The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen Read Online Free PDF

Belle fields where Ivo’s family farms.    
    The glow from the jar lights my way through the deserted fields. The crunch of my feet through the stalks stresses the silence of the night. I fly through the small wheat field to the apple trees on the other side, searching for the tallest and most gnarly tree at the end of the meadow where we always meet.
    The spark of a hundred fireflies radiates through the mist, and yet I am alone. I pace, frightened, hoping he will appear. The wind blows and macabre shadows dance. A chill crawls up my back and I close my eyes tightly from fear.
    I hide behind the tree and listen for footsteps, only to hear howls and whistles. It is only the wind and the roar of thunder in the distance. It is only the wind, I tell myself. It is only the wind.
    SNAP.
I stumble and grip the tree.
    A breeze rushes violently down my body as something falls from the tree and lands inches from my feet. A frightened cry slips from my lips.
    “What took you so long?” he asks, his grin wide for he knows he has startled me. His voice is an echo.
    I turn and shove him, “That’s not funny, Ivo” I say angrily, my voice echoing after his.
    “What? Did I scare you?” he teases and tosses his white blonde hair from his eyes. “Here, I brought you a jar,” he says, but I push the jar away.
    “I brought my own,” I reply, waving the jar an inch from his face.
    “I don’t believe my eyes. You actually remembered to bring your own jar.” He feigns surprise.
    The mist rises from the soggy ground as we make our way farther from the manor, deeper into the fields. We banter, jest, and boast as we normally do, but we both know Ivo shall be the victor of our hunt for fireflies. He’s always the victor now that his legs and arms have grown so long.  He’s faster than me. He jumps higher than me.
    “Did your parents hear you?” I whisper.
    “No. Yours?”
    “No,” I say with a smirk.
    I am normally an obedient daughter, but the thrill of sneaking out is too delicious to ignore. My parents shall sleep through the night and never know, I tell myself. Besides, I am safe here and doing nothing wrong.
    “I’m glad you brought your own jar. Now I can fill up two of them,” Ivo boasts, his wide lips curve, pinching his cheeks so tiny lines fan from the corners of his eyes.
    “Ivo Bauer, you’re such a braggart. I think I know why the flies circle about you so,” I tease.
    “Is it because they are attracted to the smelly girl who’s always following me about?” he replies. I roll my eyes and punch him in the arm. He grins and I notice a split in his lower lip. He turns on his heel and bolts toward a swarm of fireflies, laughing.
    I follow as quickly as I can, but my feet turn to lead, sinking ankle deep into the sludge. I pull them out one at a time with a thick slurp. My arms flow sluggishly through the mist as though I am fighting my way through swamp water. I leap forward, determined to catch more fireflies than Ivo, yet catching nothing but air. The swarm moves as one, avoiding my clumsy attempts. The hum of their wings grows louder and seems to whisper to me.
    You are weak,
they say.
    Weak…weak…weak
, they hum, faster and louder, flying within reach and then circling me.
    “I am not weak!” I growl.
    They flit in a spiral and spell it out.
WEAK
. I put my hands to my ears and close my eyes until the buzz fades. I peel one eye open and then the other. Far across the muddy field, Ivo leaps into the air, capturing flies with his jar in large gulps. The bright glow from his vessel shines from across the mud-caked meadow.
    A single fly escapes his grasp and flits toward me. I jump with all my strength and trap him. I peer into the jar and smirk ruthlessly, but it sneers fearlessly back at me, its teeth long and pointed like daggers.
    You’ll never save them
, it giggles in a high-pitched voice, its large eyes glowing as brightly and eerily as its tail.
You can’t even save yourself.
Its jaws open wide