Page 16 of Wings of Reverie

Lord Milori massaged the bridge of his nose.

“I just saw it, or, well, I guess I thought I saw it, and—”

“And you acted right away.”Without thinking, he didn’t add. “May I?”

He gestured to Periwinkle’s wings. She nodded and turned, shifting under their unfamiliar weight, nervously wringing her hands.

This was it.

As Lord Milori gently lifted one soaked wing, Periwinkle made a show of squirming to work her muscles a little. He cleared his throat, obviously thinking hard. “I’m so sorry, Periwinkle,” he finally said. “But you’ll have to stay behind. You can’t fly like this.”

It had been her plan. But when Periwinkle gasped, her reaction wasn’t completely pretended.

She’d actually done it.

Had she really believed she would? Had she really believed it would work?

“Let us wait behind with her,” Gliss broke in, urgent. “Me, Spike, Sled, Fletcher, Slush—”

“You can’t wait,” Lord Milori said gravely. “We travel together.”

“Then let me stay behind,” Fletcher said immediately, handsomeface completely sincere. “I’ll stay behind this season so Periwinkle’s not alone.”

“No,” she said, too quickly. Fletcher’s face fell. “I mean, no. You should go. The Mainland is counting on you. On everyone,” she added, gesturing around the square.

Periwinkle thought she heard someone scoff at this. Looking around, she saw Weaver latching a door near Dougal’s Apothecary and tried not to glare at him.

“You’re needed on the Mainland, Fletcher,” said Lord Milori. “Besides, Periwinkle won’t be alone.”

Beneath his scrutiny, Periwinkle suddenly wondered if he was stating the obvious, or getting at something else.

“I mean, if you’re sure…” Fletcher’s voice was reluctant.

“I am,” she said firmly. About Fletcher going, and about herself staying behind.

Bringing winter meant slowing life down for the humans, keeping the land itself in its natural rhythm. It was important. Periwinkle was only setting that responsibility aside to protect Pixie Hollow’s very way of life.

“Lord Milori!” a snowflake fairy called from across Snowlight Square.

“Excuse me a moment,” Lord Milori said, moving away—but not before he gave Periwinkle a long, thoughtful look.

He knew something. Or he thought he did. Periwinkle just hoped he’d forget about it in the chaos of traveling to the Mainland.

Already on edge, she tensed when she heard a sparrow man behind her talking to his friend.

“No, I don’t think she’s coming,” he said. “I’d hoped, but—”

Periwinkle grimaced. Feeling almost guilty at not traveling along with the winter fairies, she turned to face whomever she’d overhead talking about her—and realized he hadn’t been speaking about her at all.

“Selene,” the sparrow man said. “She’s really not coming.”

“I know,” his friend said quietly. “I know she’s gone, we all know it, but I’d just hoped—well.” She pressed her lips together. “It’s a big day. You know how she loved to make an entrance.”

Selene. Of course they were talking about Selene.Not everything is about you, Periwinkle scolded herself.

The pain in their words had been in Dougal’s voice the night before, too, when he’d argued with Lord Milori. Periwinkle felt a stab of compassion for everyone grieving Selene.

That sort of suffering—it was an invasive species. It wasn’t native to Pixie Hollow.