Chapter Two

Vidia's first stop was the bakery, to place Clarion's order for hundreds of different types of pastries. The scout talent fairies and sparrowmen had done a wonderful job of alerting to hawks and protecting Pixie Hollow, and the queen wanted to give a banquet for them in thanks.

Then a stop with the Minister of each season to request headcounts of all the fairies in their retinues. Fairies who died of disbelief simply faded and disappeared, and as cold hearted as it felt, the queen had to know how many fairies they would not have to prepare for the seasons.

Finally she was off to find Fawn, a forest talent fairy. That meant Vidia had to scour the whole forest for her, but she started in a circle around the Home Tree and flew wider and wider circles until she spotted her near the root of an oak tree, cutting a fellow fairy free from an old spiderweb. It was slow work. Every time Fawn cut free a wing or a foot, the other fairy stumbled and tangled up again while trying to balance herself.

Vidia quickly lost her patience and swooped down just as Fawn sliced a wing free. Without any warning, Vidia grabbed the trapped fairy's hand and yanked her forward, ignoring the sudden yelp of pain. Beneath her, Fawn drowned it out with her own cry of triumph as she slashed the last tenacious strands and darted away before they could snag her, too.

"Finally!" Fawn said, turning around. "Thank yo--oh. Vidia. Um, thanks."

"Don't get so excited, dear," Vidia said. She dropped the fairy she was holding, who fortunately landed on a soft leaf. "The Queen needs a guide for when she visits the gloworms next week, and she wants you to lead her entourage."

"Huh?" Fawn asked. Her eyes widened at being called to royal service, especially one she'd never heard about.

"Oh, I forgot, darling, you're a recent arrival." Vidia made it sound like an insult. "When Queen Clarion travels through the forest, she needs an animal talent fairy at the front to warn off silly creatures who get in her way. Quite tedious, I'm afraid."

But Fawn didn't pay attention to Vidia's taunt. Trying to imagine how to keep the queen safe from animals like bears or foxes or hawks, Fawn fell silent and flew into the air, drifting thoughtfully to the Home Tree. She called another "thank you" over her shoulder, but Vidia was watching the fairy she'd dropped.

"Prilla dear," she said, hovering over her. "I thought you'd been here long enough to know not to get stuck in a spider's web."

Still straightening her leaf dress, Prilla turned and smiled up at her. Prilla was the only fairy in Pixie Hollow who didn't mind Vidia's attitude or who didn't dread seeing her approach. She'd helped Vidia find Queen Clarion's crown when it went missing, and she was the only one who'd believed that she hadn't stolen it. And Prilla felt a strange sort of comraderie with the only other fairy in Pixie Hollow who didn't quite fit in.

"I couldn't help it," Prilla said. "I was visiting the mainland playing with clumsy children and when I cartwheeled back, I couldn't stop. I'm lucky Fawn and you came by."

"Luckier than you realize," Vidia snapped. "Hawks aren't the only creatures that eat fairies. Spiders love catching us in their webs."

"It won't happen again," Prilla said. "I hope. Um, why did you stop here anyway? Usually it's just the animal talent fairies that come this far out. Oh! Were you flying around Neverland racing dragonflies?"

Vidia gave a toss of her head. "There isn't a dragonfly on this island that can keep up with me. I was delivering messages for Clarion."

"The Queen?" Prilla breathed. "But I thought only message talent fairies did that."

"Special messages get sent by me," Vidia said.

"And today's special?"

Several seconds passed before Vidia answered, and her look slipped from Prilla's face to the ground below. Other fairies would have grown worried and asked what was wrong. Prilla knew better and waited.

"It was," Vidia said softly. "Once."

Memories flashed before her, the sound of laughter flying at her side, wings brushing against her own, clouds cut apart as she sliced through and a night spent gazing at the moon, the glow of another fairy pushing away the shadows.

Tonight she would sit alone in her sour plum tree and her dust would give off only enough glow to create shadows.

"Don't tumble into anymore webs you can't get out of yourself," Vidia said as she turned to go. "We won't always be there."

"Vidia?"

But the older fairy was already halfway to the clouds by the time Prilla started to say her name. She broke through the clouds and hung in the air for a moment, shielding her eyes from the cold sun.

