CHAPTER SEVENTEENWynn
WYNN FELT HER WAY TO the corner of her prison and sat in it. Sometimes she could hear voices from the elves passing by on the other side of the wall. Sometimes she heard voices through the door. When she did, she pounded on it and told them to let her out. But they spoke in strange words and ignored her.
The light streaking in through the planks of the wall lit up little bits of dust floating in the air. They reminded her of the fairies, and she desperately missed the palace. She was sad. She needed a hug, so Wynn cried. She cried loudly. It made her face wet and nose runny. She started to hiccup between sobs, and her body felt out of her control. She didn’t care if the elves could hear. Her heart felt broken.
The light from outside faded, and she was left in the complete dark. She didn’t think that she’d ever been in a place so dark. When her eyes were open, it looked like they were closed. Wynn wasn’t sure if she had them open or closed anymore. The noises died down. The elves went to go eat supper or sleep. She should be sleeping too. She was very tired, but she was cold, and it was hard to sleep without Mildred.
Wynn hugged her aching knees. Just then, she thought she saw something strange. She blinked, then she saw it again. It was a light, but it was underneath the floor? Wynn crawled forward, placing her hands on the planks of wood beneath her. She leaned all the way down so she could peek with her eye through the crack. Her forehead pressed against the grainy wood. She heard something. Something whirred beneath her, and softly clanked.
The light flickered. Then Wynn saw a hand reach up and cover the crack right where she was peeking. Wynn pulled her head up. Someone grumbled something in another language below her. That’s when she felt something beneath her hand wiggle. One of the planks pushed up into her palm, then collapsed back down. Wynn pulled her hand up, and backed away.
Slowly the plank rose and slid to the side. She saw small hands push another plank, then a third. The hand appeared again, lifting a small lantern into the room. Wynn had to blink because the lantern light seemed very bright. Wynn had never seen anything like it. Light was trapped in a glass globe, but it didn’t look like it was on fire. It wasn’t a glowing magic rock, either. It was very strange. Green hands reached up, bracing on the floor. An elf in a long black robe pushed up through the hole and sat on the edge.
Wynn scurried backward like an upset garden spider until she felt her shoulders thump into the wall. What did this elf want? They weren’t very nice. She didn’t know if this one would be nice, either. She didn’t want to be alone with one.
“Hello?” The elf lowered the dark hood, and Wynn stared at her. She was young. A child just like her. She had a bald head like the other elves, and a soft, round face with long eyelashes framing her eyes. The lighter green marks on her skin made looping patterns that reminded Wynn of flowers, and she wore a necklace with a large amber pendant. A spider was caught inside. She dragged up a sack after her. “I thought you might want this,” she said in a high, sweet voice. The way she spoke was a little clearer than the man elves, like she said her words carefully.
The elf girl opened the top of the sack, and a leathery red chicken comb popped out, followed by a rumpled hen.
“Mildred!” Wynn scooped her chicken up and gave her the biggest hug. Mildred cooed at her, and rested her head on Wynn’s shoulder. Wynn’s body shook, overcome with her happiness.
“They caught her in the village. She couldn’t jump over the wall. She led everyone on a big chase for over an hour. Father put her in a cage and told me to feed her. She looked sad to me, so I brought her to you.” The girl looked down and twisted her fingers. “The elders don’t understand about pets. I have a turtle. I call him Turtle. It’s not a very good name.”
“Thank you,” Wynn said. It was hard to say the words even though she knew them so well. She had been wrong. This elf was very nice. “Thank you so much.”
The girl brightened. She scooted forward on her knees, pulling the sack into her lap. She smiled. It was a nice smile. The light caught in her eyes and they looked gold, like her amber necklace. “I brought you some food. I thought you might be hungry.” The girl pulled a couple of the dark fruits out of her long robe. They were purple, and looked tasty. “Here, take them.”
Wynn took one and bit into it. She enjoyed the sweet taste of the spongy fruit, and even liked the bitter taste that followed this time. She was so hungry. She ate the fruit quickly, shoving as much of it into her mouth as she could. The elf girl giggled, and covered her smile with her hand.
As Wynn swallowed the fruit, she thought hard. “You’re nice,” she said.
“I’m sorry.” The elf girl’s face fell. “I’m not supposed to be here. Please don’t tell.” She looked back down and tugged on the hem of her robe.
Wynn didn’t say anything. She felt very confused. Finally the girl looked her in the eye. “You live with the fairies, don’t you?” the girl blurted out.
Wynn nodded.
The girl stared at the torn skirt of Wynn’s dress. “Are you
