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

much as they could, but the little men were far stronger and meaner than they looked. The Yarama hauled them to their feet and pulled them along with the ropes, like puppies on a lead. There were ten Yarama in total, and Vidya had no idea how they were going to get out of this.

They were led through the darkness into another part of the forest where a system of caves was spread out. Yarama were scattered everywhere, and when they saw the Fae children, they jumped up and down, cheered, and waved short spears in the air. They were brought into a dark cave lit with tiny burning flowers in holders along the wall. Toward the back, a slightly larger Yarama sat in a chair made out of dried mud, and it was to him the prisoners were brought. Up close, Vidya could see that he wore a little woven hat with a black feather sticking out of it. Vidya guessed this was the chief of the tribe. Behind her, Vidya heard the whole tribe of Yarama filter in. They chattered excitedly. The Chief stood up.

“Who do we have here?” he sneered, beady eyes greedily taking them in.

“You are speaking to the Fae Queen!” yelled Lotus from next to her. “The Queen’s word is law!”

“We call the Bunyip King our leader now, Fae child,” sneered a nasty-looking Yarama gripping Lotus’ arm.

“He has promised to save us from the Leaf Master!” squeaked one.

“That’s right,” said the Chief defiantly. “From here to the fire flowers of the western marshes, The Leaf Master rules us all. The Bunyip King has promised to give us back our land!”

Next to her, Vidya heard Willow gasp, and she hoped he was okay.

“Can you do that, Fae Queen?” jeered one. “Can you take down the biggest nastiest spirit in the deep dark woods?”

“Yeah! Show us what you can do Fae Queen!”

“Show us your magic!”

“Yeah, show us your powers!”

There was a chorus of cackling laughter and pointing figures.

Sweat trickled down Vidya’s spine. “I… I…”

Vidya knew she was nothing like her father or mother. She had no guardian plant to speak of and had no powers. Where her father, the real King might have been able to stand up to these monsters, she was in no position to do so.

“Thought so!” shouted one.

“Take their noses!” cried the Chief, punching his fist in the air.

A Yarama advanced toward Vidya, while three others walked toward Lotus, Lily, and Willow, the suckers on their hands pointed right at their faces.

“Noooooo!” she heard Willow cry from next to Lotus.

“Stooop!” Lily cried.

“Wait!” she cried, trying to turn her head away from the Yarama who was now standing in front of her, his brown eyes shining with glee. “No!” But the Yarama pressed his suckers on either side of her nose, and she screwed her eyes shut. Her nose went numb, and Vidya heard a loud squelch as her nose was separated from her face. Suddenly, the middle of her face felt very cold. She opened her eyes to find the Yarama gleefully waving her little brown round nose in the air. Vidya now had to breath through her mouth.

“The Queen’s nose!” he cried, holding it up so they could all see.

The little red men cheered, clapping their hands above their heads and jumping up and down.

Lily gave a nasally squeal behind her as, with three more squelching sounds, her friends’ noses were also taken.

“Give it back!” Lotus shouted. Vidya was turned around by the Yarama holding her and positioned so that she and her friends were in a wide semicircle, with the tribe of Yarama in front of them. Lotus, Lily, and Willow’s noses were all absent, replaced by smooth brown skin in the middle of their faces. Vidya couldn’t help herself. It started as a giggle, quickly becoming a full belly laugh as Willow’s mouth fell open in shock.

“I’m… so… sorry,” she laughed, “but… you… all… look ridiculous!”

Lotus clearly couldn’t help himself either, because he let out a small nasally chuckle. Vidya looked at the Yarama who were staring at her.

“I’m sorry,” she sneered at them. “Is that honestly the best you can do? Steal people’s noses?”

The ridiculousness of the situation just made her laugh harder, and the Yarama holding her arms fought to hold her still as she bent over laughing.

“We have an entire Kingdom to save and here you are stealing… our noses!”

The whole thing was stupid, to be sure. But that might have been the worst thing she could say, because the chief Yarama seemed to take that as a challenge.

“Take them to dungeons!” he bellowed angrily. The whole tribe cheered as they were led away by their ropes to the back, outside the cave, toward the gaping hole in the middle of the ground. The four Fae kids quickly learned that they had to breathe through their mouths now that their noses were gone, and it was rather annoying thing to have to do.

They were led down slippery dirt steps into the dark. The Yarama at the front held up a small lantern with a small glowing plant inside of it. It gave off an orangey glow that made the tiny cavern dungeon look even smaller. The Yarama threw them against the dirt walls and tied their ropes around heavy tree roots that protruded through the wall.

“You can’t do this!” cried Lotus.

“Yeah, especially with that koala riding that toad out there,” mumbled Willow.

That single sentence made all five Yarama in the cave freeze on the spot.

“What did you say?” asked a Yarama in a quiet voice, totally absent of any sneer.

Willow looked up in surprise to find five Yarama staring at him, poised in various states of action.

“I… I saw something in the forest?” he said, trying to speak clearly without his nose.

“What did you see?” asked the same Yarama, stepping closer to him now.

“I… I… saw… a… koala… on a toad,” stammered Willow, looking to Vidya for support.

“Alert the chief!” cried the Yarama. “Alert the chief, the