that I understood and didn’t hold it against her.
I made no move toward the door, already knowing I would have little success with it, and instead examined the rest of the room. No other doors lurked anywhere, and I could see no possible exits. Next I examined the window itself, looking at it instead of through it this time. It opened easily which gave me a moment of hope, but when I stepped out onto the balcony, I could immediately see that there was no way either up or down from this vantage. I had no desire to hasten my death by falling to the ground below.
I refused to give up hope, but I was rapidly running out of ideas. I tried waving and screaming to the distant figures below, but it did nothing except release some of my pent up emotion. And soon I ran out of energy for it, my arms impossibly heavy to lift. I stopped and rested my cheek against the cool, smooth surface of the glass.
A flash of white caught my eye, followed by another and another. I straightened, peering out into the night. A wedge of swans flew into view. My swans.
I resumed waving and calling, and they wheeled toward me, honking and bugling as they came. One by one they glided in to land on the balcony, surrounding me. I sank to my knees and pressed my face against their feathers, tears running unheeded down my cheeks. They had sensed I was in trouble, and they had come. If only they were big enough that I could climb onto one of their backs and soar away.
A wild thought caught me. I ran back into the room, rushing to the bed and stripping off the top sheet. Bundling it in my arms, I rushed back to the window, nearly tripping twice, my weak arms struggling with my burden.
For all I knew I was courting disaster, but my swans had proven themselves so much more capable than they had any natural right to be, and I chose to believe that they could manage this too. I had to try something.
With a single yank, I brought the curtain down, rod and all, almost collapsing in the process. Removing four of the large rings proved simple, and I quickly tied a corner of the sheet to each one.
Dragging my creation behind me, I returned to the balcony where my swans waited. Sammy was the steadiest and most reliable of my friends, so I approached her first, wishing for daylight and the ability to speak in their language.
But when I held out the ring, she seemed to understand anyway, allowing me to slip it over her head and down to the strong base of her neck. The others all pressed in around me, and I had to shepherd them back, keeping only Snowy, Sunny, and Shadow herself beside me. Soon they were all attached to a corner of the sheet.
The remaining three hopped up to the edge of the balcony, dropping out of sight before soaring back up above us. My chosen four also hopped up, ready for their own departure. But they paused before throwing themselves off, looking at me. I couldn’t hesitate, that would only give my body time to deteriorate further—and my mind time to think better of the dangerous plan.
Climbing up among the swans, I perched on the edge of the balustrade, cupping myself in the sheet. Despite my determination not to hesitate, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. But a sudden force at my back sent me plummeting off the balcony, the material tangled around me.
I screamed as I fell, honks and flapping wings surrounding me, before I slowed, jerking and finally beginning to rise. Somehow, impossibly, it was working. My four swans spread out in a square formation, carrying me between them in the sling created by my sheet. I loosened the death grip on the fabric bunched in my hands and twisted myself so I could peek over the edge.
Big mistake. I pulled back, my head spinning. We were high. I had expected them to lower me gently down, but instead they lifted me higher, angling around the curve of the Keep.
“Where are you going?” I asked, but only received a bugle in reply.
Peering out again, I saw that Stormy seemed to be in the lead, something held in her beak. Sweetie flew behind her, Eagle coming last.
“Wait!” I shrieked as Stormy flew directly at a window.
She didn’t