice at all. When Nickel Barrel raised an arm the team lifted the traces and step by step, inch by inch, dragged the impossibly heavy load away from the chutes and towards the fire-lit tunnel ahead of them.
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
    Flower started awake at the sound of footsteps near her bed. She curled her fists around the corners of the ragged pillow, held her breath. She’d been waiting for the thump of Moon Trooper fists on her door. She would not flee. She had a job to do. At least, she’d had a job to do right up until she found Nikifor half-dead in a dingy basement under a hat shop. If she’d been waiting for the right moment to run, that had seemed like it.
    She slid a hand under the pillow in search of the knife she always kept handy, but it wasn’t there. Her empty fist curled. She’d wait until they got close. One right hook in the eye would give her a chance. Even better if she could break a nose.
    A new sound joined the footsteps. Humming. Some tune she didn’t recognise. She opened her eyes and wasn’t sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief or scream at the sight of a Freakin Fairy wandering about the room.
    She sat up.
    “Hello.” The woman looked her up and down, eyes bright with curiosity. She trimmed the oil lamp and brought the flame up high. The light bounced off silver dots painted in circles over her cheeks.
    “Who are you?” Flower rubbed her head. She felt like she’d been sleeping for a week. She slowly breathed out her tension when she remembered they had indeed found the Freakin Fairies before she went to sleep.
    “I’m Hairspring.” The woman picked up a bundle of clothes off the table. “They said your name was Flower. Why’d you get called that?”
    “I don’t know. How long have I been sleeping?”
    “Oh, just two days.”
    “Two days!” Flower nearly fell off the bed.
    “You must have needed it.” Hairspring dumped the clothes in her arms. “Here, put these on. It’s almost time for dinner.”
    Flower shook out the black leather tunic and pants and studied them in bemusement. They were covered with swirling silver patterns, just like the ones Hairspring herself wore. “You want me to dress like a Freakin Fairy?”
    “Well of course. You don’t want to upset people. Besides, you look like you fell off a barn roof in those old things. And we made you new ones especially, since you’re so unnaturally tall.”
    Flower glanced down at herself. Her long skirt was so ragged it barely covered her legs, and her shirt was full of tears from the bramble patch Nikifor had blundered them into a week ago. “Well,” she said, at a loss, “thanks.”
    “Here.” Hairspring handed her a comb. “Get dressed. I’ll be back for you soon.” She left the room.
    Flower eyed the clothes and sighed. She stripped, only to find her skirt falling apart in her hands. Fairy clothes would have to do. The pants were only a little bit short and the tunic fit well. She attacked her hair with the comb and tugged out the knots and leaves stuck in it before any well-meaning fairies could come in and offer to finish the job with a few dreadlocks. When she was happy with it she bound it