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

have the energy to acknowledge them, all she could do when she reached her bed was flop right down on it, face first.

She was asleep before she hit the mattress.

The group of Fae kids gathered in the room's doorway behind her. Luna and Toad pushed past Lotus and Willow and walked up to Vidya, pulling off her shoes. Lobey helped them tug off her jacket and pulled the covers up and around her, making sure Pancake was settled safely next to her. They stood over her, staring at the sparkling tiara slumped against her pink curls that they all knew had clearly come from another world entirely.

“I don’t want to touch it,” whispered Luna to her sisters.

Lobey reached a hand out but pulled it back quickly with a shudder.

It was Toad who gently took the tiara off Vidya’s head with both hands and laid to rest on her side table. They stared at it for a moment before Willow cleared his throat, and they all woke up out of their daydream and filed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

“What do you think happened to her,” asked Lotus, his yellow wings gave a twitch of unease. “She wasn’t hurt, was she?”

“No,” Lobey shook her head. “But whatever it was, she’s lucky to be alive.”

In her dream, Vidya found herself in a room made of shadows.

Vidya, she heard a familiar wispy voice. The same voice she had heard when she picked up the golden petal under the sea.

“Hello?” she whispered into the dark.

Then a small section of the shadows parted, and a tiny speck of yellow light appeared. Vidya recognised it immediately. She willed herself closer to it. She needed to get closer.

Gradually, the light grew larger, and from the glow, the form of a gigantic flower emerged. The Flower of Awakening was huge. At least five times the size of any flower Vidya had ever seen. If Vidya had opened her arms on either side of herself, the flower would have been just slightly larger still. Many golden yellow petals unfurled from the centre in layers, creating a beautiful, flowing effect. Golden and silvery veins lined each petal, giving off their own light. But this time, Vidya noticed the light looked duller, softer, sleepier. As if the flower was exhausted. And when the flower spoke to her in her mind, she spoke with a softer voice, as if she was too afraid to speak… or too weak.

“Vidya you… found me,” she whispered.

Vidya swore her heart grew in her chest. She wanted nothing more than to help the flower, ease its pain, give it what it needed. Vidya felt the backs of her eyes burn, and she felt like she wanted to cry.

“I’m here,” she spoke hurriedly. She felt like time was running out. How long would the vision last for? “I’m trying to help you… to get your energy back somehow. The Old Ones said we have to make it like it was when you first woke us up. Tell me how to do it. Please!” she begged.

“My memory is failing. I cannot remember. There was fire…. but much more, I cannot… I am weak, too weak.”

“It’s okay, I’ll try to find out. The Wollemi Pine, King of the Trees, might be able to help. They said he was there.”

“Was he? He was… I cannot… remember…”

Vidya gulped, her heart racing in her chest. This was not looking good.

“The Bunyips… took too much from me. I fear if you do not hurry, it will be the end of me.”

“And then what happens?” whispered Vidya.

“And that will be the end of the Fae.”

And then everything faded into shadow again, and Vidya slept and slept and slept.

When Vidya woke up, she yawned loudly and stretched out her aching muscles. Looking out the window, the sun was still high in the sky. Lobey dozed in the window bed, an open book lying on her chest.

“How long did I sleep for?” Vidya asked herself.

Lobey awoke with a startled snort. She breathed deeply and looked out the window, scratching her cheek. “You’re finally up! You arrived yesterday.”

“That’s a long time,” frowned Vidya, looking over to see Pancake wide awake, reclining on the pillow next to her, a bowl of blueberries balanced on his round belly.

“Then again, you did almost die,” said Lobey darkly.

“You were thrilled to see me,” said Vidya with a smile, rolling off the bed stiffly.

“Of course I was,” said Lobey, swinging her legs down from the bed and crossing her arms. “I left you and fled, saving myself. What type of Fae does that make me?”

Vidya smiled sadly at Lobey. “A smart one.”

Lobey scratched the back of her head and sighed. “I thought you were gone, Vidya.”

“I thought you’d be happy being Queen,” teased Vidya.

Lobey threw her hands up in the air and scoffed. “I show you one ounce of niceness, and off you go with it.”

Vidya laughed. “Call a meeting,” she said. “I’m going to take a bath, then we all need to talk.”

“Pancake wouldn’t tell us anything,” complained Lobey. “No matter how much I poked him.”

Vidya smiled at her best friend. “We’ve been through a lot together, him and I, of course, his loyalty is only to me.”

“Alright, well hurry up then.”

A squeaky clean Vidya and Pancake met the group: the triplets, Daisy, Lotus, Willow, and Lily, in the palace library. She was immediately swamped with cries of “Vidya!” and “Pancake!” and many pairs of arms were thrown vigorously around her. Her face smooshed in a yellow wing that could only be Lily’s, she laughed.

“Let her go,” called Lobey, “She’s just come back from the dead you know.”

They all hastily released her and took back their seats, Daisy pushing a bowl of broccoli stew into her hands. Vidya put it down hastily and picked up a lumpy looking purple muffin instead. But Luna lingered by her side. “Where is your tiara?” she said softly.

Vidya had left it in its place on her