Aislin woke early the next morning. At first she couldn’t remember where she was, but when she looked around and saw her friends, she recalled why they were there. She was considering waking everyone so they could all get an early start when she heard the faintest of sounds and felt the presence of fairies. It wasn’t just a few fairies, either.
“They’re here!” Aislin exclaimed in a voice loud enough to wake everyone but the heaviest sleeper. Grabbing her knapsack that she’d used as a pillow, she ran toward the road.
“Who’s here?” Tomas called after her.
She didn’t answer as she hurried around trees and over fallen branches. Then her mestari were by her side, watching as a double line of mounted fairies rode from the west with the morning sun glinting off their armor. The fairy horses pranced as if proud to be carrying their riders while the tiny fairies who acted as scouts darted here and there as they reported what they had seen.
“This is really eerie,” Tomas whispered to her. “It’s an entire army and they don’t make a sound. Is there a spell on them?”
Aislin shook her head. “No, fairy horses are always like that when they’re in formation. It’s one of the things that makes my grandfather’s army so effective.”
Although the sun was barely up, the light reflecting off the fairies’ armor was bright enough to hurt Aislin’s eyes. She squinted as the army drew closer. King Darinar rode at the front with Captain Larch beside him. Aislin spotted Sycamore riding behind the captain.
When the king saw his granddaughter, he raised his hand and the army came to a halt. “Hello, my dear. I was wondering when I’d find you,” King Darinar said to Aislin. “You shouldn’t have come all this way without me. I hope you didn’t run into any difficulties.”
“Nothing that we couldn’t handle,” Aislin replied.
“And you have your newest companion with you,” he said, and nodded at Salianne. “I worried about you less once Sycamore reported that she had joined your party. He told us about the trolls who attacked you and how Salianne handled them. You were wise to choose her as one of your mestari.”
“We’re very happy to have her,” said Aislin, and flashed a smile at Salianne.
The giantess gazed at the fairy king with her eyes wide and her mouth open. She had never actually met him before, although she had known that he was her friend’s grandfather.
“After you left, we located some other fairies who had dealt with Gorinda. They say she was behind much of the unrest,” said King Darinar. “What’s worse is that she has formed an alliance with the trolls and is controlling them with magic that we haven’t seen in a very long time.”
“When I visited Mount Gora on behalf of King Talus, I found trolls trying to steal dragon’s eggs. They talked about giving them to someone they referred to as ‘her,’ although they never said who she was or why she wanted the eggs. Do you think it might be Gorinda?”
“Quite possibly,” said the king. “If she’s stealing dragons’ eggs, I’d like to know where she’s taking them and what she has planned. We’ve been told that she has a stronghold at the top of the mountain. That’s where we’re going now. I’ll have my fairies watch out for dragons’ eggs while we’re there.”
“I can go with you and see if I can learn anything,” Aislin suggested. “I can learn a lot when I’m in touch with a mountain.”
“No,” her grandfather said, shaking his head. “I don’t want you anywhere near the fighting. From what we’ve heard, we’ll have to face Gorinda’s trolls before we find her. I need to know that you’re safe.”
Aislin and her party drew back as the army rode past. The princess wasn’t expecting Kivi to come up behind her leading the fairy horse. “With your leave, Your Highness, I’ll be going now. My place is with the army,” the pedrasi warrior said. “I’ll come back after the battle to escort you to the palace, but you don’t need me now.”
“I understand,” said Aislin. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”
Aislin’s mestari had gathered around her to watch the rest of the columns ride by when the manticore padded up to the princess. “If you don’t mind, Birdbrain and I would like to go with the king, too. Baibre told us to help however we can, and we think King Darinar needs us more than you do now.”
“Of course, you may go,” said Aislin. “I’m sure the king will appreciate your help.”
“Ree!” screamed the griffin.
“He says he likes you and wants you to stay safe,” the manticore told her.
“I like you both,” Aislin told him. “You need to stay safe, too.”
“Now what would be the fun in that?” the manticore asked, then turned and bounded away.
Deela joined Aislin as the manticore fell in line behind the mounted warriors while the griffin circled over the columns. “Be careful, Snick!” the orc girl called after the manticore.
“Is that his name?” Aislin asked her. “I never heard it before.”
“The griffin had a name, but the manticore didn’t, so I gave him one,” said Deela. “I named him after my cousin. They have the same eyes.”
“If we have to stay here, I’m going to look for werewolf tracks,” said Salianne. “Anyone want to join me?”
“I will,” Lin said.
“I’m going, too,” Kimble announced. “I want to see what you do when you actually catch a werewolf.”
While the trio went off to scour the forest floor for tracks, Aislin and Tomas returned to the campfire to douse the ashes with water. As they were finishing up, they heard a shout and Lin came running back.
“Come see what we found!” Lin cried.
“Did you find werewolf tracks?” asked Tomas.
“No, something even better,” said Lin. “We found Aghamonda’s tracks and they lead right into the mountain!”
“I want to see this,” Aislin said. “If Aghamonda is heading into the mountain, she might be planning to help Gorinda.”
With Lin in the lead, Aislin, Tomas, and the rest of her ladies hurried through the forest, watching for more tracks. They found them in the soil at the base of the scree and again on the slope where Salianne and Kimble were waiting. Although they looked like the footprints of any full-sized fairy, the impression they made in the soil was much deeper. Whoever had walked there weighed a lot more than an ordinary fairy. “I think they’re at least half a day old,” Lin told them. “See over there. They head right into that opening.” The young pedrasi showed them a gap in the side of the mountain that was big enough for two full-sized fairies or one ordinary orc.
“Then that’s where I need to go,” Aislin said, and turned to her companions. “I’m going in, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Salianne, you’ll have to stay out here because you won’t fit. Besides, I need someone to make sure that no one follows us inside. And anyone who is afraid of the dark or confined spaces should stay out here, too. I don’t want someone panicking when we’re in the mountain.”
“Give me a minute and I can make everyone fairy lights,” said Poppy. “Do you have yours with you, Aislin?”
“I don’t,” Aislin replied. “I lost it in Mount Gora.”
While Poppy started forming fairy lights with her hands, Aislin turned to the others.
“You know I’m used to the dark and small spaces,” Lin told her. “I grew up inside Deephold.”
“And I grew up in Mount Gora,” said Kimble. “I’m going in.”
“I’m fine with the dark and small spaces,” said Tomas. “I’m going in.”
“So am I,” Deela told them. “I spent the first ten years of my life inside a mountain without ever seeing the light of day. Why do you think you never see little orcs running around? We’re not allowed outside until we graduate from basic warrior training and can take care of ourselves.”
“Twinket, that leaves you,” Aislin said, turning to the doll. “Would you mind staying out here to keep watch with Salianne? It would help me a lot if you did.”
“Oh no, you’re not tricking me like that. If you’re going in, so am I!” Twinket replied.
“Are you sure?” Aislin asked her. “You told me how much you hate being closed up in anything small like a satchel. If we find ourselves in a tight space or lose our lights for some reason, you might be terrified.”
“I’ll be even more terrified if I have to stay outside not knowing what’s happening to you,” said Twinket. “I’m going in whether you want me there or not!”