He breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you. Thank you, sweet Ivy.”
“I must go,” she said as she backed out of the room. She reached for the door.
“Farewell, my dear. And thank you.”
She tipped her head to the side. “For what?”
“For helping me.”
Her heart clawed its way to her throat. Now, she felt as though she were obligated to help. He didn’t seemso badafter all. Perhaps he merely made a series of poor choices. Clearly, helping Seraphina was one of them.
“Farewell,” she said at last.
She closed the door and stood there a moment, her hands shaking. Then she fled the cabin, never to return again.
Chapter 13
Snowhikedbackthroughthe forest, leaving the disembodied wizard and his cabin behind. By the time she reached Faradill, it was long past midday. She took respite at the base of him, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the tree and resting her back against his roughened bark. She took a long drink from the flask and ate a bit of the bread and an apple. She hadn’t realized how hungry or thirsty she was until then.
Annilen found her there. She flitted to her, her wings beating so fast they were nothing but an iridescent blur.
“Snow, you’re back!” She fluttered around her head, dancing back and forth. “Did you find the answers you were looking for?”
She munched on the apple and nodded. “I found answers, yes.”
And made a dangerous promise she wasn’t sure she could keep. Not only that, but she dreaded returning to Yirrie. She’d been gone all day, shirking her chores. Yirrie would likely have something to say about that. Trepidation rolled through her.
She stuffed the half-eaten bread back into her bag, then tossed the apple core to the waiting pixies who were watching her eat.
“And what were they?”
Though she had promised the sprite to tell her upon her return, now she wasn’t so sure. Apprehension wafted through her as she thought of the strange wizard in his mysterious cabin.
“You promised,” she said, reminding her.
“I did.” Snow gave her a nod. “Did you keep your promise?”
“Yes!” she said, emphatic. She, too, sounded a bit out of breath. “I told no one, just like you asked.”
Snow lifted her hand and allowed the sprite to land. She dropped and sat, drawing her knees to her chest.
“I found the dark wizard’s cabin deep in the woods,” she said.
Annilen stared up at her with rounded eyes full or shock. “You did?”
“Yes, and the wizard is…well, he’s not exactly alive. But his spirit is,” she said. “And he’s tied to—” She pressed her lips together in a tight line.
“To what?” Annilen asked on a gasp.
Snow wasn’t ready to give up her true identity. She worried if she told Annilen about Seraphina, she would then have to explain how she knew about the evil queen.
“To someone. Someone using his magic,” she said.
“Do you know who?” the sprite asked.
“No,” Snow said. Lying to her friend sent a wave of guilt through her but she had to do it to protect her from Seraphina’s terrible darkness.
“Now, I really must go,” Snow said. “The day is getting late and Yirrie will want to know where I’ve been.”
