Sure, let's find a Phoenix's tear, because it'll be so easy... We had a found a trod back to the Nevernever, and kept following the cat. I hoped this was the last item because my week was coming to an end. I could feel it, in the inside and out.
I had stopped sneezing, but now I coughed, and my legs ached. I tried to be quiet about it. It was enough that they had to see the consequences in the wyldwood. The trees and the grass weren't the same as they had been when I had first come here. They weren't bright green anymore, they were dying slowly, like me.
We had four days left.
"So, you don't have any boyfriend... hmmm" Dad wanted to catch up with my life, but it wasn't that interesting.
I shook my head. "Nope. In fact, I've never had one"
Kierran looked over his shoulder at us "Really?"
"Yeah, really" I coughed.
Dad and Kierran frowned. C'mon guys, don't look at me like that or I'll have to spit it out!
Grim was peering at us curiously from a tree branch a couple of trees ahead. He knows. Then, he vanished. Uh oh that's not good.
Taking my iron daggers out of my backpack I took a defensive stance. Dad grinned and unsheathed his daggers as well, Kierran drew his sword.
Small creatures slowly crept out of the trees nearby peering at us hungrily. They had wide mouths with small sharp-looking fangs, I shuddered at the sight but tried to keep calm, nonetheless. They didn't seem friendly.
Dad sprang into action with a deadly gleam in his eyes. Kierran used some Summer glamour and roots emerged from the ground tying the creature's feet.
One of the little things sprinted towards me, it caught me by surprise biting my calf. I screamed and shook my leg to get rid of it. Another launched itself to my hair and pulled it viciously.
I threw myself to the ground and managed to get rid of the one pulling at my hair. With my own Summer glamour, the ground opened revealing a hole that swallowed the faery monster.
My right leg hurt like hell "Knock it off!" I cut the thing's throat and it did an awful sound before slumping.
Kierran was busy with one that kept taunting him, moving aside when he striked with his sword. From he corner of my eye I saw a man, standing a few feet away from us, he had the costume of a Summer faery. He drew a bow and tensed it, aiming it at... Kierran.
"Kierran watch out!" He didn't hear me but I was already running towards him.
My mind emptied leaving me just with the fierce need of saving him. I was in front of him just in time to see the arrow flying full-speed towards us.
The only thing I could thing in that fraction of a second was: I should have just tackled him to the ground.
I closed my eyes and braced for the impact.
...
...
Why I'm not dead already?
I lifted my eyelids and saw the man was dead on the grass.
Kierran grabbed my shoulders and spun me around "Are you insane?!"
I blinked, confused. "What?"
His body was shaking uncontrollably. "You... you could've died!" He pressed his lips together "How could you have done something so stupid?!"
I realized I was shaking as well. I had truly believed I was going to die. "I was trying to save you"
He tightened his grip on my shoulders. "That's it! Don't you see? We are all here because the point is to keep you alive, and you come and put yourself in harm's way!"
Now that was enough. "Listen to me, you, ungrateful princeling" I poked his chest with my finger angrily "I was trying to save your unworthy ass. Okay, I'm sorry, I should have thought it better but I couldn't exactly think clearly in that moment!"
Kierran opened his mouth to say something else but Dad stopped him. "C'mon kids, stop arguing. Kierran, it wasn't her fault. And Summer," he sighed "Please don't do that again, and not just beacuse of the save-the-world thing. You're my daughter"
Kierran lowered his arms and stalked off. What was his problem? That I had risked his precious Nevernever for saving him. Yeah, well it was a big deal but... I WASN'T THINKING! Geez I... he was a friend, I couldn't just stand aside and do nothing.
Dad hugged me tightly to his chest. "My little girl"
I enjoyed the feeling. I had my father with me, we would figure everything out together.
"The Iron Prince found the entrance" Grimalkin announced skirting though the monster's bodies.
"Good, he can take the Phoenix's tear and shove it right into his -"
Dad raised an eyebrow at me. "- mouth"
We followed the cat -me limping- until we found a massive tree that rose so high that if I climbed it I was sure I'd be able to touch the sky. Just behind it, there was a little lagoon that guided to a cave.
Kierran was standing beside the tree with his back to us. Again, what was his freaking problem?
Grim stared at the cave opening "Set a camp. We'll enter at dawn"