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E lowen grabbed the base of a sturdy bush and began to pull herself up the cliff, the rope slung crosswise over her shoulder.

“I agree with Elowen,” Ash said. “Ladies first.” He grabbed the hem of Vale’s shirt and tugged him back before he could stop her.

She grinned, well aware her dragon-goose was trying to placate her after jumping from the cliff without warning.

Once she reached the top of the ravine, Elowen knotted the rope around a sturdy tree and threw down the loose end. By the time everyone—and everything—had made it to the top, they had a third golden feather and were all ready for a rest.

Elowen sipped from the waterskin while Ash muttered in delight at a patch of brown mushrooms with long stalks and settled down for a snack.

“Now, about letting the trolls know about a golden goose loose in their woods ...” Vale said, prompting her to finish detailing her plan.

Ash looked up in alarm as if he’d forgotten already.

“We’ll hide you extremely well,” she assured him. “It will get at least a few of the trolls out of the castle looking for you.”

He looked skeptical, but he didn’t argue. “Do you think the trolls will trust you?”

Vale answered. “Ransoming a farm boy kidnapped by common trolls in a foreign kingdom is one thing, but ‘royal’ trolls won’t risk war or conflict by harming other nobility. Especially ones who prove themselves with gold ... and a promise of more. They’ll seek to establish a beneficial relationship. The plan could work.”

Elowen relaxed a bit, grateful for his support. “Ash will need to be ready to create a distraction once we locate Cedar. We can get him out of the castle then, and Ash can fly us to safety.”

“What do you have in mind?” Ash asked.

She smiled self-consciously. “I ... could use some help filling in the gaps.”

“It’s a good plan,” Vale said. “We even have the ball clothes to wear to validate our claim to wealth.”

“Plus the three golden feathers,” Ash added.

Reassured, Elowen shrugged into the pack basket. “We should get going.”

They walked in silence, and Elowen let herself relax amid the warm sun, cool shadows, and birdsong of the forest. Every step took her closer to her brother and to the end of this ... adventure? The stories Cora told talked of adventures, but this seemed more like a trial, something to be endured until the end. Perhaps they only became adventures once they were over and everyone involved sat safely around the home hearth recounting the tale.

Adventures. Trials. Elowen would trade both for the daily routine of life on the farm. Except ... once she made it home with Cedar and Ash, she would have to say goodbye to Vale. Although reluctant to step into his birthright, he was still a prince and an heir. He had no place in her world.

Vale’s words interrupted her thoughts. “When we get closer to the castle, we should wear our fine clothes through the forest for a while to rough them up a bit, prove we’ve been on the run, in case the trolls pay attention to such details.”

Elowen nodded. “We’ll hide everything else with Ash.”

Ash laid his head on Elowen’s shoulder and said drowsily, “What kind of distraction do you have in mind for me to create?”

“Using your flame would be the easiest way,” she said.

He honked his disapproval. “That could be dangerous if you’re still in the castle.”

She patted his head. Of course she wouldn’t force him to go against his conscience. “Whatever you do, it will have to be something big to draw their attention. The more trolls we can get out of the castle, the easier it will be for us to escape with Cedar.”

“I’ll think of something. Trust me,” he said. “But knowing when is important.”

They debated what kind of signal they could send that Ash could see from the woods, but they didn’t know the layout of the castle. They didn’t know exactly where Ash would be hiding or Cedar’s precise location. There was still a chance he might not be in the castle at all.

Ash yawned. “Just tell me when, but make sure it’s at night when I’m myself.”

Vale snagged his toe on a tree root. “That poses its own set of challenges.” He kicked and grumbled at the root until he pulled his foot free with a violent jerk. He lost his balance and landed on his backside.

Elowen pressed her lips together tightly against a laugh, but she couldn’t hide her grin. She offered her hand to help him up.

He struggled to his feet by himself, weighed down by the bag of supplies and the dragon saddle. “This forest is more treacherous than a ballroom full of blind unicorns,” he mumbled.

She laughed and took his hand anyway. “This time, you can follow my lead.”

“Gladly.” His eyes twinkled with amusement.

“So?” Ash interrupted.

“So ... what?” Vale said.

Elowen elbowed him to draw his attention away from their linked hands. “How long do you think it will take to gain the trolls’ trust so we can find Cedar?”

“Ah, well, the golden feathers should blind them to our true motive. As long as Cedar isn’t hidden in a dungeon somewhere, we should be able to locate him within a few days, at most.”

Elowen frowned. A dungeon?

“He won’t be in a dungeon,” Vale said quickly. “And three days should be enough time. If we can’t find him in three days and make a plan to escape, we’ll need Ash’s distraction to get ourselves out.”

Aside from Vale’s rude tree root, the terrain on the other side of the ravine was easier going overall. More rocks and ferns and fewer bushes. More moss and mushrooms and fewer thorns. Elowen kept hold of Vale’s hand just in case. No other reason.

“Will you be all right by yourself while we’re in the castle?” she asked Ash.

