(I’ve had a rough week and I’m tired. Image courtesy of Ideogram. Interesting little world fact. Those would be very accurate Dragonfae summer nests. Naiads are sloppier and just fold leaves. Soliel don’t make nests, however, Stotz do. Joaquin and Aria are a hybrid of a hybrid…involve Stotz.)
As much as Char didn’t want to be carried, the thought of flying made her back ache. They stopped and rested frequently. Cherith, Maya, and Fisher kept close. The rest of the Naiads spread out around them in small packs, keeping watch.
“Why do we keep stopping?” Char asked impatiently as Maren landed in an ancient, twisting oak tree near the creek. He set her on her feet, keeping a hand on her arm.
“It’s too hot for us,” Cherith replied, landing next to them.
“I can…try to fly,” Char offered. She lifted her wings. They shook with the effort, the ragged ends drooping. Fire surged through her back and shoulders.
“No. You need to heal.” Maren squeezed her arm. “We’re not far from the orchard. I’m going to take a little swim to cool off. Are you okay up here?”
“Yes.” Char tilted her head up, squinting into a beam of sunlight. Comforting warmth washed over her. She stretched her wings. “I can sun myself.”
Cherith chuckled. “Keep forgetting how the sun invigorates Soliel.”
Soothing ripples rolled through Char’s wings and into her back. She smiled. “It feels so good.”
“Drink some water,” Cherith suggested, nodding to the canteen hanging from Char’s belt. She’d returned it earlier, full of clean, cool water. “I worked hard to get it.”
“Thank you," Char said, grasping the canteen. A drink sounded good. So did a bite to eat. She spread her wings and sat on the broad branch. Cherith sat across from her, her wings humming and creating a cooling breeze.
Maren waved and hopped over the side. He plunged into the nearby creek. A shower of glistening water droplets flew into the air.
Must be nice to jump into the water any time you want. Char watched enviously. At home, even when she was young, she hadn’t been allowed to go swimming with the other kids. After all, Naiads might lurk in the deeper waters, waiting to drown Vale Fae.
And yet, she’d received nothing but care and concern from the Naiads. All of them. They were not the monsters she’d been led to believe.
It’s wrong. How much better would we be if our colony worked with theirs?
Fisher and Maya giggled, darting to the end of a slender limb. They each balanced on a leaf, their wings upraised.
If I were queen, I’d change everything. Char lowered her head. Grand celebrations full of food and fun filled her thoughts.
Her eyes widened. The truth took over. Lorelei would be queen. There was only one way Char would ever receive a crown. She’d have to marry someone in another colony and that wouldn’t help the Naiads in the Hollow.
Her throat tightened. Mother’s face appeared before her, sad and lonely. It’d never been a future she entertained. Expected. Yes. Wanted. No.
Shouts echoed through the forest, coming from downstream. Char jerked her head toward Cherith. Maren was still in the stream, beneath the water. Would he hear?
“You look so worried.” Cherith laughed. “They sound excited, like they’ve found something good. Maybe prey.”
They’re hunting. Char shuddered. The shouting continued closer. They were much closer. What had they found? Did she have to watch?
Large feathered wings flapped through the trees, disturbing the leaves. Char whimpered, scanning the forest for Shiftfae. Had they run into a few? Was that what they were hunting? Did Naiads eat other Fae after all?
Her heart raced, thudding against her ribs. There they were. Translucent Naiad wings flashed. In their midst, solid red and then white moved. Two feathered Fae. They were being led, not hunted.
Hope exploded within her chest, sending her upright. She teetered, standing on her tiptoes. Is it…
“Char!” Aria waved her arms, flying ahead of Joaquin.
They’re alive! Char’s wings rose, fluttering in greeting.
“So glad to see you!” Aria reached her first. She laughed, grabbing Char into a hug and lifting her off her feet.
“Your friends are back!” Cherith said, moving farther down the branch.
“Aria! Put her down,” Joaquin snapped, landing beside them. “She’s hurt!”
