It was a relief to see Anne so absorbed in her work. Though he still had hopes for her future with Keith, he longed for this ambiguous time, when Anne belonged to no one, to continue for just a little longer.
As he thought this, Challe noticed something small moving by the porch and turned to look.
Mithril Lid Pod?
The tiny fairy was descending the castle’s front steps. He must not have gone into the workspace after breakfast.
He seemed deeply affected by the shock of the sugar candy he’d made two days earlier and the realization that he didn’t have the talent to be a silver sugar fairy. However, he kept annoying everyone by raving about what a brilliant assistant he was to the Silver Sugar Masters, so he didn’t appear to be particularly depressed over the matter.
Watching him now from a distance, however, Challe thought Mithril seemed in poor spirits. The little fairy usually bounced around annoyingly as he walked, but he was now dragging his feet. His wing hung limply on his back, like a wet curtain.
Mithril sat down in the middle of the porch stairs, gave a big sigh, and gazed up at the scattered clouds in the sky. His eyes were vacant, and he looked like his soul had gone wandering away from his body.
That’s odd.
It was clear he wasn’t simply lost in thought. It was as if the flame burning inside Mithril’s spirit had suddenly dimmed to a glowing ember, leaving him hollow and numb.
Challe stood up and cut across the garden toward the porch. As he approached, he felt an anxious flutter in his chest. Mithril’s gaze stayed fixed on clouds, and the only thing reflected in his silvery eyes was the blue of the clear summer sky.
“Mithril Lid Pod.”
Challe called his name, but Mithril didn’t seem to notice him. He didn’t move at all. Challe knelt down right in front of the little fairy and raised his voice.
“Mithril Lid Pod!”
With a shudder, Mithril looked at Challe in surprise.
“Ah… Challe Fenn Challe?”
“You’re acting strange.”
Mithril’s eyes went wide. “Huh? What do you mean?”
“What is going on with you right now?”
“You could tell, huh…? Actually, I…I’ve been thinking through some things. Could I ask you a question, Challe Fenn Challe?”
“What?”
“Are you the type of guy who gets all giddy from the smell of a girl’s soap? Or is it perfume that does it for you?”
Challe grabbed Mithril by the collar. “I was genuinely worried about you, and you can’t even give me a decent answer. I ought to hang you upside down over the front door and use you as the knocker.”
“You sure don’t sound very worried, talking like that!”
“Challe? Hey, Challe! Where are you?”
They heard Anne calling from inside the castle. Still holding the flailing, struggling fairy, Challe answered her.
“On the porch.”
He heard her approaching. Then the front door opened, and out walked Anne. For some reason, she was frowning and looking very grim. But when she saw the two of them, her expression changed to concern.
“Are you fighting? Sorry, did I interrupt?”
“We are fighting, but please interrupt us and stop him!” cried Mithril.
The little fairy was still struggling, but Challe quickly got bored and let him go. Mithril fell to the stone porch with a shout, and Anne rushed to pick him up.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“If you hadn’t shown up, Challe Fenn Challe would have strung me up above the door. Anyway, what’s the matter, Anne? Are you mad about something?”
She sat up on her knees in front of Challe. She was wearing that sullen expression again.
“Yes, I am mad.”
“Mad at who?” asked Challe.
“At myself. I made the same mistake twice.” Abruptly, she bowed. “Challe, please. I’m sorry for asking so suddenly, but I want to go to Lewiston. Will you accompany me?”
“I don’t mind. But what for?”
“I’m going to see Hugh. I want to change how we’re handling the fairies. They aren’t going to accept our plan just because of Noah. One said we’re just using their freedom as bait to make them work. And I think he’s right to be wary. I want to give the fairies their wings back, so that they can accept what we’re doing and put in real effort.”
Anne raised her head, full of determination.
I’d suspected she might say something like this.
Challe understood the yearning for freedom he had seen in Allele two evenings earlier. And he knew that the fairies would never be on an equal footing with the humans unless they got their wings back. But that was not something Anne and the others could do for them, which was exactly why they had summoned Noah.
Challe sighed. “But you can’t do that. Isn’t that why you brought Noah here?”
“That isn’t enough. I understand now.”
“You won’t be able to keep the fairies here once you give them back their wings.”
Anne shook her head. “They promised. All the fairies swore they would stay if we gave them back their wings.”
“Fairies can lie, too.”
What would happen if they gave the wings back to these fairies, who longed to escape their human-imposed bondage? They would refuse to work and run away as fast as they could. As one of their kind, Challe understood that perfectly well.
He tried to coolly explain this to Anne, but she didn’t falter.
“I know that. But I want to give it a try. I want to consult with Hugh. Keith and Kat also agreed.”
It occurred to Challe that Anne must know she was about to make a very poor wager. But her eyes were filled with resolve.
“Very well.” Challe rose to his feet.
If Anne and the others had decided on this, they would do it no matter what he said. After all, that was their job.