Page 32 of Enchanted By a Pirate
Anna nodded to herself. She understood why the giant suspected the captain. But what if everything had happened differently? "According to him, I went to meet Iris and Jasmin and then was going to meet him again — but I never returned."
"That's just like him. Twisting the facts to his liking. Anemone, you must never trust a pirate, especially that sneaky captain!"
Apparently, the captain and the giant had never liked each other. She smiled and stared off into the distance. She wanted to believe both of them, but wasn't that foolish?
"Back then, did I tell you I gave him the fairy dust?"
Carefully, so as not to crush the blades, Anton ran his fingers, long as normal human legs, over the grass. His gigantic size didn't frighten Anna, but it constantly impressed her.
He hesitated. "You hinted you were considering it. But you knew I would have talked you out of it, so you quickly dropped the subject."
Aha. Hinted. "Did I express my concerns that someone was taking the fairy dust?"
Anthony nodded. "According to Margerite and Iris, you only said that to cover up the fact that you were taking fairy dust to the pirates."
This allegation hurt Anna. Even if she couldn't remember the past, she certainly wasn't a bad person. She brushed the accusation aside but noted who had voiced suspicions about her. "Did I ever express concerns about fairies disappearing? Before I gave away the fairy dust?"
He slowly raised his eyebrows. Creases furrowed his forehead like trenches. Then he scratched his head. "It's been so long, Anemone."
She kneeled and peered intently at the giant. "Think about it! It is important. Did I mention the names of any fairies who were missing?"
"Hah, my memory has never been the best." He shook his head leisurely. Anna's shoulders sagged when suddenly he raised his index finger. "Wait a minute, there was something. You… eh… said that you had to work longer than usual. And that you had the impression there were fewer of you. M'hm… and that you really missed someone specific. The names sounded similar. You mentioned something like Ki…, Ko…, Ka…, Calla! Calla and Ka… mille! It was them. You missed those two."
Anna froze. So it was true. The captain had told the truth — at least as far as the fairies were concerned. Was it merely a chain of coincidences or had someone deliberately laid the blame onher for all of this? The scapegoat was gone and wouldn't return to defend themselves?
Anton bowed his head. "What is it? What's on your mind?"
She inhaled deeply and then looked at him determinedly. "Someone framed me for this."
"What? Framed? But you gave the pirates a barrel of fairy dust and then they sailed through the air and took on the giants."
"Yes, but before that, fairies had started to disappear and someone was taking the dust."
Anton's mouth fell open. He stared at her in disbelief but said nothing. Suddenly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a huge sausage. "After that shock, I need something to eat."
Her stomach rumbled loudly at the sight, but when she tried to ask him for a piece, her stomach churned. Now what was happening?
"Here." Anton set her down gently on the meadow and pointed to a blueberry bush. "There's your breakfast."
Her eyes lit up, her stomach growled, and she immediately picked a handful — the bush didn't have more to offer. Her food cravings definitely were crazy in this land. As were her sleeping habits. Okay, she had never liked staying up after sunset and was rather grumpy in the morning before the first rays of sunlight. But the fact that she practically fell over as soon as the sun set was unusual. She probably couldn't blame it on jet lag. Pensive, she tossed blueberry after blueberry into her mouth and after one measly portion, she was full. Strange. She hadn't eaten anything since the raspberries yesterday.
"Your body remembers before your mind does," commented Anton, who had noticed her thoughtful look. Could he read her mind? "Fairies only need a few berries a day, and for some, one is enough. And your sleep rhythm is already syncing with your family."
Were those signs that there was a fairy hiding inside her?
"Oh, Toni…"
"Don't look so skeptical. I would never lie to you. Besides, Margerite and Iris said it too. Why do you think the pirates who abducted you shackled you with iron restraints? So you wouldn't change and fly away."
She was about to wave him off when she remembered the pirate captain's words. "The captain also confirmed it…"
"Well, at least he spoke the truth for once."
Anna ignored Anton's comment. The captain had said it too. He had spoken of her wings and his eyes had lit up. Was that even possible? "How can that be? How am I supposed to be a fairy? Toni, it's beyond my imagination."
The giant merely nodded to himself. "Time will tell, Anemone, time will tell." He wiped his fingers clean on a handkerchief, then ran his fingers over the grass and stared thoughtfully at Anna. "We have to find out who is truly responsible for the deaths of the fairies. How do we go about it?"
Anna let her gaze wander over the meadow, the forest, and the hills in the distance. "We'll start with you showing me the Kingdom of Flowers."
