CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVEWynn
“OH!” LEXI SQUEAKED AS SHE put her hands to her cheeks. “Do you think it could be true?”
Wynn nodded. Flame was definitely a fairy. It made sense.
“Wynn was lured into the woods by a snake-like creature that transformed into Mildred,” Elric explained. “It’s possible that years ago, a similar creature took the form of Headmind Reason and stole the queen’s child while in disguise. And has been spying on the fairy court ever since.”
Lexi held up her hand to stop him from speaking and rummaged through her sack to find another one of her books. She let the pages arch in a fan under her thumb, then suddenly stopped at one, slapping the book open. She showed them a sketch of the snake with the spines running down its back.
“That’s it!” Wynn clapped her hands. “It was a bad thing.” She scowled. “I don’t like it.”
“It’s called an illusury. It lives in the Shadowfields beyond the woods. It can transform into anything, as long as it holds a piece of that thing in its mouth.” She skimmed her finger over the pages. “It doesn’t have to be much, even just a hair.”
“It had Mildred’s feather,” Wynn said, and crossed her arms.
“That would do it,” Lexi said. “They have very weak minds, and are easily controlled by fairy magic.” Lexi traced over the words in her book with her finger. “But they are very rare and obviously difficult to capture.”
“Master Elk said that the Grendel was a fairy once. Could he have controlled one of these creatures long enough to fool people?” Elric asked.
“Yes!” Lexi said. “Their illusions are perfect, but they can’t talk. They can only hiss.”
“Osmund said that Zephyr didn’t speak to him when he lured him into the woods.” Elric rubbed the edge of his jaw with his thumb. “It must have been an illusury. But how did a baby survive so long in the woods alone?”
“Shadow protected her,” Wynn said. “They are good friends.”
“And if she’s a fairy, she can talk to animals.” Elric looked stunned.
Lexi paced around in quick circles. “Oh my, oh my, oh my.” She stopped very suddenly. “Do you know what this means?” she asked, grabbing Wynn by the arms, then letting her go just as quickly. “My people are innocent. The princess can stop this madness. She has the power to battle the Grendel.”
“But we’d have to find her first,” Elric said.
“I know where she lives.” Wynn puffed up her chest. She glanced over at Lexi. “But she doesn’t like elves.”
“Well, that’s going to be a problem.” Elric turned toward Lexi. “You might have to stay—”
“She doesn’t like fairies, either,” Wynn continued. “Or strangers. She likes to stay alone.”
“How can she not like fairies?” Elric snorted. “She is one.”
“She doesn’t know,” Wynn said. Wynn was certain Flame didn’t know much about the fairies, only that she didn’t like them.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Elric said. “She has a dress made of smoke and fire in her hair. How can she not know? How many other things in the wood can do that sort of magic?”
“Uh—” Wynn stammered. “I don’t know.”
Elric’s face fell. “There’s going to be a war. The shield will fall, and the only person who can possibly stop this mess doesn’t know she’s a fairy, and doesn’t like anyone.”
His shoulders slumped. He looked very frustrated for a moment, then he shot back up. He lifted one finger and tapped the air with it. He spun on his heel and pointed at Wynn. She blinked at him as a smile broke out over his face. “But she likes you. She likes you, Wynn! You have to find her. You have to speak to her. We have to convince her to go to the palace as the rightful heir and save the queen. If the shield falls and the Grendel comes, she may be our only hope.”
They heard a loud thump outside. Lexi jumped, then moved to the door and pressed her ear to it again. Wynn didn’t have to have her ear on the door to hear the snoring coming from the other side. Lexi scurried around the room to gather all her things back in her sack, then gently tucked Mildred inside it. “The guard is asleep. We have to go, now.” She stood on the bar and lowered herself down the hole, pulling her sack after her.
Wynn followed, carefully balancing on the plank this time. Her stomach swooped, and she nearly fell, but Lexi caught her hands and steadied her. The machine lifted up one more time, and Elric rode it down before jumping onto the pile of sacks. Wynn walked toward the stairs, but Lexi caught her hand. “We can’t go that way. There is a nurse staying with my brother tonight, and tending your friend. We can’t let him catch us.”
“Osmund?” Elric looked concerned. “Is he healing?”
“Yes, he will recover. We gave him medicine for the poison and tended his wounds, but he is still too weak to walk,” Lexi said.
“Then I can carry him.” Elric stood straighter. He looked tall in his elf boots. “We have to get him home.”
“And your disguise won’t work if you do. With the hoods on, you’ll look like elves, and we can sneak away. We can’t hide your friend under our robes. Besides, the nurse would notice him missing.” Lexi crept over to a dark corner of the cellar. “No one should check on you two until morning.”
Elric looked very torn. Wynn took his hand. “Don’t worry,” she said. “The elves will take good care of him. They are good healers. We will come back.” Osmund needed to get better first. He should stay in bed.
A deep rumbling sounded outside. The blare of horns masked the sound. It
