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

“Never,” urged Vidya. “This has never happened to us.”

“Right,” Lobey said. “We’ve got plenty of weapons, but we’ll put everybody on alert.”

“I want the young children and the babies locked away at the back of the city,” said Vidya. “I want them as far away as possible from where the Bunyips are going to enter.”

Lobey nodded. “I’ll start the evacuation.”

Vidya nodded back. “Off to bed, everyone. Willow, start on that bow and arrow as soon as you can.”

That afternoon, they woke up, and Willow hurriedly began whittling away at the wood of Wollemi King, with the help of two other Fae kids. Luna and Toad were trying to fiddle with Lotus’ nose, meanwhile, Vidya, Lily, and Lobey examined the black fire flowers.

“It’s smells bad doesn’t it?” said Lobey, holding one up. “But how do we make it light up?”

Vidya and Lily exchanged a knowing glance.

“The Leaf Master said something about how the sun would come up and activate a chemical reaction,” said Lily.

“But the fire flowers the Yarama had in their little lanterns were lit up, and there was no sun in their dark village.”

“How many did you bring back?” asked Lobey.

After a few hours of experimenting with the two flowers Lily had bought back, they were no closer to finding out how to activate the flower. Lily threw her hands up in the air, “I’m out of ideas.”

“Vidya…” said Lobey slowly, giving Vidya a strange look.

“The Fae Queen gets certain powers, right?”

Vidya frowned for a moment. It took her a second to realise Lobey was talking about the fact she was the Fae Queen now. “Right… my father said the King or Queen has greater Fae powers… like…” a memory sparked in her mind. Her father not only had a guardian plant, but he was able to communicate with other plants as well. Not in the same way as a guardian, but enough to get by.

Vidya looked at the fire flower sitting in the palm of Lily’s hand. “Fire flower, tell me how you light up.”

Vidya heard nothing. She tried it a different way. “Fire flower, light up,” she commanded.

The black flower shivered on the spot, then burst into a ball of yellow-orange fire. Lily screamed and dropped it. And there it sat on the grass, a tiny ball of fire.

“Well, there we go,” said Lobey, clapping her hands. “Lucky you’re the Queen.”

Vidya only felt relief. They had it. Once Willow and the others were done with the bow and arrows, off they would go into the Bunyip’s nest.

As the sun sank low in the sky, Vidya kissed baby Mahiya’s forehead and passed her back to Toad. Then she, Lotus, Lily, and Willow walked out of the palace doors together. There was a tension in the air now, a heavy feeling that sat between them. Lobey had offered to change places with one of them so that Lotus or Lily could get a chance to rest and she could offer fresh energy to the task ahead. But the kids all declined, saying that the four Fae kids and Pancake knew each other well now, and all five of them wanted to finish what they had started together.

They launched themselves across the bottomless sky, the two Fae guards waving goodbye behind them. Vidya looked out over the Fae forest. It seemed darker at that moment, but no movement shifted in between the line of gum trees. She looked up at the small slither of the moon in the sky. This time tomorrow night, the Bunyips would come to stand at that same tree line before flying across the sky to find the Fae.

Right now, on Vidya’s orders, Lobey and the others were moving the smallest kids to the far side of the Fae city, as far as they could get, away from the forest side. Vidya didn’t want Mahiya or any of the other babies anywhere near the battle. She shuddered in the cool dusk air.

The team touched down on the other side.

“This time,” Vidya said as evenly as she could. “When you shoot, shoot to kill.”

The others nodded silently.

“We’re ready, Vidya,” said Lotus. “We’ll do what we have to do.”

“Then let’s go.”

Since it was dark, Willow took the lead again, followed by Lily. Together, as they branch-hopped through the forest, they checked the path ahead for Bunyips and their tracks. It was only a few minutes before they came across the first of them.

Willow raised his fist up to let the others know to stop, his body rigid with tension. He turned his face to look at Vidya, and she saw his face was ashen and taut with fear. He put a firm finger to his lips, and Vidya looked out to where he now pointed. No less than five Bunyips slinked ahead of them. Moving like sinister shadows in the dark, their fleshy grey wings flapped behind them. They were loitering in a clearing, discussing something.

Lotus fluttered silently onto Vidya’s branch.

“Should we kill them?” he hissed in her ear, gripping his bow tightly.

She shook her head. It would cause a great noise to be sure, and five was too many. Vidya was just about to suggest that they fly into the air and fly to the Bunyip nest when the Bunyips in the clearing made a sudden movement, and as one group, they beat their wings and rose into the air.

“Forward!” one of them cried. And together they advanced forward in a tight unit. “Right!” the same Bunyip cried, and smoothly, they flew perfectly to the right.

“Dear mother earth,” breathed Lotus. “They’ve been practising.”

The gaping hole in the bottom of Vidya’s belly grew deeper. She felt sick. They needed their parents back—they needed their Fae magic back, and right now. She took a deep, silent breath. Willow turned on his branch, and she signalled she should go back the way they came.

Willow and Lily followed Vidya and Lotus this time, silently moving away from the practising Bunyips. Vidya led them to circle