Zoey could not sleep that night in her queen-sized bed with Violet next to her. Her sister lay unmoving, her eyes closed. Every so often, Zoey would hold her finger under his sister’s nose to check that she was still breathing.
It was horrible, lying next to someone and thinking any breath they took would be their last. Zoey could not live like this – the stress was eating away at her, piece by piece. She was glad to have her sister home, and just like everyone else, she was trying to make Violet feel loved and welcome. They tried to act normal, because that was easier than accepting that Violet would pass away soon.
Zoey shook her head. If she could help it, her sister was not going to die. She got out of bed to fetch the map she had left on her desk to dry. She climbed back into bed and unfolded it. She had a pen with her so that she could tick off areas where she had already searched for the Fluver-luzile.
Zoey sat up straight as she trailed the footpath she’d walked today on the map with her finger. She frowned and stopped moving her hand at the spot where the waterfall and river was. How come there was no waterfall or river on the map?
The logical explanation was that the map was outdated, so she switched on her computer and searched for a new one. All the maps she found of the Wandering Woods were similar, and none of them featured the river or waterfall.
The next day, Zoey went to the forest again and passed the river and the waterfall. It had been warm when she left her house, so she had dressed in shorts. But the deeper she ventured, the colder it got. Zoey took another step, and a chill shiver went through her body. She widened her eyes and looked around in disbelief – snow lay everywhere. The trees had no leaves, and snow rested on the branches. The plants were frozen, and the ground was covered in white, the wetness soaking into Zoey’s shoes. This was not possible. It was spring, and the edge of the forest was covered in flowers, but here it was winter. This part of the forest did not appear on the map. Within minutes, she was shaking, so she returned home to get warm.
The next few days, Zoey went to the forest again and again, wearing winter attire. She drew the waterfall on the map, where it should be. The more she explored, the more she realized the map had multiple flaws. The forest was much bigger than the map said it was, and there were more hills and frozen rivers which did not appear on paper.
Zoey enjoyed her time in the forest, but she was growing impatient. She was no closer to finding the flower than she had been the first time when she had ventured into the forest. Luckily, she did not find any dangerous animals or Fata either. There was one day she thought she saw a Twixie, but the tiny light disappeared quickly, and she assumed it had been a quirk in her vision.
Zoey explored this snow and marveled at its existence. Maybe she was crazy, but the only logical explanation for this was magic.
***
“That human is wandering around in our forest again.” Rane did not try to hide his annoyance. He drummed the hilt of his sword with his fingers, and his lips were pressed into a pencil-thin line.
Caynin was sitting on his icy throne, which didn’t crumble beneath his weight. His throne was made of ice crystals that never melted. It was big and stood out in the large blue throne room. Caynin almost melted away in the throne, with his white hair and cream-colored clothes – or so he’d been told.
The room itself was built from ice, as if it were an igloo – just much bigger, grander. The windows admitted no sunlight to illuminate Caynin’s white hair and sharp fangs. He turned to his side and threw his legs over the arm of the throne before giving his attention to Rane.
“Who told you?”
“The Twixies.” Rane snapped his fingers, and the torches at the base of the throne caught fire. “I’m surprised that they have not tried any of their tricks on her.”
Caynin clicked his tongue. “They won’t – not after I ordered them to show her the way out of the woods.”
Caynin was in the throne room so that he could listen to his faeries’ complaints. Whatever they were unhappy about, he would try to fix. Overall, the Fata, more specifically the Enerly, were happy and had few worries.
“Prince, let me kill her,” Rane said. “She’s asking for it by returning.”
Why had the girl come back? It was obvious that she was terrified of them, and the rational thing for her to do would be to stay away. He could not help but be intrigued by her.
“She doesn’t want to die,” Caynin countered.
“Then she is naïve to come here,” Rane said.
The human was very young, and Caynin certainly thought her naïve – weak, despite her courage. She looked well fed and her clothes were as nice as human clothes could be, which suggested that she had lived a safe, reserved life. She had no reason to be distrusting or on her guard. Caynin looked at his friend, whose lip still twisted, and understood his hateful, vengeful feelings toward humans.
“This is not a personal matter.”
“My Prince—”
“Where is she now?” Caynin asked.
“She is at the foot of the Echo Mountain,” Rane said.
Caynin was eager to see her again, so he swung his legs off the throne and stood up. He flashed his teeth at Rane as he said, “I’ll go pay her a visit.”
“Let me come with you.”
“No,” Caynin said. If Rane joined him, he might have to stop his friend from taking off the girl’s head. Caynin was not fond of humans, but he did not hate them the way Rane did.
“Don’t let her small figure, thin arms, and gentle smile fool you,” Rane warned. “Humans are vicious creatures.”
