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- Alec -
"What?" the human girl gasps, stumbling away from Queen Lili Mai's warrior, Warren. Her hair and her dress ripple in the wind that the warrior's wings stir. I glance behind me at the crowd that has shifted away from the fight. I expect for them to be leaving the room or watching with disinterest, but to my surprise, most eyes reflect anger and distress over the Queen's order.
I look to Celeste and Syfi as encouraging cheers for the human ring throughout the crowd. They've moved away as well and are huddled against a wall with other women from the crowd, anguish apparent on their faces. None of them want this fate for the girl either, but it's forbidden to interfere with an execution ordered by the Queen, or you risk being executed as well. Even if the queen who orders it is mentally ill.
I decide that I'm far enough from the fight and don't follow them. Although, in reality, I know I could easily be sliced by a swinging sword on accident.
The girl dodges the first blow from Warren by leaping off the throne platform. She plunges several feet until she collides with the first root, bouncing off with a painful thud and tumbling the rest of the way down. For one heart-stopping second she seems to have been knocked unconscious from the fall, but she stands almost as soon as she reaches flat ground, just in time to dodge another swing from Warren.
I regain my composure quickly, wiping my face clear of emotion. I do my best to appear indifferent to the scene unfolding before me, but my heart clenches whenever the blade manages to come near the girl.
She doesn't utter another sound, even when Warren's blade narrowly misses her throat. She doesn't attempt to run into the crowd and escape, beg the queen for mercy, or even plead for help. She focuses everything on the man trying to kill her, dodging his attacks with surprising grace—although occasionally she will stumble.
The warrior and the human become locked in a deadly dance, perpetuated only by the warrior's honor code; he cannot use magic to slay someone who cannot defend themselves with magic. If he were allowed to use magic, the fight would be over in seconds and the girl would be dead. Unfortunately for the human, the code doesn't forbid striking down an unarmed man with a sword.
My eyes follow the girl's every move, silently ordering her what to do to avoid the oncoming attacks. Duck. Move left. Jump back. Move right and run forward.
She doesn't follow my orders exactly, but she comes close to it. When she darts forward to escape the blade, the swordsman predicts her move and swings the weapon backward. I suck in a breath as the blade cuts into the material of the dress covering her stomach. She cries out and clutches the wound with her hand, which is soon stained red with crimson blood.
She stumbles and nearly falls. I bite down so hard on my tongue that I taste blood.
If she falls, she's dead.
It's obvious that she's in pain but the human manages to dodge one more attack before she ends up pinned between the roots beneath the thrones and Warren. He towers over her, almost hiding her completely from my view. He raises his sword and my body tenses, although I'm not sure what for.
I take a step forward, my hand going to the handle of my sword. My mind goes blank.
I stop in my tracks when the huge man screams and backs away from her, his free hand burnt black. Edlyn has one hand held out in front of her, watching with wide eyes as grey smoke rises from it.
My mouth drops open. She used magic. And then a horrible realization hits me. That means he can too.
The swordsman uses her distraction to his advantage. Now able to use magic against her, he raises his burnt hand. A narrow whirlwind erupts around her, stealing the air around her. She clutched at her throat, her eyes wide and wet with tears. She tries to scream but she is suffocating, her skin turning blue—she attempts to run out of the trap of wind but Warren's magic only follows her.
My eyes lock with hers, blinding anger rushing through my veins.
Warren raises his sword and moves toward the girl, now crumpled on the ground, to deliver the killing blow.
I leap across the room, placing myself between Edlyn and the man about to murder her. I rip my sword out of its sheath and bring it up to meet his just before it slices into her neck.
A loud clang echoes through the room and the crowd releases one collective gasp. Everything goes completely silent. The warrior and I stare each other down, holding our swords in the air where they met, daring each other to make the first move.
"What is this?" Queen Lili Mai asks. Warren won't look away or lower his sword, so neither will I. I can hear Edlyn gasping for breath and the gentle sound of wings as the Queen floats down and lands beside us. She raises one frail hand and pushes our swords down. "Enough." We both sheathe our weapons. The wind surrounding Edlyn dissipates.
I turn from Warren and run for the girl. I kneel beside her, silently berating myself for turning my back on Warren. I don't trust the Queen anymore and I certainly don't trust him.
Edlyn's face is in the dirt and her arm outstretched, fingers curled just a bit. A sick feeling forms in the pit of my stomach.
I place my hand on top of hers and she raises her head. Her skin is clammy. I pull my hand away.
I get to my feet, turning to face the Queen rather than help Edlyn stand. She's still struggling to breathe and stumbles once atop her shaking legs.
"You interfered with an execution," the Queen says to me, surprise evident in her voice. I've never disobeyed her before. "You do know the law, yes?"
I glance at the girl once, meeting her eyes for a split second, before I look back to the Queen, my face blank. "Yes, I know it."
