Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale 5)

Mina’s heart pounded in her chest as more stones fell away. Adrith was the first to cross, followed by the other centaurs. Prase’s rear hooves just scraped the last stone before it dropped.

Mina turned and saw that Captain Plaith’s horse had misjudged the distance. A cry ripped from her throat as the horse’s hooves barely scraped the stone. Another rumble ripped through the plane, and more of the bridge fell away.

One second, the horse and captain were there.

The next they were gone over the ledge and lost to the deep chasm.

Chapter 34

Mina stared at the edge of the bridge they’d barely made it across, until Ferah cried out in warning, “Go, go, go!”

The stones underneath her feet were cracking, and Basal neighed in fright. They couldn’t afford to stop. Nix grabbed Ferah’s hand and pulled her onto the mount with him, and the centaurs ran as if their lives depended on it, which they did.

They raced to outrun the ever-growing chasm that threatened to swallow them all.

Then it stopped. The middle of the lake was gone. Just an empty hole ending a few hundred feet from the end of the bridge.

They hurried on.

When they arrived at the doors of the palace, they were greeted by multiple Fae, old and young alike—all terrified. Some yelled, trying to assert their dominance over the group of frightened Fae. Mina and the others slid down from the centaurs and tried to hear what was going on.

“Settle down, settle down,” a tall, broad shouldered gnome commanded. “We can solve this problem peacefully.”

“Where are the Fates?” an angry dwarf yelled.

“Why are they not saving us?” an elderly elf asked.

The gnome leader seemed to be losing his patience. “They can’t save our home anymore. A terrible accident has befallen them.”

“We’re doomed,” the same elf cried out.

Mina and the group came along the outskirts of the Fae. Ferah motioned for Mina to follow her, so Nix and Ever said they’d stay and see what they could learn. Mina followed Ferah along the side path and around the palace until they arrived at the hedge maze.

“This wouldn’t have happened if I had just stepped out of the way,” she berated herself.

With the plants dead, it was easy to cross through the broken and dying bushes or step over them, until they came to the tower. The tower glass had been repaired, and something compelled Mina to hurry. She didn’t need more prompting. She ran up the steps of the tower and came into the round observatory room.

“What now?” Mina asked as she stepped in and turned in a circle. A flood of memories rushed back to her as the former assassin joined her.

Ferah faced her. “I don’t know. I only know that I was supposed to bring you here. All of the Fates have been chosen in this room. It’s why the test ended here. Except…”

“Except what?” Mina asked, sensing her hesitation.

“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve let you down. I don’t know what else there is to do. I should leave you.” Ferah looked around the tower once more and started back down the stairs.

Mina walked over to the large windows and saw how fast the Fae world was dying. So much had happened up here. The memories were equally sweet and painful. How she longed for the prince to be standing here with her.

The ground began to rumble again, and the tower swayed.

Mina tried to make sense of all this. She still felt like she was missing something. Captain Plaith said the Fates were a conduit of magic for the land, and with their deaths, the magic was gone.

“Again, you get in my way!” Annalora shrieked from behind Mina. The tower leaned, shifting with the quakes. Annalora stood in the stairwell, bracing the wall for support as the round of tremors passed. “How are you here? You should be dead! I’ve sacrificed too much for you to still be here.”

>On the other side, she met Nix and Ever. They nodded silently, as if they had overheard everything.

Captain Plaith pulled out a small flute and played a simple melody. A few minutes later, three centaurs came over the hills in a cloud of dust, all of them heavily armed. The dark-coated one had a long sword, a palomino female wore a long bow, and the tallest—with the whitest of coats—carried an axe.

“Thank you for coming Adrith, Basal, and Prase,” Captain Plaith addressed them in order. “I think one has come who is able to save us. Can we count on your herd to escort us?”