TWENTY-FOUR

VIDIA TOOK the dagger. “You’d cut off your wings?” For once her tone wasn’t mocking.

Rani nodded bravely. “I’ve always wanted to swim.”

Vidia would have died rather than given up her wings. She said, “Pet, they still may not give you a comb.”

“You’ll have lost your wings for nothing.” Prilla wrung her hands. This was much worse than the hawk or the pirate.

Rani yelled, “Don’t tell me what I already know!”

Prilla wanted to say she’d give up her wings so Rani wouldn’t have to, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she said, “Won’t it—”

“—hurt? It doesn’t hurt.”

Prilla really knew this. She just wasn’t thinking. Wings don’t hurt. Cutting off a Never fairy’s wing is no more painful than cutting hair.

Vidia raised the dagger. And lowered it. Raised it again, and lowered it again. She couldn’t do it. She was a fast-flier, and she couldn’t cut anyone’s wings off. She held the knife out to Prilla. “You do it, dear child.”

“Me? Oh, no! Not me.”

“Vidia… ”

“Can’t do it, love. Can’t.”

“Prilla,” Rani said, “cut them off.”

Prilla shook her head.

“Do it. I command you to.”

Prilla took the dagger. She was crying so hard she could barely see. She held a wing just above where it met Rani’s shoulder blade. She made a nick and jumped back.

“That’s it,” Rani said. “Keep going.”

Prilla sawed at what looked like a short tree branch with the bark peeled off. To her relief it didn’t bleed. It was dense, though, and cutting through it was slow going.

Vidia couldn’t stand to watch, so she rose into the air and began to fly along the shore.

Rani called after her, “Get the carrier.” They’d need it to bring her and the comb back to land. “Keep going, Prilla.”

Prilla was making good progress now. “I hope I don’t have a talent for cutting off—”

“—wings.” Rani laughed through her tears. “Wait.” She turned and hugged a surprised Prilla. “You have a talent for being sweet.” She turned back. “Keep cutting.”

If Prilla could have cried harder, she would have. No one had ever hugged her before. After a minute she said, “Is there really a talent for being sweet?”

“No, but there should be.”

Oh, Prilla thought. Oh, well.

At last the first wing was off. The second went quicker because Prilla had gotten the hang of it. The wing came off and plopped on the sand. The wing slits of Rani’s dress hung open. Her wing stumps were milky white. Their surface was rough, with tiny sharp points sticking up.

“Thank you, Prilla.” Rani couldn’t look at the discarded wings. She went to the water and waded in up to her waist. She’d never dared go so far in before. The water soothed her.

Prilla thought the wings didn’t look as if they’d ever had anything to do with flight. They were just bony frames wrapped in gauze.

But wait! They began to change. The frames turned from dull white to glossy pink.

“Rani, look!” Prilla shouted.

Rani hurried out of the water, frightened at Prilla’s tone.

The wings began to vibrate. Rani wondered if they were going to disappear.

The vibrating stopped. Diamond chips and tiny aquamarines shimmered through the gauze.

“They’re beautiful,” Prilla breathed.

Rani felt better. She must have done the right thing for her wings to become so marvelous.

Vidia landed with the balloon carrier. “What are those pretties?”

A note of pride crept into Rani’s voice. “My wings.” She stood up straight. “Now, take me to the mermaids.”

“We have to put the wings somewhere safe.” Prilla carried them and Rani’s boots to a jumble of driftwood. She placed everything carefully out of the wind.

Rani gave the satchel of dust to Prilla. Then she sat in the carrier, and Prilla pulled her out over the water while Vidia flew ahead. When they neared Marooners’ Rock, Rani jumped into the sea.

She went under, and her dream of being surrounded by water came true. She wriggled her toes, flexed her fingers, curled herself into a ball, straightened herself out. She took great underwater leaps with her arms spread out.

She opened her eyes. Big fish and small fish swam by. Gaily colored fish and drab fish and almost transparent fish swam by. A sea horse just Rani’s size rocked by.

She was running out of air. She didn’t know how to swim, but she had an instinct for it. She moved her arms in a breaststroke and her legs in a scissors kick. In a few seconds she broke the surface of the water.

Vidia and Prilla hovered above her. She waved, took a deep breath, and dived back under.