Indigo Magic
Page 18
‘But what will we do with him?’ Leona touched the worn pillow next to Sam’s head.
‘I don’t know,’ I answered. ‘If we send him back to his family, Lily will take him again. If we hide him somewhere on Earth, she’ll fix a scope and find where he is. We can’t order him to live underground the rest of his life, and I don’t know how much radia it would take to conceal him for years.’
Andalonus scratched his nose. ‘You could tell him the truth,’ he said. ‘Let him decide.’
‘The truth?’
Andalonus shrugged. ‘Maybe a spell isn’t what’s needed; maybe it would be wrong for you to decide what should happen to him. It’s his life.’
I watched Sam’s light breath, peaceful as if he slept in his own bedroom on Earth. ‘I never thought of that,’ I said wonderingly. ‘But you’re right.’
However, the thought of telling Sam all that had happened made me feel even more tired. So tired, I considered asking Leona for a sleep spell that would last at least a year.
‘Our mission isn’t very daunting,’ said Andalonus as we left Sam to sleep. ‘All we need to do is get back the crystal flask and the indigo bottle.’
‘And find out what Lily and her armies are doing on Anshield Island,’ Leona added.
Meteor looked at me. ‘And keep Zaria safe from the trolls.’
‘And find Jett,’ I said quietly, floating towards the hearth room.
‘It’s not too much,’ said Leona. ‘We’ve already proven the four of us can work wonders.’
You’re home, Mother, sleeping under a spell again, but this one is different to the nightmare you were caught in for five years. This time, a spell was cast on you because of compassion. Nothing can take away your suffering when you waken, but I hope the true rest you’re getting in your own home will help at least a little.
Now that you’re here, it’s somehow harder for me to write to you. I pictured your arrival as joyous, not overflowing with such sorrow as this. When I began this letter, all I wanted was to find you. Now I have, but so much more has happened that I would never have foreseen.
I shiver whenever I think of Lily Morganite. By taking Father’s life, and Beryl’s, she has shown deeper evil than she did when she stole the magic tax from all of Feyland. She still has Jett. And now, because of me, she has both the aevum derk and the aevia ray. Also because of me, she has breached the sapphire wall on Anshield Island.
I want to make this right, Mother, and so do my friends. I could not ask for better than Leona Bloodstone, Andalonus Copper and Meteor Zircon. You knew them as children, but as you get to know them now, you will be awed by who they have become. Together, we are far more than each of us alone. Because of this, I have not lost every hope.
Even asleep, you look so fragile to my eyes, like thin glass that could easily shatter. I don’t want to add to your pain, and so until I’m sure the time is right, I will keep this letter hidden away and look forward to the day your strength returns.
I will do all I can to help you, and to save Feyland.
Your fairy,
Zaria
Acknowledgments
Thank you Jessica Clarke, editor for Indigo Magic, for telling me what needed to be added and subtracted: Every writer knows that without magical math, a fairytale can’t fly. Margaret Hope designed the beautiful cover. Writing buddies Rebecca Rowley, Lisa Pere, and Jeannie Mobley read several versions of this book and contributed helpful comments. Son Emrys used lots of humour to point out plenty of places in need of revision. Daughter Rose cheered me on and provided insights during the early stages. And husband Tim put up with all the bizarre hours I kept while communing with fairies, genies, gremlins, and trolls. Many thanks to all of you!
About the Author
Victoria Hanley learned to love stories at an early age. She has had many different jobs such as house painter, child-care worker, Montessori teacher, folk-singer, waitress, cook, baker, bookkeeper, school registrar, massage therapist and anatomy instructor, among many others. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.
Also by Victoria Hanley
Violet Wings
The Light of the Oracle
The Seer and the Sword
INDIGO MAGIC
AN RHCB DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 409 04623 3
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This ebook edition published 2012
Copyright © Victoria Hanley, 2012
First Published in Great Britain by Corgi Books, 2012
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