Читать книгу The Realms of Faerie - Linda Massola - Страница 4

Within minutes of the children arriving in the Kingdom of Fairy, their wings began to grow, so they took to the air. Andrew and Tristan each held one of Dominique’s hands as they flew towards the Castle of Feathers. The kingdom was strangely quiet. Normally, fairies of all shapes and sizes would be flitting about.

‘Where is everyone?’ Zara called to her friends.

‘Look!’ Ella pointed in dismay to the battlements of the castle. Only six feathers were flying; one for each of the fairy children. Mab’s violet feather had disappeared. They landed softly in the courtyard and as soon as they did, Lottie ran out to greet them.

‘Laura, my child!’ she cried hugging her.

‘Where is everyone? Where are Mab and Oberon?’

‘Come my children – come inside. We have much to tell you.’ Lottie led the children into the castle. Soon, the fairy parents came to greet their children.

‘Mab and Oberon have disappeared,’ Isabella told them sorrowfully.

‘Disappeared? What do you mean disappeared?’

‘They flew into the forest on Midsummer’s Eve planning to contact you,’ Esmeralda explained. ‘They never came back.’

‘We searched and searched,’ Aurora told them. ‘Janus and the army of Ciduries looked for weeks. They have just disappeared!’

‘We are so glad you have returned,’ Arabella told them. ‘We were unable to gain access to Mab’s giant crystal ball to find her whereabouts. Unfortunately Tatiana was the only one apart from Mab who could access it.

‘We didn’t want to worry you about Mab and Oberon when we contacted you,’ explained Isabella. ‘We thought we would be able to find them long before this.’

‘We must find them,’ said Ella. ‘Where is Janus?’

‘He will be back later tonight. Perhaps you can devise a plan between you to find them. We are sure that Drabon and Putrida are behind their disappearance. In the meantime, I am sure you would like to be re-united with your friends. They have changed greatly while they have been here with us.’

The mortal children had indeed changed. Gone were the haunted looks. Now they exuded confidence. Tristlin and Georgina were becoming excellent horse handlers and were eager to join the army of Ciduries when they were older. Isabella was teaching Zariana how to create beautiful clothing designs and Lorelei and Drew were being taught to cook the delicious fairy food by Lottie. Ellabella had elected to learn how to care for the animals of the Kingdom.

‘Wait until you see Elvis!’ she told them.

‘Elvis!’ Laura couldn’t wait. She missed talking to her old friend. When Ellabella led them into the courtyard, they were in for a surprise. Their friend Elvis the mortal horse was now in possession of wings! ‘Elvis, you can fly!’ Elvis gave a little whinny. ‘He says it is the only way to travel!’ Laura laughed. ‘Oh, he also says that if Dominique gets on his back, he will take her for a ride!’

Dominique didn’t wait to be asked twice. While she soared above the battlements on Elvis’s back, a long way to the south, in the caves of Gloomia, Drabon and Putrida were congratulating themselves. In their presence and under maximum security of the remaining goblins were the latest treasures of Gloomia – the great stone statues.