The Fae Princess (The Pacific Princesses Book 2) by Ektaa Bali (books to improve english .txt) 📗

looked at Lotus, and he looked back at her. She could see it in his eyes, he were thinking the same thing she was thinking, remembering the beauty of the glow.

“You didn’t see it, Lobelia,” said Lotus, turning in his chair to speak to her. “It’s like nothing else I’ve ever seen. I’ll never forget it.”

Lobey sighed. “Maybe it was another type of flower? I can’t tell much by Pancake’s drawing.”

“We’ll have a look in the library,” said Luna. “Maybe there are pictures in a book somewhere?”

“Good thinking, Luna,” said Vidya. “I can’t just lie here, I’m going to head down there right now.”

She didn’t have to explain her urgency to the others. They had seen the wings on the Bunyips. And just because they couldn’t fly now, didn’t mean they wouldn’t learn quickly. How long would they be safe in the palace? Vidya knew she had to work quickly. They needed answers. They needed to be sure. They needed a plan.

Vidya jumped out of bed and scooped Pancake up.

“I’ll come too,” said Lobey.

“I’ll go and check on baby Mahiya,” said Toad. “It must be time to change her again soon.”

Vidya thanked Toad, and left the others to rest, shoving Pancake in her pocket and sweeping out of the room and down the stairs to the library, Lobey close on her heels. They were just passing the entrance hall, when she felt a magical wind whip through the front door. A green leaf tumbled through the entrance, and Vidya leapt toward it, snatching it out of the air.

The leaf was slightly wet, so it took her a second to make out the inky words.

Emergency. Meet me at the Fae pond today, when your sun is highest ~ Meera.

It was Princess Meera! Bob must have taken the leaf to her, and now she had information to share.

When your sun is highest. The sun was highest at noon. Vidya looked out the large front windows. The sun was high in the sky, but not quite at its peak. She might just have enough time to get there.

Vidya showed Lobey the message.

“I told Bob, Meera’s assistant, to send me a message when she had information for us. She knows something. The day we took Princess Sonakshi back to the portal, Bob told us she had information. I have to go now.”

Lobey took all of this in with a frown on her face.

“Vidya, just wait a minute—”

“We don’t have time, Lobey!” Vidya urged. “I have to go now.”

Vidya could see the gears turning behind Lobey’s eyes.

“Who are you taking?” she asked.

Vidya shook her head, “They’ve been through enough for today. Let them sleep, I’ll go alone.”

“That’s stupid, Vidya. Let me come.”

“I need you to look after things here, Lobey,” said Vidya, rubbing her eyes. “You’re next in line to the throne after me. You know that as well as I do.”

That made Lobey shut her mouth. She screwed up her eyes and shook her head. “I would make a great Queen you know,” she said fiercely.

Vidya turned toward the entrance to the palace, waving her hands at Lobey. “Yeah, yeah, I know. If I’m not back by dark, send a search party in the morning.”

Vidya ran down the rest of the path and shot over the Bottomless Sky, fluttering her wings as fast as she ever had and landed with a thump on the other side.

She strode into the tree line of the forest and peered through the trees. Thankfully, there was no unusual movement in the shadows between the trees. No Bunyips yet.

The Fae forest felt like a huge dark shadow at her back. She had never actually been here by herself. She had always come with one of the other guards, or even her father. Her heart ached as she realised she missed him so much right now and wondered what his first move would be when he returned. Would he take a group of Fae into the forest and round up the Bunyips like Grandfather Fern had? But the Bunyips were smarter now, Vidya didn’t think he’d be able to do it the same way. The Old Ones must’ve given him some wisdom or knowledge that would give them the answer. Perhaps they would know about the Flower of Awakening, or whatever that golden glow was. She trusted Pancake to be honest, of course, but he was only a young quokka and new to the ways of the Fae world. Maybe he thought he saw a flower, and it was actually something else.

Vidya turned and looked into the shadows of the forest. If she was quiet, a Bunyip should not catch her getting to the Fae pond. She branch-hopped through the trees easily. The forest was empty except for a few birds fast asleep in nests safely high in the trees. But of course they did not make any noise, making the forest eerily quiet. She could only hear the flutter of her own wings, the creak of the branches under her weight as she landed, and sometimes a breeze rustling the leaves.

She arrived at the Fae pond quickly and she scoped the clearing that surrounded it. There were no animals or Bunyips in sight. There was the glowing blue pool of water and the rocks bordering it, but the water was clear, and Bob was now where to be seen. It was just past midday, Princess Meera should be here by now.

As she was watching the pond nervously, a shadow appeared under the surface. A grey shape jumped out of the pond, made a wide arc and then splashed back into the water.

“Bob!” Vidya whispered to herself. He must be checking if I’ve arrived.

Vidya looked left and right, there were still no Bunyips in sight, and fluttered down right near the pond. She leaned over the pond and stuck her hand into it, waving it around beneath the surface.

Two shadows appeared this time, rapidly growing larger, and this time, gloomy faced Bob was not alone.

“Good afternoon,”