Page 69 of Fae Trials

Pokeweed dipped his head and raised his shoulders to his ears. “I saw you flying overhead and felt that cold wind try to bring you down. It’s lucky you fell in the water and didn’t impale yourself in the winter forest.”

“Yes, it is,” I said in a tight voice. If ever I got Prince Caulden on his own, I would—

“What were you doing, flying outside of class?” he asked.

“I wasn’t really.” My gaze wandered toward the west, the location of the Calf of Fae. “It’s part of the trials. I’ve got to get a lump of pyre stone before the other girls. Prince Rory gave me a boost, and my wings did the rest.”

He paused for a moment with his brows furrowed, seeming to debate with himself on whether to say what was on his mind. I stared up at him, waiting for his decision, but he glanced away.

“What?” I asked.

“You seem really nice. Why would you try so hard for the likes of those princes?”

“It’s not like I have a choice,” I muttered. “Prince Rory’s making me compete because it’s a chance to get rid of Lady Gala, and I’ve got to stay alive long enough to find my missing sister.” I wanted to tell him more, but time was running out.

He ran a hand through his wet hair. “What are you going to do? The Calf of Fae is a forty-minute flight. Six hours if you walk.”

“Find a friendly centaur and hold onto his mane for dear life?” I asked.

Shaking his head, Pokeweed strode to the overgrown meadow. “I have an idea, but you have to come with me.”

I hurried after him, my pulse thrumming a steady beat. The plants around us had stalks as tall as trees with flower heads so wide, they blotted out the fading sunlight. “What are we looking for?”

“This.” He placed a furry hand on a stalk that led to a head of white fluff.

“A dandelion?” I frowned.

Pokeweed reached into his white overalls and pulled out a machete. I stepped back, wondering where on earth this would lead. After chopping down one giant dandelion, he rushed around through the maze of garlic and found another.

My gaze rose to the gaps in the flower heads. By now, the other girls will have reached the fifth level of the Mound. “I don’t get it.”

The dandelion fell to the ground, and Pokeweed dragged it across the meadow to the first one he had felled. He grabbed both ends, closed his eyes, and green magic surged from his fingertips into the cut stalks. I tilted my head to the side, watching them fuse, shorten, thicken, and form a saddle.

“A broomstick?” I asked.

“It’s not for sweeping,” he said.

I rubbed the back of my head. Clearly, he hadn’t seen any of the Harry Potter movies. If I ever made it through these trials alive, I would find a way to thank him with an eight-DVD marathon.

“What does it do?” I asked.

“I’ve infused it with enough power to take you to the Calf of Man and back. Just say ‘dandelion seeds’ before giving it directions, and don’t stop on the way for any reason.

A surge of gratitude filled my chest, and I rushed up to Pokeweed and kissed his damp cheek. “Thank you.”

Stepping back, he gave me a tight smile. “Good luck.”

I climbed in the middle of the dandelion and said, “Dandelion seeds, take me to the Calf of Fae.”

The plant rose into the air and shot forward, not even giving me time to say goodbye to Pokeweed. My wings flapped, which made me go faster.

In seconds, I soared over the overgrown meadow, over the pond and along the side of the Winter Forest. The wind blew through my hair, but this time, I didn’t whoop. I flew down the mountainside, alongside a river, which dropped into a waterfall.

The mingled scents of moss and ozone filled my nostrils, and I inhaled a deep breath. If it wasn’t for Pokeweed, I would be long dead, an evening snack for the baby knucker and its nestmates.

A shudder ran down my spine. At first, I thought it was my morbid thoughts, but something rose from the water and shaped itself like a hand.

My heart jumped into the back of my throat, and I spluttered, “Dandelion seeds, fly higher.”