are the most well-behaved pegasus anyone has ever seen—for the rest of the day. Deal?”
Ever so slowly, she nodded her big head up and down.
“Thank you.” I patted her neck.
My shoulders finally relaxed, lowering with my sigh.
Fae help me, but their blessed gift was a handful.
Below us, Gatlin Grove passed by at a leisurely pace, the lush green trees, massive and shading the sun for the elves below, hid most of the beauty that was our capital. The eye could still see a few of the red pointed tiled roofs of larger homes, the beautiful Fae statues in a clearing, sheep grazing on a hill, and the many waterfalls that crested over higher ridges. What you couldn’t see were the many shops and squares, the hustling elves preparing for customers at the markets, children waking from their beds for school, that odd elf that always sings every morning by the center fountain and wears his clothing backward, fisherman at the lakes casting their reels, and so many other wonders that boggled the mind.
My home was breathtaking. And I had missed it dearly.
My satisfied smile slid from my face as the four points of the Blood Forest came into view, where all kingdoms on land came together at one lone intersection. The space between the four points held the Fae-created domed glass building, with red and green ivy braided over the entirety of the structure reaching far into the sky—the building aptly called High Pointe. All travelers were required to go through High Pointe before entering a kingdom not their own. Each kingdom’s guards were stationed at all entry and exit points, with only approved individuals allowed admittance.
If a person tried to cheat the Fae born system…
Well, the Blood Forest came alive and destroyed them.
It was an utterly gruesome affair. Blood splatters painted the red leaves of the Blood Forest trees where the four points pressed against the domed building, not ever washing away in the spring rains. War paint that never disappeared, remaining as a warning to those who thought they were stronger than the Fae—the Fae who had created us all.
High Pointe was also where the royal summit was always held. I swallowed down my choke of fear. If I just focused on something else, it would make it better, surely it would.
I looked down below us, instead of gawking at my fate.
Small, pristine thatch-roofed inns and taverns now dotted the lone, wide road below us that led to High Pointe. There were no travelers on the dirt street today, the lane clear of all people and looking desperately lonely and bereft. Father kept flying, though, apparently, not wanting to travel the rest on land, even if High Pointe wasn’t that far from here—Gatlin Grove was extremely close to the cross-sections.
I took the little remaining time we had to gather my courage, not looking up since that truly did not help matters, but a flutter of movement to my left brought my internal pep talk to a halt.
I jerked my head to the side…and stared.
Another pegasus was flying in the air over the Caster Kingdom. On its back rode Queen Mikko, the caster queen. We were still far enough away that I couldn’t make out any of her facial features, but I could tell the ruler was staring right at us.
“Let her look away first!” Father called loudly over the rushing wind in our ears. “Do not appear weak!”
All right, apparently, she wasn’t staring at us.
The tender hearted queen was staring right at me.
Her stare didn’t feel so ‘tender’, either. More like an alligator waiting to snatch and roll you away into a swap. If this ruler was the nicest of all of them, then I was already in over my head.
I cleared my throat, still holding her stare. I shouted, “Father, I’m not positive I am ready for this!”
King Traevon peered back at me over his shoulder. He sent a wink in my direction. “You have me! There is nothing to worry about! If they upset you, I’ll simply kill them where they stand!”
“Please tell me you’re not serious!” I hollered. Finally, the damned caster queen looked away, allowing me to dart my attention to the king, who had not answered. “Father! You must tell you’re not serious!”
The smirk he wore gave me shivers. “Time will tell if I’m serious or not!”
“Holy Fae,” I mumbled under my breath, my eyes wide and drying out in the wind. “This is most definitely going to be a hideous day.”
Father was