“Oh,” I said and looked at the sky because its darkness didn’t remind me of white. Or green. Or wood.
Kato hooked a wing around me and turned my head back to meet his reflective eyes. “I understand the price you had to pay—are still paying—to save me. I thought your empathy was a weakness. But it’s the proof you will never be her. It’s just not possible.”
What would he think if he knew that, even now, a small part of me craved to hold the fire in my hand, to banish this feeling of helplessness. He’d probably push me in the water himself. I kept my feelings to myself and watched the wind distort our watery, mirrored images.
Our reflections looked like the cover of a fairy tale—a simple prince with his arm around his princess. Both our reflections reddened and turned away at the same time.
Kato flapped his wings and hovered around me before flopping back down to the ground. “You know, your wishful thinking hasn’t been all bad. I love the feeling of flying. I’m kind of getting the hang of it. I don’t really mind being a chimera.” He poked me with his tail. “Even if it makes me a disgusting beast for real.”
Now it was my turn to be embarrassed, being reminded at just how un-princesslike I’d been at the ball. “Sorry about that.”
He settled back down next to me. “No need. We both made mistakes. But I hope you feel a little differently now too.”
I did. I wasn’t sure exactly what I felt, but it definitely wasn’t the visceral dislike I’d had for him at the beginning. I knew I should probably say something, but no words came.
The first sun began its ascent into the sky. Its fiery hues painted the clear water in oranges and pinks. With the dark lifting, my surroundings became clear. The forest stood behind me in a familiar semicircle. The clearing was empty.
“So I guess the workshop has a habit of disappearing too.” I could feel the frown weighing down my face. “I bet Rexi was pretty happy last night getting here and finding out I was wrong…again.”
He sprang to his paws. “That’s right, you were asleep and wouldn’t know. The workshop was gone, but the trees still stayed back because there was still one thing in the clearing. The book.”
I gasped. Something had gone as planned. Mostly. We had a chance, which was better than we had yesterday. “Where is it? Did you read it? Does it have the uncurse?”
“Well, not exactly.” Kato winced. “The book has the cover described, but it won’t open. It’s sealed, glued, locked, or broken, and we can’t get to the pages. And the way magic is working, I’m not sure we want you to touch something so flammable.”
Having it so close, yet out of my grasp, pixed me off and made my hair spark. So Kato was probably right about the no touching.
“You never said where it is now,” I said.
Kato sighed. “Rexi has it.”
“Seriously?” I asked, shocked he would trust her. “Is that a good idea?”
He chuffed. “With those sticky fingers? She’ll guard her treasures better than any dragon.”
So true.
“Well, all right then. We need someone who can magic that sucker open,” I said and brushed off my dress. “Let’s go wake snoring beauty and find the Ivory Tower?”
He offered me the tip of his wing. “I suppose we have to since she’s got the book.”
Before we got close, the daffodil bolted upright. “Son of mrph murphen. Get this…off me!”
I lifted the flower off Rexi. She had her arms wrapped around the Book of Making, hugging it fiercely like a teddy bear. Her blond hair was wild on a good day, going in every direction, but bed head covered in pollen took it to a whole new level.
“What are you two laughing at?” She looked around self-consciously, then checked the side of her mouth for drool.
Forcing myself to straighten my face, I shook my head. “Not a thing. We’re heading out to find the wizard.”
“We can’t!” Rexi jumped up in a panic, the yellow pollen dandruff flying off. “I had a dream that something bad happens there.”
“So now you’re an oracle?” Kato scoffed.
“Better than being a fur coat.” The two continued bickering back and forth.
So this is what it must be like to have siblings. I’m glad I’m an only child.
I started to walk to the meadow on a carpet of petals. Either they’d follow or they wouldn’t. Both options had their pluses and minuses. Taking out my frustrations, I pushed several fallen flowers out of my way. I must have gone several hundred yards before the two even noticed I was missing.
“Hey, where are you going?” Kato flew up next to me. “What happened to the flowers? Why are they squished?”
Squished? I hadn’t noticed, but he was right. Petals lay broken and folded on the ground. Stems were bent low at odd angles. And the path wasn’t straight. It curved, almost like a footprint. But that’s ridiculous. Even trolls didn’t have feet that big.
I figured it out at the same moment I saw the tin leg.