Ella Enchanted - By Gail Carson Levine Page 0,25

days by coach.

"How long do you think it would take to walk?"

"Walking?" He started to laugh. "On foot? Alone? With ogres and bandits roaming the road?"

Beyond Jenn, I left the road, following it, but too far away to be seen from it. I didn't fear pursuit by Madame Edith, who would probably conceal my disappearance for as long as possible in hopes I might return. The baker's worries about ogres and bandits I thought exaggerated, since a solitary traveler would hardly be worthwhile prey. However, I was wary of strangers. With my curse, I had to be.

I wondered if I would meet Char on his way to the Fens. I liked thinking he might be near, but whether he was ahead of me or behind, or whether he had taken this route at all, I had no idea, and I wished my magic book had told me more.

The road was little trafficked, and I was too happy about my escape to feel much fear. I was free of orders. If I wanted to eat my breakfast under a maple tree and watch the day grow between its leaves, I could -- and did. If I wanted to skip or hop or run and slide on dew-wet leaves, I could -- and did. And when the mood took me, I whistled or recited poems that I made up on the spot.

I spent two glorious days this way, the best since before Mother had died. I saw deer and hares, and once, at twilight, I swear I saw a phoenix rise, trailing smoke.

On the third day, I began to despair about reaching the giants in time. I hadn't even come to the elves' Forest. If I had any chance of getting to the wedding, I should have passed the Forest on the second day, unless the baker had been mistaken about the distance from the Forest to the giants. Perhaps they were much closer to each other than he thought.

On the fourth day, I finished my last bit of traveler's bread. The land changed to sandy fields and low scrub, and I began to despair about reaching the giants before the newlyweds celebrated their first anniversary.

On the fifth day, I knew I was doomed to wander in endless barrens till I died.

On the sixth day, there were more trees, but I was too dazed by hunger to realize their significance. I was searching the ground for the lacy flowers of the wild carrot when I caught a shift in the shadows ahead of me, a flash of motion among the tree trunks. A deer? A walking bush? There, I saw it again. An elf!

"Kummeck ims powd," I called. It meant "sun and rain," or "hello" in Elfian.

"Kummeck ims powd." An elf woman approached me hesitantly. Her robe was woven in a dappled pattern, the shadow of leaves on the forest floor. "Speak Elfian?"

"Yun gar." ("A little.") I tried to smile at her, but her expression was so solemn I couldn't.

"Aff ench poel?" she asked.

"Dok ench Ella, jort hux Sir Peter hux Frell." I wondered if she knew Father.

"Sir Peter. Wattill len." Her tone was dismissive. She stepped closer and stared at me.

I met her gaze and hoped I didn't seem "wattill" ("sly") too.

Her eyes poured into me. I was sure she knew every one of my unkind thoughts, knew about the theft of Hattie's wig, knew each time I'd made my finishing school mistresses uncomfortable, and knew I hadn't had a bath since I'd lefr Jenn.

"Mund len." She smiled and took my hand. Her fingers felt waxy, like a leaf.

"Not like father."

She led me to Slannen, the elves' chief trader, who spoke Kyrrian fluently. He was the one Father had mentioned in his letter.

He confirmed that the baker's map was accurate. I didn't say anything, but my face must have shown how bitter my disappointment was.

"You will join your father at the giant's farm?" he asked.

I nodded. "But I'm not hurrying to him," I blurted, then stopped.

"You seek something else from the giants?" His amber eyes searched my face.

"Someone I must find. I must find her."

Slannen patted my arm. "Elves will help. In the morning you will see. But you must spend the night as our guest." He smiled, showing pale-green teeth.

I smiled back, reassured -- although one wouldn't expect green teeth to be reassuring.

The elves were the same height as humans. With their mossy hair and green skin tinged with orange for the coming autumn, they were no more frightening than