Deep Is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson

Author:Lili Wilkinson [Lili Wilkinson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A&U Children’s
Published: 2024-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

The party is still in full swing. But there’s something new in the air, a breath of expectation. Space has been cleared around the toad statue and the golden throne. The King Toad’s throne.

Caraway hustles me into an empty alcove. ‘Stay here,’ he orders. ‘Talk to no one. I’ll come and collect you once it’s all over.’

I’m going to object, but he kisses me, swift and hard. Then he’s gone.

I put a trembling hand to my mouth.

This is all wrong. Suddenly the glitz and glamour of the evening feel overwhelming. I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t belong here, among these beautiful people with their beautiful gowns and their rich food. I had a nice time playing in fairyland, but now I desperately want to go home.

I sink down to the velvet couch, and the alcove spins around me.

Caraway was right. I shouldn’t have drunk anything.

Tinkling music sounds from outside, and for a moment I wonder what will happen if I go back out there. Give myself over to the giddy whirl of the night. Lose myself in dance and drink and revels. The party whispers sweet promises to me, but all I can think about is Caraway’s lips on mine, sweet and hot and shimmering with starlight.

My vision blurs double and I can’t hold a thought for more than a few seconds before it drifts away.

Come back, the party calls. You’re missing out.

But I can’t. I need to focus. There are more important things at stake here than glitter and champagne bubbles.

I have to sober up, and fast. Thank goodness for Da’s paranoia.

I pull the little ampoule from my bodice and snap the top off, swallowing the contents in a single gulp. It tastes of plastic and milk thistle.

It doesn’t take long to work. The downside of Sebrium is that it doesn’t strip you of the hangover. It hits me harder than Teddy’s hammer hits the anvil. My head pounds and I break out in a cold sweat. My stomach churns and I lean over and vomit into an ice bucket, careful not to get any on my dress.

What I wouldn’t give for a swig of Ken Lanagan’s hangover dram right now.

The alcove seems different, now that the enchanted food and drink are out of my system. The rich plush velvet now seems moth-eaten and threadbare. Spiderwebs cling to damp stone walls, and I can hear a noise like the clicking of insects.

I push aside the curtain and step out into the hall, and bile rises in my throat once more.

I’m in a nightmare.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.