Up in the atmosphere, frost accumulated on her clothes and her wings. She fluttered them fast to break them free, then darted back down the ground to gain speed. Neverland rose towards her, growing until she saw the vast fields of sunflowers of Pixie Hollow, saw the fields expand to rows of flowers, saw the petals on each flower.

A few garden talent fairies spotted her dive and watched, knowing she would pull out and still fascinated. Only inches from the sunflowers, Vidia spun and forced herself to fly over them, leaving a trail of stirred pollen in her wake. She reached the edge of the field in just a few seconds and plunged into the forest with reckless abandon, dodging trees that appeared in a blur. A moment later she was out of the forest and skimming over the lagoon, sending up a spray after her. Startled mermaids slid off their rocks into the blue waters, forgetting jeweled combs that sparkled as Vidia passed by.

Captain Hook's ship lay anchored just outside the lagoon. Vidia raced up the anchor chain and along the deck, tipping over a lantern as she went. It crashed on the deck and shattered, bringing up pirates who never noticed her as she flew away.

Over the ocean, skirting the coast, she circled Neverland until she came to the mountains. She hesitated at the foot of the tallest, not sure if she wanted to fly so close, but the alternative was an easy cut across the rest of the island that would let her mind wander.

Right now she wanted a difficult flight that would command all of her attention. She began to ascend, passing sharp stones and rocky crevasses. Pebbles tumbled down the cliff face beside her and she swerved hard to one side, avoiding the rock slide before it came too close.

The trip over the mountains added more than an hour to her flight. By now the sun was beginning its slow descent to the horizon. It would be a hard push to make it home before nightfall, and she would be tired enough to fall asleep immediately.

No one could have kept pace with her now. Fastest of the fast fliers, she knew her wings were fraying again, their edges tearing as she pushed them harder. The cold wind numbed her and invigorated her at the same time, forcing her to the edge of her endurance while taking the sting from her sore shoulders. But it couldn't do more than take away the physical hurts.

Her heart ached, yearning for the infinite speed she'd once tasted. She would never use a wand to wish for it again, preferring instead to earn it through her own efforts, but she remembered what it felt like to pass the earth so fast that she nearly tore herself apart. When she could have flown so fast that a stray whisper would have shred her to pieces.

By the time she reached Pixie Hollow again, night had fallen. Garden talent fairies were closing themselves up in their flowers. Scout sparrow men descended to the lower branches of the nearby trees, no longer worrying about hawks but keeping an eye out for owls. The Home Tree was lit up with a thousand lights and dark silhouettes of fairies could be seen leaving the main banquet hall. At first Vidia thought to skip dinner, but she'd skipped lunch and her body was beginning to tremble. Sighing, she headed for the Home Tree, slowing down as she approached.

A few sleepy fairies were startled as she zipped by, and she landed on the windowsill to look around before she entered. She was later than she realized. Most of the fairies still awake were light talents who kept the tree lit for the art talents and the tinker talents who were too lost in their work to sleep and for those fairies who worked at night, like the animal talents who worked with fireflies.

She stepped into the hall and looked over the buffet spread, picking out a few leftover tarts. Very little was left, most of which she didn't like--milk cream, chocolate and raspberry, quince--but she didn't want to leave without at least a bite. She looked for a plum or a crabapple tart, but there were none to be found.

"Vidia! Over here!"

Startled,Vidia looked over her shoulder and found Prilla sitting in the corner with a tray of pastries in front of her. She waved to make sure Vidia saw her. Knowing everyone else in the room was watching, Vidia flew over and sat down.

"You look tired," Prilla said, pushing her plate over. "Where'd you fly today?"

"Across the island," Vidia said.

She would have snapped back with a sarcastic quip if anyone else had mentioned it, but then no one else would have asked her so earnestly. Prilla didn't seem to know what sarcasm was, although she certain understood Vidia whenever she used it.

Vidia spotted a plum tart on the edge of the plate and scooped it up with a nod. Much better than a milk cream tart, and there was even a leaf goblet of water here for her.

She took a drink before she wondered why it was there at all.

