“I have never heard of it being done before.”
I sighed, feeling trapped, yet determined at the same time. “I will find a way,” I said. “There must be a way to stop it from happening.”
In the distance, the gentle fluttering of fairy wings broke the silence. A host of flower-clad fairies appeared in the air around us, and at the lead, I saw tiny Princess Esmelda. I held out my hand, and she daintily landed atop my palm.
I’d never once seen her so genuinely happy. Her rosy cheeks matched the pink tulip dress she wore, and her once wild, uncombed hair was now braided and studded with delicate white flowers. Most impressive of all was her pair of glittering fairy wings.
“Olive,” she said, “our world is restored thanks to you. Fairies and fair creatures alike are in your debt. Now, with the stone recovered, we are hopeful that the portals shall function properly again. We have aided the human whose body was stolen to return to his rightful world. We will do our best to make our world a bright place once again. Call upon us, and we will aid you in a moment’s notice.”
“Thank you,” I answered, hoping she realized what she was asking for. Did she have any idea how much trouble I got myself into? “Your kind offer will not be forgotten.”
“My brother has been detained,” she said. “He will live a life of imprisonment for the time being. His lies will no longer cloud our judgment.”
“Will you be okay, Esmelda? Aren’t you upset about his betrayal?” I asked.
“Not anymore, although I had suspected his treachery for quite some time, even before we made our quest to Earth Kingdom. I must confess, I did not want to believe that he was a traitor. Any time I questioned him, he found a way to mislead me. I believed his lies, even though deep inside, I knew the truth. Terminus is crafty with words and can spin great lies that sound of the truth. Now that he has been found out, I feel freer than I ever have before. His deceptions will no longer confuse me.”
“That is good. You were very brave to confront him. And you are wise beyond your years. If not for your intuitive nature, we would have never discovered his treachery.”
She nodded. “We must go. We’ve much to attend to in my village and many repairs to make, but we will not forget the sacrifice you and your companions made for us. We will remember you, Olive.”
“I understand. And your wings are quite lovely,” I said with a wink. “I see why it was so hard to do without them.”
She fluttered her wings gently, making sparkles of magic dust the air. With a polite curtsy and another smile, she lifted into the air. I watched as the fairies disappeared over the horizon.
“I’ll miss her,” I said.
“I won’t,” Heidel answered. “She cried too much.”
I tried not to laugh, mainly because it hurt my sore abdomen.
“When you are ready,” Fan’twar said, “I shall fly you back to the dragon caves, if that is what you wish.”
I hesitated. I debated asking Heidel where her brother was but thought better of it. He’d made his decision about me. I was sure he’d gotten back to Danegeld as soon as possible. With Rolf still acting as king, I didn’t blame him.
“Of course,” I told Fan’twar. “I’ll pack my things, and then we can make the trip. After that, I’m going back to Earth. My cat needs to be fed, I’ve got to pay my rent, and I need to make sure my ex-boyfriend is still alive.” I sighed. It all sounded so tedious and boring, even the ex-boyfriend bit. Besides, he was most likely just fine.
“I’m also hopeful I can prove to Doc Hill that I’m still sane. With luck, he’ll have a whole slew of clients to send my way.”
“Very well. I shall wait in the valley until you are ready.” Fan’twar flapped his wings several times, then leapt into the air. With a long roar, he soared into the valley below the village and out of sight.
I started toward the cabin as Heidel followed. “I shall have clothing brought,” she said, “and food and water. Do you require anything else?”
I met her gaze but then shook my head. “No. I don’t need anything else.”
“Very well.” She gave me a curt nod, spun on her heel, and walked away.
I limped to the cabin, my feet now numb from the cold and my last reserves of energy quickly draining. Grabbing the door latch, I heard footsteps behind me and looked up to see that Heidel had returned.
She sighed, seeming to hesitate before she spoke up. “I wanted to wait until you were dressed and well-rested, but I suppose it can’t hurt to tell you now. My brother has been waiting for you. He’s down that hill,” she pointed past me, “sitting under the tree. He’s been waiting rather impatiently, so you might consider making haste.”
I stared, confused. “Waiting for me? Why didn’t he travel back to Danegeld?”
She shook her head. “I try not to understand my brother’s motivations. That is a task I will leave up to you.” She gave me a quick wink, then turned away.
I stared down the hill, wondering what in the world was going through the man’s mind. Why had he waited? It was a foolish thing to do, considering he had a whole kingdom that needed his attention. Without entering the cabin, I turned and started down the hill. The sun was now above the horizon and the dew had turned warm. I found I could feel my toes again.
My heart fluttered with nervousness. Shouldn’t I turn around? What would he say to me? It couldn’t be good. It never was. He was merely waiting on me out of respect, as any good king would do, and then he would be off.
A tree stood at the bottom of the hill on a small precipice overlooking
