Fairy Lies Read Free Page B

Oberon’s forest . . .”
    “No one would get hurt.”
    “Pansy and I have cousins at Oberon’s court,” said Algae. “We especially don’t want
them
to get hurt, which is why we thought that if someone else were to get the princess out before Titania and her army showed up—”
    “Everyone would be a lot better off,” Pansy finished.
    “I see,” said Jak. “So you think Mountain Ash took Tamisin to Oberon’s forest?” He glanced at the fairies. They were both nodding and looking so earnest that he almost smiled. “And you think I’ll be able to sneak in?”
    “We used to be one big court before Oberon split off, so everyone knows everyone else, which is why you’re so perfect,” said Pansy. “Oberon’s fairies won’t have any reason to suspect a nobody like you. You’ll have a better chance of getting in than any of us.”
    “Gee, thanks,” said Jak. Shouldering his backpack, he turned to the fairies. “Anything else I should know?”
    Pansy nodded. “The gates are acting weird and no one knows why. There’s only one near here that’s open right now, and it won’t be for long. We’d show you the way, but you’d slow us down. We have to go tell Titania that you’re going to help. Maybe then she won’t be so quick to send her army.”
    “You have to hurry and get Tamisin to her mother,” Algae added. “Titania has never been known for having a lot of patience.”
    “Especially when she’s mad,” said Pansy. “No one gets mad like the fairy queen.”

Chapter 3
    Tamisin woke with a start and for a moment thought she was dreaming. It was so dark, she couldn’t see anything. Turning her head to the side, she realized there was no pillow beneath her cheek. She was lying on something rigid, definitely not on her soft, comfortable bed. In a rush she remembered what had happened.
    Reaching forward, Tamisin felt something grainy and rough almost an arm’s length away. It was the same behind her, but when she reached up, there was only empty air. With her hands braced against the surface on either side, she struggled to stand, wobbling as the surface below her feet lurched and bounced. When she fell forward after a particularly bad bounce, she finally gave up, deciding that it might be easier to explore on her hands and knees. Crawling, she worked her way to the point where her path narrowed and she couldn’t go any farther. She followed what felt like a wrinkle with her fingers until she jammed her thumb and broke two fingernails.
    Tamisin sat back, shaking her hand until the pain of her minor injuries faded. The pain made her angry, and the more she thought about being kidnapped, the angrier she became. When thunder boomed close by and she felt the crackle of electricity in the air, she smiled in satisfaction. Let her kidnapper know that he wasn’t going to be able to whisk her away so easily. Whoever had taken her didn’t know anything about her. She would call lightning down so that he flew off like a frightened sparrow. In fact, she would do it now, except she didn’t know where she was. It felt as if she might be flying. What if her kidnapper was carrying her? If lightning blasted him, they might both die.
    The thunder grew fainter as Tamisin sat back and rested her head on her arms. If only she hadn’t danced that night! Then Mountain Ash wouldn’t have found her and she’d be home in bed while her parents and brothers slept just down the hall. As it was, now they were going to wake up in the morning and find her gone. They would be desperate, not knowing what had happened to her. Considering that the last time she had disappeared, Jak had helped her escape from goblins who wanted to kidnap her, her adoptive family’s imaginations were sure to run wild.
    Tamisin had no idea how long she sat there, but after what seemed like forever, it felt as if the air pressure was changing. A moment later, she began to slide backward, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Throwing her arms