Through the Fairy Ring

Chapter Forty-Eight

We sprinted for the back door. The Caladrius grew heavier the longer I held it in my arms, but I didn't want to give it to Arden to carry. I finally, literally, had the kids' cure in my grasp. I didn't want to let it go.

"Do you think it's wise to not tether the bird?" the Duchess asked.

"I think it'll be okay. It seems to understand."

We didn't say anything more until we reached the door. The Duchess looked apprehensively at the Caladrius. She pursed her lips and then closed her eyes, concentrating. The opening in the wall appeared, and Arden and the Duchess ran outside. I hesitated, a sudden spike in anxiety slowing my feet. What if it flew away?

"Hey!" A shout came down the hall behind me. A large number of Pixie guards ran toward us. I tucked the bird under one arm, and kicked the table and chairs in the corridor to block the way. I took several steps backward and started to gather my energy to set them on fire when Frederick bolted around the Pixies and streaked down the hall. Under the furniture he lit himself up. The wood must have been extremely dry, or Frederick was really hot, because flames whooshed upward and licked the top of the hallway.

I ran for the opening, Frederick behind me.

"Close the door!" I shouted once we were on the other side.

It disappeared and the four of us raced for the portal. The poor Caladrius' head bobbed in front of me. It was having a very rough ride.

In the distance people shouted directions. We were about to be hunted.

"Duchess, can you manipulate the Fairy Rings?" Arden forced the sentence out between heavy breaths.

"I can." She leaped like a doe over a tree trunk, and didn't seem to have any trouble breathing.

"When we get to the portal, you and Hazel will go through. I'm going to get my men and the Fairies, and we'll go back for Drostan."

Oh, yeah. Drostan. Was he still alive, or because the guards were coming after us, did it mean the General had won? "How do you know..."

"I don't." Arden slid to a stop in front of the saplings bent into a bow above us. "But I'm going to find out."

"I believe he's still alive," the Duchess said. "I imagine, once you used magic, the General couldn't ignore the affront of your escape and stopped the fight. Drostan would have become his prisoner, but Pixie law still has to be fulfilled. They have to finish the battle, and the General can't hurt Drostan or risk the displeasure of the people."

I reached for Arden's hand as worry stabbed my heart. "Be careful." I looked at Frederick. "Stay with Arden. Keep him safe."

Frederick meowed and rubbed against Arden's ankles.

"I'll be fine. The General might even fold without a fight." Arden pulled me to him, careful to avoid squishing the Caladrius, and planted a long kiss on my mouth. I melted into him as the electric buzz tingled my lips, and then pulled away.

"I hope so." My voice sounded strained.

Arden touched my cheek. "You be safe, too." One more peck on my lips, and he and Frederick took off in the opposite direction of the voices.

I cleared my throat. "Let's get this done."

I chanted the words to open the portal, the curtain between worlds pulled back, and we stepped through to the tiny clearing on the other side.

I gave the signal to close the portal and went immediately to a nearby shrub. Juggling the Caladrius under one arm, I reached under the branches and pulled two sets of reins from underneath. "We left some Suntaria here so we could get to the Fairy Ring quickly. The problem is we didn't tie them. Arden was going to summon them." Now I had no idea how to find them, and I didn't think "Here, horsey, horsey" was going to work, either.

A little man popped out of the bushes in front of me, and I recognized the orange and white hair.

"Roldo! Thank goodness! Have you seen any Suntaria around here?"

He looked from me to the Duchess to the Caladrius and back to me. "You sure keep a lot of different company."

"Yes, I'm popular. Listen, not trying to be rude, but we're in a hurry and need to find our horses."

He gave an ear-splitting whistle, and his ears swiveled to hear a response. He pointed down the path. "That way. Maybe two-hundred feet."

"Thank you!"

We found the horses right where Roldo said. Dara came over the moment she saw me and nuzzled first my head and then the Caladrius. The bird pulled back as far away from the horse as it could.

"Here," I said to the Duchess. I dropped the bridles on the ground and held out the white bird with both hands. "Would you hold Cal while I get the horses ready?"

"Cal?" She reached out to take the bird, and I made a tactical mistake. I moved my hands before the duchess was ready, and Cal took advantage of the lack of restraint on his wings. He extended his wings and flapped them several times, flogging both me and the duchess. I tried to get an arm over the top of him, but he bounded forward, stretching his neck, and glided out of my reach.

"No!" I dove after him, but with three more hops he took to the air. His strong wing beats pulled him higher into the sky. I watched from the ground, horrified, as he curved to the left and disappeared behind the treetops.

Shock numbed my mind, and seconds later a huge wail ripped out of my heart and exploded from my throat. I buried my head in my arms and sobbed with no control whatsoever. Some part of me sat apart from the emotions, observing with disinterest how my body shook, how dirt sucked into my mouth when I inhaled, but I didn't have any desire to stop any of it. My children were as good as dead. I had killed them by my compassion for the bird. I was so stupid.

The Duchess tapped on my shoulder.

"Leave me alone." The words were so mangled I doubted she could understand me. I only knew what I said because I said it.

Tap, tap.

"Go away. Go home."

Tap, tap.

"What!" I jerked myself up on one elbow and looked over my shoulder, straight into the pale-blue eyes of the Caladrius. He shifted his weight as he settled onto the dirt beside me and rested his head on my side, his long beak stretching to the middle of my back. My face crumpled as I began to sob again. "Oh my God. You came back. Thank you."

I rolled over and curled my arm around his body while I took deep breaths and tried to calm down. Once I had some control, I turned my head to look for the duchess. She sat in the grass, and held onto the horses' reins, which she apparently had put on while I had my meltdown. She gave me a gentle smile.

"When you're ready, we can go."

"Thank you." I started to sit up and Cal moved away from me, giving me room to stand. "I think we're ready."