Free Escaping Neverland by Lynn Wahl Page B

retreating.
    In the warm, golden glow of the flame, I began
shading in the eyes. The Queen’s colors were all gold and greens, as much as
part of the forest as if she’d been birthed from a tree in summer just
beginning to turn to autumn. When I began to add the glint of light in those
sharp cat eyes, I felt the tingle of power and pushed at it, until with the now
expected sharp pain in my forehead, the drawing was complete.
    The Queen, who’d sat absolutely motionless through
the whole hours long process, gave a sudden gasp. Her hands flew to her face
and she let out a strangled cry. Unable to read the emotion in the Queen’s
voice, I shrank back on my bench far enough that I almost fell off the back.
The Queen’s cry brought female attendants scurrying out of the shadows. One of
them held a shallow basin of polished silver and set it in the Queen’s arms
with shaking hands.
    I crossed my fingers and wondered if the magic
would permit making corrections. I didn’t think it would and wished that I
could just melt back into the jungle and face the spiders. At least the spiders
would just want to eat me. If the Queen’s face was anything less than perfect,
I was sure I’d be made to suffer the error in excruciating detail.
    When a tall male stepped out of the entrance by
the throne and knelt in front of the Queen, I stiffened.
    “My Queen, your beauty is beyond compare. The
healer’s job was perfectly done.”
    The Queen raised her head and stared at me across
the courtyard. I let out a breath and flipped the tablet closed. The Queen’s
face contained the same eerie perfection as the other fae. The drawing had
worked. I would live for another few hours at least.

Eleven: Paige
    While the fae in the court converged on their
Queen, Cashraina pulled me to my feet and led me out of the courtyard. When the
blood returned to my legs in a tingling rush, I stumbled and the turquoise and
crimson Fae caught me.
    “It was a good thing you’ve done, Healer. You have
returned our Queen to us.”
    I shook my head, shocked at the callousness of a
group of people willing to judge their sovereign based solely on her looks.
    “Just because her face was messed up doesn’t mean
she wasn’t your Queen.”
    Cashraina smiled. “Our society is based on beauty
and perfection, Paige. Without her beauty our Queen was less than she should
have been. It was a bad time for us. I have heard that many on Earth struggle
not to judge based on people’s appearance, but that is not our way.”
    Emboldened by the fae’s openness, I cleared my
throat and asked: “How did it happen?”
    Lavender gave a sad little chirp and hid
underneath the taller fae’s hair at the question. Cashraina’s answer was slow
and hesitant, but bitter.
    When the Captain came with his men to take the
little ones, our Queen stepped forward to stop them. She was very brave. It was
the Captain himself who cut her face.”
    “That happened because of a cut?” I asked, a
little incredulous. I’d heard of infections, but jeez.
    Cashraina’s smile was sad. “No, Healer. The Queen
was cut with iron. It is poison to us, and the Captain has armed all of his men
with it.”
    I thought of the cruel intent of such an act and
the pictures I’d found in Jake’s tablet and shuddered. I couldn’t stand
thinking of Jake under the control of such an evil man. Jake was smart and
could be a little misguided, but he was a good guy. I’d never seen him hurt
anything before.
    “What does the Captain want?” I asked.
    Cashraina shook her head and pushed me forward
into a small, private bower of shiny green vines and steaming water. “Bathe and
when you are done, Prince Nuada will explain how he plans to help you retrieve
your friend. He has a better idea of what the Captain is doing here on our
island than I do.”
    The slender fae turned on her heel and left me
alone with Lavender in what was obviously a bathing chamber. I set the tablet
and pencils down at the edge of the