Page 74 of Faerie Fate
“How do the pixies work the enchantment using the flower?” Mike pressed. “Seems like it would be complicated to introduce into weaponry once its grown?—”
“There’s nothing complicated about it.” Poppy pursed her lips. “The crushed petals produce a powder when introduced to a specific word of power, and when the powder is ground into the metal of the weapons during forging, it imbues them with the power. It’s an alchemical change.”
“No wonder they got rid of it. No one can beat unbeatable weapons. The fae would never be able to overpower the pixies,” Bronwen added.
“Yeah, just like they get rid of half-breeds because we aren’t like them.”
The snark came naturally. King Tywin had introduced the portals between realms so that he could control who came and went from Faerie to the mortal realm and vice versa. The keys were his way of ensuring that only those people he approved of had access to his world.
The reason why my uncle died.
The fury was fresh and felt so much better than the hopelessness. I kept my gaze trained on the smoke in the distance as the road rolled over hills and through shallow valleys.
Tywin might be Mike’s father, but he was a tyrant who’d had a grudge against me from the second I came to his realm, all under the guise of doing me a favor. He’d forced me to live in the castle, gave me a job in the kitchen, allowed me to attend the Elite Academy…
All of it came down to his need to control what he found suspicious because I was different. His reign began sometime around this time. I remembered reading that. Mike said his grandfather ruled during the time of the Great Pixie War but died on the front lines, then Tywin took over.
“How much further do we have to go?” Bronwen was asking Poppy when I finally pried myself free of the anger.
“We’ll find someplace safe to camp for the night and rest,” Poppy answered. She refused to slow her strides, proving to everyone, herself included, that the earthquake hadn’t fazed her. “We should reach the border of the pixie territory in the morning.”
Mike worked his arms to keep up with her. “I didn’t realize you were so close to the border.”
“Because in your time, there is no pixie territory. There’s only one united Faerie for the fae. Am I right?”
Her sarcasm shut him up.
We ended up not stopping. Not when we were close enough that our silent consensus was to push through. None of us dared give in to the fatigue. Even Bronwen, whose nose slowly healed itself during the hike, agreed. Stopping meant adding hours to our journey, time that none of us were prepared to waste. Time was our most precious currency.
Noren took up the bulk of my weight as we pushed forward. The sun arched lower in the sky and by the time the border swam into view, tinges of purple laced the peach-hued dome overhead.
“There.” Poppy pointed. “The edge of the pixie lands.”
“Why does it look like it’s on fire?” Bronwen wanted to know.
Her expression sobered. “Because it is.”
The border was engulfed in flames. Sparks erupted in frantic waves, but when we got closer, my eyes widened in shock. Not sparks.
Dozens of pixies flew around the fire and smoke with buckets of water to try and douse the flames. It was clearly a lost cause.
A moan built inside me. All those poor pixies, scrambling to avoid absolute devastation. Were the fae still around after their attack? There was no sign of them.
Bronwen’s eyes widened. “We need to help them!”
“Wait. They’re not using magic.” The pixies carried water in their inch-sized hands, their strength fantastical. “Why not?”
Mike dropped his pack and took a step forward before Poppy grabbed him by the elbow to stop him.
“Pixies are from the earth. They are not masters of the four elements like the fae. They specialize in earth, as you were told, which makes them such excellent stewards of the land,” she said. “For all their magical gifts, they have no more control over fire or water than ordinary humans. So they do it the old-fashioned way.”
Like humans.
Poppy turned to glare at Bronwen. “Before you offer to help again, remember what I told you earlier.”
Bronwen glared right back. “I wasn’t going to suggest it again.”
But we shared the same thought and when my eyes snagged with Bronwen’s, I had to bite down on the inherent need to assist.
