AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? At least to the tavern?” he asked, bleary-eyed.
“No, but thank you, Stephen. The Adlers should be here later today. If you need anything, just let them know,” I said, matter-of-factly.
I didn’t have the heart to really say goodbye to him. Peonies, maybe I’d fail and Edrich was right and I’d be back, after all. Either way, I couldn’t bring myself to address it.
Stephen nodded before leaning down to lift me and Maggie up into the wagon.
The wind whipped past us as he lowered us into the driver's seat. I secured Maggie, and then myself, before adjusting the series of levers and pulleys that enabled me to drive the thing to town.
“Oh,” I said, pulling the letter I’d written out of my bag. “And if Uncle comes back… would you please give him this?”
He paled, but nodded, taking the sealed envelope in steady fingers and placing it in his pocket.
“May your journey be swift,” he said, with a small dip of his head.
My eyes glistened, and my throat tightened a bit.
“May your troubles be few,” I finally said, before signaling to Chester, my mule, that we were ready to take off. With a rocky jolt, we were on our way.
I could barely watch as the log cabin faded completely from view. Dew glistened on each blade of grass, and the soft light of the lanterns was highlighting my home, beckoning me back to it like a beacon.
I took a deep, steadying breath as Chester led us closer to town and further from the only life I’d ever known.
All I could do now was hope Edrich had changed his mind about coming with me.
6
Edrich
Iwas outside the tavern well before dawn. Pepper was hunting, and Hobgoblin was happily lapping up water from a trough while I leaned against the front wall of The Poisoned Apple.
No way in hell did I want Lina out here by herself in the dead of night if she got here early. Besides, I still hoped to be able to talk her out of this.
The forest wasn’t the largest one in the area, but it would still take months to explore it on foot, longer than we could possibly pack supplies for.
If we survive that long.
The peace in Neira’s tavern might have been well-respected—and enforced—but very little governed the rest of Enchanted Forest. Even being human-sized and having a reasonable set of skills, the place was dangerous.
And what were the chances of us just happening to run into the tiny, hidden land of fairies? If it even existed, anymore.If it ever has.
“I knew you would be excited once you thought about it!” Those were the first words she squealed when she slowed her wagon, her skin glowing a bright yellow.
Herwagon.That she was driving alone, the several miles it took to get here from her farm. When I had first seen it rumbling down the road in the early morning light, I had dismissed it entirely. It hadn’t actually occurred to me that even Lina would be that careless.
I groaned.
“Didn’t you think an unmanned wagon might attract some unwanted attention?” I pointed out.
It was hard to see in the hazy light, but I was pretty sure her skin flashed red for a second.
“It wasn’t unmanned.Iwas manning it. Just like I have been for most of this year since—” She cut off, but I knew what she was going to say.
Since her mother died.I wasn’t sure how I thought she’d been managing the farm since then. Mostly, I had tried not to think about any of it much, at all. I was tired of watching all the good and decent people in the world die, tired of thinking about it.
I cleared my throat.
“All right,” I said, evenly. “But why take the wagon when you could have just taken the mule.”
