Page 26 of Fairies Don't Fall

He scowled at me, then shook his head. “It’s not possible that one person, even if she were a Queen, could have transformed so much stone in such a small amount of time.”

I stared at him. “Why do people keep saying that things aren’t possible? You have fairy wings and sweat glitter. Do you know what’s impossible? For fairies, weak, pathetic, helpless creatures to defeat the most powerful army known to man. Impossible? I don’t think you understand what that word means. Impossible is talking to a terraformer who doesn’t terraform anything. I’m glad you left during the war, because we didn’t need doubt when we were determined to do the impossible. Which, for the record, wasn’t impossible after all. Goto sleep.” I blew on him, a little vapor of my sleep potion, and he slumped down in his rags and started snoring. “Seriously, Berry. You know so much, but understand so little.”

“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat in the shadows. I could see in the dark, so I didn’t understand until Max dropped my cloak of shadows and came forward, wrapping it up before he crouched down next to me. “You sound so wise for one wearing a hoodie.”

I stared at him, feeling uncertain. “I’m not here looking for pixie dust.”

He nodded. “I heard. Death sickness? What’s that about?”

I looked at him and then away, out over the water that flickered silver as it picked up the city’s reflected lights. “Fairies weren’t made for death. Too much of it makes us sick.”

“Huh. So, why are you the princess instead of the queen? What’s the difference if there is no queen and you’re still the ultimate ruler?”

I sighed heavily. “You know the worst thing? I touched him, so my hand now smells like ick. Your beast smells so much better than him. I think I’m going to make them bathe before they come to the caverns.”

“Who?”

I turned to smile at him, leaning my cheek against my knees over the soft fabric. “All the fairies at your gruel party. I’m going to have them plant trees for your forest while we go find some sky. I want to see your favorite sky in the whole world.”

He raised a dark brow. “What if they don’t want to go plant trees? They’re pixie-dust addicts.”

“Are you going to say it’s impossible?” I raised my head and studied him.

He smiled slightly. “Never. You have fairy wings and sweat glitter. How could I doubt? It might not be ethical, however.If you’re not even their Queen, how can you ask something of them?”

I elbowed him. “Like you rehabilitate people against their will? What’s up with that? It’s right up there with worshipping owl gods.”

“I don’t worship an owl god, I worship the moon goddess. The owl god is just a buddy.”

“Oh. That explains everything. I need to shower your beast. Can we do it when we get the sky? There are falls, aren’t there? Then he can have more space.”

“You meanyoucan have more space.”

I looked at him and shrugged. “I’m more than slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of shampooing your beast. Oh, but I didn’t bring the bubblegum shampoo. I was all set on us having the same fabulous candy scent.”

He blinked slowly. “I’ll have someone bring it when they bring the car to the gruel party. You’re a little scary, Princess Sparkles.”

I nodded. “I am, but you’re scarier.”

He shrugged. “I suppose that depends who you ask. Did you put him to sleep by blowing on him?”

I pressed my lips together for a moment before I smiled at him. “Maybe.”

“Maybe? You have poison, venom, glue, and a sleep potion in your mouth? The Swiss Army Knife is jealous.”

“I have no idea what that is.”

“I’ll get you one for your birthday.”

“I have no idea when that is.”

“Then I’ll get you one for my birthday. Actually, I don’t know when that is, either. We can choose a date and share it, so we can get double the presents.”

“Or halve them. You could get me a knife, and I could get you the same one. That sounds positively efficient.”

“I am alarmingly efficient. All the death fairies say so.”

I flinched and turned away from him, pulling my limbs in and feeling the cold more than I had a second ago. Yes, some people called me a death fairy, but that’s not what I was. That’s what I’d been forced to become so I could save my people the only way I knew how. I was young, inexperienced, and ruled by emotions.

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