“Don’t worry about me—I know my way around a forest. Will you be all right in the trolls’ lair for three days?”

She shivered at the thought. “Cedar has been there longer. I’ll be fine—and I’ll have Vale with me.”

Vale looked pleased with himself, but his expression quickly turned to dismay. “Trolls,” he said in disgust.

“Have you ever seen one?” Ash asked.

“Have you been to the castle?” Elowen asked before Vale could answer.

“Well ... no. I mean, yes, I’ve seen a troll. But no, I’ve never been to the castle. I’ve heard stories from the emissaries, though.”

Elowen waited for him to elaborate, but he avoided her gaze.

“I wish ...” He glanced up into the trees. “I probably should be careful about how I word things. One doesn’t know when a fairy might be lurking around ready to grant wishes however she pleases.”

Elowen glanced around as if she might see a fairy hiding in a ring of mushrooms or behind a leafy branch.

“The emissaries?” Ash prompted.

Vale sighed. “I don’t have much useful information. Trolls like shiny, glittery things—everyone knows that. They have an aversion to water, bordering on outright fear, so they’re not the cleanest.”

“The trolls that kidnapped Cedar didn’t seem to mind the rain,” Elowen said.

“Some don’t,” Vale said, “when it’s rainy enough to stir up some mud.”

“What else?”

“They’re vulnerable to flattery, which is why our plan to get into the castle should go smoothly.” He steadied Elowen as she led the way up an incline. “Don’t expect anything like my father’s castle. Trolls don’t build well, when they build at all, so their castle likely won’t be much to look at. They’re decent farmers and gardeners when they want to be, though, and they often hire humans to cook for them, so the food should be edible.”

“Wait.” Elowen stopped abruptly, and Vale bumped into her. Ash honked as his basket was jostled. “Sorry. Are you saying that humans work for trolls ... willingly?”

“Some humans do.” Vale walked ahead of her, still firmly grasping her hand, until they reached the top of the incline and the ground leveled out again. He added, as if reading her thoughts, “I don’t understand it, either.”

She pushed that thought aside. “Well, their lack of building skills may be an asset when it comes time for Ash to cause a distraction.”

Ash nodded in agreement. “I’m hungry.”

Elowen chuckled. “We’ll stop for lunch soon.”

“And a nap. I’ll be flying all night, and I wouldn’t recommend you sleep in the air.”

Vale exaggerated a yawn. “A nap sounds good.”

When the sun reached its highest point, they stopped for food and a nap. Elowen slept lightly, allowing them an hour of rest. Vale was fit, but he was unused to such hiking. So was she, for that matter, but the closer they got to Cedar, the more difficult it was to sit still and do nothing. She woke them both easily, and Vale seemed as eager as she and Ash to make good time.

Before sunset, Ash directed them to a trickle of water passing as a stream, where they made an early camp and ate a heartier meal. They stretched out their bedrolls on a mossy slope under green shade and fell asleep.

ELOWEN WOKE TO LIGHTNING .

She shielded her eyes against ... nothing. It wasn’t even raining.

Dragon Ash walked back into the camp from the direction of the stream. His transformation had woken her.

She blinked gritty eyes and stared into the glow from the embers, reluctant to leave the furry bedroll. One more minute. Vale wasn’t even awake yet.

“We should set out soon. I plan to fly all night, if you humans can last that long,” Ash said. He threw a few branches onto the fire and stoked it back to life. Once that was done, he poked Vale. “Wake up, Prince Blacksmith.”

Elowen pulled herself out of the cocoon of warmth and into the cool night air, wishing she could somehow wear the bedroll while flying. As she prepared some breakfast ... or rather, a late night snack, Ash showed Vale how to make tea. Elowen discussed the map Mari had shown her, and Vale agreed they were on the right course.

Ash did fly all night, with only a couple of stops for the humans to stretch their legs and warm up. Elowen marveled at his stamina and determination, more proud of her dragon than ever.

As dawn approached, the grey landscape revealed that they had entered troll country. Leaning huts and stone cottages dotted the landscape haphazardly, along with scattered fields of wheat. A wall made of randomly piled boulders and logs created a fence for half a dozen cows. A bonfire blazed to the south.

“We should land while there are still some woods to conceal us,” Elowen said.

“I want a solid visual on the castle—it has to be close,” Ash replied. “There! I think I see a turret!”

She couldn’t see anything, but she didn’t have a dragon’s eyesight.

“You’re pushing it, dragon,” Vale said. “We’ll find the castle fine from the ground.”

“Just a few more moments,” Ash said.

The grey sky grew paler by the second.

“Don’t put your companion in danger, Ash!” Vale yelled.

Ash growled, surging forward and downward.

Elowen gripped the leather strap harder. Vale reached around her to grab onto it with one hand while tightening his grip around her waist with the other.

“The castle!” Elowen saw it! Cedar was close!

Ash tucked his wings and shot towards the ground. The sun was rising, and they weren’t even level with the trees. Ash was going to crash at this speed.

Elowen screamed as the forest rushed towards her in a green blur.