Wishes and Wings (10 page)

Gavin and his grandmother lived in Ruth Oakes's cottage near Ash Grove. It wasn't that far away, but she couldn't go visit him. And he was afraid to visit her.

Lord Dunraven's great-grandfather had made the cruel law long ago. Friendship between faeries and humans was still forbidden. They were not allowed even to
talk
to each other.

Alida's family tried to obey the law. They had moved to a meadow far from this one, in a place where no humans lived. They had stayed there a long, long time until Alida's mother had realized the faeries couldn't be happy—or healthy—anywhere but here.

So they had come home, traveling at night, following hidden forest paths. Gavin had helped them move back.

Almost all the faeries had come to like him very much. But they were still afraid to have him come visit.

“Alida?”

She turned at the sound of her mother's voice.

“Have you seen your sister?”

“Terra's helping Aldous and his family,” an elder faerie answered before Alida could.

“Thank you, William,” Alida's mother called as she turned away, walking fast.

Today, like most days, she was dressed in plain clothes. She would work alongside everyone else.

If Lord Dunraven's guards ever rode into the meadow looking for the queen of the faeries, they wouldn't be able to tell which one she was.

Alida's mother was always busy. Every single argument, every problem, every decision, was her concern.

Almost
every decision.

Alida lowered her head so no one could see the worry in her eyes.