Salianne had just rejoined Aislin, Tomas, and the rest of the mestari when King Darinar and his army rode down the side of the mountain looking battle-worn but happy. “The trolls stopped fighting suddenly and fled the mountainside. I assume that had something to do with you,” the king said as he stopped his fairy horse beside the princess.
“Gorinda left,” she said. “But I think she lost control of her army before that.”
King Darinar listened closely as Aislin told him everything that had happened. When she finished her story and said, “So she really is a fairy,” the king nodded.
“I knew there was something familiar about her,” said Aislin. “She had fairy features and was beautiful like a fairy.”
“Your grandmother and I suspected who she was,” King Darinar told her. “The sorceress was using ancient spells that no one uses anymore, although it makes sense if she had remained in the ice cave all those years. Your description of her confirms our suspicions. Her real name is Firethorn and she was a powerful and most unpleasant fairy. Although she never did sit on the throne, she did try to take over the fairy world once a long time ago. If she’d had her way, she would have destroyed everything so she could rebuild it the way she wanted. She started by infesting a forest with firethorns. Your grandmother and I had to weed her out before she could do any more damage. Lightning was one of the few things that worked on her.”
“If she was so powerful, why didn’t she try to use other spells on us?” asked Aislin. “Firethorn created waves and sent her trolls after us, but I would have expected more from a powerful fairy.”
“Fairy magic comes from living things and sunlight,” the king replied. “You were deep in a mountain where sunlight cannot reach. Firethorn may have chosen that cavern because fairies couldn’t do much to her there, but then she wasn’t expecting magic like yours. I doubt her spies knew what you could do, or they would have told her.”
“Do you think she’s gone for good?” asked Aislin.
King Darinar shook his head. “I doubt that very much. The real question is, where will she turn up next?” She’s always been stubborn and persistent. She’s also exceedingly hard to defeat. The fact that you defeated her in battle is amazing. No one else could have done what you did.”
“I couldn’t have done it without my mestari,” said Aislin. “Poppy has her magic, knows things about fairies that I don’t, and is a messenger I can trust. Lin and Deela can take down trolls single-handed and are the only guards I need. Kimble is clever, fierce, and deadly. Salianne can throw trolls great distances and scare away werewolves just by standing up. And Twinket can open doors and fit into spaces that others can’t. When we were in Morain, I learned that she also makes an excellent spy. I’m very proud of my mestari and think they’re perfect for the job.”
“You should be proud of all your mestari,” King Darinar told her. “Your grandmother and I believe that you made excellent choices. When we get back to Fairengar, we’ll hold a banquet to honor all of you. Soon everyone will know that your mestari are just what a princess like you needs.”