She didn’t thank Dagan as she rushed out without closing the door. Every second counted, and she was not going to be in his room any longer than she needed to. Bella was by her side immediately and the two of them started running toward the stables.
It had taken Zoey, the leopards, Bane, and Lore a long time to walk from the Globetrot-tree to the castle. She did not have that much time and needed extra help. Zoey tired much sooner than Bella, but she was motivated to keep running. Bella wasn’t one for workouts, but she could outrun any human any day.
Zoey saw the leopards and was glad she had found them this quickly. Often, they wandered the castle instead of lazing about the stables. Bella stopped and kept her distance.
“The leopards won’t listen to us,” Bella told Zoey. They were not trainers, owners, or royalty.
“Chet will,” Zoey argued.
She approached him, and he got to his feet as she approached. Chet had smelled Caynin’s scent on her the first time they met, he had befriended her, and protected her. She could rely on him.
“Chet, I need you,” Zoey said.
Chet looked at her with intelligent eyes and turned sideways, motioning for her to mount. She jumped but didn’t make it the first time. He swished his tail to show his irritation. Zoey leapt again and managed to pull herself onto his back. It was higher than she thought it would be, and she wasn’t sure where to put her hands. As if he read her mind, he approached Bella. Zoey placed her hands on his neck, feeling unstable as he moved.
Chet stopped in front of Bella. Zoey noticed Bella’s chest rise and fall with each breath.
“Come on.” She leaned forward and extended her hand. Bella took it, and she pulled her onto Chet’s back.
Chet immediately began sprinting, and a small cry escaped Bella’s lips right before she wrapped her arms around Zoey. Chet opened his wings, began flapping, and then they took off. Zoey’s stomach dived as they went up and up. Finally, Chet reached the altitude he wanted, and levelled out.
“Does he know where we are going?” Bella asked.
“Uh… Chet, we are going to the Globetrot-tree,” Zoey tried.
Chet instantly banked hard left, and Zoey grabbed onto his neck. He growled, and she softened her hold. He turned around and flew in the other direction, wind whipping Zoey’s hair as Bella buried her face in her back.
Chet started his descent and landed in front of the Globetrot-tree that was as beautiful as Zoey remembered it, with its golden branches reaching into the sky as if they were skyscrapers. Zoey could feel the energy bouncing off it. Bella touched the tree and her hand glowed with golden energy.
“To the Everblossom Kingdom,” she said.
The world started spinning, and Zoey didn’t know what was up or down. Everything blurred together in a whirlwind of color. It felt as if she had drunk a whole bottle of tequila by herself. She had no control, which scared her. She gripped Chet’s fur tightly for support. When everything stopped spinning, the drunk feeling went away, and Zoey could observe her surroundings.
They were standing by the Globetrot-tree, and Bella removed her hand from its bark. This Globetrot-tree was identical to the one in the Everwhite Kingdom. If their surroundings hadn’t changed so drastically, Zoey would have thought the teleportation had failed. The blossoms here were as big as houses and made Zoey feel as if she were an ant. They were white, pink, and some yellow. Patches of flowers grew in the green grass, the air was clean and fresh, and there was no pollution anywhere.
“We need to go right.” Bella’s work in the Everblossom Kingdom meant she knew her way around. There was no time to stand around and admire the kingdom’s beauty when they had a purpose to fulfil.
“Right, Chet,” Zoey said. He had heard Bella, understood her, but had awaited Zoey’s command. She patted his neck.
As he walked through the forest, Zoey couldn’t help but wonder what hidden intentions Bella had. It seemed as if all the Fata were tricksters. Caynin had tricked her into thinking she was cursed, so that she would stay where he could study her. Dagan had tricked her into thinking that the entrance was the only way into the dungeons, so that she would owe him one. Rane had tricked her into believing that they were friends, but if he were her friend, he would have told her there was no curse. Fleur had tricked her into believing she despised her when she merely hadn’t wanted Zoey to complete the trials. Zoey was not going to believe that Bella was helping her out of the goodness of her heart. She was done being naïve. She was done trusting Fata.
