The Perfect Match

by E. D. Baker

  Although it was cold, Cory didn’t intend to stay outside for long, so she started for the garden, not really thinking about where she was going. She couldn’t help but feel that she should be doing something about finding the highwayman. Short of scouring the countryside looking for him, she couldn’t think of anything to do. It was a ridiculous idea—looking for him in the dead of night when she didn’t know the area or the people. Absolutely ridiculous and she wasn’t going to do it—right?

  Once the idea entered Cory’s head, she couldn’t think of anything else. Why couldn’t she go look for him? She was even more awake than she’d been when she got out of bed, and she’d just lie there and worry if she went back to bed now. If she didn’t look for him, she’d probably regret it later when she was unable to make a match for Lillian, the woman whose future she’d changed so drastically. If Cory wasn’t able to find the princess’s love match, she just knew it would make her feel guilty for the rest of her life. She’d go look for him, but she wouldn’t do it for long, she told herself. If she didn’t find him in a few hours, she’d give up and consider it an impossible job. She was sure there would be a lot of people she couldn’t match up over the years.

  Cory was in the garden, out of sight should anyone be looking out of the castle, when she thought wings! Her wings appeared behind her, creamy in the pale moonlight. As she spread them wide, she didn’t think about the cold breeze that had covered her with goose bumps, or that Chancy had told them that the wind was reputed to be wild and rough coming off the waterfalls. When she took off, all she thought about was finding the highwayman.

  The wind hit her as soon as she passed beyond the limits of the island. She was so distracted and it hit her with such force that she flipped over. Righting herself, she fought to keep her flight steady. Although she had learned to slip in and out of air currents, letting them help her when she could, these were conflicting currents, taking her one way, then another. All she could do was let them carry her toward the shore, going this way and that, working her way there in small increments until she was above land and could set her feet on the ground.

  After resting her wings for a minute or two, she took to the air again, heading back to the ferry landing so she could find the road they had used before. Spotting the jetties, she turned inland and flew over the road, looking for riders lurking among the trees.

  Cory knew very little about highwaymen other than what she’d read in The Fey Express. They worked in groups, stayed to well-frequented roads, and often found their prey in taverns where unsuspecting travelers talked about where they were going. One article she’d read had told the reader how to avoid becoming the victim of highwaymen by not talking about plans or destinations when stopping for a meal, and not to flaunt one’s wealth to anyone on the road. What it didn’t say was where to look for a highwayman when you needed one.

  Cory had flown a third of the way through the forest when she saw a tavern nestled in a curve in the road. Remembering what she had read, she landed behind the building and wished her wings away. Dressed in slacks and a shirt that were normal at home but would stand out here, she decided to do what she could to avoid being noticed while she looked around the tavern. The back door to the building was close to where she landed, so she opened it and peeked inside. A hallway ran from the front of the tavern to the back. Loud voices and music came through the doors on the right side of the hallway, while the clang of pots and pans came from a room to her left.

  Cory pulled the outside door closed most of the way when the kitchen door slammed open and a barmaid backed out, loaded down with a heavy tray. The barmaid turned and kicked the door on the other side of the hall, opening it to reveal a large room filled with people eating and drinking. Candles on the tables and the light from a crackling fire in the fireplace were the only illumination in the room.

  While the barmaid unloaded plates from her tray, Cory slipped in after her, staying in the shadows. The heads of deer and boar had been mounted on the wall. Farther down, a full-grown bear reared over the customers, his fur ratty from age and poor taxidermy. When she didn’t think anyone was looking, Cory edged along the wall to the shadows behind the bear and turned to study the people.

  She saw a few families, but most of the customers were rough-looking men. One table was made up of hunters who talked about the boar they had almost killed, although it sounded as if the boar had almost killed them. Knights-for-hire were seated at a second table, weighing the merits of working for one king or another. It was the men at the table in the back corner that finally caught her eye, however. She saw nothing but their backs and bent heads for the first few minutes she was there. It wasn’t until one of them turned and called for more ale that Cory saw their faces and recognized the man with the hawk nose. Two of his companions seated at the table had also been among the highwaymen.

