Page 123 of Dreams and Dragon Wings
“We must hurry,” she urges, flitting around me, weaving threads of Spirit to lend me what strength she can spare. But I can plainly see the way her light flickers as she does.
Even she can only weave so much.
Dong.
The bell rings again, and the ground abruptly shifts beneath me, rippling like a sheet of fabric. Frantic, I reach for Velda and hold her cupped within my hands just as I speed away from Malice, carried off by the rolling waves of grass and flowers beneath us rather than by my own two legs.
Earth. Someone is weaving Earth to aid me.
I look around, hunting for any sign of my father. Instead, I find two winged goblins fluttering just overhead, keeping pace with me as they command the ground beneath my feet. As I watch, their leathery wings dissipate, shifting into those of glittering butterflies instead.
Pixies. They were once pixies.
Dong.
Malice’s latest screech echoes behind me, drawing closer by the moment despite the speed with which we circle about the castle, making for the courtyard, the brambles, the tower. I don’t dare look back.
I fear I might lose my resolve if I do.
“Velda!” I shout over the whistle of the wind. “What is that bell?”
“It’s the Bell of Illume,” she whispers, staring up in awe at the once-pixies aiding us. “It rings to warn of intruders who meanthe Vale and its people harm. It will not stop ringing until the intruder is either expelled or dealt with.”
One of the creatures above us croaks, “Therya’feyand her champion must fight the intruder!”
I almost laugh. They can’t possibly think Velda and I have enough strength to ward off Malice on our own? Even if I weren’t exhausted, the dragon chasing us down is nearly twice my age.
And far better trained than I probably ever will be.
The tower looms close. The glow of my gift illuminates the brambles encircling it, turning them into a verdant hedge maze once more.
Suddenly, I realize the once-pixie meant Bene, not Velda.
They think the dragon trapped in the tower is my champion.
That realization clarifies as the ground beneath me abruptly comes to a stop, and I stumble forward, almost pitching face-first into the outer hedge of the maze.
And into Ghoul, who guards the maze’s entrance.
“Quickly,Therya’fey!” the once-pixies urge me.
I kick off my mother’s shoes and hurry forward, but Ghoul doesn’t step aside.
The green-skinned goblin simply looks up at me, confusion burning on his features. “I think I know you,” he rasps, straightening his hunched back just a little. “You’re my… my niece.”
Dong.
Emerald light flashes behind me, swiftly followed by crimson and a wave of heat that drives me forward until I nearly bump into the goblin blocking my path.
“Yes,” I confirm, nervous energy crackling through me. “Forgive me, but I must go.”
Threads of Earth spring to Ghoul’s fingertips as he gives me a fang-filled smile. “I even remember my green-name, too.” The hedge maze bends to his will, peeling outward layer by layer toprovide me with a straight path forward. “I’m Aspen val’Anasi,” he proclaims loud and proud, standing a little taller. He urges me onward with a wave of his clawed hand. “Uncle to the queen!”
My heart swells as I dart down the path Aspen provides as quickly as my wobbly legs will allow. The maze closes in around me with each step I take, hedges snapping back into place once I pass.
“I can fly, you know,” Velda comments from where I still hold her cupped in my hands.
But I shake my head. “Save your strength. We still have more work to do.”
