Ellie and the Prince (Faraway Castle #1)(25)
“There now. Smart girl! What did I tell you?” Once the creatures were happily tucking in, she could freely walk among them, tempt one at a time with a carrot, and lift it into a cage. The process took time, but she was patient. Her goal was always to capture the little squeakers without one of them going ember, and in the quiet of the ballroom she had a chance for complete success.
Her wristband buzzed. Frustrated, she glanced at it. Someone near the docks. It couldn’t be cinder-sprite trouble—they mostly avoided water—and the lake monster wasn’t a real threat. Could it be sirens? She looked back at the cinder sprites and shook her head. Whatever it was would have to wait until she finished this job.
The big black-and-white male would be the challenge. He had led his friends into the promised land called Ballroom and to all appearances expected to take over the place, though what he thought they would eat, Ellie couldn’t guess. Sprites were hard to figure sometimes. Her magical urgings had confused this tough guy into compliance, but she recognized a battle going on inside his tufty head with its long, spiraled horns. He could prove a challenge to capture.
“Here you go, sweet little thing,” she cooed to the uncertain expectant mother, whose hair fell over her face in a peekaboo style, as she lifted her into a cage. The sprite took one look at the pile of kale waiting for her and started munching with contented little grunts, her slender horns bobbing as she chewed.
Only the big male was left, but he eyed Ellie and the cage waiting for him with deep suspicion. He was a particularly handsome fellow, but she deduced he wasn’t the brightest intellect among sprites. Even sprite girls sometimes fell for the big, handsome, dumb ones.
“Hey, gorgeous,” she said, holding out apple slices in a fan shape. “I’ve got something special for you.”
The sprite stood on his tiptoes in front, nose high and twitching. Ellie nearly laughed at his expression but wisely stifled her mirth. He took a few steps forward, paused, looked her over with his big eyes, and dared a few more steps. Just as he took the first nibble, someone burst into the ballroom and shouted, “Miss Calmer? Ellie? Are you here?” Then his eyes alighted on her with relief. “I used my wristband. Didn’t it work?”
The big cinder sprite squawked, crackled, and burst into flame. The magic glove protected Ellie’s hand, but the apples sizzled. To her shock, the hissing ball of fire’s glowing red eyes fastened on the encroaching human, and it lowered its horns and charged. Ellie snatched up her spray bottle and shot its backside with the first stream. With one surprised squeak, the sprite melted into a large puddle. Relieved yet irked, Ellie turned on the intruder.
He stood still, eyes twinkling. “Nice shot,” he said before she could speak. “You rescued me.” Only a hint of sarcasm colored that smooth voice. She recognized the blond prince from the riding party. He was dripping sweat and panting.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped.
“Omar told me to get you,” he said, and raised his hands defensively. “Hey, like I said, I tried the wristband button.”
Her attitude crumbled, and her heart jumped to her throat. “Omar! Is he all right? What’s happened?”
“We got back from a run and saw a guy named Tor taking a kayak to the island. Omar went after him, hoping to make him turn back.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’ve got to go after them both. Have you told anyone else?”
“Not yet. Omar told me to find you first.”
Ellie set down the spray bottle and peeled off her gloves. “I must tell the lake supervisor; I can’t just go off on my own. Will you please scoop up that sprite and put it into this cage? Be gentle.”
He looked from the blob of goo to the tiny cage to Ellie. “You’re kidding, right?”
She wanted to laugh at his expression, but the situation was too grave. “Just do it.” And she left the room at a run.
She found Bence at breakfast in the staff dining hall and apprised him of the situation. He leaped to his feet, sent a page to inform Madame Genevieve, then set off running with Ellie. “You say Prince Omar went after him? Then we’re likely to lose two kayaks and have two ensorcelled men on our hands,” he groused. “Take a scooter and see if you can catch up with at least one of them. I would act as backup, but I can’t approach the island. I’ll send help as soon as possible.”
Not even Madame could find fault with Ellie now that she was acting under Bence’s orders. She sprinted down to the dock and was soon skimming across the smooth water on her scooter. The island was shrouded completely in a weird fog, and there was no sign of the two young men. They must have entered it.
“Your Highness!” she called, her voice sounding thin. “Prince Omar?”
Silence. She stopped outside the fog bank and tried to use her magic to discern its nature. She sensed anger in the mist but nothing worse. “Omar?” Saying his name bolstered her courage. Slowly she drove into the fog, calling again, but she heard only waves slapping against rocks.
Then the water around her scooter began to dimple and boil. She scarcely had time to panic before a huge, weedy head rose from the water beside her knee. A yelp escaped before she registered what she was seeing. “Monster! Have you seen Omar or the other prince?”
It waggled its ears and bumped the scooter, shoving her to the right, then submerged and appeared ahead of her. Trusting its guidance, she followed slowly. Rocks loomed out of the fog on all sides. Sharp rocks that could destroy a boat or scooter.