Part 3

At sunrise the next day, the last of the firefly lighters, insomniac tinkerers, and moonflower gardeners slipped into bed, pulled up their petal blankets and fell asleep. Only the earliest fairies were awake. Dulcie gathered the eggs and flour and spices for the morning's omelets, Iris rubbed sleep from her eyes and collected the sun's first rays, and Rosetta flew through a yawn as she rose, heading to the Home Tree for a pick-me-up cocoa before work.

The first sign that anything was wrong was an explosion felt across the island.

The sound was like thunder in their heads, and a shockwave followed in its wake. In Tinker's Nook, tools fell off shelves and delicate machinery came apart. Water talent fairies slipped off lilypads into Havendish stream and had to flounder towards shore. Fawn and other animal talents were bowled over by a stampede startled mice, raccoons and squirrels.

Shocked out of sleep, Vidia rocketed outside of her sour plum tree before she knew what she was doing. Catching her breath, she looking wildly around for the source of the thunder fading away. The Home Tree was all right. The flowers in their fields were all right, if askew from fairies leaping up to see what was wrong. Farther away, the mermaid lagoon rippled as the last mermaid fled into the deep. She thought perhaps the gunpowder in Captain Hook's ship had exploded, but even from Pixie Hollow she heard him yelling frantic orders to crew racing across the deck.

A piece of dirt flew by her head. She looked up and dodged a larger clump, but smaller pebbles rained down from the sky and pelted her like meteorites. Racing under her tree's leaves, she peeked towards the source of the dirt.

Kyto's mountain--

She shook her head in disbelief. Kyto had been imprisoned for as long as she had been in Neverland. But now his mountain held a deep gouge, blackened by fire, and the Never Bim tree roots lay closed over an empty nook.

A shadow passed over the sun. She looked up and saw his dark outline passing through the sky, his wings tattered from struggling, his tail kinked from centuries at an awkward angle.

With a roar that made her curl up in fright, Kyto turned and dove straight down into the mermaid lagoon. Water exploded up hundreds of feet and crashed down again, and then the lagoon was still.

Bathing, she realized. Kyto is taking a bath after all those years, to get the smell off.

But he wouldn't stay in the lagoon forever. When he came out, all his hate and anger and vengeance would pour down on Neverland. On Pixie Hollow. Dragon flame would engulf everything.

Her first thought was to fly to Clarion and find out what they would do. Then she thought of Prilla and knew she had to find her first. Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, she raced toward the Home Tree.

To her surprise, the Home Tree was already swarmed by fairies. Those who were awake pounded on windows and doors, or flew inside their friends' rooms and dragged them out of bed. But when Vidia went to Prilla's room, it was empty.

No--she shook her head. It shouldn't be empty. Prilla should be there. Prilla had waited up late for her. She should still be asleep. Panic stung her, and she looked under the bed to make sure Prilla hadn't hidden there. Nothing.

She opened the door that led to the trunk, but the hall was filled with fairies flying in all directions. She couldn't hope to fly through that. Biting off her curse, she flew out the window again and hovered on the edge of the cloud around the tree, looking into the crowd for Prilla's pink dress and red hair.

It was impossible, like looking for a petal in a field of flowers. There were too many fairies flying, skimming across Havendish stream, carrying fairies knocked senseless by falling pebbles and stones. Her stomach knotted up and she looked over her shoulder at the lagoon. Kyto had come out of the water and lay stretched under the waterfall, shaking years of grime off his wings.

There was blood in the water.

Vidia pressed her hand to her mouth, but she didn't let herself give into her feelings. There was no time for sympathy for the mermaids. The fairies wouldn't even make a mouthful for him. He would simply flame them down, leaving ashes that sparkled in the sunlight.

A flash of white caught her eye. Clarion flew in the midst of the chaos, sending the ministers off to try to organize her subjects. Her attendant fairies huddled behind her, holding her crown and a few ancient treasures of Pixie Hollow.

Vidia flew down to her just as the ministers disappeared. Clarion turned to her with wide, frightened eyes.

"Vidia, what are you doing here?" she said. "Go find Rani and Brother Dove. They'll need you to help lead the way."

