The Fae Princess (The Pacific Princesses Book 2) Ektaa Bali (free ebook reader txt) 📖

look and found the source of the glow were tiny objects scattered about the sand.

“They’re petals”, said Meera. She beckoned Bob to bring the Bubblepad closer. “Look”, Meera pointed in the centre of the cavern.

A large dent was in the sandy-soil, as if it had been newly dug up and something had been removed.

“The petals,” Vidya whispered.

“Petals from a golden flower that glows with its own light”, said Meera. “A flower that no one knew was here. That was heavily guarded by fierce creatures since the dawn of time.”

“No one believed me,” whispered Vidya. “I told them, but no one believed me.”

Meera turned her blue eyes to gaze at Vidya with seriousness.

Vidya felt it in her bones. These petals… they called out to her. She knew, she just knew what it was.

Meera picked up a petal and held it up to the silvery bubble and pushed it through. The bubble bent, then admitted Meera’s hand with the petal whist not letting any water in.

Pancake reached out and took it from her, Meera pulled her hand back out.

“Flower of Awakening,” Pancake whispered.

Vidya almost jumped ten feet in the air.

“Pancake, did you just speak?” she asked, shocked.

Pancake looked at Vidya, then looked at the petal he was holding and dropped it, covering his mouth with his claw.

“Wow!” came his muffled voice.

Realisation dawned on Vidya.

“This is how they’re smart. This is how they grew wings! It changes creatures,” breathed Vidya, looking at Meera with wide eyes. “They’ve found it.” Her knees felt weak, she thought she was going to be sick. “They’ve taken it.”

Meera came toward them right up to her bubble. “You’ve seen it?”

“I saw it,” Pancake raised his hand. “Same petal.”

Meera shook her head. “And it’s not they. It’s Him.”

“Who?” asked Vidya, frowning.

“The kraken lying out there in the entrance told me before he died. The creature that took it called himself the Bunyip King.”

Vidya swallowed a couple of times. Her mouth felt incredibly dry. Things just kept getting worse and worse. Pancake reached up and patted her cheek.

“Answers, we have now,” he whispered.

“We have answers now,” she corrected him absent-mindedly, gazing at the golden petal on the floor of the bubble pad with wonder. She bent to pick it up, feeling its softness in her hands. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread over her chest, and she couldn’t but help smile at the petal. Tired, it seemed to say. So tired. And a flash in her mind’s eye made her lose her breath. The image of a magnificent golden flower, like nothing she had ever seen before, appeared to her. Golden, glowing, ancient and spectacular. Help me, Vidya, came an ethereal, whispering voice. She gasped.

“Is it saying something?” came Meera’s voice.

Vidya’s head jerked up in surprise, the image fading away, and Meera’s pale face peered at her. She had forgotten where she was for a minute. “What did you say?”

“You were looking at it like it was saying something. Fae talk to plants, don’t they?”

Vidya shook her head. “No, only our guardian plant.”

“What’s a guardian plant?”

“All Fae are born with one plant they can talk to specially. We become keepers of that species of plant. Look after it, and it gives us powers back.”

“Oh, so what’s yours?”

Vidya looked back down at the golden petal and frowned deeply, then shook her head. “I—um, don’t know yet.”

“Oh. Could it be this flower?”

Vidya immediately shook her head as a reflex. That was impossible. Why would she have the Flower of Awakening as her guardian plant? The thought was ridiculous. But, she thought, just yesterday, the thought of the flower even being real was ridiculous. Had she heard the petal speak to her? Or did she just make it up in her head? Maybe the flower spoke to everyone?

“I don’t know.”

“Well, we should get out of here,” said Meera. “This is one of the most dangerous parts of the ocean.”

Vidya nodded, and Meera pushed through a couple more petals for Pancake to collect. Chances were, they might be useful, and Vidya knew she could never come back here again.

Meera led them out of the cave, and Bob followed with Vidya and Pancake deep in thought.

The Flower of Awakening was real, she had evidence. The others would have to believe her now. But being real made their situation all the worse. The Bunyip King had their prized possession in his keeping, and it was clearly giving him power. The thought of him hurting it was an awful thought, more than Vidya could bear. He just couldn’t hurt it, he just couldn’t!

No, thought Vidya, he’s not hurting it. They’re using it. That must be how they had gotten their wings, and their smarts, no doubt about it. The Flower sang and had awoken the Fae from the earth. It was capable of incredible magic. Who knows what it could do?

“Let’s get out of here”, came Meera’s voice. “We should get you back.”

As they began their journey away from the underwater mountains and back the way they had come, Vidya felt the back of her neck prickle. How long had they been under the ocean? It felt like hours, definitely. Crossing her fingers, she hoped it was still daylight by the time they made it back. She willed Bob to swim faster, but the fish was only a little guy, and it was clearly taking a toll on him to be pulling both her and Pancake through the water for so long.

“It must be late, Pancake,” she said.

He nodded his head in agreement.

After what seemed like forever, they entered the familiar cave where the Fae pond was located. Meera slowed down ahead of them, and as Vidya looked upward, she saw the small dark circle that was the Fae pond.

Oh no, she thought, seeing that there was no light coming through the patch. It was definitely night.

She watched as Meera swam right up to the Fae pond entrance and knocked her head right into it as if it were made of solid glass.

“Ow!” she cried, rubbing her head.

“What’s