“Thank you. I’ve always wondered.” The girl handed the hen back to Wynn. She took Mildred gratefully, and settled the hen in her lap.
They sat in silence for a while. Wynn thought carefully about everything she said. “Your name is Stripeless?” she asked.
“That seems silly.” The girl gave her another smile, this one was more like Zephyr.
“What is your name?” Wynn asked again, more insistently this time. She didn’t like not knowing what to call the girl.
“I call myself ‘I.’ Or sometimes ‘me.’ I have never needed more than that. You are the one who needs something to call me. What would you choose?” She leaned forward over the fire she had made in the rocks. The light flickered over her skin, lighting the warm brown tones with soft golden light. Wynn remembered the mark on her back, flames in the shape of a star. Fairies were always named for the magic they could do. She had fire in her hair, and smoke for a dress.
“Flame,” Wynn said. She wished she could make rocks catch on fire. That would be easier than lighting tinder with flint.
The girl closed her eyes a minute. Shadow rumbled a low growl and squinted. Finally the girl smiled again. “Shadow likes it. I think I do too. You may call me Flame if you want. I’ll do my best to answer if you call it.”
Just then Wynn’s stomach growled as loud as Shadow.
“Hungry?” Flame smiled again, and for a second she seemed very familiar. She pushed herself up, leaning on her staff. “I’ll go out and get us something to eat. Stay here with Shadow where you are safe.”
“It’s dark.” Wynn stood and looked out the doorway. It was pitch-black beyond the crumbling room.
Flame tipped her head to the side. The scars across her face stood out in the dim light. “Don’t worry. I’ll get along fine. I’ll be right back.”
Wynn watched as Flame strode past her and out the door. Wynn followed her out, keeping a hand on the door frame. Flame swept her staff in front of her, then climbed up the crumbling ruins like a cat.
Now she was very alone. Except for Shadow. Wynn noticed a white rock at her feet. She picked it up and rubbed it. It was soft and sandy for a rock. Wynn liked it. It felt good in her hand so she kept it. Wynn came back inside as Shadow rose and circled around her. Mildred hopped up on a branch of the tree root. She looked happy as she tucked her beak in her feathers and fell asleep.
Wynn sat by the fire and tried to wait. She didn’t like waiting. The rock warmed in her palm, and she passed it from hand to hand. Softly she sang a song under her breath. It was her favorite song. The one that told the way to the Silver Gate. She and Elric had battled many scary things to reach the gate. She knew he would come for her.
But she was far from him. She had to get closer to where he could find her. She needed help. She didn’t think Flame would help her. She was nice, but she liked it here in the woods. Wynn needed to go home.
Wynn tapped the rock on the stone floor. It left little white marks where she tapped. She looked at the stone again, then pulled it slowly against the floor. It left a dull white line.
She could draw! She would fix the picture on the wall. That would keep her busy.
Wynn found a smooth, dark part of the wall and scratched the stone against it. Shadow made a funny noise in her throat and came forward. She sat next to Wynn, watching Wynn draw a new picture.
Wynn continued to sing, and Shadow flopped her tail back and forth. Each soft thump landed in time with the song. Wynn rubbed Shadow’s ear and sang louder, before turning back to her picture. She had to do a good job.
Wynn worked a long time. She was very focused on her picture when she drew the last little part.
“Why are you over there?” Flame’s voice filled the room. Wynn had gotten used to the quiet. She jumped up and dropped her drawing rock on the ground. It clattered at her feet. She stepped away from the wall.
“You’re back!” Wynn was very glad Flame was safe and didn’t get lost in the dark or eaten by a monster. She gave her a big hug. Flame seemed surprised, and held her arms stiffly down, without wrapping them around Wynn’s shoulders. Wynn let go. Maybe Flame didn’t know hugging. Wynn smiled anyway. “I made a picture for you,” Wynn said.
Flame dropped a clump of bulbous fruits by the fire. She squinted again, coming very close to the wall. Her nose almost touched it as she looked at Wynn’s drawing. Then she reached out and touched the wall, drawing her finger over it.
“What is it?” she asked.
Wynn felt sad. She wasn’t very good at drawing. The people looked like sticks, and Mildred was a blob with two legs poking out of her sides. Shadow’s stripes didn’t stay in her lines. “It’s you and me and Mildred and Shadow. We are all together. We are friends.”
Shadow pressed her enormous head against Wynn’s side. She almost fell over as the cat rubbed against her. Flame turned away from the wall. “Thank you,” she said. Her voice sounded different. “Shadow likes it very much. She says it is wonderful.”
Wynn wrapped her arms around