"'Lead the way'," Vidia echoed. "Where are we going?"

"You didn't hear?" one of the attendants said. "We're going to the mainland."

Another one of them nodded. "We can hide there until Kyto stops."

Stops? Frowning in confusion, Vidia stared at them, then looked up at Clarion. She couldn't be serious. Clarion couldn't possibly believe they'd be safe on the mainland. As dangerous as Neverland was, there were a thousand more ways to die, to be eaten, to vanish and never be seen again on the mainland.

"No," she whispered. "No. That won't work."

"Vidia," Clarion said warningly. "Do not argue with me. Not now. I know what you're thinking, but it isn't forever, just 'till Kyto stops--"

"He'll never stop," Vidia said, her voice still shaking. "His hate kept him alive all these years. He won't stop until it's all burned down. There'll be nothing to come back to."

"Then we'll live on the mainland," Clarion insisted. "We'll be safe there."

Behind her, Clarion felt her attendants edging together and whispering, nursing each other's fear. If she didn't send all of her fairies on, and soon, the fear could turn into terror and she would never be able to get them under control again. They would die flying in circles under Kyto's breath.

"Kyto will follow us," Vidia argued. Anger made her stronger. She glared at Clarion as her fists clenched. "We have to stop him now. We have to trap him again--"

"No one remembers how!" Clarion yelled, losing her temper. She grabbed Vidia's arm and yanked her close, staring her in the eye. "Even if we did, it was hundreds of humans who trapped him there. Not one little fairy. Now get to Rani and prepare to lead us to the mainland."

Vidia's breath hitched. Clarion's fury made her wings spark and the wind around them swirled as her talent flared. The sight brought a distant memory to mind of the last time Clarion had lost her temper, the night she had accepted the crown and left Vidia and forgot about racing, living a life of managing the fairies and riding in carriages.

Closing her eyes, Vidia turned her head. She didn't want to see Clarion's face. She couldn't bear hearing her mad. Nodding once, she flew backwards when the queen let her go.

"You will help Rani," Clarion said, breathing deep as her anger faded. "And obey her commands as if I gave them."

Silent, Vidia turned and flew away, ignoring Clarion's cry when she headed in the wrong direction. She had to go home first.

She had to fly against the current of fairies coming from the fields as well. There were only a handful of stragglers left, but they increased her sense of urgency. Scant minutes were left before the entire hollow would head for the mainland. She put on a burst of speed, passing the thistles surrounding her sour plum tree.

"Vidia! I knew you'd come back!"

Relief washed through her at seeing Prilla hovering by the swinging doors of her home. Her wings hummed nervously, her hat lay askew, but she smiled broadly. Vidia smiled back, then scowled. Not slowing down, she grabbed Prilla's hand and dragged her inside, all but tossing her on the bed.

"Why would you fly here?" she snapped. "You should be with the rest of the fairies about to go."

"Sorry," Prilla said as she sat up, but she didn't look sorry. "I couldn't leave without you. I didn't know if you were hurt or couldn't fly, and I had to know you knew we were going. Besides, I can go to the mainland any time."

Ignoring her logic, Vidia knelt at the foot of the bed and opened her trunk. A pouch of fresh dust lay within, and she tied it to her belt for safekeeping. As she stood, she looked around for anything else to salvage. She felt a little sad to leave Bess' painting behind, but it was a luxury she couldn't afford.

Grabbing Prilla's hand again, she headed back across the sunflower field, pulling Prilla as fast as she could. The fairies were all in groups by talent, calling out names to find each other. At the very front, Vidia came to a stop by Rani who was climbing on Brother Dove's back.

"Prilla will fly with you," Vidia said, shoving her forward. "So you don't fall--"

"--off," Rani finished for her. She knew that Vidia didn't care about her, just about giving Prilla the first spot in the evacuation, but she didn't argue. "Okay. Let's go."

At her signal, Brother Dove spread his wings. Behind them, the air hummed as every fairy took off at once. Vidia led the way for a moment, then flew to the side to make sure everyone was coming in a steady stream. She returned to Rani's side, then flew ahead to see that the way was clear.

