It’s #bookqw and my heroine has had the surprise of her ‘day’!
More from Chapter 5:
Gran had told her the name was Gaelic for the Isle of Pines and that the isle was magically hidden to protect one of the few remaining ancient groves in the British Isles. “These are the Scots pine trees the isle is named for,” she said to herself and yawned.
Beri shoved from the wall and came to sit near her, the wings shrinking at his back. “Aye, and the Windborne prize them.” He smiled broadly.
“Who?”
“Not just those from the isle, you ken? But settlements on both sides of the Irish Sea.”
Her tired mind struggled with the details. “Who are the Windborne?”
His smile faded. “Do you not call the People of the Wind by that name…or…Fern, she told you our name, didn’t she?”
She who? Gran? Wait a sec— “How do you know my name?”
“Lady Lark, of course. She told you we were coming today to—”
“To help.”
“Right. But you weren’t there, so we got started on what we could do.”
That explained the cut saplings and why these winged guys were around when she fell.
Beri’s eyes were wide in a way that put Fern on guard. “She needed family help,” he muttered, not exactly to her, yet he didn’t hide the words either. “She told us her cousin’s granddaughter—you—only partially knew why, but I would have thought… No, obviously, she didn’t explain.”
Cousin? Is that what Gran had told them? Darn it all, Gran!Fern leaned forward and tugged his forearm. “What don’t I know?”
He drew in a breath. “The Isle of Giuthas is a Windborne enclave, hidden from the outside world to protect the trees, but”—he frowned at her—“also us. Winged wizards, the People of the Wind.”
She stared. Would Gran have told her these things if she hadn’t been late today? “Are you telling me everyone on the island has wings?”
“Aye.”
Does that mean Gran does, too?Her head seriously buzzing, Fern released his arm and slumped back on her rear. Hidden. Winged.People. An island of them.
Gran had covered this up—secrets, barriers, whatever—until now. The inspection. The trial. Hertrial. And this weekend Gran was taking her to the Council Gathering. She’d talked excitedly about introducing Fern to her friends. Of course, Gran had to tell me all her secrets. I just wish she wasn’t making me keep some of them.
Fern swallowed. “Lady Lark is Windborne?”
“Aye.” Beri looked at her in a funny way.
Gran had never answered how they were to travel there. Duh.Isolation wasn’t a problem—these people flew. And—Fern touched the pouch—she traveled halfway around the world in an equally strange way.
Gran should have known that learning about wings wouldn’t freak her out. So if Gran is Windborne, is Mom, too? Am I?
~~~
Thanks for reading!
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