The Golden Winged Horse

Chapter 15

We rode back through the tunnels at a rate of knots, the horse's hooves clattering against the stones. We sounded like a marching band stampeding through the narrow passages.

"What is the meaning of this?" Blodwin yelled, her face flushed red and her arms folded across her chest. "Calico, you know better tha—"

"Mother," he said, leaping from Izar's back. "Faye has come up with an excellent idea. One that saves us all and keeps everyone satisfied."

Amode rushed forwards, her eyes sparkling in anticipation. "Go on," she said, looking up at me.

"I know why you want to keep me here," I said. A collective gasp and narrowed eyes homed in on Calico. I raised my hand and said, "He told me nothing freely. I made guesses and asked him questions to which he could answer yes or no." The Queens relaxed slightly. "The problem here seems to be fear of children turning into adults, adults that will then come seeking you and your magic for their own greed. If they are stripped of their memories of you, then you can still interact with children, thereby aiding your magic, aiding our children, and having no fear of the repercussions once they grow up."

"Go on," said Nyra, the yellow Queen. "How is this going to happen exactly?"

"Tristan," I said, trying to contain a grin from spreading across my face. "Create something, a dust of some sort, that activates on children once they reach a certain age. Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. Whatever age you consider them no longer innocent enough to keep you a secret."

Silence. After several seconds, the silence became so profound, it almost had its own echo in the huge room. The Queens all looked at one another with various expressions.

Jessamine, the gold Queen, quietly said, "We shall retire to discuss this."

As the Queens made their way to their circle of thrones, Calico looked up at me and grinned. I couldn't help but grin wildly in return, fighting back the urge to hug him tightly. We might have just done it. We may have found a viable solution that could potentially mend the wedge between fairies and humans.

Unable to resist any longer, I jumped down from Kaisa and ran to Calico, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Thank you so much," I said.

He hesitated for a couple of seconds, then hugged me back. "We haven't been told yet what their decision is."

I stepped back and tilted my head to one side. "They have an option here not to have a human living in their world. What do you think they're going to decide?"

His eyes softened slightly and flickered to the side for the briefest of seconds. Then he smiled and said, "I see your point."

"YOU!"

The loud, harsh voice echoing around the room made me jump. I turned to my left to see Isidora stood in the entrance to the tunnel. Her previous rainbow coloured eyes were now as black as coal. She stood with her feet slightly apart, her purple coat billowing as if a breeze were flowing through it. Her porcelain cheeks flushed red as she balled her hands into fists.

Calico stepped in front of me and faced her. "Stand down, Isidora."

"She is wearing my dress. You know how long I've been looking for that." Her voice was flat, hard, but eerily calm. "And you didn't hand it over to me. That's treason."

"It's not treason," Calico replied. "Not when it's for a greater cause."

Isidora stepped forwards. Calico stood his ground.

"You helped a human?" she said, all but hissing. "And you violated my dress by letting her wear it? What kind of a Prince are you?"

Calico strode towards her, closing the gap between them in seconds. "Don't you ever dare question my authority, Isidora. Remember why you're who you are."