Elric jumped down out of the tree, followed by Lexi. Elric bent on one knee as Hob bounded over to him. “I’m so glad to see you,” he said, holding out his hand for Hob to shake. Instead Hob dipped his head down and wriggled under Elric’s hand like a snuggly cat.
“Hob didn’t think he would see the Otherworld prince again. I am very glad. Quick, follow me. I will take you back.” He bounded forward and waved his hand. “The Grendel is at the edge of the wood. He is gathering an army under his storming clouds. He is waiting. And the elves are moving their weapons. This is bad. We must get you home.”
“No,” Elric said. “Not yet. We have to find the princess.”
Hob looked over at Wynn and pointed at her.
Wynn tried not to giggle. “Not me. The princess in the ruins.”
Lexi stepped forward and pulled Mildred from her sack and gently let her down on the ground. Mildred pecked at the old vines, then marched over to Hob. He patted her on the neck.
Lexi lifted her small lantern and pointed the way to go. “I know the way to the old city, but I don’t know where the princess hides there. Be careful. Reapers aren’t the only dangerous things in this wood, and we have to watch for traps.”
Together they started walking through the dark woods. Strange sounds came from the trees. Wynn couldn’t see the stars. They were covered by black clouds. The Grendel’s storm was coming closer. The forest made everything seem darker. They walked on endlessly.
Wynn stayed quiet. She saw monsters in every shadow. Elric stayed close to Lexi, holding his glowing sword ready. Wynn followed behind him, and tried not to imagine that the branches of the trees were bony hands reaching for her.
It was still the dark part of night when they began to climb up a hill. Wynn saw ferns along the path, and things seemed less scary. As they climbed, she spotted one of the bright mushrooms that grew near where Flame lived; even though everything looked gray in the dark, she imagined their bright red and orange tops. They couldn’t find a path, but Wynn did see the rocks that had been cut into squares poking up from the thick ferns.
“We’re almost there,” Lexi said. “We have to be quiet. Or we’ll never find them.”
A loud boom echoed through the woods followed by a sharp crack and a creaking, snapping sound, like ice breaking on a lake. Wynn covered her ears. She didn’t like the sound. It was too loud.
“Those are the catapults,” Lexi whispered.
Elric strode forward and climbed up the curling root of a tree. He craned his neck to see through the leaves, then looked at them with worry in his eyes. “Without any of us in the palace, the shield won’t have the power to withstand such an attack. It’s going to fall, and when it does, the Grendel will come. We have to hurry.”
They climbed up the roots of the trees growing along a steep hill, but it was difficult to make their way up. The darkness didn’t help. Wynn wondered if the dawn would ever come again—it had been so long since she’d seen the sun rise. She stumbled on another rock, then noticed one that looked like a step. Then another. Elric found the steps too and ran up them until he came to a stop beneath a crumbling archway.
Wynn knew where she was. She thought so, anyway. It did look familiar, and she smelled smoke on the breeze.
Elric stared into the darkness. “There’s something out there. I thought I saw it move.”
Hob lifted his pointed nose and sniffed at the air. “A big beastie is close. Don’t know what it is.”
Shadow was big. Wynn hoped it was her. She certainly didn’t want to meet another reaper.
“We’re never going to find the lost princess like this,” Lexi said. Everyone turned to look at her. She clutched the strap of her sack as she lowered the lantern. “For years elves have been coming to this part of the wood for the sweet fruit that grows here, and we’ve never caught sight of more than a shadow. She knows we’re here. She’ll stay five steps ahead of us.”
Wynn definitely remembered this part of the stair. She knew where she was, and where to go. “I can do it,” she said, walking forward on her own.
“Not without me.” Elric grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
“Flame likes me,” Wynn said, standing her ground. “Not you. She is hiding.”
“You’ll get lost,” Elric said.
“Mildred will come with me,” Wynn said. She looked down at her hen. The hen gave a confident cluck, then strutted forward and began hopping up the broken steps. She looked back at Wynn to see if she was following.
“It’s too dangerous,” Elric said. “I don’t want to lose you again.”
“I can do it.” Wynn gently pulled his hand from her shoulder. “Let me try.”
Elric pulled her into a fierce hug, and she hugged him back. Finally he let her go.
“I will be safe,” Wynn said. Then she climbed after her hen. “I will find Flame.”
The stairs were very scary in the dark. She didn’t have Lexi’s light. The light from the stars was blocked by the heavy clouds. She had to feel her way up the stones one at a time, and move very slowly. When she reached the top, she looked around at the ruins of the great city. She wondered if the elves could build it again. It must have been beautiful once.
Each doorway was dark and empty. Flame didn’t mind the dark, but Wynn did. She didn’t like it at all. Mildred clucked as she strutted ahead. Wynn followed, until they came to a familiar archway. Wynn knew this place. She’d found the
