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

The little echidna abruptly turned to the left and began walking into the bushes, muttering quietly to himself. Vidya straightened from her crouch and watched him go, her magenta brows furrowed. She shook her head as his long black spines disappeared into the rose hedges. Her father had always insisted that the elderly echidna was not crazy, but when he started saying things like that, how could she not think he was nuts?

But… said a voice at the back of her mind, think about what happened this morning. First the Spring ritual, then the commotion in the palace during class. And now she held in her hand a special message for her Nani. The adults knew something was going on. Something big. Uncle Jula-wil was trying to tell her something in his own strange way.

Vidya tugged on a magenta curl as she began walking down the path again. Nani was always honest with her. She would tell her what was going on.

Sunlight glinted off the glass roofs of the greenhouses. Vidya walked down the rows and rows of them. Most held rare or dangerous plants, and their Fae guardians walked in and out, tending to their needs or harvesting from them for the Fae to eat or use in magical potions. One held the Ghostberry bushes, which made the Fae hard to see when they went out into the human realm. Another held tea tree plants which healed cuts, wounds, and insect bites.

The Devil’s Fingers were kept in the last greenhouse, furthest away from the palace, behind an iron gate.

Vidya walked through the gate up to the solid glass doors of the greenhouse. Squinting to see if her grandmother was close by, she rang the metal bell to the side of the door.

No one was permitted inside without her Nani by their side. Otherwise, you were just asking to be eaten.

“Coming!” came her Nani’s faint voice. Vidya could see her blurry form hurrying up to the entrance from the other side. Pancake tittered in protest on her shoulder, trying to climb down. Vidya grabbed him and put him in her pocket, safe and sound. He squeaked in fear, grasping the edges of the fabric, peering out over the top of his tiny claws.

The three locks on the door clanked one by one, and Vidya grinned, feeling so proud that her own Nani was the only one who could handle these dangerous plants. Her heart pounded as the door swung open, but Vidya knew she was safe with her Nani by her side.

“Oh, lovely girl!” Nani cooed when the door opened. Vidya was swept up in a warm hug. Nani smelled like soil and cinnamon at the same time. She had deep-red wings and hair that reminded Vidya of the colour of a ladybug’s shell, and she wore lipstick in a matching colour.

“Hi, Nani,” said Vidya as she was released. “I have a message for you from father.”

Nani glanced at the green paper in her hand and frowned before looking back up to peer at her, brown face concerned, then nodded.

“Hmm,” she said. “There is worry in your face, child. Come in and let us see what we can do about it.”

Vidya followed her into the darkness of the greenhouse. The air was warm and sticky in here, just how the Devil’s Fingers liked it, just like their native home in the deepest darkest parts of the Fae forest. Nani took Vidya’s hand and held up a bright lantern in the other to lead the two of them through the middle of the greenhouse. The dark branches of the Devil’s Fingers swayed threateningly over them. Vidya squinted at them, eyeing the thick brown leathery trunks and watching nervously for signs of sudden movement. She took a deep breath and smelled the sweet perfume they emitted to lure in their prey. It smelled just like sweet mangoes, and she shivered at how easy it would be to fool someone who didn’t know about that trick of theirs.

Nani bore no signs of nervousness, however. She stomped through the path, chin held high, staring down at the dark trees on either side of her.

Suddenly, a barky hand lurched out of the shadows, headed straight for Vidya. She gasped and lurched backward, but quick as a frog snapping up a fly, Nani whirled around and gave the Devils’ Fingers a sharp slap with her hand.

“Oi, you!” she shouted.

The dark hand fell under her slap and quivered as if ashamed of itself and retreated slowly backward into the darkness of its tree.

“That is very rude,” said Nani loudly. “If I see anybody else and I mean anybody—” She whirled around to the front this time and pointed to trees on the other side of the path. “—trying anything with my granddaughter, you’ll be very sorry.”

Even Vidya shrank back, hearing her angry words. Nani sure had a way of putting people in line.

“Humph!”

Nani grabbed Vidya’s hand more tightly and began striding down the path again, a little faster this time.

On the other side of the greenhouse was another glass door leading to a large bedroom, complete with a comfy couch. The wall here was also glass, so Nani could watch her trees as she slept. Vidya sat down on the couch and watched her grandmother pour them two glasses of chilled Ghostberry juice. This was the main juice the Fae drank. It was poisonous to humans, but for the Fae, the sweet liquid made sure the humans would not see them when they ventured out into the human realm. To humans, the Fae would look like parts of the forest, they wouldn’t be able to see them at all.

Nani sat down on the couch, mopping her forehead with a pink cloth. Vidya didn’t know how she stayed in this damp heat all day and all night, Vidya was already sticky with sweat. She gulped down her juice gratefully.

“You’ll never guess what’s happening, Nani,” Vidya said, setting her glass down on