  Cory edged a little closer to hear what they were saying.

  “He wants us there early,” the hawk-nosed man said, turning back to his friends. “The carriage should be ready to go by the first ferry crossing.”

  “Just as long as we get the right one this time. I almost wet myself when I saw that ogre!”

  The men all laughed, but Cory felt her heart skip a beat. They were going to stop another carriage the next day. The only people who had yet to leave the castle and were going to travel by carriage were Princess Lillian and the members of Zephyr, and these men didn’t seem to want to stop Zephyr again.

  Suddenly, the men grew quiet. They were all looking at one man whom Cory was horrified to see was staring directly at her. He said something so softly that she couldn’t hear it, and they all turned to look her way.

  Cory backed away from the bear, their eyes still on her. When the men all stood at once, she turned and ran along the side of the room. Dashing through the door, she almost ran into the barmaid carrying another tray of food out of the kitchen. Apologizing under her breath, Cory shoved the girl at the men who were following her. Cory was thankful that they still hadn’t locked the back door as she darted out of the tavern and into the forest. She thought wings! as she ran, and opened them as soon as she reached a big enough gap in the trees.

  The men were stumbling through the forest, looking for Cory, when she took flight. Afraid that they’d see her cream-colored wings in the moonlight, she flew up at a steep angle, rising above the trees in moments. The men were still looking for her as she started back to the castle.

  It didn’t take long to reach the river when she wasn’t looking for people hidden among the trees. This time she was prepared for the winds, and started flying over the water from a point slightly upriver of the castle. She endured the buffeting until she was over the island. The wind stopped abruptly at the edge of the water, almost as if there were an invisible wall keeping out all but the lightest breeze.

  Cory was sore and tired and could easily see how a fairy’s fragile wings would never have withstood the wind. She was looking for a place to land when the blue baby dragon appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Opening his mouth, the dragon exhaled a narrow blast of flame, forcing her to change direction. The dragon swerved after her, close enough for his flame to warm her feet, but not enough to burn her. They crisscrossed the island this way, racing over and around buildings while Cory tried to think of a way to lose him. Maybe, she thought, the wind could actually help.

  When she flew to the north end of the island, she wasn’t sure if her idea would work, but thought it was worth trying. Instead of swerving to follow the contour of the island, she plunged directly into the wind, letting it whip her aside and toss her around until she was able to get her bearings. At one point she saw the dragon flipping over and over, struggling against the wind. Although she felt sorry for the little beast, the whole point was to get away from him, so she fought her way back to the island, landing just outside the castle door. She was about to go inside, but couldn’t knowing that the dragon might get hurt because of something she had done. Sighing, she turned around
and rose into the air again.

  It didn’t take her long to find the little dragon. He was so dazed and disoriented that he didn’t struggle when Cory grabbed him. Fighting her way back to the island, she set him in the garden and backed away before closing her wings. The dragon groaned and fell over. When she poked him with her foot to see if he was still alive, he opened one eye and looked at her. Satisfied that she had done what she could, Cory headed back into the castle.

  Although she would have loved a long hot bath to ease her aching muscles, Cory changed back into her nightgown and climbed into bed. She was pulling the covers up when she noticed that there was a third person in the room. Goldilocks had returned and was asleep on her back, snoring softly.

  CHAPTER

  16

  Get up, everybody!” Olot said as he banged on the door the next morning.

  “The sun isn’t even up yet!” complained Goldilocks. “It’s too early to get out of bed.”

  “It’s not too early if you want to have breakfast before we get on the ferry,” Olot answered through the door.

  “About that . . . ,” Goldilocks said. Climbing out of bed, she threw a robe over her nightgown and went into the hall. When she came back, she took off her robe and climbed back into bed.