Back when Bella had come to the hospital, dressed in those ridiculous clothes, she had given Zoey information that had saved Violet’s life. Yet, she hadn’t told Zoey that Zoey owed her anything for it. Now, she was helping Zoey save her friend and his mother. What could she stand to gain?
Yes, she had reason to hate Tarragon for murdering the royals, under whom she had served loyally for years. Bella had known where the sword was for years, and it could be used to dethrone Tarragon. Why had she never fetched it and told someone?
“Why haven’t you tried to overthrow Tarragon before?”
“Because there was no one to take his place,” Bella said. “Besides, I’m not brave enough to venture into the Lake of Lost.”
“What else is in the lake?” Zoey expected Bella to say something like crocodile or leeches.
“The Beast.” Bella moved aside a branch so that she could walk. “The Beast takes possession of everything that’s thrown into the lake. She won’t want you to take the sword.”
Zoey asked the question that had been on her mind. “Why did you tell me about the Fluver-luzile?”
“It was time for you to come home.”
Before Zoey could ask her what she meant by that, they reached the lake. It was exceptionally beautiful, with gigantic waterlilies and leaves. No photo or painting could do it justice. Behind the lake, in the distance, were mountains. Around the lake were trees, and their blossoms reflected into the crystal-clear water. The water was still – too still. Zoey didn’t see any fish or ducks.
“Animals tend to stay away,” Bella explained. “They can sense the Beast.”
Zoey didn’t dare ask what the Beast ate if there weren’t any animals. This place looked so peaceful it was difficult to consider that a dangerous beast hid in the water.
“How do I get the sword?” Zoey asked as she dismounted.
“You ask for it,” Bella said. “After you walk into the lake.”
Zoey stepped into the cold water, shivered, and then walked further into the lake. The water only reached her ankles. She stepped onto one of the giant lily pads, pleased that it held her weight. She made her way to the middle of the lake, on the lily pads, where she looked around, but didn’t see a Beast or any swords. Bella dismounted, while Chet fixed his attention on her.
“I’m Zoey Wright,” she said to no one. “I am searching for the No-Name sword.”
She felt like an idiot, standing there talking to herself. She didn’t expect anything to happen. Was coming here a waste of time? She looked around, desperate for something to happen. Then she looked at her feet where a sword was shimmering in the water. It had appeared out of nowhere.
“No way.” She was about to stick her head under the water and reach for it when someone with a snake-like voice spoke.
“That’s mine.”
That could only be the Beast. Zoey didn’t reach for the sword but looked in the direction from which the voice sounded. Zoey was scared as the Beast slowly emerged from the water. She had a long, snake-like body covered in scales. She had gills, but as she kept her head above water she could possibly breathe air, too. Her eyes were big but not as big as her mouth, and she had rows and rows of teeth. It would only require one bite to swallow Zoey whole. She didn’t have arms or legs, and her flat face suggested that of an eel. As she emerged, she created waves that made the lily pads bob.
“I do not mean to steal from you,” Zoey said. After living with the Fata, she had become skilled at hiding her fear. She was not trembling, and her voice didn’t shake. She looked into the beast’s eyes, as if she were its equal. “I do need this sword.”
“It was gifted to me many years ago,” the Beast hissed.
Zoey could picture Tarragon standing at the edge of the lake, throwing the sword into the water. He had thought he would never see it again. She could already picture his horror once she brought it to the Fata. She must not be too excited – she had not retrieved the sword yet.
“So I’ve heard,” Zoey said.
“If you want it, what do I get in return?” the Beast hissed.
Zoey did not want to bargain with this creature. She did not want to fight it either, but if that was what it took to get the sword, she would do it.
“What do you want?” Zoey asked.
“The sword is valuable to me,” the Beast told her. “I’ll exchange it for something that’s valuable to you.”
Zoey stuck her hand into her pocket and pulled out the emerald necklace and the iron knife. Iron was dangerous to all magical creatures, not just the Fata. She hoped the knife would scare the beast into thinking Zoey could defend herself.
