Free Hair of Gold: Just Right (Urban Fairytales Book 6) by Erik Schubach Page B

exchanged smug smiles, and I narrowed an eye at them and shook my spoon at them. He said behind his hand to her, faking stealth, “Just do not let her know that most consider it is a woman's job, or we will never eat again.”
    I don't think he was prepared for the backhand to his gut from the feisty brunette nor the pebble I threw at his head as they struck simultaneously. He said in a more pronounced Russian accent than normal, “Gods above, there are two of them.”
    I went back to readying the meal as I growled out absently, “For that you are cleaning the dishes the rest of this expedition dear brother.”
    He deflated as my other two brothers came walking back into camp, chuckling. I pointed my spoon at them, and they shut their traps with amused looks on their faces.
    Hansel, who had rarely said anything since we met the siblings said as he shook his head in disbelief, “I thought Pavel was big. You're just as huge as your bears.”
    Andrei took a pinch of eggs with his fingers from the pan I had over the fire as he passed by. I slapped his shoulder with my spoon and growled. Gretel cocked her head at me and asked nobody in particular, “Is she... a bear too?”
    All three brothers chimed out, “Da.”
    I growled again and chided them, “I am not. You three behave and stop spreading fallacies.”
    Little Bear again spoke behind his hand to her, “Well she is as fierce as a mother bear. I think that maybe, we are rubbing off on her.”
    Gretel shot me a coy look then responded to him with a shrug, “Well, her roar matched yours last night.”
    I blushed and pulled the pan off the coals. Now she was teasing just like my evil brothers. I said to her, “If you're quite done, breakfast is ready.” I warned off my brothers who were rushing over, and I gave my wickedest grin as I motioned to Gretel, stating, “Ladies first.” Stressing the word ladies.
    Gretel raised her chin imperiously and pushed past my hulking siblings. She scrunched her head to her shoulders and gave me a cute squinty grin and stepped up with the tin plates, handing all but one back to the brute squad.
    We discussed what our next course of action would be and got to know the two a little better. The always smiling brunette expounded a little upon their calling. That after the disappearance of Rapunzel and Eve after the fall of Dame Gothel, she felt they owed it to them to continue their work in defending those who could not defend themselves.
    I recall hearing tales of the maiden with hair of iron as I grew up and how, after she had avenged her mother, she had seemingly vanished without a trace. There were rumors that she and her companion had retired to a village on the fringes of civilization and yet others that say she too met her demise when she killed the dark vrajitoare, Dame Gothel.
    Another obscure conjecture was that she was actually the Red Hood that appeared out of nowhere at the same time the wolves began their reign of terror.
    Others say that she has joined the Lady Who Sleeps, Nicole of Arad, in the Black Crypt of London. Since no one can enter without paying the toll of their own life to verify this, that is the most popular theory.
    I asked Gretel, “What do you think?”
    She shrugged and gave a sad smile, it was plain to see that Rapunzel had been her hero and that she was doing everything in her power to do the memory of her proud. She said in a faraway voice, “I'd like to think that she is out there somewhere, just not able to return to us. But her tower on the sea stands sentinel, awaiting her return. As long as it stands, hope will remain. The Damaschin family has made her tower off limits to the populace and defend it with a passion.”
    I nodded slowly, hoping that for her sake, she was right. I didn't want her to be disappointed for some odd reason. Then I thought of how our current quest so mirrored Rapunzel's own, to rid the world of a darkness before more innocents could suffer. The thought made me sit a little