Char stiffened, reminded of the cuts on her sides. Did they reopen? Am I bleeding?
"Am I hurting you?”Aria asked, setting Char back on her feet.
“No,” Char whispered, pulling the torn edge of her tunic up. Dried blood flaked off her sides, marking where she’d been injured. Nothing fresh. “I’m okay.”
Joaquin sighed. He scowled. His gaze passed over her, stopping at her wing tips. “If you fly, your wings may tear.”
“The salve? Is there enough?” Char suggested. It had worked well before.
“We’ll make do, but don’t worry about it,” Joaquin said, shaking his head. The corners of his mouth twitched, his features softening. “We’ll get you safely home by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Char gasped. It took so many days to get here.
“With the creek flowing, we’ll use it to travel all night—”
“But the pixies!” She shuddered.
“I have a plan. We’re building a raft that looks like debris.” Joaquin said, gesturing as if she would see what he had in mind. “Uninteresting leaves and twigs. We’ll hide inside and the Naiads will guide us down the creek. It won’t take nearly as much time.”
“We can’t wait until daylight?” Char whimpered, shifting from side to side.
“That runs the risk of humans spotting us.” He threw his arms out, as if the answer was obvious.
“It’ll be okay,” Aria said, resting her hand on Char’s shoulder. “Pixies don’t like the water to begin with. They won’t bother us.”
“Even if they did, all we have to do is go into the water. The Naiads will carry us.” Joaquin extended his hand, touching Char’s other shoulder.
“Why are we in a hurry?” She closed her eyes, unable to look at him. His hand lifted. Fingertips slid down her cheek, stopping beneath her chin.
“Princess Charlotte, this isn’t a good place for you…or any of us,” Joaquin whispered.
She met his gaze, an argument on her lips. It died in a sputtering breath. He wasn’t belittling her. There was nothing but concern in his faintly glowing eyes. The deep green of a forest gleamed beneath the golden light of a sunset.
“You’ve trusted us this far. Let us get you back sooner than later,” Aria added. “We want to go home, too.”
“Si, we’re not Naiads.” Joaquin laughed. “They require so much less than we do when it comes to where we lay our heads.”
“Like, walls. Ceilings.” Aria wrapped her arms around herself. “Pillows. Mattresses. Blankets.”
Char shivered. Her bed in her room called to her. She’d be safe beneath the ground by tomorrow night.
Without thinking, she leaned forward. Joaquin caught her in his arms. He pulled her into a gentle hug.
“I’m sorry for how I treated you when we met,” he said. “You didn’t deserve that. What I should have done was made a deal with you and sent you home.”
“A deal? Like when you tried to make me stay behind?” Her stomach twisted. “But I wouldn’t have agreed.”
“Because you didn’t trust me. I know.” Joaquin pulled back. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Which is why, I shouldn’t have even given you the choice. I should have done what I knew was right.”
Not given me the choice? Char clamped her mouth shut. If they had held her back, everything would be different. She wouldn’t have gotten to know them…Joaquin, Aria… The Naiads.
“You wouldn’t have been injured,” he continued, looking over her head. “I want you to understand; I’m not blaming you for anything. We would have had to do something, with or without you.”
Maren landed behind Joaquin. The gashes over his face glistened. It was only water, but the deep red marks were all she could see.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Progress: 67k written!
Help me out! Pass along my free serial in restacks!
Managing to clear a chapter a week, so that’s good. I’ve been tired and my stamina has taken a temporary hit. Pray for me! I will get better. Just need my gut health to fall back inline.
Apologies for the errors. My CP/first reader is very busy right now. :D Growing a baby takes energy. I’m aware that I have Cherith’s name down as Cherise in a prior chapter. Fixed that in my Scrivener file. Oops.
I’m tired from healing and recovery. Doing the best I can, but I will be slow.
TC Ross
< Chapter 43***Start*** Chapter 45 >
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All back together!! Yaa!!