"Were you waiting for someone?" she asked.

Prilla shrugged one shoulder. "Kind of. I didn't know when you were going to be back, so I got a couple extra just in case."

"Really?" Vidia raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, I figured since everyone saw you take off earlier, you'd be gone for awhile. And then Peaseblossom, one of the queen's attendants, mentioned you'd visited the queen and..." Her voice trailed off when she saw Vidia's look darken. "And she said you looked kind of upset."

Vidia bit back her reply. Gossip spread like wildfire in the Home Tree. Perhaps she should be grateful no one but Clarion knew why she'd visited at all.

"Flying takes my mind off of things," she said simply. "Especially over the mountains."

"The mountains?" Prilla echoed, her eyes growing wide. "You mean where Kyto is?"

"I didn't fly close to him," Vidia said. "At least...no, I flew under his cage. I remember. There was a rock slide nearby."

Although their talents and temperaments were vastly different, Vidia and Prilla had been part of the team chosen by Mother Dove to journey to the Kyto's lair. Trapped in his cage in the side of the mountain, Kyto was a terrible dragon who survived by breathing deep and drawing in any birds or hapless fairy that flew too close. He lay on a meager horde of gold and jewels, and every now and then his growls rumbled through Neverland.

"Maybe that's why there was a rock slide," Vidia mused. "Kyto was restless."

Prilla looked down at the table. "I wonder what that's like, being locked up for years and years in a place so small you can't move."

At first Vidia was going to mention that Kyto was too dangerous to feel any sympathy for him, but as she thought about it, the more Prilla's comment felt like it wasn't meant for the dragon. She no longer felt trapped, but there had been a time long ago when she had felt more cramped up than Kyto probably did.

"You know you don't have to live in the Home Tree, right?" Vidia asked. "You could make your own home somewhere nearby. Might be smart to build it now before more of your own kind of talents here."

"Oh, I couldn't live alone," Prilla said. "It's...it's bad enough being the only one of my talent. If I left...I mean, it's not like we know for sure that there'll be more of my talent anyway."

Vidia couldn't argue. She didn't bring up the fact that she didn't stay with her fellow fast fliers. All of her talent were competitive and preferred to keep to themselves, impatient with the slower fairies, but she had long ago grown sick of their obstacle courses and little races through the flowers, of serving Clarion when she called, of living in the sprawling branches so close to Clarion's chambers that if she looked out, they might see each other through the window.

"What's worse," Vidia suddenly asked, "being alone, or being alone in a crowd?"

Silence. Prilla finished her last tart and finished her water. For a moment neither of them spoke, the same thoughts in their heads.

"I know I have too much clumsy in me," Prilla whispered. "Even if there were more of my talent, it still wouldn't feel right. I travel alone to the mainland. We'd only meet here to compare stories, maybe. I mean, you have others in your talent, and...well..."

"You've been alone too long," Vidia said. "With your own thoughts, separated from everyone else. It does things to you."

"Really?"

Vidia nodded. "Did you know, once upon a time, I used to live with my talent? I never left the hollow. My friend and I were inseperable."

"What happened?" Prilla asked, already guessing the answer.

"Disbelief," Vidia said in a flat tone. "She died of disbelief."

Not trusting her voice, she stood and flew out again. She knew Prilla wouldn't try to call her back. In the back of her mind, she knew that Prilla was slowly working her way into the part of Vidia's heart that had been closely guarded for so long. If she wasn't careful, Vidia knew she would be left vulnerable to that same ache, all too vulnerable if Prilla was wrong and new mainland visiting clapping talent fairies arrived and took her away. Pixie Hollow was wonderful at taking things away, and only Vidia seemed to notice.

She arrived in her dark sourplum tree and spared a few seconds to wash at her basin. When all the grime and dirt of flight had been cleansed, she lay down in bed, watching her glow fade against the walls. As tired as she was, she didn't fall asleep fast enough. Regret swirled in her soul like a whirlwind.

"Why couldn't you believe?" she wondered as her eyes closed. "You don't have to live the way that you're told. Clarion..."

And like she did every year on that night, she cried herself to sleep.

In the distance, the mountain continued to rumble.

tbc...