Free 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison

is impossible,” said Tanya, sitting down on a tree stump to examine a bulging blister on her foot. “We’re never going to find our way out.” As she spoke, she saw, to her horror, a small mound of grassy earth scurrying along the ground to reposition itself at the base of a fallen tree. Moments later, a clump of weeds and tuft of wildflowers scuttled across her path to switch places.
    She stifled a terrified sob. The fairies were deliberately losing them, drawing them farther and farther into the woods by confusing them. They must have begun doing so the moment she and Fabian had entered the forest.
    “We’re lost,” she said in a small voice. “We’re not going to find the way out!”
    “We will,” said Fabian. “It just might take a little longer than we expected.”
    “You don’t understand,” said Tanya. She battled to keep her voice from rising, and failed. “Before you know it there’ll be a search party out looking for us. Then we’ll be in even deeper trouble!”
    Fabian sighed and looked at his watch. “We’ve still got plenty of time before it gets dark. Let’s keep going.”
    Tanya hauled herself to her feet, and limped after him. As she did so a glint of silver caught her eye. “Wait.”
    Fabian paused, looking mildly irritated.
    She pointed. “I think it’s another one of the catacombs.”
    The metal railings came into view as they drew nearer. This hole was significantly smaller than the first, and did not look nearly so threatening. Tanya was relieved to see that the railings were intact the whole way around. There were no gaps in this, dog-sized or otherwise.
    “How many of these are there, exactly?” Tanya wondered aloud.
    “Seven.” Fabian craned his neck to peer into the cavern. “I’d love to know how deep this thing goes.”
    Tanya made a face. “I wouldn’t. Just think of all the—”
    “Quiet,” said Fabian, holding his finger to his lips. “There’s someone over there. Look—in the clearing!”
    A girl in a green dress with long, dark hair was walking slowly toward them, bending down every now and then to add a wildflower to the bunch in her arms. For a moment Tanya thought the girl had not yet realized she was no longer alone, but then she looked straight at Tanya, smiling as she approached.
    Tanya’s initial relief at seeing another human being was short-lived, replaced with suspicion as she recalled the passage on glamour in her grandmother’s book. She scrutinized the girl, searching for any clue that this might be some fey disguise, but there was nothing about her that suggested anything out of the ordinary.
    “Why do you think she’s here all alone?” Tanya whispered, trying not to move her lips in case the girl saw that they were speaking about her.
    Fabian did not answer right away. “I don’t know. She looks like she could be a gypsy—she might be a relation of the old gypsy woman. She lives in these woods.”
    “Mad Morag?”
    “That’s right. The one who gave you the compass. Which, by the way, I looked up in an antique book of Warwick’s. It’s worthless.”
    Tanya looked toward the girl. “Shall we ask her if she’s seen Oberon?”
    Fabian nodded. “Even if she hasn’t she might be able to help us find our way out. She seems to know her way around pretty well.” He stepped away from the railings and toward the girl, Tanya behind him.
    The girl eyed them and smiled again. She looked to be in her early teens, with creamy skin and thickly lashed dark eyes. “Are you lost?” she asked softly.
    “We’re looking for our dog,” Fabian said. His voice was quavering and unusually self-conscious. “He ran off, and we can’t find him. And now… yes, we’re lost,” he admitted finally.
    The girl nodded. “I saw a dog come this way.” Her voice was quiet and well spoken, somehow sounding older than her years.
    “When?” Tanya said urgently.
    “Not long ago,” the girl replied. “Just a few minutes.”
    “Was he all right? He