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10

Lily Baker and the Lady of the Lake

There was only one time in Lily’s life she remembered walking for an entire day without stopping. It had been pouring rain, and she’d gotten a terrible cold trying to escape her sixth foster home with nothing more than a backpack of soggy homework and half a bottle of juice. When she’d finally stopped to rest on a park bench, she discovered her heels had bled right through her shoes. She was so hungry that the blinding red and blue lights didn’t make her spring off the bench and keep running when they showed up against the playset in her view. She waited. Because she knew that if the cops picked her up, at least they’d feed her.

Now, as Lily walked for hours on end until dusk rolled over the skies, she was far more determined than she’d been back in her youth. Her stomach growled, but she didn’t peep one word of complaint, even though all she wanted to do was fall flat on her face in the grass and sleep.

Luc, on the other hand, complained the whole way since, “Walking was for less gifted fairies than him,” and “It’s criminal to make a Shadow Fairy walk so much,” and “You’re all fools for not realizing who you’re messing with.”

If Lily was remindedone more timethat Luc was a great, powerful fox of legend, she would lose it.

She craved a bath, a hot tea, and a soft bed. She tilted her head from side to side to stretch, moaning at the ache in her shoulders. She’d never fought for her life like she did back on the hill. She could still see the bullets whizzing, landing, the fairies falling…

A shiver moved down her spine, and she swallowed. When her breathing became thin, she stuffed her hands in her pockets in case they were shaking. No one else seemed affected by how they’d had to face off with such vicious creatures in a valley-wide death match earlier in the day.

Luc fell into a stride beside her. He had a strange, terrifying smile.

“What?” Lily asked. She took a step away from him as she walked.

“How are you feeling, dear Lily?” he asked anyway, closing the gap just as quickly as she’d made it.

She looked at him like he was crazy. “Seriously? Why do you even care?”

“Oh, I don’t know, really.” He was still smiling. “I suppose it’s the natural therapist within me.” He sighed. “I can’t help but notice when a human’spsychological traumais flirting with the surface of their brain.”

Lily burst out laughing.

It made Shayne and Dranian slow down up ahead. Shayne’s gaze darted between Lily and Luc. “Stop making her laugh,” he warned Luc. “You’re not that funny.”

Lily bit her lower lip to holster her chuckles. “Actually, what he just said wasveryfunny,” she corrected, shaking her head.

As if Luc had even a bead of empathy inside him.

Luc twisted his lips. “Fine. I won’t therapist you, dear Lily. Your loss.” He walked a little faster. A second later, he glanced over his shoulder as if checking to see if she was chasing after him—as if he actually thought she might come and beg him to change his mind.

Lily had never rolled her eyes so hard.

“Are you sure this is the way back to the human realm?” she called ahead. “We’ve been walking all day. This is totally not the way Dranian and I came.”

Shayne’s shoulders tightened a little. “Have some patience, ugly Human. I have a plan.”

“What plan?” Dranian asked. “You never said anything about a plan.”

“Well, no one asked where we were going until this moment,” Shayne said.

“I did,” Luc pointed out. He pulled a breadcrumb out of his pocket and tossed it on the ground like he was bored. “I asked several times—”

“Anyway, I have one last trick up my sleeve. A chance to make this right,” Shayne stated. Lily caught Mycra staring at Shayne’s back with a wary expression. It was all strange, and Lily slowed her walk. “And if this doesn’t work…” Shayne’s throat bobbed even though he was smiling. “I have a plan for that, too.”

“You’re all going to die,” Luc stated. He waved a hand through the air when Shayne’s gaze rolled up to the sky and thumped down upon him. “Not me though. I’ll be long gone before I let myself get ruined by your issues, North Fairy. I’m not selfless like that. Ask anyone.”

“No need. The evidence on that is pretty clear,” Lily assured.

“If you all practiced studying people a little harder, you might realize that Shayne Lyro has been lying to us since back at that hill,” Luc added. Then he said, “Fools. If you wish to walk to your death, you all go ahead. I’ll happily disappear and leave you to it.”

“Please,” Shayne said, extending a hand to the air, “be my guest.”

Luc turned his attention to Dranian. “Ask him,” he advised. “Ask him what his plan is. See if I’m wrong.”