  “What did you say to Olot?” Cory asked her.

  Goldilocks rolled over to face Cory. “I told him that I won’t be going with you. Rupert proposed and I accepted. We’re getting married in a few days whether his mother likes it or not. I’m sleeping in this room until then, so there’s no need for me to go downstairs at this unheard of hour to eat my breakfast.”

  “You’re staying here?” Cory asked.

  She glanced at Daisy, expecting her to say something, but her friend just nodded. “She told me last night when she came back to the room. She woke me up to tell me, and then I saw that you weren’t here. Where did you go?”

  “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk,” said Cory. She had hoped that the girls hadn’t noticed that she was gone, but wasn’t surprised that they knew. Before Daisy could ask any more questions, Cory turned back to Goldilocks. “Aren’t you afraid that you’re taking this a little fast? Most people want to tell their family and their friends that they’ve found the right person, then plan a wedding and—”

  “Nope,” said Goldilocks. “Rupert and I have a really strong connection and neither of us wants to wait. The minister who was going to perform the service yesterday left when Lillian’s parents did, and it’s going to take a few days to get him back. Otherwise we’d be getting married today. My mother will learn about it when I take Rupert to meet her. Now, do you mind? I need my rest. I have a busy life ahead of me. Oh, and Olot says you two still have to hurry up. You’re leaving for the ferry in half an hour. Less than that now, I’d guess.”

  Cory was out of bed, throwing on her clothes, before Goldilocks had even finished speaking. She had to talk to Lillian before the princess left, which would probably be soon if she hadn’t already gone to catch the ferry. Shoving all her possessions in her bag, Cory slung it over her shoulder and stopped. She had one last thing to do before she left.

  While Daisy packed her bags, Cory walked between the beds and squatted beside Goldilocks. “Do you still want your necklace back more than you want that ring?” she whispered.

  “Yes!” Goldilocks said, her eyes popping open.

  “Then give me the box and I’ll see what I can do,” Cory told her.

  Goldilocks gave her a long hard look before reaching under her pillow and pulling out the box. “I’m counting on you,” she said, and watched as Cory tucked the box in her knapsack.

  Daisy was heading to the door when Cory bolted past her and down the stairs. She paused by the entrance to the great hall long enough to make sure that the princess wasn’t there, then ran out the door and down the cobbled path to the dock.

  She saw Princess Lillian right away, waiting with her coachmen and armed escort while her possessions were loaded onto the ferry. When Cory reached the princess, her first thought was that Lillian didn’t look very good. Her face was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes, red from crying. The princess was about to turn away when she realized that Cory was the new arrival.

  “Oh, it’s you,” said Lillian. “Are you crossing now as well?”

  Cory wanted to tell Lillian what she had heard the highwaymen say at the tavern the night before, but didn’t know how to do it without telling her where and how she’d heard it. Instead she said, “I came to ask if I could go with you. Don’t ask me why, because I can’t tell you and I have a very important reason.”

  “A secret reason?” Lillian said, raising one eyebrow. “I bet it has something to do with that ogre. Let me guess—he’s horrible to you and you want to seek asylum in my kingdom.”

  “That sounds—”

  “I knew it!” Lillian said as a little color came back to her cheeks. “There’s no time to lose. Get on the ferry and I’ll see that it leaves right away. We don’t want him finding you here.”

  “You don’t understand! I have to—”

  “I understand perfectly! I knew from the moment I saw him that he was a typical ogre and would be horrible to any young woman who worked with him. There you go, crouch down behind my luggage and he won’t see you from the castle. We’ll be ready to go in just a few minutes.”

  “Apparently, first impressions mean everything to her,” Cory muttered as she crouched behind the luggage. The princess was talking to her men when Cory took a leaf and an ink stick from her bag and wrote a note to Olot.

  I found another ride home. I am fine. Will see you in a few days.

