Wynn paused at the edge of the garden. She looked behind her. Elric would be angry that she didn’t wait, but he’d understand that she had to help Mildred. He loved the hen too. When she caught Mildred, she would bring her along to go to find him. Elric would know what to do to help her.
With one shoe and one bare foot, Wynn crossed through the tall stone towers and sprinted into the fields that surrounded the palace. She ran as fast as she could, but no matter what she did, Mildred raced ahead of her.
“Come back!” Wynn screamed. Mildred was fleeing as if she were very scared. Her head flopped to the side, and her wing looked broken.
Wynn’s chest burned. She was tired, but she wouldn’t stop running. She had to catch Mildred. She had to help her. She didn’t want Mildred to look the way her mother had when she found her after the storm and Wynn knew she was gone forever.
Mildred was the only thing she had from home.
Wynn grabbed her silky skirts. The material slipped in her fingers as she lifted the skirts away from her feet. Every sharp little stone and scratchy blade of grass cut into the underside of her bare foot, but that didn’t matter. She had to reach her Mildred.
Just ahead, the swirling colors of the queen’s magic shield rose up. It stood over her like a great wall. Beyond the twisting light of the shield, she could see the heavy branches of the edge of the Nightfell Wood.
Scary things lived in there. Scary things that would eat Mildred.
“Mildred, stop!” Wynn screamed. “No running!”
The hen looked back at her. She fell to her side and wriggled in the dirt. Wynn was almost caught up to her.
But then Mildred popped up and darted through the shield into the shadows on the other side.
“No!” Wynn shouted. Tears streaked down her face. They felt hot on her cheeks as she panted for breath. She wanted her hen back. It was dangerous out in the Nightfell Wood. Bad things lived there. She couldn’t cross through the shield to follow her.
The queen had told her to never come here. She needed help.
Wynn turned around, looking frantically for anyone who could help her. She was completely alone. No one could save Mildred but her.
She swiped the back of her hand under her nose. Mildred had saved her once. Wynn could not leave her.
Wynn hesitantly reached out to touch the shield, but felt nothing. Her hand passed right through it as the swirling colors spilled over her palm like flowing water. She took another step closer. The light and color slid up her outstretched arm, but she still couldn’t feel it. Going through would be easy.
Wynn took a deep breath and held it, shutting her eyes tight as she marched forward. She counted eight steps, then opened her eyes and took a deep breath. The shield stood behind her, but instead of being filled with beautiful colors, it looked like a storm-gray sky filled with dark clouds. Wynn couldn’t see the colors of the fairy realm on the other side of the smoky shield anymore. Everything in the fairy realm looked gray. The air felt cooler here in the shadows of the dark trees. Wynn shivered.
The branches above her reached close to the shield like skeleton fingers. Leaves rustled in the wind. Sounds seemed sharper and hushed at the same time. Wynn didn’t want to go any deeper into the woods.
Just ahead in a small clearing, Mildred lay still on her side. Her head flopped in the dirt and her bright red comb reminded Wynn of a pool of blood.
“Mildred!” She ran to the hen. For the first time Mildred didn’t run away.
She looked dead.
Wynn fell to her knees and scooped up the hen. “You are safe, you are safe,” she murmured. She couldn’t concentrate enough to find different words, so she repeated the same ones over and over. “You are safe.”
The urge to cry choked her. “We need to go home now, Mildred.”
Wynn carried the hen very carefully in her arms and turned toward the shield. She had to take Mildred and find Elric. He would know how to help. She hoped it wasn’t too late.
A strange hissing sound came from Mildred’s chest, and she opened her eyes. They flashed bright red and her head stretched forward, her fat body seeming to melt and pull into a long, thin line.
Wynn screamed as Mildred’s soft feathers disappeared and scales appeared in their place. Wynn’s body froze up and she couldn’t move. Mildred’s head curved around and formed into a serpent with spines running down its twisted back. The serpent clutched a dark feather in its horrible mouth. It snapped, trying to bite her. The light gleamed on sharp fangs as the feather fluttered to the ground.
Wynn forced her body to move, and threw the snake as hard as she could at the trees and ran toward the shield. It slithered after her through the grass with a sound like the rattling of bones. Wynn glanced over her shoulder. The snake was gaining on her. Suddenly she crashed into something, hard.
She tumbled to the ground, then picked herself up, thinking she had run into a tree. No. The only thing in front of her was the shield. She reached her hand out the way she did before, but instead of passing through the smoky gray shield, her fingers and knuckles crumpled against a hard force, shooting pain up her arm. The stormy clouds felt like they were made of stone.
The rattle and hiss grew louder.
Wynn jumped to her feet and picked up a rock and threw it at the snake. She missed, but the snake had to dodge.
“Help!” she screamed, pounding on the shield with her palm.
The snake lunged again and Wynn