No one complained about her leaving Rani's side so often. Vidia looked less like a fairy and more like a dark purple blur as she flew circles around everyone. If a sleepy fairy drifted off course, she blew them back with a forceful wind that chilled them and woke them up.

As she looped down to the middle of the stream, she spotted Clarion helping dozens of fairies carry Mother Dove's nest. Vidia hesitated. She wasn't supposed to be anywhere near Mother Dove. Clarion was already angry. She didn't want her yelling again in front of everyone.

Then she shrugged and flew down towards her. She couldn't very well pluck a feather right now. The fairies eyed her suspiciously, but Mother Dove made no protest, too busy holding her egg still.

"Vidia--" Clarion started.

"I know you're all slowpokes," Vidia said, but for once she wasn't being sarcastic. "But you have to go faster. You're barely going faster than the breeze."

"I know," Clarion groaned. "But we can't. Even if we weren't carrying Mother Dove, it takes time to move everyone."

Vidia wrung her hands, staring at the line as if she could will it to speed up. Every fairy was a glowing star against the pale blue sky.

"He's going to see us," she whispered. "Any minute now he's going to see us and--"

Below them, Kyto roared.

Whirling, Clarion left the nest and looked down. Kyto's scales flashed in the sunlight. Stretching his wings, he flapped them once, twice, rising off the ground slowly. Although he was far below them, his black eyes glittered clearly. He stared at the sparkling line of fairies rising to the second star on the right and bellowed his threat.

"He's coming," Clarion said softly.

"We can't get away in time," Vidia said.

She blinked.

No, Vidia knew she could get away. She might be the last fairy alive, but she would get away.

And all the other fairies would be dead.

"You can't fly fast enough," she whispered to the queen. "He'll be here in a moment."

"No," Clarion said, shaking her head. "There's still a chance."

Tearing her gaze from Kyto, she met Vidia's look. There was no anger. Only wide eyed sadness ringed red from crying and dark circles from waking up too early.

"Vidia...you're faster than I am. I've never admitted it, but you're faster. You always have been."

A cold hand gripped Vidia's heart. She knew what Clarion was about to ask. Her hand went to the pouch at her side.

"I know we're small," Clarion said, "but can you get his attention? Can you distract him for a few minutes?"

Vidia watched Kyto growing larger as he came closer. He was as big as an elephant. She was a little over six inches. She might annoy him for a moment, but to fly close enough to get him to chase her? That was if she avoided his breath, his flames, his claws, the whip of his long tail...

If she succeeded, the fairies would make it to the mainland. All but her. All the fairies who couldn't understand her heart's longing for speed, who condemned her ruthlessness to be the fastest, who were suspicious of a fairy who spent all her time alone, apart even from her talent--they would survive.

They didn't mind her so much when they needed her. When they reached the mainland, they wouldn't know what she had done. They wouldn't notice she wasn't there, except maybe Prilla. And when Clarion told them, would they care?

As she watched her death coming for her on scaled wings, she imagined what her life might have been like if all her little wishes had been real.

"I'll want fresh dust after this," she demanded. "I'll use all mine up, so I'll want new feathers."

Clarion nodded once. "You'll have them."

"And my own tree again," Vidia continued. "On the other side of Pixie Hollow. And no sending fairies after me. I'll deliver your messages when I feel like it."

"As you wish."

"And you have to race me in the next games, so I can show everyone I really am the fastest."

"Of course."

"Extra dust every day."

"Yes."

"Plum tarts delivered to me."

"All right."

Kyto was very close now. A few more heaves of his wings and he'd be able to scorch the lowest fairies. Vidia yanked her fresh dust from her belt and dumped it all over herself. Power surged through her. She glowed brighter than the sun.

"And you'll never get angry at me ever again," she whispered.

"I promise."

Vidia stretched her wings. The edges were torn from brushing thorns and leaves when she flew at top speed. If she had any advantage, it was that Kyto was still sore and stiff from living in a cage. He wasn't as nimble as a fairy.

"Goodbye, Clarion."

Without waiting for her reply, Vidia flew straight towards Kyto. Seeing her lonely charge, he laughed, a deep growling sound in his throat, and opened his mouth. Flames rolled out to meet her.

TBC...