TWENTY-SEVEN

TERENCE SPRINKLED enough fairy dust on Beck so she could fly to Mother Dove. A nursing-talent fairy set Tink’s leg while Terence looked on, wincing. Ree questioned Tink about what had happened.

On the beach, Beck cleaned Mother Dove’s wound with soapy dew and pressed moss into it to staunch the bleeding. The injury was very bad.

Mother Dove whispered, “Don’t cry, Beck.”

How could she not cry? She doubted even the egg could save Mother Dove.

The questers flew along the prairie, through a field of raindrop cactus and by a herd of curly-maned horses. After three hours they reached the hills leading to Torth Mountain. An hour more, and they began to fly over the mountain’s lower slopes. Vidia, in the lead as always, saw smoke coming from one of the caves. Kyto’s cave.

Tink, limping on crutches, accompanied Ree to the beach to see how Mother Dove was faring.

Beck just shook her head.

The questers ran out of dust at noon, with several caves in sight above them. It would take about an hour of flying to reach them.

Prilla was thrilled. They were almost there, and they’d come so far. It had been such an adventure, and she’d been part of it. She’d escaped from Hook, and she’d persuaded Vidia to wait for Rani. Even with no talent, she’d helped.

Rani said they should eat lunch before going on. Prilla was too excited to eat. She jumped up and tried to turn a cartwheel, which was hard without fairy dust. Her wings overbalanced her, and she fell against the carrier.

Rani laughed. Prilla’s high jinks made her forget her wings, sometimes. She finished her bread and brushed the crumbs off her dress.

Prilla did a split and a handspring. Rani stood and pulled the dust satchel strap over her head. Prilla tried again to do a cartwheel. Rani opened the dust satchel just as Prilla crashed into her. Rani tumbled backward and spilled the remaining fairy dust into the wind.

Mother Dove developed a fever. Her beak chattered, and her eyes were too bright. Beck built up the sand around her and over her back to warm her. Tink hopped here and there, pressing down to make her snug.

Mother Dove thought she didn’t mind dying so much. But she minded never learning if her egg had been saved.

She thought of telling Ree that the time had come to pluck her.

Soon. She’d tell Ree soon. In the meanwhile she’d try to hang on a little longer.

No one was speaking to Prilla. Vidia had actually slapped her when the dust blew away.

Prilla had said she was sorry.

Rani had answered, “Clumsies say they’re sorry. Fairies say I’d fly backward if I could.”

So Prilla had said, “I’d fly backward if I could.”

But no one had answered.

Prilla wasn’t talking to herself either, except to call herself names. She’d ruined everything. That was her talent. Even if Kyto fixed the egg, Mother Dove would probably be dead before they got back to Fairy Haven.

Rani was sure there was no point to going on. But she led them on anyway.

They climbed on foot. Luckily they didn’t have to carry the carrier, because its balloons still had dust.

As they climbed, they watched for hawks. Vidia thought again of sharing her fresh dust. She had enough to fly herself and Prilla to Kyto and home again. But if he didn’t restore the egg, she wanted to keep the dust, the last dust anyone would ever have.

Mother Dove was delirious. She was back in her mama’s nest, waiting anxiously for food.

She was playing with her sisters and brothers, pecking them and being pecked. She was poised at the edge of the nest, working up courage for her first flight.

Tink was almost knocked over as Mother Dove tried to fly. Her wounded shoulder and broken wings should have hurt terribly, but Mother Dove’s mind was too far in the past to feel the pain.