"Then you know what I must do." She watches me, her face as expressionless as mine. My jaw tightens, but I shove every emotion I'm feeling to the back of my head. I don't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing what I'm thinking.
The sulvel, forrest fairies, are the most peaceful of the fairies, second only to the melocris, or water fairies. Fire fairies, the ignis, prefer brutal fighting. They are rash and aim to cause as much destruction as possible. Air fairies, the pulchra, however, easily cause more damage than even the most violent fire fairy by using their twisted mind games.
I go through every possible escape, every possible answer to this situation, every way to somehow manipulate the queen of manipulation into releasing us.
My eyes flicker to the warrior standing at the Queen's side, ready to kill when she gives him the order. Anger glints in his eyes when he looks at Edlyn, who has managed to stand beside me, and I remember that she's not the only one who sustained a wound during the fight.
"Your Majesty," I say, careful with my words. If I say a single thing wrong, Edlyn and I both will die. "The girl used magic. Everyone saw it. I'm sure Warren felt it." The warrior grunts. "She knew only human life up until only a few short days ago. Let her prove herself." I regret the words almost as soon as I say them. Prove what, exactly? The White Witch isn't even real. But it will buy me more time to think up a solution.
The Queen is silent for a moment, tapping her finger on her dress. She examines my face and then looks at Edlyn. "Very well." She turns away from us and I release the breath I'd been holding. I glance at the girl beside me. She looks terrified.
The Queen lifts herself into the air with a few powerful flaps of her wings and returns to her throne. "Warren, bring me my griffin." The warrior bows deeply and takes off, leaving Trävore through one of the gaps between the roots that support the massive tree. A bad feeling settles in the bottom of my stomach. "The legend goes that in addition to having marvelous power, the White Witch also possesses the ability to speak to animals. Well, my griffin is an animal. So she should be able to convince him not to kill her, yes?"
The screech of an eagle fills the room and everyone looks upward to watch Warren riding in on the back of the monstrous griffin, flying in circles around the room and landing before the thrones, spraying dirt up around its claws. The queen is the only one in the room pleased with the griffin's presence.
A horrified gasp comes from Edlyn and she moves behind me, peaking at the creature from around my wings. Warren hops off its back and the griffin rears up into the air, spreading its wings and kicking its razor sharp front claws in the air. Intelligent black eyes flick from me to Edlyn, its brown feathers twitching in anticipation. A long, feathery tail sweeps along the ground behind it.
"Alexander, I suggest that you move," Queen Lili Mai says. Her voice is as monotone as always, a symptom of whatever is afflicting her mind, but this time it sends chills down my spine. The griffin advances toward us as Warren takes a step back, looking very disappointed that he can't do the dirty work.
I stare at the approaching griffin, not moving a muscle.
I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know why I'm doing it. Anyone with sense would move out of the way to avoid being mauled by the monster.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Celeste untangle herself from Syfi's embrace and run to stand in front of the thrones. She looks at me and Edlyn for half a second, a familiar look of determination written across her face. "Mother," she says begins, turning to face the Queen. Her eyes fall onto her daughter. Celeste is probably the only person the Queen truly loves. But even royal families have their arguments, and one family fight two years ago damaged their relationship forever. "She needs time. She hasn't accepted her power yet."
The griffin stomps its feet, impatiently waiting the order to kill. When air fairies are born, a griffin is born as well and the two creatures are physically and mentally welded together. Speech is not needed in order to communicate between the two, and if one perishes, so does the other.
"We cannot have a stranger in Trävore. She could be a spy, an assassin for Anabella. The girl has to die if she cannot prove that she is the Witch." The Queen shows no sign of remorse as the griffin starts to approach us again. Edlyn moves a step back, pulling me with her by a fistful of my shirt. I debate whether or not to draw my sword. I decide not to. Threatening the griffin's life would threaten the Queen's as well, sentencing me to a fate much worse than simply being killed by the creature.
"Then—wait! Let me talk!" Celeste exclaims, her voice shaking a bit. The Queen raises an eyebrow at her daughter's outburst, but the griffin pauses once more. Celeste takes a breath, gathering her thoughts. Her wings twitch. "Alec will guard her. I will too. She won't leave our sight, I promise." Celeste is always volunteering me to do things without speaking to me about it first. Normally I object, but I end up doing whatever she volunteered me for nonetheless. Whether it's because she's a princess or just incredibly stubborn, I don't know. "Please give her a chance."
The griffin spreads its wings and I tense for an attack, but it doesn't come. Instead, the monster takes flight and disappears into the canopy.
All eyes are on the Queen.
"Fine. But because she has the power of fire, so she cannot stay in Trävore. We are too vulnerable to flame. Take her outside right away. Warren will accompany you to assure that she doesn't escape." The Queen leans forward, eyes on her daughter. "And if she does escape or hurt someone, it is on you, my daughter. Go." She leans back in her throne and waves a hand in the air. Celeste curtsies to her mother and leads Syfi over to Edlyn and I.