  Cory

  Folding the leaf in half, Cory stuck it in her pocket and waited for the ferry to leave. She was still crouched behind the luggage when the ferry left the protection of the jetty. It lurched and something in the luggage whimpered. Cory turned around and really looked at the luggage for the first time. More than a dozen trunks and bags were stacked in a pile, and under the pile was a very large crate. Although only one corner of the crate was visible from where Cory crouched, she could tell that it was the one she had seen in the great hall. The wedding was off, but it looked as if Lillian was taking her wedding gift home with her.

  “You’ll be all right,” Cory told the baby dragon in a soothing voice. “We’ll reach the other side in a little while and your ride will get smoother.”

  Hearing Cory’s voice, the baby dragon shuffled closer to her in the crate. With each rock and lurch of the ferry, the little dragon whimpered and Cory tried to calm it. When they finally reached the other side, the dragon finally grew quiet and Cory was able to stand up and look around. The men who worked on the ferry were already unloading the luggage when Cory approached the Head Water Nymph. “Thank you for everything you do,” she told Serelia. “I don’t know if people thank you enough, but you certainly made our stay more pleasant.”

  Serelia looked surprised. “You’re quite welcome. I didn’t know you were on the ferry. I thought all the members of Zephyr were crossing on the next trip.”

  “They are, and I would be too if I weren’t going with Lillian. Could you please give this note to Olot? Tell him that I’ll explain it when I see him next. Oh, and were you serious when you said you could help Rina? If you are, I’ll tell her parents about you and perhaps you can meet with them.”

  “I was quite serious,” Serelia told her. “I haven’t taken a vacation in a very long time. I think I’ll see if I can find a few nymphs who can fill in for me. I’d like to come to town to meet Rina and her family.”

  “I’ll look forward to that,” Cory told her. “I hope to see you again soon. Now if you’ll excuse me, it looks as if Lillian is ready to go.”

  Serelia nodded and glanced at the note in her hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll see that Olot gets this.”

  Princess Lillian was already in the carriage, impatiently waiting for her as Cory climbed aboard. She was surprised to see that the crate
holding the baby dragon was taking up most of the floor. With no space to put her bag by her feet, she set it on the seat beside her.

  “We couldn’t fit the crate anywhere else,” said Lillian, looking at it with distaste. “Rupert insisted that the dragon is mine and I have to take it with me, even if we’re not getting married. I’m sorry we have to put up with this. I can’t stand the way it smells.”

  Cory didn’t mind the way the baby dragon smelled. It reminded her of toasted marshmallows, one of her favorite treats. She felt sorry for the little creature and would have let her out if she could, but Cory was a guest and it wasn’t up to her.

  Lillian didn’t have much to say at first and stared glumly out the window as they rode farther from the castle. But after a while she seemed to perk up and asked Cory about her life in town. Cory told her about what had happened with the Tooth Fairy Guild and how they had taken away her fairy abilities. She told her about being a member of Zephyr and how much she enjoyed it. Even when she told Lillian how nice Olot was, the princess insisted on referring to him as horrible. Finally, Cory told the princess about the odd jobs she had taken on recently, many of which Lillian thought were terribly funny. She was especially interested in hearing about the “Old Lady Who Lived in the Shoe,” as she repeatedly called her.

  They had traveled for nearly an hour when the carriage rolled to a stop. Hoping that she had made the right decision, Cory peeked out the window and was relieved to see that it was the same group of highwaymen who had stopped Zephyr last time. She sat back when she saw the leader of the group coming toward the carriage.

  “Georgie!” Lillian cried when he opened the door. “I wondered why we’d stopped.”

  “I told your men that I wanted to speak with you,” Georgie said. He smiled at Lillian, but his smile vanished when he saw Cory. “What is she doing here?”

  “Cory has come to me for refuge,” said Lillian. “What do you want to say to me that’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait until I returned home?”