He walked away without begging to tag along. Was this because he was frustrated enough, and there was no need for him to embarrass himself by nagging? Caynin had made up his mind, and there was no changing it. But now that Rane had not got his way, there was nothing stopping him from stomping away and moping.
Caynin left the throne room and headed toward a small row of Fata who were patiently waiting to talk to them. He informed them that he would hear their complaints tomorrow, and then he descended the stairs away from the throne room.
His palace was beautiful and big, and passing through it gave him a sense of pride. The walls were clad in ice crystals, like frozen waterfalls. Trees were covered in white snow, while torches and candles illuminated the palace. It had many frozen pools, ponds, and fountains, as well as white gardens. White archways and silver bridges, which no human was capable of building, graced the structure.
In the human lands it was spring, but in Caynin’s kingdom it was an everlasting winter. Caynin breathed in the fresh coldness as he followed the corridors. He wore a long-sleeved shirt, but not a coat, as the cold didn’t bother him – or any of the faeries.
Plenty of Fata were walking around, busy with their daily chores. Caynin knew most of them by name because he took interest in his Fata and their well-being.
Some of the castle walls were built out of growing trees, their branches intertwined to form strong walls. Their leaves and flowers made the walls seem thick and opaque. And, of course, they were frozen solid.
Some female Fata smiled at Caynin as he passed them. The smile he returned was not as warm or interested as theirs.
The castle did not have a wall or a moat around it. The Fata were at the top of the food chain. What did they have to fear? Besides, no Slaerie would be dumb enough to venture into their palace.
Caynin headed to the back of the castle, where the winged leopards were lying around. Chet, his personal favorite, spotted him immediately and grinned a toothy smile that would send any human running. The leopard was as white as the snow lying around him, with black spots covering his fur. He had big, round eyes, almost as blue as Caynin’s. His tail swished impatiently as he waited for Caynin to approach. His large wings were folded around his body, and once Caynin was close enough, he stretched out his hand. A rough, pink tongue licked him once, before Caynin moved his hand upward to the leopard’s curly horns. These were slim and curled outwards, away from his ears, and they were covered in beautiful chains and jewels. A chain held a big, blue jewel, with two small silver circles dangling below it, in the center of Chet’s forehead.
“Time to go.” Caynin mounted the gigantic animal.
Chet got to his feet, and when the cat was standing, Caynin’s feet couldn’t reach the ground. The leopard stretched before he began running, flapping his mighty wings, and taking flight. They flew higher and higher until they were above the tallest tower of the castle and soaring in the wintery sky. In the distance, Caynin could see green – marking the human lands.
Chet swooped toward Echo Mountain, making one or two playful loops in the sky as he went. Caynin was a good rider and knew he wouldn’t fall. His predatory eyes detected small animals below him. It didn’t take long before he saw the girl and asked Chet to land nearby, but out of sight. Surely, if she saw the winged leopard, she would be terrified and unable to talk to him.
“Go home.” Caynin touched Chet lovingly.
He wore a ring on his finger with the same blue jewel as Chet wore on his head. It was a way to communicate with Chet – when he wore it, Chet could find him anywhere.
Chet obeyed and flew back to the castle, leaving Caynin to go past the trees toward the girl. His feet didn’t sink into the snow, like a human’s would. He walked on top of it.
She was halfway up the mountain and smiling widely. In her hands she had a drawing – from the distance Caynin could see that it was a flower with pink petals and a purple center – a Fluver-luzile, a flower with healing properties. Now he knew why she kept returning to the woods. He studied her – she was clearly healthy and did not need healing. Caynin’s fists balled as he realized she was no doubt stealing the flower so that she could sell it. He did not like thieves.
On the cliffs above her grew the Fluver-luzile. Caynin could easily reach them, but a human would struggle. There was no clear path, and this part of the mountain was steep and dangerous. She could slip on the ice, and those thick gloves and boots were certainly not made for climbing. Humans were so sensitive to the cold.
Caynin stood there, as silent as a lion stalking its prey. The girl had proven to be courageous, and Caynin expected nothing less than for her to start climbing. She didn’t have any mountain climbing gear with her and was taking a big risk. If she fell, he’d be able to catch her, if he wanted to. She intrigued him – that didn’t mean he cared whether she got hurt.
She put her gloved fingers into the cracks of the cliff, pulled herself up, then found a ledge to place her left foot. She was climbing as if she was a wannabe rock climber who lacked experience and skill.
Caynin leaned lazily against the tree and watched as she tried to find another crack or ledge for her left hand. She attempted to reach for a hold on a rock higher up but could not close the gap. Her breathing grew ragged, and her arms were shaking from strain. Caynin was growing impatient. Humans were so slow, and if she had paid attention to her surroundings, she would have noticed a rock to her left that was in reach.
“Go for the rock on your left,” he told her.