Moon Flowers (Book 1 of the Flower Trilogy) #Wattys2016 #Featured

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - HALIA (Edited)

HALIA'S POV

 "The First Creatures?" I asked. "What do you mean? Who are they?"

"Wait and see," Phi replied with a smile. "They are really the kind of help we need to get us out of this impass."

That was all the information I was going to get from her.

Domovoy turned to me. "You should stay in your smaller form today." He had been guarding the door all night for any unexpected visit from the Evil King. "If he sees Siegfried coming, he might want to have a talk with Phi."

I sighed. Back to reality, as if the night holding Phi in my arms hadn't happened.

Phi herself seemed to have forgotten it. "I can't believe I will see my father again," she said, grooming her wings. "My father . . . just the sound of it feels weird on my tongue."

I tried to be optimistic, but I still didn't know about these First Creatures or the validity of her dream, although Phi seemed pretty sure about it. Before she had a chance to tell me all the details, he came. The Evil King, a grin on his face.

"It seems as if we have company," he sneered as I hid behind the sturdy wooden bed frame. For a moment, I thought he was talking about me. But no. "Let's go out on a little tour, shall we?"

He chained his wrist up with Phi's so that she would not escape and dragged her out of the room, even as she held her head high, knowing her father had arrived.

The door made a loud noise as it closed behind them. I regained my normal size and pushed the chest out of my way to reveal the opening in the wall that led to the outside.

"Don't go," Domovoy said, grabbing my arm with his furry hand. "It's not safe."

"I have to stay with Phi!" I said, jerking out of his grasp and scrambling through the hole.

The full moon was hanging low in the sky. The darkness helped to conceal me in the shadows of the priests' houses. Still, I gritted my teeth, trusting that no one would discover me while the king continued to yank my friend by the wrist toward the fortress outer wall.

A large crowd of mindless servants and warriors had gathered on the road that led to the entrance waiting for the gates to open, all immobile, eyes glazed over. A few archers stood near Phi and the king on the wall. I made my way through the crowd, unnoticed because of my servant disguise, and climbed on the rampart as well, again keeping a safe distance between me and Phi.

I stared at my friend, hoping to meet her eyes, but she did nothing that showed she had seen me. Instead, she stared over the wall, standing proud and tall. Phi showed no sign of fear, despite the restraints still dangling from her wrists. She was trying to use her fire power to discretely break free.

She is confident that her father will save her from her tyrant.

I noticed a group of fairies walking our way, towards the fortress. They were still far but I could recognize King Siegfried's feather-covered crown. He was leading the troop.

As they drew closer, hope won me over. Aras was at the king's side, with Fossegrim, Nixie, the Merrows, and other members of our community. Their eyes shone with courage. They walked at a self-assured pace until only a few steps separated them from the fortress walls.

I couldn't help but wonder what went through our king's mind when he came back to the land he had left during his exile. The scenery was different, gray. Parts of the Great Tree destroyed. And this massive structure was built in the middle of everything and overlooked at the river nearby, where the ship that had brought these creatures was still anchored.