The Flight of the Starling by Ella Arrow

Author:Ella Arrow [Arrow, Ella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elizabeth Aronoff
Published: 2019-10-31T22:00:00+00:00

Part Nine

In which An Invitation Arrives Just In Time

For one horrible moment, Lily thought Aaron would remember her lying behind the bush and call back, but after a slight hesitation, he marched down to the front of the troupe of men who were searching for her. Prince Carlton the Fop followed in a sweep of color, Burly and the squires giggling as they brought up the rear.

Lily lay on the ground, making herself one with the dirt, caring no longer that her face itched and her frock was soiled. Her hands trembled as she hugged her arms around her chest. Her heart was booming like a fireworks display. She felt cold all over, tingling, until that seemed to wash away and she was suddenly sweating as if on fire. She waited several minutes, much longer than necessary really, listening for any sound that some other suitor-hunter followed the trail into the forest, and to be sure the group had gone.

Prince Carlton of East Cloudland! If Lily could have chosen a man for the bottom of the list of 59 suitors, Prince Carlton the Blabberer was it (just above the cruel and nasty Prince Alexander, naturally). He was not totally unattractive, but the moment he opened his mouth, her eyes had grown wide with boredom and disgust. He cared not a whit for anyone but himself, nor anything save hunting and its attire. His cruelty to Aaron on the hill just now made her blood boil, on a similar level to hearing of the fairies’ circumstance. She hoped Aaron would be alright leading the troupe out of Jonquilline’s part of the forest.

She gathered her courage and rushed back to the cave, anxious to tell the fairies and to get packed. Clearly they could not dawdle with their new friends any longer.

Lily shouted for the fairies when she neared the cave. They were up on the hill picking strawberries, and generally enjoying the perfect blue day. They flew down to meet her at the spring where she told them in halting breaths of Prince Carlton and their encounter.

“We must prepare to leave, at once,” she finished hurriedly. “Aaron’s gone to lead them off. I don’t know for sure, I think,” she faltered. “That is, I hope he won’t say anything about me. He didn’t when they asked directly, but that may have been the specific question more than anything.”

“He doesn’t know not to mention us, m’lady,” Beloit pointed out.

“No, and I couldn’t very well explain it to him while they were walking right below us.”

“How’re we to get through the forest if there’s men already lookin’ fer you here?” asked Marzipan, purple eyes going wide. “Hunters could be anywhere, m’lady.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” said Lily with a catch in her voice. Panic was really beginning to set in now. They could be anywhere, right this moment. She glanced frantically at all sides of the meadow, looking at every tree as if some bearded ruffian skulked behind each one with a knife in one hand and a veil in the other.

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