"Take her outside. Her friend is to the east," Celeste tells me in a hushed voice. She takes Syfi's hand in hers and they move toward the stairs. "We'll meet you there in a few minutes." The girls start the long climb toward the canopy, hopefully to get something to clean Edlyn's wound.
The girl stays close to me as we follow Warren through the crowd, which seems to have doubled during the excitement. The sulvel and various other magical creatures watch us leave Trävore through the same exit Warren took, a different emotion written on every face.
Maybe that's why I did what I did, I think to myself. Every fairy in the gardens looked ready to fight Warren or the griffin themselves. I've never seen anyone react to something the queen ordered with anything but obedience and fear. Until now.
We walk through the forest toward the east. Everything is silent except for the occasional song from a bird; no sign of the knight that arrived at Trävore shortly after Edlyn did. I spent nearly two days with him on our excursion to retrieve several ingredients for the potion to cure Edlyn of the haunla's venom, but I haven't seen or spoken to him since. He preferred to stay down in the forest instead of Trävore, away from the loud commotion and suspicious queen. He's an excellent warrior, but something about him makes me uneasy. He's also cocky and arrogant, so I dislike him as well.
I feel like I should say something to the traumatized girl, but I don't know what. I choose to stay silent. It feels wrong to break the tense quiet between the three of us.
"Edlyn?" a deep voice says. Both Warren and I move to draw our swords on instinct. To the left, the girl's knight appears from behind a tree, unarmored. His sword is hanging loosely at his side, so I relax my grip on my weapon.
The girl stumbles toward him, her arms outstretched. Choked tears shatter the silence and he envelops her in a tight hug, his eyebrows furrowing with worry. He asks her repeatedly what happened and if she's okay, but she only cries harder and hides her face in his shirt. He turns his gaze to me, his face hardening.
"What did you do?" he hisses. He may be irritating, but he does care about her. I'll give him that.
"Wasn't me," I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest. He looks unconvinced. I narrow my eyes at him. "I just saved her life. I did your job for you. You're welcome." He opens his mouth to give me a snappy reply, but Edlyn releases him and wipes the tears from her cheeks. He shifts his attention back to her.
"It wasn't him," she whispers, her voice surprisingly steady. Peter notices the cut across her side and his mouth drops open. Worry fills his eyes.
"Tell me what happened," he tells her. Edlyn explains what happened as best she can, but soon she lapses back into silence and I have to finish the story for her. I try not to make my dislike for the knight too obvious. When I finish speaking, he looks murderous. "I'll kill her." Warren bristles beside me and I speak up before he can act impulsively.
"No, you won't." I roll my eyes. "She is still my queen. Besides, that'll only end badly. For all of us." Peter's jaw clenches and his eyes shoot daggers at me.
"Come on. I'll take you to my tent. That needs attending to," he says to Edlyn, glancing at her wound. He wraps a protective arm around her, supporting most of her weight. I follow several feet behind, quietly observing the still forest. I listen to Warren's heavy footsteps close behind me.
Celeste and Syfi are waiting for us when we reach the tent, which is actually just a thin piece of cloth suspended by ropes between a couple of trees. Syfi's arms are empty save for a few wool blankets. We'll be needing those. It gets bitterly cold at night with winter almost here.
Peter nods a greeting to the girls and ducks underneath his tent, rummaging through a small pile of possessions. He finds what he's searching for and calls Edlyn over to start fixing up her wound.
I turn to Celeste, prepared to scold her for the impossible deal she made with the Queen. She's no longer paying attention to me. Her own griffin Forsythia is waddling around her feet, bright-eyed and excited to meet someone new. Because Celeste is half air fairy, she too was connected to a griffin when she was born. The creature is seventeen like she is, but griffins age slower to match the lifespan of fairies, so Forsythia is still small.
I give a quick prayer that Warren doesn't decide to bring his griffin to the party too. If I never see another griffin again, it'll be too soon.
"I brought her so Edlyn could practice communicating with griffins," Celeste tells me, watching her pet make its way to Edlyn and Peter. The knight doesn't react to its presence, focusing only on doctoring Edlyn's wound, but the girl watches it approach with mixed emotions. The baby resembles the monster that just nearly killed her, but instead of an eagle, it has the head of an owl.
Forsythia greets Edlyn with soft hoots, instantly winning her over. She smiles a little as the tiny creature snuggles up beside her leg, a content expression on its face. The girl strokes its feathers with one finger. "Step one, love animals," Celeste says. The two of us watch the loving interaction between human and griffin. Even Peter stops his work to watch, and Syfi is smiling, though she can't see the scene unfolding in front of us. "Check."
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