“I have this emerald necklace.” Zoey did not tell the Beast about the Black Illusion flower on the reverse. The necklace meant nothing to her, and she wouldn’t mind getting rid of it, but the beast didn’t need to know that. “It is valuable.”
“You want to trade an emerald for a sword made of silver?” the Beast asked. “That hardly seems fair.”
Zoey had hoped that the Beast did not know how special the sword was because she had nothing of equal value to trade for it. The Beast thought the No-Name sword was valuable because its hilt was made of silver. If she knew the Elves had forged it, she did not say so.
“You have no use for the sword,” Zoey said. Then again, the Beast didn’t have any use for the necklace either.
The Beast said, “I’ll trade you the sword for the necklace. Throw it into the water.”
Zoey did as she was told and tossed the necklace as far as she could. It fell into the water with a splash. She looked at the Beast. “I kept up my end of the bargain. I’ll take the sword now.”
“Not yet,” she objected. “I want your iron knife, too.”
“That was not our deal,” Zoey said.
Zoey hadn’t expected the Beast to make an honest deal. Of course, the Beast was not trustworthy. The Beast likely thought the sword was just a normal weapon that could not harm her – she had never mentioned its name or its creators. The iron knife could harm her, and Zoey was reluctant to give it up. The Beast wanted to make sure Zoey didn’t have a weapon to fight her.
“Okay,” Zoey said. “You can have my iron knife.”
Yet, if she gave up her knife, there was nothing to stop the Beast from going back on her word and killing her. Zoey took the knife from her pocket and held it up so the creature could see it.
No one ever won from fighting fair.
Zoey did not like Tarragon, but for once she was going to take his advice. She pulled her arm back so that she could throw the knife, but instead of throwing it into the lake, she aimed it at the Beast’s eye. It was a good throw; Caynin would have been proud that his fighting lessons were paying off.
The Beast shrieked and shook her head from side to side but could not dislodge the knife. Blood dripped from her eye into the water. Zoey looked down – the lake had become significantly deeper – she wouldn’t just be able to reach down to take the sword. This was her chance, and she dived into the water, where she was at a disadvantage compared to the Beast. The sword was sinking into the depths. She could not lose it!
She swam after the sword as fast as she could. The Beast gave up trying to shake loose the knife and dived after Zoey. She opened her mouth with the intention of gobbling up Zoey, but Zoey closed her hand around the sword’s hilt. She twisted in the water and slashed the sword toward the Beast’s face. The water slowed down her momentum, but as the sword cut, it drew blood. The Beast immediately knew that it had been fooled into thinking that the iron knife was the only weapon around that could kill it.
The Beast screamed in failure. Instead of fighting, she swam away into the depths of the lake. Zoey’s lungs were burning. As she started making for the surface, the level decreased. By the time she inhaled fresh air, the water reached her waist again.
She gripped the sword tightly as she crawled onto the lily pad and ran back to Bella. Zoey looked around, but the Beast was nowhere in sight. Had she given up? The knife was lodged deep in her eye. Zoey had blinded her, and she did not feel bad about it. The Beast had intended to trick her, and Zoey had been tricked enough times. She had become too smart to let it happen again.
As Zoey neared the edge of the lake, Bella smiled and waved her arms in the air. “You did it!”
Then the Beast suddenly reappeared besides Zoey. Her head popped out of the water, but Zoey had kept up her guard. She swung the sword and raked it across the Beast’s face. This time, the cut was deep and painful. The Beast hissed and withdrew her head. Zoey ran for the shore, but the Beast followed.
Then Chet was there, swooping down. Zoey jumped onto his back, and the Beast tried to bite them. Chet flew higher, and slowly the Beast submerged. After the ripples disappeared, there was no trace that she had ever been there.
Bella was pale faced and shaking, as if she had fought the Beast and not Zoey. “Are you all right?” she asked once Chet landed next to her.
Zoey looked down at the sword and the list of names embedded on its blade. She had found what they were looking for.
“Yes,” Zoey said. “Let’s go back. We don’t have much time.”