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“Perfect,” she beamed. Then she eyed the sundress I hadn’t bothered to change out of and the rat’s nest that was surely my hair. “Maybe while we’re at it, we can get you looking a little more like a fairy princess.”
38
Edrich
If I thought riding Maggie was easy, flying with Pepper was something else, entirely. I held on tightly as she soared through the clouds, dipping to the left or right every so often, gliding through the air with ease.
It had been hours since we left Maggie and Rumple on the ground, more than enough time to mull over everything he’d told me and every way that might break Lina’s heart. Not long ago, I’d hated the little green-and-gold man, everything he stood for and everything he was?but I couldn’t hate him for this.
He had done what he had to in order to protect Lina. I couldn’t fault him for that.
I risked a glance down and watched as the purple hills raced beneath us. There were mushroom circles scattered all over the ground between the flowers, growing thicker and denser the further we went. It was genius really, to even the playing field and protect themselves this way. If everyone was the same size, then the fairies weren’t at a disadvantage defending their kingdom.
A part of me wondered if an ogre or centaur or dwarf had ever risked coming this way. I chuckled to myself.Now that would be something to see.
Pepper’s wings tilted slightly, and we were soaring at a steady decline, cutting through the air like a hot blade through butter.
“I could get used to—” I started just as she leaned too far to the side and I nearly lost my balance.
“Show off,” I muttered, pulling myself closer to her back.
I gripped her tighter, and while there was a part of me that was panicking about how far of a drop it was to the ground, there was another part of me that relished the feeling of flying.
Is this how Lina feels now that she has wings?
That thought was quickly replaced by another as Pepper’s speed seemed to slow as we approached a large wall.
No. Not a wall. The forest?
It was hard to reconcile what I was seeing with what I knew about trees.
There were close to thirty trees with thick trunks and winding branches that seemed to be tangled together to form some sort of wall. Without my needing to guide her, Pepper flew in a circle around the outskirts, and it was the same on each side. Movement caught my eye, and I noticed a few small figures flying in through some sort of wall near the canopy. Not just figures—but fairies.
Small birds were flying in and out of the treetops, as well, each of them carrying some parcel in their claws and landing near what looked to be a castle carved into the massive tree in the center. Past that, there was an entire world that wound down through the trees. From this height, I could make out dozens of everyday things and places that I had taken for granted back home.
It had been hard to imagine something on this scale a few days ago, but now that just felt ignorant.
Why wouldn’t a world exist that can accommodate Lina?
“This is it, Pepper. I think we’ve found it,” I whispered, as I continued to take it all in.
We flew around the fortress one more time before I came up with what I hoped was a solid plan.
As soon as the landing platform was clear of the other birds, and the deliveries, and most of the fairies had left, I made my move. With a few gentle nudges, Pepper seemed to understand exactly what I wanted from her. It wasn’t long before we were beginning our descent into what could only be Ellaria.
I plastered myself as close as I could to Pepper’s back, only risking a glance every now and then to see if anyone had spotted us. Quickly, I worked my way off of her back, standing between her and one of the green spotted mushrooms to be sure I was out of sight.
A fairy with white wings and matching hair who wore small spectacles, like my father did for reading, was looking toward my falcon with confusion. He checked the list in his hand a few times before heading in our direction.
“What do we have here? I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.” His voice was calm, and that was a good sign. He wasn’t suspicious.Yet.
The next time he glanced at his list, I made a beeline for an alcove in the grand structure on the other side of him, running as fast and as quietly as I could. Once I was certain I hadn’t been spotted, I breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as I was out of sight, Pepper spread her wings wide, and darted back up into the sky.
Good girl.
I used the moment's distraction to slip through a door behind me. Memories of the last time I visited a castle came flooding back. The family that we had delivered to the queen of Floriend; how she had ordered us to hunt them down for her. We hadn’t asked why. We hadn’t asked what she planned to do with them. We had taken her at her word that she wouldn’t hurt them.
