I watched as they mounted Ophelia. Her big eyes zeroed in on me and for a second I thought she might say something. Her head snapped away as she launched, her wings sending them straight into the air. I lifted a hand, and Elle raised one in return.

A funny twist began in my gut. Whatever part Elle had left in this, she and I weren’t done yet.

They ghosted through the clouds for a few minutes, glimmers of red scales, and then they were gone.

Shazer snorted. “What about me?”

I looked him over. “Will you wait for me? I cannot know what we are walking into, but a backup escape plan is always a good thing to have in my world.”

His dark eyes narrowed. “Call for me. I will hear you.”

I touched him on the nose, the velvet of his muzzle softer than dandelion fluff. I turned and walked away, only then noticing where we’d landed. A small valley at the juncture of three mountains, the peaks towering over us so much, the sun struggled to peer through even though it was midday. Snow crunched under my boots; I had an urge to slip them off and feel it on my bare feet. In the redwoods, we didn’t get snow, not like this. The icy crystals covered everything, giving the world a glittering white, ethereal feel. Cactus caught up to me with ease.

“So now what? We know your father is here, but you aren’t going to accuse the queen of lying, are you?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Peta jumped from my shoulder to the ground in front of us. Her body shimmered and she shifted into her snow leopard form, perfect for the environment. “Peta, what do you know of the queen of the Eyrie?”

“I have not been to the Eyrie in many years. But the queen has been on the throne a long time. Longer even than your father.” She trotted ahead of us, her big paws leaving imprints in the snow making it easy to follow.

“Yes, I know that much. What else, though? I have not kept up on the political side of things.”

“Queen Aria is—from what I understand—very sweet. Kind, merciful. It’s why her Enders get bored.” Peta bounded up the slope ahead of us, turned and looked back. “This is going to be a hard climb. Why do we not use The Bast—Shazer?”

“Because I have no desire to drop in on the Eyrie. We do not know if we are welcome. At least on the ground, we have a chance at defending ourselves if we need to.”

Cactus grunted. “You think it will come to that?”

I stared hard at him. “Are you serious? Have you not been listening to me? The mother goddess is sending me in there to deal with whatever political issues are going on. That is not going to make us popular with at least a few people, and most likely Queen Aria is going to take exception to our presence.”

“Well, that’s a slope covered in slippery shit, isn’t it?” he muttered. I agreed, but said nothing more.

Peta was right about the climb. It was a true test of our abilities, both physical and in our connection to the earth. Snow was a covering on earth; it was water, not earth. So in order to mold handholds, Cactus had to melt the snow, then I made the holds. More than once, we triggered avalanches that sent waves of snow crashing down the slope.

Then there was the fact that we climbed while the night still held tightly to the world. The darkness only added to the degree of difficulty. We had to rely on Peta to find our path.

Without her, I was sure we would not have made the climb. “Almost there,” she called down to us, her eyes glowing in the dark.

I kept moving, my legs and back aching from the cold and the fatigue. The night had taken its toll. I could only hope Queen Aria was as Peta had said: kind and merciful.

We pulled ourselves up a ledge, side by side. Cactus’s hair was stiff, slicked back from his face. Our sweat froze in droplets as we climbed. “I can check this off my list of things to do before I die.”

I stared at him, then laughed. “Only you, Cactus, would think this was a challenge you needed to face.”

He grinned. “What can I say? A challenge only makes me want it more. Tells me it’s worth the fight.”

His words, of course, had nothing to do with the mountain.

My grin slipped and I pulled myself over the ledge, resting on my knees. We’d made it to the gates of the Eyrie.

We were on a flat plain cut deep into the mountain, wide and open. Across the far edge were a pair of tall gates with walls stretching to either side.

Peta sat on her haunches, her ears flicking back and forth. “Lark, the welcoming committee is on its way.”

I made myself stand though my legs trembled and my arms felt like boulders. Toward us, the greeter flew. I blinked, surprised at who the queen would send as her emissary.

“First time for everything,” I said as the fairy reached me, his sword drawn and pointed at my eye.

First time indeed.

CHAPTER 15

“Hey, you can’t damn well be here, you damn stinking dirt brat!” the fairy screamed at me, his face bright red. I raised my eyebrows but didn’t move for fear he’d accidently puncture my eye with his miniscule blade.

“Why not?”

“All Terralings are forbidden to enter the Eyrie until further notice,” he screeched.

“Do I look like a Terraling?” I asked. That seemed to slow him down. “Does my companion look like a Terraling with his red hair? Would a cat be bound as a familiar to a Terraling?” With each question I asked, he deflated a little more until the sword dropped.

“Well, shit stickers. I never thought of that. Name’s Tom.” He floated back from my face, giving me breathing room.