The River
Soon Afterward
Sophie tried to buy time by saying, “Let me think about it.”
“Why do you need to think?” Maeve snapped.
“You’re fae and you don’t know what to do,” Sophie pointed out. “What do you expect of a human?”
“My people will hurt your sister if you don’t give me what I want.”
“Yes, I quite understand that.” Sophie doubted that Tallulah would see Emily’s peril as a valid excuse for not honoring an obligation. Even so, she wasn’t going to let harm come to her sister. The problem was, she had no clue how to get Maeve across the river without getting her feet wet, not if flying didn’t work. A boat, maybe? But where was she supposed to get a boat?
Then she noticed the water. It sparkled the way wind-whipped water did when the sun hit it at the right angle, but there was no wind. She stared longer at the sparkling water and realized that the light was coming from below the surface. It was the small creatures she’d seen earlier and so casually dismissed. They must have followed her. Could they help? They were small, but there were a lot of them. And she was desperate. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she said, “It might be nice if I had some help with this. I may not be able to do it alone.”
“Do it, or else,” Maeve warned.
Hoping the small fairies had understood her plea, Sophie went to stand at the water’s edge. A large lily pad emerged from the water in front of her, like a stepping stone. It didn’t look like it would support human weight, but she hoped this was the help she’d asked for. Taking a deep breath while trying to look totally calm and confident, she stepped out on to the lily pad. Another one immediately appeared in front of her.
She turned back to Maeve. “It looks like all you need is a little faith,” she said. That applied as much to her as to Maeve. Stepping into the unknown with her fate entirely in someone else’s hands wasn’t in her nature. Without waiting to see what Maeve would do, she forced herself to step forward onto the next lily pad. Another appeared in front of her.
Maeve wrestled with indecision for a moment, then she waved her hands over her dress until it shortened and the skirt flared. Her shoes changed into flats similar to those Sophie wore, but gold like her dress. She stepped onto the lily pad, and Sophie stepped onto the next one. They moved across the river that way, one lily pad at a time, with Maeve stepping directly behind Sophie.
Just before Sophie reached the shore, Maeve pushed her from behind. Sophie’s balance was excellent, but the lily pad dipped dangerously to one side. Getting her feet wet didn’t worry her, since she didn’t care about gaining the throne for herself, but she didn’t want to fall into the water. Then the lily pad shifted, rising higher so she remained dry. With a silent thanks to her allies, Sophie jumped off the pad onto the shore, then turned to see a scowling Maeve step onto the final pad, which quickly dipped. Sophie was sure she saw water lapping over Maeve’s foot, but Maeve acted as though nothing had happened as she stepped onto the shore. All the lily pads disappeared beneath the water. Sophie caught a glimpse of glimmers under the water near the shore where she stood.
She turned to see the vines on one section of the wall parting slowly, uncoiling from each other to reveal a drawbridge. When the vines had moved completely, the drawbridge creakily lowered, bridging the river and opening a portal through the walls into a wildly overgrown garden. They’d made it past the first task, but she didn’t celebrate. After all, she’d brought Maeve one step closer to the throne.
Maeve called across the river to her people, “Bring the captives here, and then keep anyone else from crossing this bridge.” Two of the guards escorted Emily, Jen, and the other redhaired woman over the bridge, and while they were halfway across, Maeve grabbed Sophie’s arm and hustled her through the doorway into the garden. As soon as all of them passed through the entry, a heavy golden portcullis dropped behind them with an ominous clang.
Sophie had the sinking feeling that no one would leave these walls until a new queen had been crowned. Even if she stopped Maeve, they might not be able to escape.